Hello everyone, my name is Gbadega Adedapo. I hope this message meets you well.  I am indeed proud to share exciting news with you today. We have embarked on a new corporate journey to signal the next chapter in the history of our company.

Before I proceed, I would like to say a very big thank you for your support during the last 25 years. You will recall that our first 25 years were more of physical books in various prints and sizes.  We understand that the world is changing exponentially and as a company, we have decided to align our thoughts to meet up with future challenges in the industry.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to announce that the accessibility and inclusivity of all our products are our next target and we are fully ready to launch into this new path of excellence through our new brand.  We are fully committed to spreading the tentacles of publishing beyond physical/traditional prints. All our newly published titles will now be born accessible across all formats.

ACCESSIBLE PUBLISHERS LIMITED

It is on this note that I officially announce our new name and unveil our new logo. Our company will now be known as Accessible Publishers Limited (Formerly Rasmed Publications Limited). Our core values remain the same, our structures remain the same and our products re-invented. We have only decided to embrace an IT-driven business operation through innovation and commitment to publishing excellence. We are launching a new website and mobile application where customers can access our products from the comfort of their homes, schools or officesunder the new brand identity – Accessible Publishers Limited.

Our new identity highlights the innovative dimensions of the 21st-century publishing operations, which shows the synergy between publishing and I.T. We are assuring you of quality service delivery at all times. I encourage you to be ambassadors of the new brand as we have redefined our commitments  – Accessible Publishers Limited.

It is my desire to lead a publishing industry where products are accessible in a world that is becoming digital daily.

God bless you all.

Gbadega Adedapo

MD/CEO, Accessible Publishers Limited

Teaching and learning require some aids to make the process easier. One of these aids is the textbook which is very important and the focus of this article. A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it.

Textbooks are an essential tool for the educational system. Unfortunately, some people argue that they are a waste of money and are not important in the learning process. However, this is not true as they have quite a number of uses and benefits for both teachers and students alike. See them below

Benefits of Using Textbooks

1. Textbooks serve as a guide to the prescribed curriculum and syllabus. They ensure that topics covered are similar across different schools and states.
2. It transmits knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to the teacher and student alike.
3. It provides guidelines for teaching and learning. So, the teacher knows what is expected when teaching particular topics. They also know th best approach to help students assimilate better.
4. Textbooks save time and energy when searching for information since it is a source of the material. They are an easily accessible reference point. It is a readily available source of information.
5. Using textbooks makes teaching various subjects systematic as it is arranged according to themes. For this reason, it is easier for students to follow the lessons and understand them better.
6. They play major roles for weak students to achieve good grades as they are able to read on their own in more details..
7. It is a reliable point of reference. Because they are properly researched and therefore credible, while most information on the internet are added randomly.
8. Provides students with several examples, activities and experiments related to the topics so they can understand better.
9. Textbooks are illustrated so students are able to picture and visualize concepts.
10. They are a footpath and lighthouse as they provide detailed information and also provides references in case students or teachers require further information.

Textbooks are important and beneficial for teachers and students. They should be made available and accessible to students and teachers. This would make the teaching process much easier and students can learn better and more extensively.

Just as humans view the world differently so their learning styles vary. Within the classroom, students are likely to learn better with different approaches. Unique learning styles does not imply that students be taught individually. Rather, these styles are to be combined into lessons so that every student is able to understand better.

An important reason why unique learning styles are important is that they may determine a students strengths and weaknesses. Knowing their learning style may also help determine what career path they may do well in. A Combination of the different styles can also help students adapt well.

We have highlighted the different learning styles so that you can know them and how to use them in your lessons.

7 Learning Styles and How They Work

Spatial learners: This also refers to visual learners who learn better by viewing pictures and images. Class activities stimulate them. They are able to remember charts and diagrams. Colours appeal to visual learners. Spatial learners are observant and not easily distracted. Using visual aids, diagrams, charts and colours in your lessons will help these learners.

