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Sr Speaker Materials

  Guidelines for Writing a Commencement Address The draft you write for consideration does not need to be a final version, but should give the panelists a clear idea of what you plan to say in your speech. The traditional commencement address has had content which reflects back on the class's experiences and also gives advice or guidance for the future. The tone should be one which inspires and motivates the listeners. Although the Commencement Address is directed at the graduating class, the message needs to be meaningful and appropriate for the adult audience present as well. Content, language, or style which parents or grandparents might find offensive is not suitable for a Commencement Address. Humor can be an effective minor element of a Commencement Address. The predominant message, and consequently the predominant writing style, should be serious, thoughtful and inspirational.   Format: This a general map of graduation speeches.  It is not required. Feel ...
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AVReading Newsletter May: Obstacles

           Expecting students to be motivated or engaged is a big ask.  When it comes to students who have struggled in school throughout their lives, it is especially difficult. And as those students progress through the system, it becomes more and more difficult to help them overcome self perceptions and beliefs that have been reinforced and ingrained in them for a significant portion of their  academic lives. For these students, the question is what can I possibly offer this student that will be different from what has already been tried with them in the past?  To address that question, we have to think more deeply about these obstacles to motivation.             As indicated above, the most common obstacle is past experience.  As students have met with repeated set-backs and disappointments with reading and school, they begin to accept a couple of beliefs: school...
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AVReading Newsletter April: Goal Setting

   Another academic practice that contributes to growing a student's self-efficacy is that of goal setting.  Goal setting has actually received a considerable amount of attention within the field of educational research.  In fact, Locke and Latham (1990) consolidated that research  into some important findings about what goal setting offers students.  Goal setting allows students to  focus their attention and direct it toward a future target.  It prepares them to adjust their effort to account for the demands of a given task and it enables them to develop persistence in long-term projects. Successfully working towards a goal promotes creative thinking in relation to unexpected obstacles, and establishes a reference point from which growth or progress can be measured.               Research within the field also suggests that students are more willing to invest in cla...
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