Category: Classroom

Without a doubt, classroom management is the key to success in any classroom because learning is compromised without it. It plays a part in all of the Teachers’ Standards. Classroom management is a major concern for teachers and is a challenge across all school phases. Training is very important. It involves reflecting on your own approach, trying a new approach and reviewing progress over time. In this essay, I am going to discuss various approaches to classroom management, based on what I have read and what I have observed, and discuss what I think is good practice and what is ineffective.

Classroom management ensures everything within the classroom is working as well as it can be. This includes the physical environment, interactions, relationships and pedagogy. Teachers must have high expectations so they inspire, motivate and challenge pupils and establish a framework for discipline with a range of strategies, using praise, sanctions and rewards consistently and fairly.

Many strategies are effective at managing behaviour. One main strategy is having clear rules and routines. It’s important to stick to basic routines that you can enforce. They remove uncertainty about school expectations, which reduces anxiety, creates a framework of social norms, and reduces the need for reflection and reinvention of what is and is not acceptable conduct.

Many scholars believe it is essential to teach learning behaviours alongside managing misbehaviour as this will reduce the need to manage misbehaviour. Teachers can support learning behaviours by ensuring pupils can access the curriculum, engage with lesson content and participate in their learning. Teachers should encourage pupils to be aware of their own behaviours because pupils who are self-aware are less likely to misbehave.

Learning behaviour is influenced by emotional, social and cognitive factors. Extrinsic motivation is useful to address some minor misbehaviours or to encourage positive behaviour. Rewards and sanctions, or strategies such as praise and criticism, can improve motivation, behaviour and learning to a certain extent. However, intrinsic motivation is crucial to improving resilience, achieving goals, and ultimately is the key determiner to success. Intrinsically motivated children perform better and are less likely to misbehave.

Carol Dweck has carried out research on the ‘growth mindset’. It suggests that intelligence is not a fixed characteristic and can be increased through effort. To encourage a growth mindset in children, teachers must praise a child’s effort, not the person, and avoid fixed mindset labelling that praises intelligence or talent.

The use of sanctions and rewards in schools is a much-debated topic. Paul Blum says that difficult schools are “inundated with punishments and sanctions, yet, there are always some pupils that need punishing”. The number of both temporary and permanent exclusions is high, along with bullying and fighting. This shows that punishment has not worked and is not an efficient method of improving difficult schools. He suggests that for every detention, bad letter home, etc., there should be at least five rewards on average. It’s important to think long and hard about the type and amount of punishments you give.

However, he also says that some sanctions are essential, but they must be practically workable. In his opinion, the more difficult the behaviour of the pupils in school, the more futile the system of constant punishments. He believes only certain types of sanctions work. They must be ‘symbolic’, make the point about who is in charge, and be easy to carry out. He also thinks they should involve regular coordination, as it is important to let pupils see teachers working as part of a team. Finally, they should be fair and not punish the whole class.

With regard to rewards, a clear system can improve pupil behaviour when used as part of a broader teacher-classroom management strategy. It can be an effective way to improve pupils’ learning behaviours. Smiley face stamps are brilliant for quick, flexible, low-level use. Reward currency such as certificates and good letters home should be part of the system. Blum concludes that prevention is more effective than cure. Reward is an effective prevention; punishment is not an effective cure.

The school I am currently assigned to reinforces positive behaviours for learning and developing relationships in schools. The staff use ‘explicit praise’, meaning they are specific about the behaviours they are acknowledging. They have various ways to reward students, such as Star of the Week (the teacher nominates a child and they receive a special certificate and are invited to the star party where they can choose a selection of rewards), or Going for Gold (this is to reward children that always try their best; pupils begin the day in the purple zone, if they consistently try their best, they are moved to the silver zone, and then they’re moved to the gold zone if this continues; each week the teacher may then choose a ‘gold zone’ child to receive a ‘Going for Gold’ sticker in a celebration assembly).

