Martin Griffin - How Students Can Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education

As a professional education consultant and academic supervisor, Martin Griffin has overseen the functioning of entire high school districts and organizations. His goal is to ensure that students are properly prepared for their future, whether that be a career right out of high school, or attending a college or university. For students who decide to attend a university, transitioning from a high school environment to a college one can be difficult. Here are ways for students to prepare for the new academic challenges of higher education.

• College classes are structured differently than high school ones. Large lectures of hundreds of people are very common. To prepare, students should start managing their own notes and processing information with less help from the teacher towards the end of high school.
• Students should find out which strategies help them learn best. If they are a visual learner, words and pictures will help them the most, and they should focus on taking thorough notes and dissecting reading material from the class. For auditory learners, recording a lecture may be most effective. These are just two of the many different types of learners in our population.
• Students should attend professor’s office hours if they have questions or need extra help. It can also be helpful to talk to the TAs. Because college professors will not follow up with each student the way a high school teacher will, students need to be proactive about getting the information that they need and getting their questions answered.

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Martin Griffin - Components of an Effective Educational Curriculum

Martin Griffin is an educational supervisor and consultant with many decades of experience in the academic field. There are many different responsibilities to his job, but one of the most important is developing and implementing new school curriculums in a variety of different subjects. The curriculum is the backbone of any class, and without a strong curriculum, students cannot learn as effectively or process as much information. There are many components that make up a strong curriculum. 

The most important component of any curriculum or lesson is clarity. It is much easier for students to learn from a lesson that is clear than from one that is convoluted or too detailed, especially when learning new concepts. The focus should be on developing simple yet effective methods for conveying new information. The curriculum should also focus on the biggest, most important points first, as these are the most important pieces of information for students to remember. From there, the lesson can go into more detail in a way that is structurally logical. 

After students have a grasp of the basic concept presented in a lesson, they should then be presented with related concepts to further develop their thinking. They should also use the concept in a variety of different ways. This is important not only for the full retention of the information, but also for ensuring that all types of learners can effectively process the information. By having a curriculum that is focused on concepts and ideas instead of systems and processes, students learn more effectively.

Martin Griffin - What is a Professional Learning Community?

Martin Griffin is an educational administrator and consultant with years of experience in the field of secondary education, as a principal and teacher as well as district supervisor and other leadership positions. His goals are to improve educational experiences for all students and to manage and address any problems in the academic environment. In these administrative positions, Griffin has frequently facilitated and advocated for professional learning communities, or PLCs, in his district.

A professional learning community is defined as a group of educators that meet regularly to learn from and communicate with one another about many different concepts and ideas relating to education. The definition of a professional learning community can be somewhat broad. In some cases, a PLC is just a small group of four or five people that meets for informal discussion and sharing of teaching techniques and advice. In other cases, a professional learning community may be a larger conference of many teachers. Some schools and school districts require their teachers to participate in these communities, making them more formal in nature, while in other schools, participation is completely voluntary and done for the benefit of the teacher. The members of these gatherings usually have something more specific to their teaching in common, such as teaching the same subject or the same age group.

Martin Griffin

PLCs normally have a specific structure, in which members meet at regular intervals. These are usually every few weeks or every month, but can vary by necessity. They are usually scheduled during the teacher work day at school, not during outside hours, and are coordinated by teachers who are trained in supervising these types of groups. The groups set agendas for each meeting, and have common predetermined goals for their work together. Conversation is typically very structured and focuses on being productive. During a meeting, there are many topics that teachers may elect to discuss. They may discuss their own work, such as lesson plans, or discuss the work of their students. Constructive criticism is given so that teachers can improve their lessons for their students. They also may analyze trends in student performance or broader research and trends in the academic community.

There are many benefits to PLCs for both teachers and their students. The biggest is that teachers are able to learn from each other and collaborate, which improves their teaching skills. Teachers often leave a professional learning community with an increased sense of confidence, which helps them better interact with their students and maintain their classroom as a whole. The culture within the school can also become more positive and collaborative, making the school a better place to work. Overall, Martin Griffin is a huge advocate for professional learning communities and improving the learning environment for kids.