Effective Teachers and Teaching Models – A Self-Administered Test

The author with Senator Edgardo Angara and TV host Tintin Versola

Dr Abe V Rotor

This set of questions was designed for participants in Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air). This is posted on popular request by the audience. I invite others to answer these questions often asked about teachers, their teaching methods and models, in True or False. Please refer to the answers at the end of the test which include details and other information.

1. In teaching Humanities and Science must go together. This requires the use of both the left brain which is creativity and the right brain which is for logic or reason.

2. The majority of the participants are experimentalists. They uphold the experimental educational philosophy. This means that these teachers are flexible and open to educational change.

3. Twelve are advocates to perennialists, educational philosophy, which means that they do not subscribe to just one philosophy, and they shift their roles from being facilitators of learning to transmitters and interpreters of knowledge

4. Twelve are eclectic that is, they perceive themselves as authority figures in the classroom, transmitting and interpreting knowledge.

5. Nine are realists. They tend to focus on the here and now. They stress knowledge as how it is applied or observed. For example the laws of nature are better understood through observation and research.

6. Most of the expert teachers are idealists. They view education as a means of developing students’ intellectual abilities. Influenced by the Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato, these teachers stress the importance of logic and philosophy.

7. Of the two compositions used as basis in relating it to effectiveness in teaching. Essentials refer to requisites or “musts” for the attainment of teaching expertise.

8. Enhancers are teaching practices and behaviors contributory to teaching expertise

9. The effective teacher draws inspiration from his or her family, school administration and his community.

10. Subject matter expertise – All of the experts demonstrates a very thorough knowledge of subject matter, which facilitates effective organization of content to promote learning.

11. Being up-to-date with the latest developments in their fields – The experts are updated and very knowledgeable, explain new alternative ways of solving a problem – refers to effective classroom diagnostics

12. Knowledge of practical application and concrete, interesting examples to clarify abstract ideas/concepts – All of the expert teachers have readily available examples which are clear, simple, and interesting, to clarify issues or ideas – subject matter expertise.

13. Instructional Expertise – The expert teachers demonstrate facility in the use of varied instructional strategies, demonstrate knowledge of different teaching strategies, adopt group dynamics, and are particular in instructional clarity. They have the ability to simplify and clearly present lessons.

14. The founders of the world’s greatest religions were teachers.

15. Dr. Albert Schweitzer was great English explorer and teacher-missionary in Africa who became famous for his philosophy “reverence for life.”

16. Classroom Management Expertise – This is the ability of the teacher to prepare for and provide a physical learning environment. Students engage actively in class, time is properly managed, and students behave accordingly. A highly desirable study ethic prevails in class.

17. Efficient handling of routine activities and time management – refers to effective diagnostics.

18. Maintenance of students’ on-task behavior is a key enhancer. They use socialization techniques, encourage students to recite, motivate, and check their progress. There is never a dull moment in the classroom for an expert teacher.

19. Absence of class disruptions – The expert teachers make sure that the class does not suffer from unnecessary disruption. The experts are not reactive to disruptive situations; they are proactive, meaning they anticipate and prevent such situations to happen – or they can immediately remedy the situation from getting worse.

20. Classroom Management Expertise – this is the ability of the teacher to prepare for and provide a physical learning environment. Students engage actively in class, time is properly managed, and students behave accordingly.

21. Expert teachers have a range of teaching experience from 2 to 47 years, with a median of 25 years.

22. The experts were honor graduates and campus leaders.

23. In general, the 69 outstanding teachers did not choose teaching as their first career.

24. Women dominate the teaching profession.

25. Honor graduates are the best teachers because they are highly knowledgeable and can adjust easily to situation.



ANSWERS
1. False, brain lobes interchanged.
2. True
3. False, they are eclectic.
4. False, they are perennialists
5. True
6. False, there are very few – only 1 in the survey is an idealist.
7. True
8. True

9. True. Almost one-half of the expert teachers consider the supportive role of family members who understand the nature of teaching as having greatly contributed to their success. Twenty of the expert teachers mentioned of a family member as their mentor and source of inspiration. On the other hand the role of school administrators is very important, with almost 70% of the participants attributing the administration’s support to their success. The ambiance of teaching is equally important whereby the school is one large respectable family with a community atmosphere.

