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The 5 Myths Encompassing American Public Education Reform

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 28, 2021 @ 8:20 pm

For over 30 years America has been trying to “reform” our Public Educational system. Yet, was it ever broken to begin with? It has in fact functioned well wherever possible despite some missing pieces and occasional mission drift. We can back track this terrific sham to 5 main premises never adequately questioned or disputed. Was it, and is it, fair or in our interests to compare this nation to nations such as China, India, Russia or other European countries academically? And, did we ever fully digest the drastic differences in national values, lifestyles, and overall accomplishments between the U.S. and those nations? We did not.

Since the 1980’s to present and in reaction to the Reagan Administration’s, A Nation at Risk commission on “our failing public education system,” education reformers have fully invested in 5 mythical premises:

1. We are to compare our national educational statistics to that of our international economic competitors

2. We are to align our educational standards to meet the needs of a future global workforce

3. We are to rely heavily on standardized test scores to measure student performance for international comparison

4. We are to blame teacher quality, or lack thereof, for this proposed failure of our national education performance output

5. We are to tinker heavily in the privatization of education throughout the nation

First, as mentioned in previous articles, how could we ever compare nations with different governmental structures, differing values, differing statistical integrity standards, and differing societal/class distinctions, etc.? For example, China is a communist country which imposes national educational standards upon its students, ignoring the uniqueness and intricacies of locales. They do this because they embrace communism and “the state” decides what, which, and where their industries are to be established. Their workforce is selected, tracked, and groomed from the elementary stage into adulthood. The absence of individual choice is trumped by a fierce utilitarian function embedded into their political system. This is not an American value and we have learned of the historical dangers of practicing such ideologies.

We are compared to India with its middleclass growing exponentially along with growth in software engineering, manufacturing, and medical industries. Their results at face value, is impressive. However, we overlook their impasse with issues of gender discrimination, class/caste distinctions, and racial barriers. While the US is no stranger to these issues, and certainly not innocent of them, we have put mechanisms in place to confront them, (though steadily losing their potency). Women are more likely to be educated and valued in the US presently. America still professes to value the combination of individuality and equality. Another historical lesson we have already embraced and implemented through our ideal of providing Public Education.

The globalized workforce affecting our educational priorities is a sketchy assertion at best. Why? Because it relies wholly on political agendas and policy decisions made during each US election cycle. Industry travels wherever corporate taxes are lowest and to where labor is cheapest. Since economic policy changes can be made within a single election cycle, does this mean we are to change our educational priorities along with time each time? Are we to focus on mathematics more simply because China and/or India are producing more engineers? Is quantity the issue or quality? And, are those nations producing more because of their quality, or because of their larger populations and more exploitable workforce? There was a time when America took pride in its citizenry and their quality of life, (or we at least professed this). Education rooted firmly materialism cannot thrive. The globalized workforce is a concept embracing the value of production, but ignoring our historical embrace of domestic innovation and citizens’ quality of life.

Standardized test scores may only make sense when attempting to justify funding from an outside source (a legislator) that is not present in the classroom, having no knowledge of a particular locale’s economic engine, and is a stranger to a community’s resources, challenges and cultural makeup. It is a one-size fits all suit, where a tailor made one is obviously best. Just as there may be multiple learning styles, there are multiple assessment tools to demonstrate learning and understanding. In America, we value individuality, individual growth, the uniqueness of community, and the benefits to diversity. Did we sensationalize test standardization to address educational quality, or to justify punishment and prepare for hostile takeover of school districts? This issue is linked to teacher quality. A teacher may only be as good as the resources made available, the support they receive, the development made ready, and the quality of life this professional may enjoy as a result of their commitment.

Lastly, privatization has been the cure all presented to the public at large. However, it subtly eludes the murky question of accountability. There is no guarantee to every citizen in the private domain. The private institution tackles admission as it pleases, administers discipline as it wishes, pays employees however it wants, and the bottom line is its ultimate concern. The private institution runs itself as a monarchy making decisions from the top down, appointing its nobles rather than collectively considering merit, and selling us convenience and speed while ignoring the necessary time to debate, analyze, compromise, and collectively agree. Democratic practices are lost.

