Studying Poetry in the Classroom

More often than not, if you ask literature teachers how they feel about poetry, they will tell you that they don’t like teaching it because the students don’t like learning about it. While it is true that many students balk at the mention of poetry, this is usually because the teachers try to teach it just like a book, without explaining things like word choice, form, or even what is going on in the poem. Adding some fun activities to a unit on poetry can really help students come up with their own understanding of poetry, and then they can bring that personal connection to the poems you read in class.

Teaching the Form

One of the most important things to teach when you are teaching poetry is about the form of the poem you are reading. Even free verse poems that seemingly lack a form have an art to them. Poetry is different from prose in that there are lines, and when the poet writes a poem, he or she pays careful attention to those lines. Very often, important phrases end at the line, or poets include important words at the end of the line. This can help draw attention to the words and phrases that are used in the poem, and can help illuminate the meaning of the poem.

Most Important Word

By asking students what they think the most important word in the poem is, you are asking them to think about the poet’s word choice. This is actually a very difficult question for students to answer because usually they want to choose a whole phrase. By asking them to pick one word, you are forcing them to look at the whole poem through a critical eye. If they are stuck and need help, you can always give them hints. Important words can be repeated over and over within the poem. Repetition is always a signal of an important word. Other important words can embody the entire theme or message of the poem, or can be a word that the students like the sound or meaning of. Most importantly, remind the students that, as long as they can explain their choice, there are no wrong answers.

Coffeehouse Readings

Always read poetry aloud in class. This can help students understand the poem better. Poetry was also meant to be read aloud. You can make this fun, too, by setting up your classroom like a coffeehouse poetry reading. Have the students snap their fingers after each reading, instead of clapping their hands. Add some lamps to create a coffeehouse feel when the lights are turned off, and put a fake microphone at the front of the room for students to stand up and read into. This will get the students listening and enjoying poetry just for the sound of it, which can lead to really great discussions about the content and how the poem was read.

Found Poems

Found poems are a great way to have students dive into writing their own poetry. For some students, writing a poem can be daunting if anything goes. With found poems, have the students “find” words and phrases in magazines and newspapers. Have them cut out what they find and glue it on a piece of paper in the form of a poem. By giving students something to start with – in this case, words already printed in a magazine – you’ve taken away the fear of creating and sharing something new and personal. 

Financial Planning Process Steps

Whenever we start a new venture, the first thing that we invariably do is planning. And when it comes to finance and business, needless to say, planning becomes an indispensable activity. So what is financial planning? Financial planning can be termed as a process in which financial needs are assessed first, objectives to achieve monetary goals are set (which include investments) and assets and resources are evaluated and ways to increase them are devised. Why is financial planning important? Of course! This is important! This activity not only allows the person to learn about planning his finances but also helps him understand the importance of cash flows and investments that come handy in the most unexpected situations. How is financial planning done? Yes, this is what this article is all about: the financial planning process steps! Keep reading.

Steps in Financial Planning

Financial planning is an integral part of financial management. This activity requires a lot of study and research, before one goes about drawing a plan and implementing it. Not to miss an important point on this subject, risk assessment is an integral part of any planning. So let’s understand the key financial planning process steps. Below are the key steps to consider in your financial planning process.

Identifying Financial Needs
The primary responsibility in the financial planning is conducting a need analysis. An investor has a number of needs of which he needs to prioritize the important ones and plan accordingly. The important goals which are preset are, education of children, down payment of a house, health requirements, life insurance and retirement. Following these needs are the means to increase the wealth in terms of cash and property. Also a person needs to have concrete answers for the following questionnaire:

• What are your investment goals?
• How much money do you have for investments?
• Do you invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds?
• Are your financial needs short term or are you headed for long term financial planning?
• What benefits are expected from your investments?

Gathering Financial Data
Now that you have identified the financial needs, the second step should be to consolidate your financial planning worksheet to understand your cash flow, investments and liabilities. This can consume a day to week’s time depending on your needs. Take the help of a financial planner who would help you out with this marathon. The documents needed for this process would include:

• Assets, Liabilities, tax deductions and tax returns
• Balance sheets
• Income and expenditure statements
• Employee benefit plan booklets
• Retirement planning documents
• Wills and trusts
• Insurance policies
• Investment statements
• Brokerage house statements
• Bank statements

Besides, the planner will also require some more data like:

• What is your retirement age?
• What income is anticipated post retirement?
• How would you want your property to be distributed?
• What is the current economy state and where is it headed towards?
• How much inflation can occur in near future?