The school supports Paul Blum’s belief that good behaviour is achieved when all staff work consistently to praise and reward good behaviour and that praise is much more effective than criticism. It places huge importance on being supportive and developing a sense of community through teamwork. Their focus is on the success of children, for example, displays of work and certificates.

Scholars claim that working with parents is another promising approach to managing behaviour. This includes parents and teachers setting goals for the child, agreeing and implementing specific strategies that can be implemented at home and school to help the child’s behaviour, responding consistently to the child’s behaviour and gathering information to assess progress. This ideology is evident in the school. Expectations are communicated regularly, and all families sign a home-school agreement. The behaviour policy is easily accessible, and the school informs parents of problems related to behaviour. It also signposts places where extra help can be obtained for difficult behaviour. They also use Marvellous Me, an online behaviour system where an individual child or whole class can be awarded for their positive behaviour. The teacher sends a message directly to a child’s parents or carers so that the home/school link is built upon.

During Phase 1, I realised that a range of approaches are necessary to manage behaviour. The zoning system is effective because it encourages pupils to think about their actions during breaktime and lunchtime and why they have been removed from certain lessons. I also believe the teaching methods you use are crucial, particularly with younger children. I have found that songs and the Phonics Play website are effective methods for teaching phonics. It ensures that all children are involved and engaged. Another great way to engage younger children is by taking them outside and putting their knowledge into practice. For example, during a Year 1 Maths lesson I observed, pupils had a number between 1 and 20 written on their whiteboards. They then had to run around the playground and look for someone who had a bigger number than them and then someone who had a smaller number. Reinforcing learning is also very important. For example, when Year 1 was practising counting in twos, they said the numbers in a loud voice and a whisper, and as they were saying the numbers, they had to either jump, spin or stamp their feet. These methods kept them interested and helped them to remember the numbers.

Without a doubt, motivating every learner is important. According to Alan McLean, motivation is a new discipline. He says we need to move beyond behavioural models that control pupils through rewards and punishments to models that see pupils’ needs, goals, beliefs and feelings as the important sources of motivational power. Pupils need to feel enthused to learn when they walk into a classroom, but all pupils are motivated in different ways. Therefore, we must recognize their learning stances. As McLean says, “A motivating teacher gains influence by demonstrating an ability to adjust to the needs of pupils”. I agree with this statement. During Phase 1, I noticed differentiation was particularly important for Key Stage 2 children. During an observation of a Year 6 Read to Write lesson, the children had plans adapted to their abilities. The plans made the lesson run much more smoothly because, in the previous week, they did not have them. This led to restlessness and disinterest as the diary entry was too challenging. This leads to my next point of evaluating the impact you had on children’s learning. You do this by walking around the room and observing what the children are doing and when you mark their work at the end of the day. Whilst marking their work, you can spot where misconceptions are and adapt your next lesson accordingly.

To conclude, I agree with the statement that the classroom environment and the teacher have a tremendous impact on behaviour management and pupil progress. Throughout Phase 1, I have realised it is necessary to use a variety of approaches. Some students will also need a more tailored approach which may require reflection and adapting to the situation. Another important point is to realise that what works for one teacher might not work for another with the same pupil: it may take a while to find the right strategy, and it may help to ask a range of colleagues about their approaches. During Phase 2a, I will ensure that I will observe and seek advice from teachers in all key stages to further my repertoire of teaching styles and behaviour management approaches. When I plan my lessons, I will look at a range of resources and differentiate accordingly. I endeavour to make my lessons as enriching and interesting as possible. My work experience in school has been invaluable. As stated in the Ofsted report, my school is a “delightful place to learn, where pupils behave well and take pride in their learning”. In my opinion, for a school to succeed, it must have a vibrant and purposeful learning environment, offer extra-curricular activities, and be committed to the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Dance class reflection

This is the class that had me most nervous because aside from my dance experience when I was a little kid, I had no dance experience. I swim and did a little track and volleyball in high school. I had seen hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and afro-pop/beat dance but I had never heard of the butoh dance. I took this class as an elective hoping it would enable me to be more flexible to perform some dance movements efficiently. I was also looking forward to seeing some Afrobeat/pop dance movements infused in the class.

