With the claims way of life increasing around the globe, having public liability cover is turning out to be more & more compulsory. If you do not currently have liability insurance written-in into your building cover, then now is perhaps the moment in time to look at purchasing enhanced cover. Here is some suggestions about why you require cover, and what to pay attention to.

What is public liability insurance: Public Liability cover is an insurance agreement that shelters you from claims that other people could possibly make against you in the probability of an accident. If somebody damages their property or injures themselves in or around your property or company then the professional indemnity insurance will shelter you for any damages that may possibly happen. Cover generally ranges from ?250,000 up to ?1 million. Find uk professional indemnity insurance to protect yourself against libel slander and professional neglect.

What are you covered for: Insurance will insure you for accidents or loss that other individuals could suffer in or around your house or organisations premises. You are protected from claims from burglars and damages that might perhaps happen to a person from falling items or people carrying out repairs. If an accident takes place on your land & somebody claims against you, your cover will help you to pay any damages.

What’s included Many contents or property insurance covers contain integrated liability insurance. You ought to check with your insurance company whether this is the case, and what extent of cover you have. Even if the insurance is included, you must verify that you are properly covered for any type of accidents that might well happen.

Premiums: The payments that you are expected to have to pay depend on the specific kind of protection you want. If you simply insure your house, then premiums are very likely to be much less than if you are wanting to cover a business. Nonetheless, payments are relatively cheap for the extent of cover that you have to pay for, & its therefore necessary for anyone running an organisation.

During my career I’ve written several hundred manuals for dozens of applications, operating systems, routines and hardware. This is an area that I’ve always felt is vitally important, yet it seems to be either completely overlooked or assigned at the last minute to the person who is lowest on the organization chart. I’ve seen projects with implementations that required dozens of man-years, yet didn’t have a single page of documentation of any kind.

Just like you, I’ve heard all of the excuses. User’s don’t need documentation or won’t read it; Documentation is too expensive; The customer won’t pay for it; Things are changing too quickly; It will be immediately obsolete; and dozen’s of other mindless “truths” to explain the lack of delivering vital information in written form.

I know that documentation is tough - I’ve written enough myself to understand fully how hard it is to get started, to find the information, and to just start writing down the words. Perhaps the toughest task was describing how to do something which I as a programmer and computer veteran do without thinking, but a typical user has absolutely no idea how to even get started.

Then one day I stumbled across a little gem of a tool. It’s called Jasc Capture System, and what the program does is allow you to capture some or all of your computer screen. In other words, you can grab part of the screen and save it as an image. This image can then be edited using normal image editing tools, added to documentation and even sent in emails.

How is this useful? Well, let’s say you have to explain how to enter a URL in the address field of the browser. Seems simple, doesn’t it? Well, you can make it even simpler for your users to use a picture or two instead of a lot of words. You could include a picture of the browser window with some arrows and labels, which would make the whole thing more obvious and easier to understand.

This product has some very nice features. You can capture by area (you draw a box around what you want), the whole screen, a window or even a specific object. All you have to do is start up the program and press whatever key you define as your hot key. You will then be able to select what parts of the screen you want to capture.

I would recommend this product to anyone who needs to include pictures of their screens into documentation. I use it constantly to improve the quality of my work.

Most of us want a good credit report to obtain automobile financing, credit cards, and to purchase a home. But, beyond these consumer loans, your credit report can cost you in everyday living expenses. What you don’t know about your credit could be costing you money.

Having a credit card means that you can order tickets, rent a car, and reserve hotel rooms. Besides these conveniences, your credit report can mean that you must pay higher deposits and fees for everyday services.

Did you know that your credit history can keep you from getting utility connections, good telephone rates, the best auto insurance, home owner’s insurance, or even keep you from getting hired?

Some utility companies set minimum standards for service connections. If your report shows collection accounts for prior utility bills, you may not be eligible for service at all. And if utility companies do agree to connect your service, you’ll need to pay a higher deposit than another customer with good credit who may not need to make any deposit.

The same requirements exist for telephone services. People with a good credit history don’t need to pay deposits for home telephone or cell phone services. When we first got a cell phone with poor credit scores, we had to pay a $300 deposit, for one cell phone. After fixing our credit, we got eight cell phones for our business, with zero deposits.