These are the values in which we should be proud of and should celebrate: 1) we do not track our students, we facilitate them, 2) we do not compete our students against each other, but rather against their own circumstances, 3) we strive to value ALL of our citizens and their quality of life, 4) we embrace diversity, because we are proudly a diverse nation, and 5) we value our natural environment, our multilingual, multi-racial, multi religious and non-religious differences and recognize that citizenship in our nation requires advanced citizenship. We educate to create societal citizen engineers. America suffers from an education equality problem in distribution, NOT an educational quality problem.

Source by John Julian Reyes, BA, M. Ed.

25 Nov

Job Search Tips For College Students

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 25, 2021 @ 8:19 pm

Once you have a couple of years of college under your belt and you are nearing graduation, you want to start thinking about finding a job after graduation. The process can be overwhelming and sometimes scary for someone who is going through it for the first time, but these tips will help you get through it easier.

One of the first steps to finding a job after college is to go and look at your college’s career center. You want to make an appointment with a career counselor and they will help you with deciding what kind of career would be the best for you. You can start doing this as a freshman, only because this way you are familiar with where the career center is and they already know who you are when you come back for more lengthy visits. When you become a senior in college, think about visiting the center weekly and that will help to ensure you’re first in line when the job opening hot tips come through.

The second thing that you should do is to remember to start your jobs search early. You don’t want to find yourself with a week until graduation and not have a student jobs lined up. Depending on what kind of career you are looking to have, you might want to do some traveling. For example, if you are looking to get into the pharmaceutics, some of the largest companies are based in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Another thing to consider is taking an internship with a company. There are two reasons that this is a good thing to consider. First, it gives you an idea of what the company is like to work for without you making a very firm commitment. The other reason is that it lets the company see what you are like – your working habits and such.

Of course, when you have an internship on your resume, it looks good to companies who might want to hire you because it shows that you have put into practice what you have learned during your college years. A resume isn’t simply something that shows your work history. A resume is a way to show companies what you have learned and what qualifications that you have to work for them. Education and learning is as important as work history to most companies.

Searching for a job during your college years and after graduation doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to be something that you will lose sleep over. As long as you talk to your college career counselors, start out early in your job searching, and consider taking an internship, you’ll find that the job search goes much quicker and much more smoothly. There are resources out there and they are available for the asking but you have to take advantage of them and use them, or else they will go to waste.

Source by Simon Ahtung

22 Nov

Tips And Strategies For Managing Pain And Criticisms From Past Events

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 22, 2021 @ 8:16 pm

Learn to use perspective to manage criticisms related to past events. What will you do when you casually try to discuss what happened in the past and you get criticized? When you get criticized don’t lash out emotionally. I know this is easier said than done. I have caught myself feeling one way sometimes, but reacting in a different way. How do you use discipline as an emotional guard to eliminate and manage stress? Do you remember exactly what you were doing at this time yesterday? Do you know what you were doing 10 years ago? Where you in a past event that you now remember with strong negative emotions? Here are tips and strategies for managing pain and criticisms from past events.

If you want to properly manage criticism from your encounters with others based on past events, you have to be strategic in your encounters with others. The first thing you need to understand is that everyone you talk to approaches the encounter through their own perspective. For some people a negative past event is simply a difficult time, but for others it remains an emotionally wound that cannot heal. Every encounter you have with others is an opportunity for you to use your emotional discipline to manage the conversation or criticism more effectively. What will you do when someone asks you a question, you do not like? What will you do Did someone react in a way you didn’t expect, to the small talk you were trying to make? What will you do?

When criticism leads you to a disruptive place, press the pause button. Trust the process you have already determined works best for you and begin again. Discipline and confidence in yourself will help you determine when to speak, when to listen or when to simply walk away. Constant pressure can occur through your daily interactions with others. How can you use discipline as an emotional guard to manage stress or criticisms in your daily circumstances?