The planner will also make a risk tolerance assessment of your personal attitude (aggressive, moderate or conservative) towards financial affairs and at the end of the data gathering process, he is bound to get a hang of what is your current financial state and what it will be or can be in near future.

Developing the Financial Plan
Here starts the actual work of your financial planner who has to devise effective means of developing a fool proof financial planning process. Steps to develop the financial plan start with the following:

• Documenting your plan to fulfill protection, health and retirement. Also wealth creation and preservation requirements are included.
• Explaining to you about the pros and cons of every rationale included in the plan (keeping in mind the risk appetite of the investor: you).
• Understanding the tax laws and the financial operative framework of the system.

Presenting the Financial Plan
Once the financial plan is well documented, your financial planner will proofread it and present it to you. In the first round of presentation, you have to study the documentation thoroughly, with your spouse. Take your time, and if you have doubts, jot them down in a list and pass them on to your planner. He will give you clear answers for all the doubts raised and then once you have agreed, the planner will make an implementation checklist. So the next mode of the financial planning is implementing the well documented financial plan into action.

Implementing the Financial Plan
This is a pivotal phase of the financial planning process steps. And also this period takes longer time (approx. 4-6 months) than the previous stages of the financial planning. During this phase, intricate details like tax planning, retirement planning, insurance concerns and estate/property planning are discussed thoroughly. To get a clearance on certain issues, attorneys may be involved for guiding and helping out with certain queries. Quite possible, that at the end of the implementation, your financial plan may have more than 20 recommendations (of which some may be major and strategic). So, it depends on you and your planner as to how you want these recommendations to be incorporated. But yes, your financial plan is now ready!

Monitoring the Financial Plan
Once the plan is on roll, it does not mean that the financial planner is required no more. He has to be retained to provide you with periodic updates on portfolio reviews, insurance updates, investment options, tax planning sessions and changing market conditions. Besides, you need to keep your ears open to the planner’s alerts on risks that can possibly crop up due to fluctuating economical conditions.

Hope this article on financial planning process steps was informative! So now, you might have understood the importance of financial planning and also you must have understood personal financial planning process steps! One could say, if the planning is complete, your job is halfway done! So, prepare your financial plans meticulously and reap the financial benefits. After all, every penny invested is every penny earned!

Characteristics of Adult Learners

Adult learners are qualitatively different than younger learners. You certainly can “teach an old dog new tricks” by understanding the cognitive and social characteristics of adult learners. Using the right instructional strategies to maximize the learning advantages and address the learning challenges of adult learners can make all the difference in their success.

Adult Learner Cognitive Characteristics

1. Generally speaking, most adult learners share the following characteristics:
2. Tend to be self-directed and want control over their own learning
3. Have self-imposed cognitive barriers due to years of academic failure and lack self-confidence
4. Can be resistant to new ideas or approaches–are less open-minded than youth
5. Under-estimate their ability to learn
6. Desire pragmatic and relevant instruction that they perceive as valuable
7. Are intrinsically motivated
8. Interpret new learning in the context of old learning
9. Learn at a slower pace than that of youth
10. Are very concerned about the effective use of their time
Adult Learner Social Characteristics
1. Generally speaking, most adult learners share the following characteristics:
2. Can be resistant to group work
3. See teachers as peer partners in the learning process
4. Demand teacher availability and easy access
5. Want flexibility and see learning as secondary to other pre-occupations in their lives

Adult Learner Instructional Strategies

1. Adult learners need to be actively included in their own evaluation of assessment data. Students set personal goals and use learning activities that directly address assessment deficits and demonstrate incremental progress toward their short-term and long-term goals. Reading workshops can easily be individualized to allow adult learners to work at their own pace.

2. A few talking points may be helpful to bolster the confidence of adult learners and to provide the motivation needed for success:

“Unfortunately, some of your past reading instruction was poor; it’s not your fault that you have some skills to work on.” a.k.a. “blame someone else”
“You can learn in this class. If you come to class willing to try, you will significantly improve your reading, I promise.” I will be flexible and work around your schedule.
“I know you have tried before, but this time is different.”
“You will be able to chart your own progress and see what you are learning in this class.”
“Don’t give up. Adult learners can learn. Although they sometimes learn a bit more slowly than children, they learn at a deeper and more memorable level. The pay-off will be huge for you when you complete this class.”