Verbal learners: These students learn better by reading and writing. They also like to discuss concepts and learn new words. Each learner may lean more towards writing or reading. They are intellectual bookworms who are good with words. Copying notes, reading or writing exercises and class discussions may help verbal learners understand better.

Logical learners: Also called mathematical learners. These students learn using logic or structures. Numbers and formulas appeal to them. Students who are able to recognize patterns and are good with grouping and classifications are likely logical learners. Including statistics and classifications in your lessons can be helpful to such students.

Kinaesthetic learners: These learners learn with the help of physical aid. They enjoy a hands-on approach that allows them to be a part of and feel what they are learning. Using flashcards, board games, bricks, role-playing, dice and such can be effective teaching aids for such learners. Involving them in physical learning activities can help them grab the lesson better.

Student Learning Styles

Auditory learners: These students can be referred to as musical learners. They learn by hearing and so musical lessons appeal to them. They also like to hear concepts and examples explained to them. Auditory learners can be easily distracted and caught off guard. Explaining lessons with engaging and interesting tones can help such learners. If there are musical aids they can also be useful.

Social learners: Or interpersonal learners. These students enjoy group or collaborative learning activities. They are good communicators and are often emotionally intelligent. They learn well in setting where they are most comfortable. Include group learning and collaborative activities in your lessons. Also, give social learners specific roles within groups that allow them to use up their energy without causing a distraction. These learners can possess or combine any of the five learning styles mentioned.

Solitary learners: Or intrapersonal learners. These students like to learn by themselves. They are introspective and independent learners. Solitary learners like to go about their tasks alone. Just like the social learners, solitary learners can possess any of the other five learning styles. Make room for them to learn alone by encouraging library time and assigning individual assignments and projects.

The key to harnessing these learning styles is to use a mixed-learning approach. By incorporating them into your lessons you cater to each student’s unique style. You must be able to identify your student’s strengths and weaknesses to be able to do these effectively.

Bullying can occur anywhere, including at school, which is why it is important to pay attention to and address it. Handling bullying situations can be a rather tricky endeavour. This is why we have compiled a list of tried and tested approaches to take.

How to Handle School Bullying

*Talk About Bullying*- Often time, children do not know that what they are doing is bullying. A child who witnesses bullying at home may think it is the norm. Classroom bullying should be discussed often and with emphasis. Use relatable contexts to explain bullying to children. Tell them how bullying can affect the victims, this should appeal to their emotional intelligence. Also, tell them what the penalty is for being caught as a bully.

*Pay Attention*– Knowing and paying attention to the signs of bullying can be helpful for prevention. You may want to note subtle changes like withdrawal, sleeping, touchiness and every strange or new attitude. An indicator of bullying may be a sudden change in attitude.

*Maintain an Open Communication Stream*- Teachers must get to know their pupils as individuals. Build relationships with them that go beyond the regular classroom schedule. Ask them questions, listen to them and act on your interaction if need be. Your students need to know that you have their best interest in mind and that they are safe with you. Also, bullying victims may not come forward to report such but other students who happen to be bystanders may be willing to talk. Take advantage of this to get the information you need.

*Address Bullying Immediately*- Once you get word of a bullying situation, it is important to do your due diligence and get the facts. Waste no time though in addressing it sternly. Victims hardly speak up so ensure discretion and anonymity. Try not to belittle the situation or excuse it as children being children. Punish bullies as required so they can serve as deterrents to potential bullies.

Handling School Bullying

*Speak to Both Parties*- Victims need to know that you are safe to talk to and are genuinely concerned for them. Also, encourage them to speak up as you are available to help them resolve the issue. Speak to the bully also and ensure that they take responsibility for their actions. Punish bullies as dictated by the school’s intervention codes of conduct. Have these conversations separately to avoid more causes for bullying. As the victim may feel intimidated and the bully may get triggered. You may also want to suggest counselling for either or both parties if the need arises.