I have learned that dance is about form, feeling and the presence of the full body, and the creation of dance comprises coordination of the elements of dance (Body, Energy, Relationship, Space, Time) and it is not just about the body moving to music. We were introduced to kinaesthetic awareness which enables a good sense of our body awareness in space and balance while dancing. We practiced dancing using all parts of our body and also, by isolating parts of our body with the bare feet fully grounded while maintaining proper body alignment.

We started most of our classes with the term M.B meaning Mind-body, minuscule big, muscle bone which was some warmup movements that helped prepare the mind and loosen the muscles for the dance activities that followed which I found helped reduce soreness because on the few days we didn’t do some warm-up I woke up sore everywhere because we dance with our whole body. M.B activities enabled us to practice levels, direction, and use of space e.g. we did a movement of Rolling to the floor one vertebra at a time while maintaining alignment at the end of the movement (dynamic alignment), We also used imagery to perceive movement by throwing imaginary objects to our partners e.g. beach ball, butterfly, feather. We also explored with Emotions, feelings, and Sensations of M.B. in our body with music and I was able to feel the music in specific parts of my body, The type of music also changed the feelings I felt and how my body responded.

We did an activity of individuals rolling to the floor in groups of five in different groups, shapes, and durations to Phillip’s glass music. Watching other classmates perform the movement of rolling to the ground with music enabled me to experience Kinesthetic empathy and imagery to perceive movement because I could see different patterns formed e.g., dots, and leaves falling.

We also did some mirror work by using our peripheral vision to imitate the body movements of our partner. We also practiced kinaesthetic awareness by blind walking to see how we responded to energy. We also did a long movement practice and scanned the sensation in our body by lying down maintaining proper body alignment and reimagining the movements we did, which was a very relaxing and different experience.

We practiced moving from feeling and quality. We used water in our imagination, and I was able to experience different sensations in my movements. The mist enabled soft and light movements, while the waterfall felt very heavy like water touching my body, and the sun gave a more colorful, bold, warm feel.

Watched videos of dancers which enabled me to experience kinesthetic empathy, it felt like I was participating in the movements I observed. Also, I was able to see the ideas we learned in class being put into practice in their dance e.g. how the dancers used levels, isolation of body parts and exploring, and the use of space.

Working on the choreography of the final group performance enabled me to explore and practice all we had been taught in class to use my feelings to create dance and not the idea of what I think or believe in dance. Which is feeling the movement, dancing from imagery to have a solid, well-defined balance and transitions in the movement quality, moving with the whole body, playing with timing, and creating moments.

By using all elements of dance: Body- using clear, precise, full-body presence in our movements. Energy: We used qualities from wind, and water imagery to implement stillness, flowing, sharpness, and softness to develop our movements. Relationship- We implemented unison, contrast, solo, meeting, and parting. Space- We made use of the whole stage, with different routes, directions, and levels used. Time- In our dance, we moved our body in measured beats and music and we also moved with breath, we created movements in varying tempos.

I really enjoyed taking this class and the dances overall were fun, it has enhanced my ability to tune my sensitivity to my physical presence and enhanced my awareness of my body and space. And most of all using sensations from music, feelings, and imagery to create movements has really enhanced my creativity. I am also glad this class enhanced my flexibility to perform some dance movements more efficiently and seeing all the group performances I saw some hip-hop dance movements infused into the dance. Kinaesthetic awareness and the ability to maintain proper body alignment are the most important dance skills I learned from taking this class which I have transferred a good sense of our body awareness in space into my daily life.

Our environment speaks to us. The space we live and work in has vibes that affect our functioning as individuals. “Buildings are not simply visual objects. Buildings speak – and on topics which can readily be discerned. They speak of democracy or aristocracy, openness or arrogance, welcome or threat, a sympathy for the future or harkening of the past” (De Botton 2006, as cited in, The semiotics of entering: beauty, empathy and belonging in Reggio Emilia, pp. 208-209).