You have to have the discipline to remain strategic in your response to an emotionally charged response to a past event. Sometimes this may mean disappointing your friends and your family. It may mean that you cannot you will be attacked and called names by that person for whom a past event get into an argument about the meaning of past events. Can you do it? Can you withstand the pressure when the negative comments start trickling in? Can you refuse to participate in the activities you really like so that you can focus on the activities that will help you grow? Do you have the discipline to refuse to be distracted by the latest trend or latest explosion of anger based on pain from a previous event? When you get to the point where you can more consistently focus and achieve your daily mini-goals you will begin to more consistently use tips and strategies for managing stress form pain and criticisms form past events.

Source by Chio Ugochukwu

19 Nov

Tips on How to Motivate Your English Language Learners to Study ESL

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 19, 2021 @ 8:14 pm

Rod Ellis defines motivation as referring to “the efforts which learners put into learning an L2 as a result of their need or desire to learn” (1995).

The two main types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic, can affect the learning process. Intrinsic motivation is task motivation that derives from an inherent interest in the learning tasks while extrinsic motivation refers to the external influences that affect the strength of learner’s motivation such as that which comes from teachers and parents.

While some students have their own intrinsic motivation or external motivation, other students need to be motivated to learn. There are many things that you can do as a teacher in order to motivate students to learn. These strategies are based on various articles I have read below.

Students are more likely to want to learn when they appreciate the value of the classroom activities, and when they believe that they will succeed if they apply reasonable effort. Hence, “student motivation to learn is an acquired competence developed through general experiences but stimulated most directly through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by significant others – especially teachers and parents” (Brophy, p.40) When it comes to lower performing learners, teachers realize that such learners are accustomed to experiencing failure, hence, the teacher’s task is to help them experience success.

Here are some strategies and tips that may motivate students and stimulate them to learn.

Provide a supportive environment and establish a trusting bond. “Motivation is the feeling nurtured primarily by the teacher in the learning situation” (Ellis, 1994). Greet your students, interact with them, indicate a personal concern about them as individuals.
Cater levels of activity to students’ level – try and make sure that the learning tasks pose a reasonable challenge to the students – neither too difficult nor too easy.
Help students recognize links between effort outcome – learning is a long term plan of effort and investment.
Break down learning steps into digestable pieces.
Minimize student’s performance anxiety during learning activities.

Articles on Motivating Students

Brophy, J. Synthesis of Research for Motivating Students to Learn. Educational Leadership, Oct. 1987. p.40-48. (article summary)

Ellis, R. (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Source by Dorit Sasson

16 Nov

The Art of Teaching Homeschool Science

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 16, 2021 @ 8:11 pm

When it comes to homeschooling your kids in the subject of science, is there a cut-and-dried formula? While many parents have been led to believe there is, the reality is that it’s more beneficial to treat the process as an art than a science. It’s important for kids to use their natural curiosity to explore the world around them and truly enjoy science class. The following artful tips will help you teach homeschool science in a way that makes it fun and engaging.

Active Learning Through Open Inquiry

There are lots of scientific facts and data to be learned. But rather than have your child passively learn via memorization, science becomes interactive through the process of open inquiry. Encourage your kids to think about how things might work before telling them how scientists have discovered they actually do work; encourage them to question.

Kids are born with natural curiosity and will ask questions in the natural course of their learning. Rather than answer their queries with rote facts, answer them with questions of your own that make them think more deeply about a subject. If your child asks, “Why is the sky is blue?”, counter that with, “What do you think there is in the atmosphere that produces the color blue?” That’s open inquiry that encourages exploration and discovery.

Science Should Be Explored

There is a way of teaching that chokes off a child’s natural curiosity and then there is a way of teaching that encourages inquisitive minds to further explore scientific theories and facts.

If you think that science is a “hard” subject to learn, it’s probably because you were taught to memorize random facts or complicated equations. This is not the most effective approach to teaching science. Just knowing random facts about something doesn’t mean you understand it.

The same is true for your child. Don’t worry about having her memorize a set of facts, but encourage her to ask questions that come from her innate sense of curiosity. So rather than asking her to learn the Latin names for each species of North American bird, for instance, help her find the answers to things she wants to know, such as how birds are able to fly and how they communicate with each other and what types of food they eat.