*Encourage Peer Support*- Since you may not be present at all times of bullying incidences encourage other students to not be bystanders. Students asking bullies to stop has been said to have more impact than teachers telling them to stop. Encourage students to stand up for themselves against bullies. This way everyone becomes an anti-bullying activist thereby reducing bullying occurrences.

*Be a Model*- Children practice what they see. If you are a bully it is only normal for your students themselves to be bullies. Learn class management techniques and emotional intelligence so that you can handle your classroom properly.

Bullying has potential long term negative influences on victims. It affects your student’s ability to learn and interact. Your ability to effectively handle bullying in your class is indicative of your teaching competence. Every school should have interventions put in place to manage bullying situations. Bullying should be an open and ongoing discussion within the classroom and on the assembly.

Bullying signs may not be easily noticed by you because children often hide them. Unfortunately, bullying is a bad situation that is rampant in schools. Classmates bully themselves, bigger children bully smaller ones, older students bully younger ones and even teachers bully their students. Bullying can make children feel unsafe and miserable in school.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that most bullying cases cannot be easily identified by parents or teachers. This is the case when there are no physical but rather verbal or emotional confrontations. This means that children being bullied may not admit to being bullied making it hard to tell. We have listed a few signs to look out for if you suspect bullying.

Signs of Bullying

Notable Attitudinal Change–  Bullying is a probable cause when students begin to withdraw into themselves, become quieter and interact less there may be a cause for concern. If they suddenly start having mood swings, prickly, depressed or have any strange behaviours, it is wise to be attentive. You might also want to pay attention to their eating and sleeping habits. Eating more may also mean that they are being deprived of the food in school. While eating less may mean that they are having appetite issues as a result of being bullied. They may even become bullies themselves in school or at home. Less sleep, needing night lights, nightmares may also be telltales of bullying.

Enthusiasm Towards School– If a student who was more active with school activities and had an obvious zest for learning starts to fail or is disinterested they may be victims of bullying. Notice if they are not enthused about school. Do not want to go by themselves or leave earlier/wait later than everyone else. Pay close attention to any changes in their approach to school as it may be indicative of bullying.

Explainable Injuries– Random cuts and bruises are signs of bullying. If they are recurrent consider looking for other signs and probing for bullying. They may be getting into fights or be getting beaten by bullies. Notice their attitudes when you ask them about it.

Lost or Damaged Properties– Bullying can take a lot of forms and so nothing is impossible. If a child turns up with a missing button, turn uniforms, broken water bottles, missing books, etc. please pay attention. Once you have been able to rule out carelessness the next point of consideration is that they are being bullied. You might want to notice their attitude towards money too. Are they losing money or asking for more than they should need.

Recurrent Ill Health– Students who are being bullied are likely to develop stomach aches and headaches as a result of mental stress and anxiety. They may also develop self-esteem issues that result in isolation and depression as a result. Often time, they may even fake being ill to skip going to school. Or to avoid socializing with others to eliminate the risk of being bullied.

These are only a few telltale signs to look out for and pay attention to. They are not conclusive in themselves and so particular attention must be paid. Once you have observed that your child or student is being bullied, have a conversation with them. They may not be very interested in talking initially but showing that you care and are available may encourage them.

Bullying is unhealthy and can make or mar the victims long term and thus should be addressed with urgency. Come back next week for tips on how to handle bullying situations.

Young children are very impressionable and are at the right age to be taught healthy hobbies that would benefit them long term. Hobbies should be encouraged because they are great for children physically, socially and mentally. 

Playtime filled with creative and fun activities fosters skills in children that can last them a lifetime. Studies show that cultivating healthy hobbies enhances children’s social skills and emotional processing. It also builds their confidence and improves academic aptitude.

Since hobbies have all these awesome benefits, it is important to help them cultivate the right ones. We have put together a few ways that you can help them.

Note their Interests– This will give you a head start on what they like at the moment and what to encourage them on. You can learn this by having a conversation with them and paying attention to them.

Try New Things– You can try engaging them in different activities before getting them to commit to one. Read books, do sporting exercises, do board games, dance, etc. This is how they develop new interests that stick with them.

