Teacher’s Lounge Blog

Learn more about teacher preparation, test tips, online learning, professional development, and a variety of other valuable teacher topics.

Is Positive Reinforcement an Effective Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities?

Although any child can exhibit behavior issues in the classroom, individuals with learning disabilities often have more conduct problems than their peers. Knowing that he has a learning disability sometimes causes a child to “act out” at home, in class, or other situations. Positive reinforcement is often used to help these students reach desired behaviors. Does it work? Positive reinforcement, rather than negative reinforcement, can motivate…

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Are Teachers Adequately Prepared to Teach Exceptional Children?

Inclusion Course - Teaching Students with Disabilities

It is a rare elementary classroom, including those in the private sector, where all 15-30 students are of average capability. While the majority do fall within standard parameters, there are those who are both above and below that spectrum, whether due to learning disabilities like ADHD and dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, emotional issues, or extraordinary intelligence that exceeds that of their peers. Educators need to have…

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How More Teachers Can Pass Licensing Exams the First Time

Although prospective teachers work diligently in their teacher prep programs, more still needs to be done to prepare them for their first teaching assignment in a real-life classroom of their own. A National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) report published earlier this year states that over half of elementary teacher candidates do not pass licensing tests due to insufficient preparation in college coursework. Expanding the teacher…

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Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher with student

Have you ever thought about Teacher Appreciation Week? When did it start? Who initiated it? What does it mean? Your school district likely follows countrywide norms and honors its teachers during the first full week of May, with National Teacher Day on Tuesday of that week. History of the Event Discussions about recognizing the important work that teachers do began in 1944. The 81st Congress proclaimed…

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MTEL Comm & Lit – Passing the Summary Exercise with Fidelity

Passing the Summary Exercise: Fidelity Communication and Literacy Skills Test On the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test, candidates are asked to complete a summary exercise.  In this article, I will share the most common errors I see and tips for making a solid score on the fidelity performance characteristic.  A summary with fidelity gives a fair picture of the original. Common synonyms of fidelity are…

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MTEL Comm & Lit – Finding the Purpose and Meaning of Text

You will need to be highly capable in navigating complexities in written text to pass the MTEL Communications and Literacy Skills Test. At the heart of every piece of writing is a message, either stated or unstated. Readers who can identify the author’s purpose, point of view, and audience (Objective 3) are best equipped to get at the “real” meaning. On licensure tests, time is also…

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