Break the Rules of Experimentation

Performing hands-on experiments is a vital part of learning science. But rather than insisting that experiments follow a prescribed set of steps or rules, allow your child to dive right in and maybe even make mistakes. Guidelines are good but there’s no reason you can’t break the rules and, in fact, you should do so regularly. This encourages lots of questions and further experimentation to see what might happen if… if a variable is changed or if the experiment is moved or if the same results would occur with other variables. You never know, you and your child might just discover something new.

Teaching your kids science is about more than just following a prescribed curriculum. Every now and then you should step outside the box and see what happens. Have your kids think about broader possibilities and help them discover answers to their questions on their own. All science is really an art; it’s not black and white but shades of gray that color the results of those who dare to be curious and explore the world around them.

Source by Dr Rebecca Keller

13 Nov

Geometry Solvers Online – A Reliable Way to Learn Geometry

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 13, 2021 @ 8:10 pm

Geometry is one of the more interesting branches of math, given it’s visual aspect and the spatial reasoning challenge it poses to students. Learning geometry is certainly not as tough as learning algebra or calculus, for instance, but it does have it’s little challenges to keep students on their toes.

Students learning geometry learn how to calculate the area, volume, space, and perimeter of the common geometrical shapes. This involves memorizing a bunch of formulas for each shape and knowing when to use them. Geometry in itself is quite easy but questions can be tricky and are designed to test how students can manipulate the information they have to fit the given data.

Practicing geometry is important if you want to do well in it. It is also the most effective way to learn all those formulas. Practicing math problems has never been a favorite homework activity among students so think of ways to motivate yourself to keep at it. Starting simple ensures that students stay on track and are not fed up too soon. Set a modest goal of two or three problems a day and work yourself up. Or practice with a friend so that you can learn together and help each other out. Just be sure not to spend the study time doing everything else except geometry.

Diagrams are an important part of geometry problems so spend some time learning to draw a decent figure. This will serve as a great reference and you will find that you can figure out the solution much quicker. After drawing the figure, mark the measurements given in the question on your rough sketch. This way you have all the data in one place and you know what you need to calculate as well.

For students who find geometry absolutely fiendish, help is right at their fingertips. Online geometry solvers are a great way to learn and improve you understanding of the subject, not to mention your grades. Find hundreds of qualified helpers on math help sites, at affordable rates. Online geometry help is extremely convenient and so easy to access. Any student who has a computer and internet connection can log in to get all the help they need, anytime of the day or night.

Students will have access to many different kinds of problems and worksheets to sharpen their geometry skills. Online whiteboards, games and quizzes, and mock tests are other services students will find very useful when learning online.

Source by Liz James

10 Nov

What Skills Should a Teacher of Mathematics Teach His/Her Students?

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 10, 2021 @ 8:09 pm

Before the advent of universal secondary education, the mathematics teacher had a select group of students who were most likely, in terms of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, maths-logic thinkers. So there was no real need for the Mathematics teacher to change the pedagogue away from “chalk and talk” and lots of exercise practice.

But the second half of the twentieth century saw most students progress to secondary schools. Soon, most students were continuing on to complete their secondary education with most continuing to study Mathematics. This meant that these students had a variety of learning styles which we might equate to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.

This meant that teachers of Mathematics had to expand their pedagogue and teach new skills to help all students in their mathematical development. At this time, I was the head of a Mathematics Department in a large school going through the introduction of new syllabuses designed to bring Mathematics teaching into a position where it could cater for these different learning styles.

The syllabus content was being modernised. The use of computers, scientific and graphics calculator along with the Internet became mandated. This lead I to think about the additional skills my students needed to develop. Other teachers in other subject areas were most likely wanting to develop them, too.

The request from another school to have me explain how my department coped with a change from 40 minute to 70 minute periods began me thinking about these skills. I discussed my list and gained its acceptance at the workshop.

Below is a list of the additional skills I believe we, Mathematics teachers, should strive to develop as early as possible. (A short explanation may be included with each skill.)

