Article by Malcolm Gladwell worth a look

Here’s an interesting article written by Malcolm Gladwell of the New Yorker. The article is about spotting talent. What interested me most about the article is the discussion about finding good teachers. He argues that good teachers are like good NFL quarterbacks – it isn’t clear how what is done in college will translate into the classroom or field, and he states rather flatly at one point that “no one knows what a person with the potential to be a great teacher looks like.” Yet research has shown there is an enormous difference in learning among students who have good teachers and those who have bad ones.

Originally Posted by Malcolm Gladwell
the students of a very bad teacher will learn, on average, half a year’s worth of material in one school year. The students in the class of a very good teacher will learn a year and a half’s worth of material. That difference amounts to a year’s worth of learning in a single year. Teacher effects dwarf school effects: your child is actually better off in a “bad” school with an excellent teacher than in an excellent school with a bad teacher. Teacher effects are also much stronger than class-size effects.

Interesting comments on GACE Middle Grades Mathematics and GACE Mathematics 022 023

I thought these brief comments on teachers.net may be helpful to those required to take the GACE Middle Grades Mathematics and GACE Mathematics 022 023.

Interesting GACE Technology Skills Test Outline

Nisa Peek from Kennesaw State University put together an interesting slideshow entitled, “GACE Technology Skills Competency Test Outline“. Her blog, http://gacetest.blogspot.com/, contains helpful resourses for those interested in the GACE Technology Skills Test.

GACE Test Results Available Online to State Educator Preparation Programs

In a recent press release issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and Pearson, GACE test results will now be available online to state educator preparation programs. “Government and independent research supports that preparing, recruiting and retaining great teachers is key to student academic success, and no state has worked harder than Georgia to ensure that its classrooms are led by qualified educators. To support this goal, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) and Pearson announced today that state educator preparation programs now have secure online access to annual Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators® (GACE®) test result reports for their program.”

“At the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, we recognize that collaborating with our state’s educator preparation programs is one of the best ways we can ensure that our prospective teachers possess the knowledge and skills necessary to best educate our students,” said Kelly Henson, executive secretary.

Read the entire press release here.

GACE Workshop – Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Atlantic State University is offering a Basic Skills and Content Assessment (Pedagogy) GACE Workshop on Saturday, January 17, 2009.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at UH 112 or UH 128. To Register: Call Sharon Henderson at 1-800-282-7142 or 678-837-1114. ***You MUST be a current member of SGAE to register.***

This information was originally posted on the “ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY COEBLOG.”

GACE Registration Update

The Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) Web site at http://www.gace.nesinc.com now contains information for the 2008-2009 program year. Candidates can register for all test dates for the 2008-2009 program year on the GACE Web site.

GACE Basic Skills Workshop at Valdosta State University

Teacher Preparation Majors:

GACE Basic Skills Workshop Saturday, September 13 from 10:00-5:00  Room  255 Dewar College of Education

The GACE Basic Skills workshops are free to all SPAGE and PAGE members;  however, there is a $35 materials fee for the workbook required for this  workshop. The materials are not the property of PAGE and are sold only  at the workshop.

GACE Content workshop Saturday, September, 20 from 12:00-3:00  Room 255  Dewar College of Education

GACE workshops, provided by Estrada Consulting, Inc., are approximately  3 hours long and are appropriate for anyone preparing to take any GACE  exam, regardless of subject area. The workshop covers how the GACE  series of exams differs from other standardized tests and how to prepare  specifically for GACE tests. A subject area-specific question & answer  time follows the general presentation. Optional study guides will be  available from Estrada Consulting, Inc., for $15 each.

You must preregister for the workshops.

GACE Workshop at Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Atlantic State University is offering a Basic Skills and Content Assessment (Pedagogy) Workshop on Saturday, September 27, 2008.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at UH 112 (UH 128). To Register: Call Sharon Henderson at 1-800-282-7142 or 678-837-1114. ***You MUST be a current member of SGAE to register.***

This information was originally posted on the “ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY COEBLOG.”

Free GACE Workshop at Dalton State College

Dalton State College will hold a free workshop for students preparing for the GACE Basic Skills Assessment.

The workshop will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on August 16, 2008 in Goodroe Auditorium of Gignilliat Memorial Hall. For more information contact Elizabeth Chadwick at (706) 272-2362 or by email at echadwick@daltonstate.edu.

This information was originally posted on the “The Daily Citizen” web articles site.

Getting Help with the GACE Test

One of the most important times in any student’s life is the time where he or she will decide what to do with their education. After several years of exhausting study, the moment comes when all their education comes together and they need to decide on a future course of action.  If they decide they would like to be a teacher in Georgia, there is an examination they must take to ensure that their knowledge is up to the standards that the educators in that state have set up.  This examination is called the GACE, Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators.

There are various study guides, both printed and online, that have been designed to help students with this endeavor.  One of the more advanced is from Longsdale Publishing.  The motto of this forward thinking company is that they are committed to helping one student at that time.  To this end, Longsdale Publishing has developed an online study guide along with practice tests to help candidates prepare for the GACE Basic Skills Assessment.

This preparation course covers all the essential areas including all the prerequisite mathematical, writing (including essay), and reading skills. The course incorporates a comprehensive overview so students get an excellent idea of what to expect on the test.

Along with a money back guarantee, this online course is one of the most comprehensive on the Internet and comes complete with over 1,650 web pages of instruction that cover every area tested. The reading portion of the instruction gives thorough examples of the kinds of critical analysis and evaluations in all of the tested skill areas.  One of the more interesting areas covered prepares the student to recognize the differences in tone that makes a difference in trying to get your point across verbally.

This online course offers many other advantages over similar products.  For instance, after spending time with each skill area (Reading, Math, or Writing), students can take one of twelve (12) full-length practice exams. All exams come with complete explanations and/or worked-out solutions. The people at Longsdale Publishing are committed to helping students achieve the best results. To that end, the online course and practice tests are some of the best that are offered on the Internet or anywhere else.