What many people don’t realize is that good credit enables them to get better insurance rates. High-quality, low-cost home owners’ insurance, auto, and life insurance companies set minimum credit standards for their policy holders; this means that consumers with poor credit have to pay more for less coverage. Many automobile insurance companies now base your monthly premiums on your credit score; these companies offer a 17% discount if your score is over 625 and a 25% discount if your score is over 725. Why? Because according to their studies, people who are careful with their credit are also careful with their property and careful drivers.

Bad credit can cost you a job. More and more employers run an applicant’s credit report and hire the person with better credit, assuming that better credit equals better integrity and character. A friend of mine with a Master’s Degree and a 4.0 grade average did not get hired; she was told her credit score didn’t meet their minimum standard and that they hired another person with less education.

Poor credit scores means you pay more for your home financing. Mortgages cost more in upfront fees and interest rates for those with low credit scores. How much can you save? A mortgage loan of $150,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, interest rate of about 5.72 percent costs around $870 a month; poor credit scores raise the interest rate over 9 percent and the payments over $1,200. As you see from these payment differences, good credit means that you can finance a more expensive house with the same income, or save $330 each month.

Boost your credit score so you can save money on everyday expenses, get high-quality insurance, and the best mortgage financing.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, author of “Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate,” is on a one woman mission to help people buy their dream home or finance multiple investment properties. Jeanette teaches real estate investing and interior design psychology. For help with your credit, visit the Real Estate Credit Help Center at http://www.recredithelp.com

Several people have asked me recently about how they can avoid getting stuck with the same person the whole time at a business networking event. In other words, how to end a conversation politely and move on.

Has this happened to you?

Here’s the short answer: find out how you can help the other person network, then do so — and you’re free!

What do I mean by this?

Well, most people attend business mixers and networking events for a reason.

So ask the person you’re “stuck with” what they’re looking for.

Are they looking for some information about something? Or do they want to perhaps meet people within a certain industry or in particular job positions?

Some people may not be clear about exactly what they want — which is probably why they’re stuck in one conversation. Or they may not know *how* to ask for what they want.

Either way, you can help the situation by asking questions until you have a sense of why they came to this event.

Once you have this information, you can introduce them to someone you know who can help — i.e. someone who can provide the information this person may be looking for, or who works in the industry of interest, etc.

If you can’t find or don’t know an “exact match”, you can perhaps introduce them to someone you do know, or maybe even the meeting organizer, who may be able to help this person better. (Think of it as stepping stones towards a goal.)

Once you make the introduction, you’re free to move on.

What you’ve just done is helped one person connect with another, based on their specific interest or need.

As you can see, this is not a “technique” or a well-rehearsed exit strategy. This is networking — the real thing.

Easy, right? In fact, networking *is* easy. That’s why I call my program Effortless Networking!

(c) Copyright 2006, Srirupa Dasgupta

Sri Dasgupta helps business professionals get better results from their business networking efforts through focused and relevant conversations. She is the author of the Effortless Networking, and writes regular articles offering business networking tips and related resources.

June 18, MasterCard blamed a vendor of ALL credit card
providers called CardSystems Solutions, Inc., a third-party
processor of payment card data, as the source of loss of 40
million consumers credit card information.

As is pointed out by several newspaper and web articles over
the last few weeks, each recapping long lists of financial
information data breaches, something’s gotta give before we
entirely lose trust in financial institutions, data brokers
and credit bureaus. How much privacy loss can we take
without acting?

These types of data loss were very likely common and have
very probably been going on for a very long time. The
difference is that now, THEY ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO DISCLOSE
THOSE LOSSES - not just in California, but in many states.
National disclosure laws on data security breaches are being
considered in Congress.

I suggest that these breaches of data security all came to
light due to the California law requiring disclosure from
companies suffering hacking loss or leaks or social
engineering or crooked employees or organized crime rings
posing as “legitimate” customers. All of the above have been
given as reasons for security lapses or poor security
policies.

About three years ago, a friend told me his paycheck deposit
to Bank of America went missing from account records after
he took his check to the bank on Friday. By Monday, Bank of
America was in the news claiming a computer glitch had
disappeared the entire day’s deposits. I mumbled to myself,
“I’ll bet that was a hack and that hacker just made a huge
offshore banking deposit with B of A depositors’ money.”

But we didn’t find out why it happened in that particular
case because there was no disclosure law in place at the
time. Now we have disclosure laws that mandate notice of
security breaches. Now suddenly - huge financial services
hacks and devious criminal social engineering outfits posing
as legitimate customers and apparently “innocent” losses by
transport companies of backup tapes begin to come to light.