They are:

Communication skills. One of the aspects of some new syllabuses is the introduction of problems in unfamiliar contexts which need the solutions to be fully communicated.
Calculator skills. The calculator enables the student to do necessary calculations quickly. Students need to be taught checking and estimation skills to facilitate their use correctly. Graphics calculators have in-built programs that allow more in depth real life problems.
Computer skills.
Internet skills.
Skills in how to concentrate effectively in class. This is important as there is less time allocated to the teaching of Mathematics than in the past. This should incorporate skills in how to be a powerful listener.
Textbook skills. This is the student’s first option in consolidation of the classroom learning. The student needs to know how best to use it.
Homework and study skills.
Examination skills including how to go about solving a problem and how to develop an examination technique that helps guarantee the best results.
Problem solving/critical thinking skills. And
In the senior school where life becomes extremely busy, organisational skills.

These skills cannot be developed overnight. There must be a commitment by all Mathematics teachers to introduce them from day one of the student’s secondary school life as the opportunity arises. Separate lessons on the skills are not the best options. Dropping different skill ideas into day to day lessons is a better option since the student will see it in an everyday event, not a contrived one.

What I have suggested here in many ways is a “Wish List”. If all the Mathematics teachers adopt the need for these skills, they will gradually, over the years, become a natural part of the student’s Mathematics persona.

Source by Richard D Boyce

07 Nov

The Relationship Between Science, Technology, and Society

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 7, 2021 @ 8:08 pm

Science and technology is the best thing society could ever ask for. Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century science has been in progress. Some sectors that have been boosted by science and technology are energy, physical sciences, information and communication. The society has greatly gained with the invention of technology.

Infrastructure in the society has grown with the help of science and technology. Modes of transport like electronic railway lines were realized and these actually benefited the society by offering them a better means of transport. In the past, almost everything was analog but thanks to the science and technology we are now being digitalized by the day. The invention of the telephone and radio services has broadened human communication.

Without society then there would be no science and technology and that is why the invention of certain tools and equipment have helped achieve big things. Society can not do without the industries we have today. The society needs science and technology. The creation of computers is work of art by individuals was a milestone that would come a long way in helping the society. A computer helps us to leverage ourselves by gaining valuable information that we can use to enrich our lives. The impact of science and technology can seriously be recognized. Many people around the world take for example scholars in colleges and universities have taken the lead examining the relationship between science and technology.

The evaluation of this relationship has emerged as an important area of research. Public interest groups and academic organizations throughout the world are recognizing the importance of STS. The reason is that people need to recognize that there are people who are affected by the science and technology. Controversies such as modified foods, stem cell research are the issues that have brought policy makers and scientists together to have a way forward on this.

Science and technology has actually largely contributed to the vision of man about himself. Science has been modified the opinion about the origin of man and place of origin too. Through the results of scientific discoveries the perception of man about his behavior and his place of origin has been modified diversly. Experiments in science today are in one way or another affecting the society.Take for example the experiment on cloning a human being. The experiment brought a lot of controversy since the society was skeptical about it.

How is science and technology related to society: The developing world has a long tradition of participatory action research, popular education and community organization joining up to solve some science and technology issues that affect the society. How is science and technology related to the society is something that is calling even for the government intervention. Science and technology related issues are actually been discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has resulted to the ability to produce diverse types of material items. Answering the question how science and technology is related to society.

Source by Danish Muzaffar

04 Nov

Women’s Education

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 4, 2021 @ 8:07 pm

Women’s Education is very essential in this world. People are giving importance for women’s education nowadays. More steps should be taken to improve education among women not only those who are in urban but also in rural areas.

World Education has a long history of successfully working with local partners to design, execute, manage and evaluate participatory, community-based initiatives to advance the conditions of girls and women. World Education’s programs help girls enroll and stay in school and help women gain access to or create new educational, financial, and social resources in their communities. World Education programs help girls and women improve their own lives, the lives of their families and the conditions in their communities. For parents – and especially mothers – this means creating conditions that ensure their daughters have equal access to basic education, are able to make informed decisions about their futures, and are able to protect themselves from trafficking, sexual exploitation, HIV and AIDS, for example.

By improving educational opportunities for girls and women, World Education helps women develop skills that allow them to make decisions and influence community change in key areas. In turn, these programs have a positive impact on some of the most profound issues of our time: population growth, HIV and AIDS, peace and security, and the widening gap between the rich and poor.