Children learn from their interaction with their environment and the people that surround them. They need trusting and warm relationships in an atmosphere that is safe, nurturing, predictable, and stimulating in order for them to prosper (Hodgeman, 2011).

A study conducted by University of Salford, Manchester professors, in 2015, called the HEAD (Holistic Evidence and Design) project – ‘Clever Classrooms’, argues that well-designed classrooms and environmental elements can boost the learning process among primary school children by up to 16% (Barrett et al., 2015).

As per this study, classrooms play a significant role in children’s education as they are the principal learning spaces in a school. There is a greater focus today on making classrooms pupil-focused rather than teacher-focused.

The study highlighted in great detail, the three design principles that need to be considered while designing learning spaces/classrooms in primary and secondary schools (HEAD-Project -The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of holistic, multi-level analysis, 2015). These principles are:

1. Naturalness – Includes environmental parameters such as air, light, temperature, sound, air quality and links to nature;
2. Individualization – The degree to which the classroom elements cater to the needs of a child/group of children. For example, versatile seating, mobile furniture, and breakout zones can positively impact learning.
3. Stimulation (appropriate level): Includes parameters of color and complexity of different elements in the room which can make the learning environment from coherent and structured to chaotic, depending on how they are used. For example, classroom walls displaying students’ work or those that display concepts being studied stimulate greater engagement;

In Australia, the National Quality Standard, established in 2012, (Department of Education, Skills and Employment) is a key aspect of the National Quality Framework (ACEQUA, 2011). It recognizes that children learn from birth. The 2 important features of the National Quality Framework are:

Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) – it guides educators in developing quality learning programs for children from birth to 5 years, including their transition to school.

My Time, our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia (FASC) – extends the principles and practices to accommodate the learning environment and contexts of children who attend school-age care settings.

These frameworks outline practices to support and promote children’s learning. Both these frameworks place a great deal of emphasis on the environment that children interact and develop in and list it as one of the key practices in the EYLF and FASC (National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care – www.acecqa.gov.au)The indoor and outdoor spaces of children must provide them a sense of belonging, emotional security, safe risk-taking opportunities, stimulating resources and materials which are inclusive, displays that cater to children’s needs, experiences that promote children’s needs and abilities.

Physical layout and elements of classroom design:

Below is a Primary classroom setup that I have designed, mainly for children in the age group 6-7 years (Grades 1-2). The reasoning and rationale behind organizing my classroom in this manner are described below, after the images.

(Please note: the height of chairs and desks, other furniture and wall graphics, etc. are for demonstration purposes only. Classroom furniture for primary students needs to match their ergonomics.)

Desks

The desks have been arranged in groups of four. This is conducive to collaborative learning and small group discussion. It also gives students their own personal space and a buddy. The group of children can be mixed and rearranged every few weeks so that they interact with all the children in the class.

The rectangular shape gives kids enough space to work individually as well as in groups. The table setup is convenient for various craft and art activities. None of the desks have students’ backs to the front easel and teacher’s desk. There is a good flow of space in the room for the teacher and her aide to move around and take a seat at any of the tables, to assist children whenever needed.

The center space between the desks can be used for “mat time” and can double up as a space for putting art/craft trollies/mobile furniture and other resources or group sessions or having an extra desk on occasion.

There is also sufficient space around the desks so they can be moved easily on various days when there is a whole class discussion.

Floor area

There are mats on the floor with enough space for mat time learning, reading, etc. There is enough space in front of the teacher’s desk for children to come up to the front of the desk to present/ perform in front of the whole class. It also provides a good space for guest speakers to come in with props and for incursions. The floor in the class is fully carpeted to provide comfort. The overall design aids a good flow of traffic in the room.

Teacher’s desk

This is positioned at the front of the class, in the middle so that the teacher can easily monitor all children and also have a view of anyone approaching from outside. It gives the teacher a good spot to monitor all the children aids in keeping misbehavior and distractions to a minimum and encourages students to remain on task.