This spate of data loss incidents is proof of the need for
corporate “sunshine laws” that make public notice mandatory
of those data losses that threaten customer information.

Who is going to lose here - the public, the corporations,
the criminals, or the government? I’d prefer that the bad
guys get the shaft and take down crooked company insiders
that either facilitate data loss by underfunding security
and encryption or participate in data theft or loss in any
form - even if that participation is security negligence.

Financial companies and data brokers have been covering up
the losses and keeping quiet about hacks so as not to worry
or frighten their customers. But that practice is
essentially ended now that they must notify the public and
disclose those losses instead of hushing them up.

Keeping the breaches hidden from public view is bad practice
as it maintains the status quo. Disclosure will facilitate
internal corporate lockdowns on the data and all access to
it. Disclosure will educate the public to the lack of
security and danger to the sensitive information we all
provide rather casually and routinely to businesses.

As the following link to a silicon.com story suggests, we
cannot take much more of this lack of regard to privacy and
must lock down financially sensitive data securely and must
begin to hold data brokers, bureaus and handlers VERY
accountable.

Insist to your elected representatives that your financial
data be locked down, encrypted and guarded by those
entrusted with storing, transporting and using it. Since our
financial, medical and legal lives are increasingly being
housed in digital form and transmitted between data centers
of multiple handlers - we need to know it is secure. We also
need to know when that security has been breached and our
data compromised or lost.

Thieves are becoming more aware of the ease with which they
can find and access financial data. Hacking is not the
source of the greatest losses.

Organized crime has easily found their way into our
financial records by simply paying for it by posing as
“legitimate” business customers of information brokers such
as ChoicePoint and Lexis/Nexis. Any business can buy
financial and credit information from those information
bureaus and credit reporting agencies by meeting rather lax
requirements for “need to know” that data.

As long as it is possible to purchase our sensitive data
from brokers and bureaus, organized crime will
“legitimately” buy it from those sources, then ruin our
credit by selling that information at a higher price in
identity theft schemes.

Since disclosure laws have come into effect, those breaches
have been made public, credit cards cancelled before losses
can occur and credit reports monitored to watch for
suspicious activity. The bad guys activities are squelched
because we are made aware of the possibility our information
has been compromised.

Not all blame can go to financial institutions and data
brokers. Protect your own private data by protecting your
computer records at home, in the office, on your laptop and
in your PDA by using basic keyword security and locking down
files. Use built in encryption on your operating system and
your home network to keep data secure. Then be certain to
clear that sensitive data off the computer when you sell it
or throw it away.

Data security is something we all need to take seriously and
the corporate breaches are dramatic illustrations of how
important it has become to build digital fortresses around
our critical financial, legal and medical information.

About the Author

Mike Banks Valentine is a privacy advocate and blogs about privacy issues at
http://privacynotes.com/privacy_blog/
You can read more about identity theft issues at:
http://shorl.com/hudryrygepregru

Contact MikeValentine for Search Engine Optimization
http://www.seoptimism.com/SEO_Contact.htm

In 2003, Congress passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions act (FACT), which made it possible for consumers to obtain a copy of their credit report for free. In fact, the legislation makes it possible for consumers to obtain one free report from each of the three main credit bureaus - Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax, per year. All that is necessary to do so is to write, call or log on to the Website the credit bureaus have created for this purpose. Millions of Americans have done so, and the program has been called a success so far. There’s just one problem - unscrupulous individuals have created Websites with similar names, and consumers who type the names wrong have ended up at sites designed to steal their Social Security numbers.

At last count, there were more than two hundred registered domain names with names that were similar to the official annualcreditreport.com or which contained the phrase “annual credit report.” Since it is quite easy to misspell a domain name, particularly a long one, many consumers have found themselves at sites other than the one they intended to visit. Most of these other Websites exist for the purpose of selling a credit report, rather than providing them for free, but others are designed to fool the consumer into providing personal information that the site owners may be able to exploit for personal gain. Other sites with similar names merely offer advertising or redirect visitors to porn sites.

What’s to be done? Not much, it would appear. Several of the sites that were created to fool consumers into providing personal information have been taken offline, but others will undoubtedly follow. Any sites that are established outside of the United States are immune to U.S. law, so it may be difficult for authorities to take any action. Consumers who are not overly familiar with the workings of the Internet would be better off contacting the credit bureaus directly by mail or phone. Anyone who uses the Internet to obtain a copy of their credit report should make sure that they are typing the name of the Website accurately. Failure to do so may lead to involuntarily providing vital personal information to people who shouldn’t have it.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to personal bankruptcy, debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding mortgages and home equity loans.