Education in India is only one among various other elements that have captured the attention of the world. While the United Nations is worried about the presence of a large number of illiterates, various other countries are amazed by the quality of some of the human resources that the Indian education system has produced.

The growth of the Indian economy in the recent past and the compulsion to sustain it is also forcing the Indian government to accelerate the process of developing all the branches of the Indian education system. Therefore, it would be very interesting to understand and analyze the various structures of education in India, its present condition and future developments.

The leaders of our freedom movement realized the importance of girls’ education and had put it as a prime agenda for national development. However, when India attained independence some 60 years ago, it was a formidable challenge that the new government had to face Social and cultural barriers to education of women and lack of access to organized schooling, had to be addressed immediately.

Education has been regarded as the most significant instrument for changing women’s subjugated position in the society. It not only develops the personality and rationality of individuals, but qualifies them to fulfill certain economic, political and cultural functions and thereby improves their socio-economic status.

In India, the increase in the educational facilities and opportunities for women and the removal of traditional bars on entry of women to particular branches and levels of education came to be supported by all champions of women’s emancipation from the 19th Century onwards. However, the Indian reformers of the 19th Century wanted to educate women to perform their role as good wives and mothers and not to make them as direct active participants in the process of national development of the country. The colonial authorities generally supported this limited view-point of women’s education. The expansion of education and health services in the 20th Century, however, precipitated a need for women teachers and doctors which resulted in the incorporation of these two vocations in the programs of women’s education.

In spite of the constitutional provision of equality and the recommendations of the committees and commissions about the provision for the same type of education for women as for men, the traditional limited view point of women’s education, with a separate role of women in the society. has had a great influence on the planning for women’s education.

Thus women’s education should be taken as a serious issue and take steps to develop it among every woman both in urban and rural.

Source by Shahira Y

01 Nov

The Canadian Education System

Posted in Education by anshbookstore on November 1, 2021 @ 8:05 pm

The Canadian education system consists of three levels. The first level is known as the elementary level, the second is called the secondary level and the third is called the post-secondary education level. If you are in Canada or you have plans to go there, we suggest that you read up on the education system over there, especially if you want to go there for education. Let’s know more about the education system in Canada.

The Education System

In Canada, governments at provincial and territorial levels govern education. Therefore, there is a little difference between each education system. For example, the difference is that the grades where the levels start and end are different. Each province and territory offers free education for 12 years. However, for Quebec, the free education is offered for 11 years. Based on the province, education is a must for age 15 and 18.

Education levels

Now, let us read up on the education offered at different levels in Canada. This will give you a lot better idea of how the education system works over there.

· Elementary

Typically, kids aged 5 enter kindergarten. In elementary schools, kids study from grade one to grade 6. Afterwards, the students study for 2 years. In other areas, the school offers education till grade 8. As far as Quebec goes, the elementary school provides education from grade 1 to grade 6. Afterwards, the students go directly to high school.

· Secondary

Most often, secondary school is called high school. In these schools, students study from grade 9 to grade 12. Moreover, in areas with junior high and middle school, it includes both grade 7 and grade 8. On the other hand, in Quebec, students study from grade 7 to grade 11. Afterwards, the students study in CEGEP for 24 months and then go to university.

· Post-secondary

This level of education consists of career college, grade school, university and community college.

Programs for language

In Canada, language programs are provided at private language schools, universities, colleges, high schools and middle schools. Since English is the international language, more importance is given to teach this language across Canada.

Structure

Districts: In Canada, the division of provinces is done based school districts. Moreover, school districts include school boards that implement curriculum and policy established by the province. Usually, a school district provides services to a couple of towns or cities based on their size.

Religious affiliation

Schools can be Christian, Catholic or secular. However, in some provinces, you can find different school boards for both non-religious and religious schools. So, students from religious families can also go to the school based on their religious affiliation.

Private and public

The education system in Canada consists of public schools as well as private schools. The public schools receive funds from the government. On the other hand, private schools don’t get funded by the government and students have to pay fees to study in private school. Moreover, at the post secondary level, students pay a considerably smaller amount of tuition fee than in private universities.

So, this was a brief introduction to the education system in Canada.

Source by Navdeep Kumar