Help Them Grow– As they explore their interests and decide on one to commit to, make available all that is necessary for them to get better and enjoy their healthy hobbies. You can increase their challenge as they progress, enter them for competitions, etc. There are a lot of ways to explore their hobbies.

Lead by Example– Children watch and imitate the older people in their lives. They think that you are cool and may even aspire to be like you when they are older.  So, use this by having healthy hobbies and encouraging them to do so to. It will definitely be nice and encouraging for them to see you do it. You can engage them in a game of chess during break time. Or join them during sport and other extracurricular activities.

Set Out Play Time– This is very important because they must understand that their hobbies should not distract from other important things like their academics. Allocate adequate time for play and encourage them to do the most with the time they get. This way they learn time management and the importance of scheduling their activities.

Know When to Stop– Hobbies are based on interests per time so the children may give them up at some point. Try to notice when this is happening and encourage them to pick up new interests and hobbies.

Hobbies can be a useful tool for determining what a child can be potentially good at in the long term. It may even feature as a pointer towards the electives and majors that children will study. You can encourage healthy hobbies by making room for them in your school extracurricular program.

Akin is finding it difficult to solve his maths assignment. Akin considers his options- 1. He can take a break from it or ask for help. or 2. He can resent school and refuse to do a hard assignment. The choice he makes shows his emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence comprises a set of skills that are required for one to be able to monitor and manage theirs and others emotions- thinking and acting. This translates to their ability to be self-aware, self regulate, motivate themselves, empathize with others and socialize effectively.

Children with higher emotional intelligence are able to pay attention, perform well in school, socialize, and be empathetic. Teaching this is important, and since October is emotional intelligence awareness month, here are some tips.

Tips for Teaching Emotional Intelligence

Identify it– Start by teaching them about the different types of emotions they are likely to encounter. Use emojis as a prop for this and have the children make the faces. Also, teach them about emotional cues that can be gotten from one’s posture, tone of voice, facial expression, etc.

Understand how– Let them know how these cues can come up by associating the emotions to how they feel. For instance, if Akin is feeling frustrated with his maths assignment he will have a sad/frustrated look. Or, if the teacher is angry you can tell from the tone of their voice and expression. Let the children know why the emotions can come up.

Understand why– Knowing what and why they feel in particular ways will help them manage it properly. Akin needs to identify if he is frustrated because the maths assignment is hard or if he is too tired to deal with it at that time. Knowing why he feels the way he does will determine what he needs to do to solve it.

Express it– Being able to effectively identify and communicate what one is feeling is very important in emotional intelligence. Often we do not intend to come off the way we do but end up escalating simple things by not expressing ourselves properly. Akin can politely ask to take a break for a bit so he can refresh his mind rather than throwing a tantrum or not doing his assignment at all. He can also ask for help with a difficult problem that he cannot solve.

Address it– All these tips bring us to the place of regulation. Being able to identify and express their feelings changes things the output from angry words and grumbling to a simple conversation. Now they are able to look for ways to address what they are feeling. Akin can take that break to rest or play for a bit and then return to his assignment revitalized. He can also ask for help from someone who can help him.

Emotionally intelligence is the difference between fights on the playground and teamwork. Children, as well as adults, will perform a lot better with it.

Children have a very fragile attention span. Even when they want to pay attention it can still be really hard for them. They fidget, drink water, sharpen pencils, look out the window… basically, anything can be a distraction to them. Managing students with low attention spans is a deliberate and well thought out process.

Research shows that children should be able to focus on tasks for 2-5 minutes multiplied by their age. That means that a 5-year-old child is able to focus for 25 or 10 minutes. The difference though varies from child to child and depends on the task. Attention is an important part of the learning process and so it needs to be managed. Here are 7 tips for managing students with low attention spans.

7 Tips for Managing Students With Low Attention Span

Break Down the Task– Seeing as attention spans vary, it is important to break down tasks in such a way that a 25 minutes class is not spent just listening to you. Break the class tasks into small bits and have students focus on one at a time. Let them take short breaks at the end of each task.