10. True
11. True
12. True

13. True. Use of varied teaching strategies – 90% of the expert teachers use varied teaching strategies. They employ other than lecture and recitation, song and movement, role-playing, pantomime, choral; reading visual imagery, concept mapping, brainstorming, contest, simulation, oral debate, cooperative learning etc.

14. True
15. True. He was one of the last great explorers to bring knowledge, peace and Christianity into the Dark Continent.

16. True
17. False. – All expert teachers manage classroom routine and time efficiently. The teacher is familiar with the names of his students, and knows who is absent, who is a fast or slow learner. More than half of the experts (58%) do not check attendance because the students are properly monitored and absenteeism does not pose a problem. Classes start and end on time. The teacher employs different ways of maximizing class time, such as the use of OHP, and other instructional devises, including handouts.

18. True, 92% of the model teachers used this technique.
19. True
20. True

21. True, it takes 25 years to be a model teacher. There is a saying, “Experience does not only make a good teacher; experience is the best teacher.”

22. False. They were academic achievers in college. There were only 14 of the experts who were active in extracurricular activities in college, say in athletics and campus politics. Fifty-eight are academic achievers, with 33 as top performers but who did not make it in the dean’s list, and 25 who were consistent scholars and honor students. Only 11 were average academic performers.

23. True Only 26 actually set their minds to teaching as early as upon graduation in high school. For one reason or another, 43 set out for other careers. Others found teaching compatible with their present professions, while a good number opted to spend their retirement as teachers or professors.

24. True. Of the 69 outstanding teachers, women constitute 74% as compared with that of men which is 26 &, or a ratio of 4 to 1. The reason for this is that men place less priority to teaching than better paying jobs. This is manifested in the choice of careers. In the case of men, they prefer law, engineering, and applied courses in industry and technology that offer better professional growth opportunities and pay as compared to teaching.

26. False, however high intelligence is highly preferred.~

Reference: Unveiling Teaching Expertise: A Showcase of 69 Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines, Flordeliza Clemente-Reyes 2002. Lesson on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, DZRB 738 AM, 8 to 9 o’clock in the evening, Monday to Friday.

All about Insects - Self Administered Test

Danaus butterfly

Rhinoceros beetle, male

Abe V Rotor

1. The study of insects is Entomology. Kasama dito ang mga relatives niya.

2. Lahat na insekto ay may 6 na paa – sa lahat na life stages nila.

3. Magkamaganak ang insekto sa sugpo at alimango, ganon din an gagamba.

4. If you find harmful insects around, the best thing to do is spray agad parang masugpo.

5. You can prepare a simple solution to keep off insects in your garden: crushed garlic, little soap and kerosene and a baldi of water – just water on the plants.

6. IPM means Integrated Pest Management – universally the standard in pest control.

7. The first to adopt in IPM ay ang wastong pagbubukid, sanitation, cleanliness.

8. Ang ikalawang bahagi ng IPM is the protection and encouragement of natural enemies of harmful insects.

9. Ang mga sumusunod ay tinatawag social insects: termites, ants and bees.

10. Colonies of aphids, scale insects, mites are pseudo-social in nature.

11. Lahat na grasshopper, if starved and threatened will form the congregans and migratoria stages.

12. Social insects are strictly matriarchal that is, the queen is the head of the colony.

13. Preying mantis mating is characterized by the killing and feeding of the male by the female to insure fertilization – and the continuation of the species.

14. Among the exotic insects for gourmet is the field cricket, Gryllotalpha africana or camaro.

15. Ticks, flea, bedbugs, centipedes all belong to the fame family – Hexapoda.

16. The Chinese are fond of taking care of field rickets as pet – insects instead of dogs.

17. There are insects that live for 17 years, other 20 years – or even more.

18. The shortest living insect is the Mayfly – lacewing, called Ephemerid (Family Ephemerida).

19. Aphids and scale insects form colonies so that they are classified social insects.

20. As a general rule, chemical control is the last resort in pest control.

21. A number of TV and print advertisements on spraying insects are predisposing users to danger from the pesticides.

22. Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, criticize pesticide manufacturers for the annihilation of birds that feed on insects and sprayed crops.