When buying a home gym there are several things you will want to
educate yourself on before making a final purchase in order to
ensure you buy the best home gym for you and your family. While
there are many things you will need to consider, your budget,
goals, space, and personal needs are some of the most important
topics to keep in mind. Evaluate all of these points before you
start shopping for home gyms.

Budget

First and foremost you need to establish a budget for any
strength training equipment you plan to buy. The reason for this
is you only want to shop within your budget so as not to cause a
financial burden. Once you have evaluated your budget for a home
gym you will know what is available to you.

Goals

Before buying a home gym you should also evaluate your goals.
Ask yourself why you need a home gym and what will it help you
accomplish. Also, ask yourself if there is other fitness
equipment that would help you meet your fitness goals. When you
know what you are hoping to achieve by purchasing commercial
fitness equipment for your home then you will have a better view
of what you should buy.

Space

This tip is really important as well because you cannot buy a
home gym you do not have space for. If you do this you will
certainly never experience any of the benefits because you will
not be able to use it. Before shopping for home gyms, or even
reading reviews, find an area in your home where you would like
to put the exercise equipment and measure the amount of space
you have exactly. Take into account as well you will need to
maneuver around the machine as well.

Needs

Evaluate your needs when it comes to getting into shape and
working out. What parts of your body need the most work and what
type of machine will best help you achieve your fitness goals?
There are many types of home gyms on the market with a variety
of different accessories and options, so you should know what
you need and want before shopping and getting talked into a
machine that does not meet your needs at all.

Finding Machines that Meet Your Criterion

Now that you are aware of how much you can spend, how much space
you have, your personal goals and needs in a home gym then you
can start reading reviews about the home gyms and exercise
equipment that will meet your criteria.

The best suggestion is to go online and do some product reviews
and find out what ratings each machine has that meets your basic
standards of price, space, design, and needs. These reviews will
really prove helpful because they will shed light on different
aspects of the machine that really work and those that do not.
Previous owners of the machines also frequently have their
e-mail addresses posted so you could respond or either ask a
question about a particular machine if you wanted. When you have
this information then you will be prepared to start shopping for
a home gym knowing that whatever you buy it will be perfectly
suited to your needs, fit in your space available as well as
your budget.

Shopping for your home gym might begin online or else you might
prefer to visit a sporting goods store. Regardless of where you
buy, you should always be armed with your information and never
let a good sale or salesperson sway you.

The reason for this is if there is a great sale on a machine you
might be tempted to buy it, even if it does not meet any of your
needs, space, goals, other than budget. Be very careful about
this. Also, salespeople will frequently try to talk you into
something you do not need or want. Avoid this at all costs and
stay focused on the machines you want to look at.

In fact, shopping online might be your best option because there
are frequently better prices and no salespeople to worry about
and you will probably end up making a better decision and won’t
have to worry about loading a heavy machine into your car
because it will arrive at your door.

Choosing the Right Machine

Now that you have started the shopping process you will want to
locate the top three machines that meet your entire criterion,
have the best reviews and ratings, and overall impress you the
most. Once you have the top three machines in mind then you can
start evaluating them one by one by making a plus and minus list
for each machine. Make sure you duly note all things about the
machine you really like and are impressed with as well as all of
the negatives. After you have completed all of your lists you
will then be able to easily compare the three lists and buy the
home fitness machine that you have been dreaming of.

Accessories

Once you have purchased your new home gym you might also
consider buying some accessories to facilitate your work out and
help you get the most out of your fitness routine. Such
accessories include stability balls and free weights, among
others.

These accessories will not take up much additional room, if any,
and can really help you vary your workout and get the most out
of your effort. Plus, these accessories don’t cost very much so
you won’t be going over you budget by adding them to your
checkout.

Buying a home gym does not have to be a difficult or even scary
process as long as you do the research and consider all the
variables and information available. When you do this you will
be sure to not only buy the best machine for you for the best
price, but you will also save a lot of time and possible
dissatisfaction caused by purchasing the wrong machine. Avoid
all of this by simply following the tips outlined above and you
will be working out in the comfort of your own home before you
know it.