Spice Up Mundane Tasks– The use of teaching aids like legos, play-dough, craft paper, stones and the likes make your lessons more interesting.  You can also use practical examples, role-play or storytelling techniques that get your students involved in the lesson. The more activity and entertainment a lesson comes with, the more it is likely to hold your student’s attention.

Avoid Routine– Shake things up in your classroom every now and then because students with low attention span get bored with routine. Consider having class in new locations like the lab, on the playground, in the kitchen, sitting on mats, etc. Be as creative with your lessons as possible. Note this, the more hands-on and involving a lesson is, the more the students pay attention.

Eliminate Distractions– Knowing that students can get distracted easily by a lot of things is good insight for you as their teacher. You can remove every possible source of distractions around them like water bottles or colourful/fancy pencil cases. Also, separate friends seating together and switch the window view of an easily distracted student. These are not sureties that there will be no distractions but it reduces the chances.

Practise Paying Attention– There are activities that can help improve your student’s attention span. Such activities include focused games like – board games or spot the difference, movement breaks or concentration activities like walking or balancing exercises. These activities, practised at non-crucial times of the day and without pressure, will help a lot. Find more useful activities here.

Praise Efforts– We are used to giving praise for the outcomes of efforts but when dealing with students with low attention span the opposite is the trick. Say, “Wow, well done, you wrote your name within the line”. Or “Thank you for paying attention” after they are able to correctly answer a question you ask them. You must be deliberate about praising them as that can be an encouragement to them to do better.

Get Help!- Observing your students behaviours will help you determine if their low attention spans can be managed with these tips. Otherwise, they may need more complex and medical help to pay attention to. Some students with low attention spans may have Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and may need to be treated by a doctor. Have conversations with your student’s parents about their child’s attention span. You can help them realize that there are medical options available to help their kids if they are not aware.

Extracurricular activities are school activities that students participate in outside the realm of their normal academic curriculum. Examples of these activities include sports, science clubs, drama clubs, music clubs, dance clubs, STEM clubs, and the likes. The benefits of extracurricular activities have a lasting effect on the students that can be seen in and out of the classroom.

While the academic curriculum prepares students to be professionals, extracurricular activities help to build them wholesome personalities. This is why it is important for every school to have extracurricular activities available. Students can then enroll for them based on their individual interests.

By learning through these activities, students get to socialize, play and build important skills. These skills allow them to function successfully as individuals, and as eventual professionals. We have listed a few benefits of extracurricular activities to spur you into making them a part of the school schedule.

Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

Life Skills– One key benefit of extracurricular activities is the life skills that students acquire through them. This is especially because these activities are done in group settings. The kids get to work together in teams which help them build friendly relationships and team spirit. They also develop skills in time management, problem-solving, analytical thinking, leadership, public speaking, and a lot more. All of which are highly important skills for successful people.

Explore Interests- Children participating in extracurricular activities have the opportunity to explore different things that reveal their interests, strengths and weaknesses. They get to unlock skills, talents and passions that are likely to influence their academic and long term choices.

Self-Esteem– When a child finds something they enjoy doing and excel at they tend to have better self-esteem. This developed self-esteem carries over from their extracurricular to the classroom and everywhere else. Working hard to learn a new skill in a fun and relaxed setting allows them to learn to do better without the pressure of earning grades.

Improved Academic Performance– Extracurricular activities do not take the focus off academic schoolwork. Rather they help increase students brain function and concentration. Studies show that pupils who engage in extracurricular activities have better mental stamina. They also have a positive attitude towards school and higher academic aspirations.

Opportunities–  Extracurricular activities are criteria that a lot of higher institutions consider in picking out their students. Other opportunities like competitions are based on these activities and scholarships require participation in such activities to qualify.

So, get your students involved in an extracurricular activity, they will thank you for it. Extracurricular activities can also inspire your school assembly ideas.