23. In swarming, different colonies on the same species are timed simultaneously to encourage cross breeding.

24. The queen termite mates only once in her lifetime, so with the honeybee queen.

25. The firefly carries a lamp – bioluminescence that is almost all light, and very little heat. It is the most efficient light emitted by living organisms.

NOTE: Answers will be posted soon.
Recommended for students in biology and entomology - high school, college and postgraduate levels.





Living with Nature, 3 AVR (Lesson on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, DZRB 738 AM) 4,11,15,19F (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 9:00 in the evening)

Test on Socio-Cultural Issues

Abe V Rotor

True or False
____ 1. Post modern means after today, that is tomorrow.
____ 2. Times are changing, so with values. There will come a time when what is taboo today will be morally acceptable tomorrow.
____ 3. Just to cite Filipino excellence we have distinctly coveted a Nobel prize.
____ 4. Modernism consciously attempts to distinguish itself from what we call traditional such classical music and traditional farming, .
____5. The European Union today has member-countries from both western and eastern Europe.
____6. ASEAN and APEC, if combined in their present structures and functions, make an EU in Asia.
____7. Today the Avian or bird flu virus has hybridized with the human flu virus forming a virulent form.
____8. A Chinese scientist predicted that anthrax is going to be the next pandemic human disease.
____9. In the early 1920s, some 100 million people died of Spanish flu in just 24 weeks – more than the total death due to AIDS in 24 years.
___10. We are prisoners of our genes, and therefore must accept our fate.
___11. The church does not have a common stand on liposuction even if it is unnatural and harmful – indeed a violation of ethico-morals.
___12. Urbanization and industrialization go hand in hand like a couple.
___13. Biopirating (stealing biological resources) is a form of ecosabotage.
___14. The true reason the US and UK attacked Iraq is because Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
___15. The so-called Cold War which lasted for 45 years was characterized by polarization of countries into democracy and socialism.
___16. We must be more concerned with endangered species, rather than endangered ecosystems, since loss of species is definitely irreversible.
___17. Suicide is precipitated by depression. No one would simply want to end up a good life.
___18. The rate of suicide is higher in less progressive countries because of poverty.
___19. Aculturation is all right, as long as the ethnic communities are integrated into the main stream of society.
___20. Agriculture and ecology are in conflict when it comes to the preservation of the natural environment.
___21. The richest nation and institution ever on earth is the Vatican, seat of the Roman Catholic church.
___23. Test tube baby, surrogate motherhood, artificial insemination, GMOs – they go altogether in a package - the most recent in the business world.
___24. Man and woman have the same intelligence level , as well as physiology – biologically speaking, that is.
___25. It is all about design. In today’s world, designs tend to be no more aesthetic than functional

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid DZRB 738 AM, 8 to 9 Evening Class
Dr. Abe V. Rotor and Ms. Melly Tenorio.

Are You Allergic? A Quiz (Yes or No)

Smoke belching - cause of asthma and allergy.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Simply add up the number of points that apply to each question to which you answer YES.

1. Do you have hay fever symptoms such as sneezing, watery nasal drainage, and nasal itchiness? (4 pts)

2. Do you have chronic nasal congestion, postnasal drip, or both? (3 pts)

3. Do you have sinus problems – frequent “colds” or headaches? (2 pts)

4. Do your eyes itch, water, get red, or swell? (4 pts)

5. Do you have asthma (wheezing), a tight chest, or a chronic cough? (1 pt)

6. Do you have skin problems such as eczema, hives, or itching? (2 pts)

7. Do you have indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation? (1 pt)

8. Do you have chronic fatigue or tiredness? (4 pts)

9. Are your symptoms seasonal only – or worse seasonally? (4 pts)

10. Do your symptoms change when you go indoors or outdoors? (3 pts)

11. Are your symptoms worse in parks or grassy areas? (4 pts)

12. Are your symptoms worse in the bedroom, after going to bed, or in the morning when you get up? (2pts)

13.Are your symptoms worse when you come into contact with dust when vacuuming or cleaning around thick carpeting, heavy drapes, and so on? (4 pts)

14. Are your symptoms worse around animals? (2 pts)

15. Do you have any blood relatives with allergies: one or both parents, brothers or sisters, or children? (6 pts)

SCORES (Are you allergic?)
If you scored less than 7, it’s unlikely you have allergies.
If you scored between 8 and 12, it’s possible you have allergies.
If you scored between 13 to 30, it’s probable you have allergies.
If you scored more than 31, it’s very unlikely you have allergies.