Leaping onto the television landscape in Fall 2001, Smallville follows the exploits of a young Clark Kent in the years leading up to his emergence as the beloved Superman. Following a slew of TV renditions of the character’s life since the comic book first appeared, Smallville sets itself apart by focusing on the lesser discussed niche of Clark’s earliest developmental days. Superb casting and consistent writing have combined to make Smallville one of the more popular shows on television (especially in international markets), making the show one of the WB network’s most successful creations to date…

Tom Welling stars in the imminent role of teenager Clark Kent, a refugee from the dying planet of Krypton. His ship having landed in the rural American town of Smallville, Clark is raised by locals Martha (Annette O’Toole) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider - of Dukes of Hazzard fame) as their own son. Unlike some of the film and TV spin-offs, Smallville attributes powers to other individuals in the area as a result of some of the debris associated with Krypton’s destruction. As a result, Clark is forced to keep his own powers a secret while battling against other individuals who are more powerful than traditional human criminal elements. The show also provides a glimpse into the early friendship experienced between Clark and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) as well as Clark’s romance with two high school classmates, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Part sci-fi fantasy and part teenage soap, Smallville is an instant television classic…

The Smallville (Season 3) DVD offers a number of exciting episodes including the season premiere “Exile” in which Clark Kent engages in a massive crime spree in the Metropolis (having been transformed by the effects of red kryptonite). Meanwhile, Lex Luthor must grapple with his own conscience while secluded on an island, and Jonathan Kent frantically searches for Clark, going to great lengths to obtain the power necessary to end the ill effects of the red kryptonite… Other notable episodes from Season 3 include “Magnetic” in which a mysterious newcomer to Clark’s school exhibits special magnetic powers (including the ability to attract Lana), and “Hereafter” in which Clark’s discovers that his classmate Jordan can see into the future, prompting a prediction that Lana will die in the next few days…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Smallville (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 45 (Exile) Air Date: 10-01-2003
Episode 46 (Phoenix) Air Date: 10-08-2003
Episode 47 (Extinction) Air Date: 10-15-2003
Episode 48 (Slumber) Air Date: 10-22-2003
Episode 49 (Perry) Air Date: 10-29-2003
Episode 50 (Relic) Air Date: 11-05-2003
Episode 51 (Magnetic) Air Date: 11-12-2003
Episode 52 (Shattered) Air Date: 11-19-2003
Episode 53 (Asylum) Air Date: 01-14-2004
Episode 54 (Whisper) Air Date: 01-21-2004
Episode 55 (Delete) Air Date: 01-28-2004
Episode 56 (Hereafter) Air Date: 02-04-2004
Episode 57 (Velocity) Air Date: 02-11-2004
Episode 58 (Obsession) Air Date: 02-18-2004
Episode 59 (Resurrection) Air Date: 02-25-2004
Episode 60 (Crisis) Air Date: 03-03-2004
Episode 61 (Legacy) Air Date: 04-14-2004
Episode 62 (Truth) Air Date: 04-21-2004
Episode 63 (Memoria) Air Date: 04-28-2004
Episode 64 (Talisman) Air Date: 05-05-2004
Episode 65 (Forsaken) Air Date: 05-12-2004
Episode 66 (Covenant) Air Date: 05-19-2004

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Smallville (Season 3) DVD.

Getting ready for the GED? Whether you’re attending local classes, taking an online GED course or managing a self-study program at home, you’ll want to ensure that your study time is effective.

Make a Note! Here’s one surefire study tip that has proven successful for adults working toward the General Education Development credential, the ‘diploma’ awarded for passing the GED Test.

Take Notes

For many GED students and adult learners, taking notes seems boring or tedious, or they can’t see the relevance of taking notes. Perhaps they have an abundance of GED study materials and don’t feel a need to add more to the pile. And for some GED students, taking notes is new — they’re reluctant to take notes because they’ve never done it, or never learned the skill.

Taking notes is easy — it’s highly effective and ensures learning when it’s a three-part process. And taking notes is a critical way to shift new information that’s learned from the brain’s short-term memory bank to the brain’s knowledge vault.

1. Initially, many people feel like they’re copying or jotting material just for the sake of it. It’s difficult for them to see how taking notes helps them learn. And it may seem like a mindless activity. Still, it’s important - just write down information as you move through material on your own, or during GED classes. The act of taking notes engages you with the study material beyond just hearing information, reading or seeing it.

Just as note-taking improves with practice, so does learning. As notes are taken more frequently and regularly, students begin to recognize key information and main points more easily and more often. Note-taking becomes more logical since the act of taking notes engages the logical processing of the brain. When the logical brain becomes engaged, the learning process is activated and information is better retained.