Living with Nature 3, AVR

ALLERGY - The Silent Pandemic

Allergy from butterflies and flowers

Food allergy.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Our body reacts to substances it can’t tolerate, such as pollen and dust. These environmental antigens or allergens are normally harmless, but the immune system of certain persons views them as harmful. There are many types of allergies, such as skin and food allergies, and many different types of allergic reactions, which can range from skin rash to vomiting and diarrhea.

Evolutionarily our immune system is adapted to combat pathogens – viruses, bacteria, fungi – but modern living and modern medicine have greatly eliminated much of these threats on one hand, and rendered our immune system idle on the other. The immune system isn’t challenged in the same way. Instead of developing to target real threats, such as bacteria, the immune system may dysfunction and begins to trigger allergies.

In fact it has become maverick that it attacks substances, including those secreted by our body, so that by attacking non-harmful substances, it creates more harm, and even death. Thus the hygiene hypothesis explains why there are much more allergy cases in affluent societies than in marginal societies. A case in point is that West Germany where people lived with high standard of living were suffering allergies much, much more than their counterparts living a simple life style in East Germany.

Allergies are a worldwide problem. They are often overlooked by doctors and patients and can lead to serious health problems. It means also needless suffering. Allergies disturbs sleep, adversely affect active life and good disposition. Kids and adults alike are more likely to develop asthma, sinus and ear infections, especially if their allergies go untreated.

Mechanics of Allergy
Here is an example. People who develop allergic rhinitis have an excess of a certain class of antibodies, called IgE, which makes them unusually sensitive to these otherwise harmless substances. All the symptoms of allergic rhinitis are really part of the immune response.
So what really happens in an allergic person? Medically it is explained this way.

“Following the body's first exposure to the allergen, the white blood cells produce antibodies, specifically IgE antibodies, that prepare the immune system for the next encounter with that same allergen. This first exposure to pollen will not produce any outward allergic symptoms, but inside, the IgE antibodies attach themselves to mast cells. Mast cells are cells that can be found in the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.

During the second and subsequent exposures to pollen, this allergen will combine with the IgE antibody and release chemicals, such as histamine, in the mast cells, thus producing the allergy symptoms of a runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing.”

Living with Nature 3, AVR

Anaphylaxis – Fatal Allergy

Insect allergy - cottony mealybug (naked insect, lower photo)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Anaphylaxis is systemic reaction, during which exposure to an allergen triggers an allergic response throughout the body rather than just near the site. Anaphylaxis can strike within seconds or minutes of exposure to an allergen. Or it may sneak up slowly, with symptoms delayed up to 2 hours from the time of exposure. Initial symptoms may even disappear, then return full-force within 4 to 12 hours.

It’s a terrifying feeling, you may become flushed, and your skin may become quite itchy and red. The frightening thing is, you begin to feel you’re having difficulty taking a full breath, that you are suffocating. As your blood pressure drops, you feel dizzy and sweaty and become pale. You body is not kidding. Anaphylaxis can kill by suffocation.

It doesn’t take much to trigger this body-wide allergic response – a single peanut or tiny paper wasp can set off the reaction. Egyptian Pharaoh Menes, 3000 years BC, is the first reported victim of Anaphylaxis. During an anaphylactic attack, a rush of chemicals – histamines, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins – is released in an attempt by the body to defend itself. These chemicals are produced by basophiles found in the blood, mast cells found throughout the body, including eyes, noise skin and gastrointestinal tract.

Anaphylaxis may affect many organs, such as the throat, lungs, blood vessels, and intestines. Histamine and other chemicals released by the body may

1. Produce widespread itching, welts, and hives on your skin

2. Cause blood vessels to become leaky, resulting in a drop in blood pressure, swelling of the skin, and fluid in your lungs

3. Bring circulation of your blood and oxygen to a near-standstill as your blood pressure drops


4. Trigger nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as your gastrointestinal system goes haywire.

5. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that can trigger reactions all over your body, affecting the various systems in the body

6. Cardiovascular: Light-headedness, feeling faint, loss of consciousness (syncope), heart palpitations.

7. Upper respiratory : nasal congestion, sneezing, difficulty swallowing

8. Lower airway obstruction: coughing, wheezing

9. Skin: welts or hives, swelling of the skin (particularly on face and around lips and tongue), flushing

10. Gastrointestinal: bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps

11. Make it difficult or impossible to breathe as your tongue and throat swell up and your lungs go into asthmatic spasms

12. Metallic taste in the mouth, cramping of the uterus during pregnancy, sudden need to urinate.

Causes of Anaphylaxis: food – peanut, shellfish, crustaceans; insects – fire ant, honeybee, bugs; drugs - more than ½ million serious allergic reaction occur in hospitals (Penicillin); latex – condoms, balloons, gloves; exercise – eating 3-4 hrs before exercising increases risk; narcotics; aspirin; blood transfusions; food additives
Is there a cure for allergy?
Immunotherapy is the only treatment that alters the immune system, restoring the same response to allergens like pollen in normal nonallergic people. Unlike pills and nasal sprays, immunotherapy holds out the possibility of something far better: a cure. The treatment involves identifying the specific culprit that’s causing the problem through a series of skin tests or blood test. Tiny doses of allergen are then injected under the skin in a weekly series of allergy shots to desensitize the immune system.
There are many promising avenues of research. Purified antigens are being tested that can lead to a more rapid desensitization in immunotherapy. There’s interest in putting specific antigens onto viral vectors that will carry them directly to mast cells. Ultimately that could mean that one injection would render people nonallergic, instead of the years of immunotherapy now often required.
And before long, there will be sublingual immunotherapy, which uses antigens that dissolve under the tongue instead of injections. It offers two important advantages. It’s believed to be safe, and one won’t be visiting his doctor. Immunotherapy can be done at home - soon.

Does allergy run in the family?
To a certain extent, yes. If both parents have allergies, a child stands a 75 percent chance of developing them. If neither parent is allergic, the risk drops to 25 percent. The genetic aspects are numerous and overlapping, which means we’re not going to find a single gene that accounts for allergies. And as the percentages suggest, environmental factors also play a role.

Allergy symptoms
• Breathing problems
• Burning, tearing, or itchy eyes
• Conjunctivitis (red, swollen eyes)
• Coughing
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Hives
• Itching of the nose, mouth,
throat, skin, or any other areas
• Runny nose
• Skin rashes
• Stomach cramps
• Vomiting
• Wheezing

Mushroom allergy

Living with Nature 3, AVR

Allergy - Fact or Myth?

Dr Abe V Rotor

This is a simple test. Read each item and analyze. Is it fact or myth?

1.Children who grow up on the farm are at much lower risk to allergy than children in the city.

2.Infants on the farm have fewer allergies than those who grow up in sterile environments.

3.Children who grow up with a cat in the house are less likely to develop allergies or asthma.

4.Very few pet owners are allergic to the animals they love.

5.Children who have been breastfed are less likely to have allergies.

6.Milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanut, fish and meat comprise the most common food allergies.

7.Most reactions to food are not allergic in nature, but rather intolerance, that is, there is no allergic antibody involved.

8.Babies exposed late to cereal grains have higher risk to cereal allergy, especially wheat.

9.Regular use of “foreign” materials (e.g. nail polish remover, contact lens, metals) can eventually cause sensitivity and reaction to these materials.

10.Allergy can induce strong and unwelcome mental and emotional reactions, such as altered perception or inappropriate changes of mood.
Children raised on the farm have much lower risk of allergy.

ANSWERS: All the ten items are based on facts.

Living with Nature 3, AVR