2. The second part of taking notes is organizing them; do it soon after taking them. How do you organize notes? Put them in logical order — or an order that makes the most sense to you. Highlight, circle or underline important information. As notes are reviewed and organized, the information from the notes is refreshed in the mind and organized mentally. Again, the logical brain is engaged.

3. You reinforce this part of the learning process by processing your notes again. Fill in any missing information. Make a list of the key words from your notes. List any problems you’re having with the material, or identify sections in your notes where the material seems unclear. Make an outline of the information so that you see the relationship of ideas and facts to each other. Make another list or outline that includes all the information you feel you’ve really learned. Determine how you can use this new knowledge in real-life situations. Now, review sections or the list that identified unclear information and you’ll probably discover that it’s clearer.

Taking notes is neither an art nor a science. But the learning process is both. Learning isn’t really about remembering, and knowledge isn’t about memorization. Real learning and real knowledge are about activating, using and engaging higher brain processes, which is exactly what happens during the three-step process of taking notes.

At GED test time, taking notes will prove to be an excellent skill to have learned. Processing information logically, and identifying key words and main ideas are major parts of the GED test. So taking notes is an important skill and practice for study time and test time. More Resources

For additional GED study tips, test information and free resources on the GED test, including financial aid and student support, visit http://www.passged.com/online_courses.php. The website also provides links to federal agencies and nonprofits that serve GED students, instructors and workforce development programs. For a list of official GED testing sites and administrative contacts, visit http://www.passged.com/test_state.php#1.

I’m a seasoned staff developer with over twenty years of experience.

One thing I have learned outside the classroom that I apply in-house is when I want to learn a skill, I find a great model! I learned golf recently, and I have the beginnings of a good game because I chose a great model to learn from…and this theory lives in the client engagements that make up my consulting practice with schools.

To accomplish this, I use a modified approach to the Japanese framework for teaching math, called, “Lesson Study”. The model consists of three parts: Planning a Lesson, Conducting a Lesson, Debriefing the Lesson. If you are a staff developer, it is a tool that you can easily incorporate into your repertoire for results. Viewing and Listening to an accomplished teacher is a powerful way for professionals to take on a new initiative. But simply modeling is not enough. The Planning and Reflecting that is part of the Lesson Study, makes for lasting change.

Whenever I use Lesson Study, and I have used it in HS classrooms in Houston and Kindergarten Classrooms in New Jersey, two very different places…it is always successful! Teachers like the active nature of planning a lesson, then watching me demo, then watching the kids try the skill being taught, and the debriefing for next steps.

The following Framework may be useful to create a “soft version’ of this Japanese PD approach:

Conducting Lesson Study

1. Choose a Skill to Teach —With the teaching community who will be viewing the lesson, choose a very narrow skill to present! It’s important that teachers have ownership here…Yet, you want to guide and facilitate so that the topic isn’t too big…That results in YOU falling flat on your face in front of the group, so–shape the teachers’ view. You will be on stage and you want the lesson tight!

2.Prepare the Group–Spend at least twenty minutes prior to the lesson talking about the skill, how it has been taught ,and the difference in the lesson for the study. Ask the teachers questions about the kids so you can connect to the learners in quick time.

3. Prepare a Handout — Focus the feedback with something like this:

What is the Topic of the Study? What do you Hope to see from the Lesson? What did you Observe the Students Doing? What does the Data( the work completed) Suggest? What are your next Teaching Steps?

4. Conduct the Lesson with High Energy–These are not your students, so get them comfortable quickly! Use humor and some strategies to connect you and help you manage the room of new learners…Have kids wear name tags! Ask for eye contact and quiet as you work. Try to have the kids focus on you, and not on the adults in the room.When students work on the skill you have demonstrated, teachers can mingle in the room and even talk to students. Teachers can collecting thinking data to see how the kids are processing the task!

5. Debrief–Review the lesson after the classroom time. Use the framework to facilitate and spend at least about 30 minutes with your group. Spend time talking about what the children did.( I have plenty of funny stories about what I did teaching a roomful of strangers, but save that for later!) Look at the student work as your precious data you are mining. It is just that!

6. Next Steps–Close with the discussion of how each teacher might tweak the lesson in his or her room. If the group can meet again, have teachers bring data from their own lesson, thus creating a real Lesson Study community: Teachers learning from each other!