Shelves/Cabinets/Lockers

The various shelves/cabinets and lockers have been aligned to the wall to conserve and open up usable space to the maximum. It also keeps the space clean and clutter-free. They provide easy access to resources and their placement aids a good flow of traffic. I would label the shelves to organize books by genre. There would also be toys and objects displayed on the shelves that the children could use during break time or for their learning.

Bulletins, whiteboards, easel, and projector/TV/sound system

The bulletin boards are displayed on the walls. They can display themes of units being taught and other support material. They can also function as advertisements for important events/themes in the class, for example: any picnic, incursion, excursion, or cultural event planned.

The 3 white boards along the blue wall could be used by kids to write ideas, and concepts or draw pictures or engage in some fun activities. The easel, projector, TV, and sound systems are different media that could be used by the teacher to aid her teaching.

Plants, bean bags, trash bins

Indoors, there are a few real plants that brighten the space and also add life to it. They allow children to experience nature and how it works. It can encourage their observation skills and interaction with nature. It also allows for some critical thinking regarding how plants grow and how to care for them.

There are recycling and wet trash bins in the classroom which would inculcate in children a sense of cleanliness, separating waste and keeping their surroundings tidy.

Practicing these small habits within the classroom helps inculcate in children a sense of respect for their environment and helps them learn about bigger ideas such as environmental sustainability.

Walls

Classroom walls are mainly done in pastel shades to make the room feel very welcoming. The walls are also used to display children’s creations, different themes and concepts being learned, school values and putting up pictures of historical/ inspirational personalities, local communities and their artwork, news, and stories from around the world, etc.

Recreation/ breakout/ outdoor space

There is a recreation/breakout/outdoor space outside but attached to the classroom which could be used by students when they wish to have a break from the routine or sometimes when the teacher wishes to separate a child from the rest of the class if he constantly displays challenging behavior. It can also be used in break times. The recreation room features a little reading and art/craft/play corner with a whiteboard (on the left) and another corner for some indoor sports like basketball and wall darts. There is also an adjacent natural play area where children can have more physical play. There is also a vegetable garden where children can grow their own vegetables and plants. They can relax around on the natural benches or engage in a lot of natural play.

In addition to using these spaces for recreation, they could also be used to remove a distracted child from the classroom and give him some time to get involved in an activity that he likes. It can act as a vehicle to engage the child back into the classroom activity. It would also help to keep the flow of the rest of the class going.

Rationale and theory supporting the class design and personal view of behavior guidance:

The above class is designed to provide children with a rich, varied, and welcoming environment. When children are engaged, they learn better. Therefore, it is vital that educators create a classroom environment, both physical and otherwise to rope in children’s interest. While many factors such as the curriculum, pedagogy, and a child’s own sociocultural background influence learning, the physical environment does seem to have an important correlation with student engagement, learning, and well-being (Gross P. & Sonnemann, J., 2017).

A varied and stimulating environment supports children’s learning. Spaces that promote a secure learning environment give the child the confidence to explore their surrounding indoor and outdoor spaces (Hodgeman, 2011). Scientific research in recent decades has highlighted a significant relationship between a classroom’s physical layout and environment and students’ learning outcomes and achievement. A building’s structural infrastructure and facilities influence student learning. Lack of appropriate and adequate lighting, poor air quality and temperature control, and noise interference are linked to low student achievement. Additionally, a classroom’s symbolic environment which includes its decor and objects used in the class influences learning (Cheryan et al., 2014).

Structural factors:

Lighting, air quality & temperature: Classrooms that are exposed to plenty of natural light promote better performance among students than those who are exposed to less natural light. Poor air quality and unsuitable classroom temperatures negatively impact teacher’s ability to teach well and increase student absenteeism (Tanner, 2008).

Acoustics and Accessibility: A high amount of external noise interferes with engaged learning and student achievement (Klatte et al., 2013). Accessibility to resources like certain classroom furniture is extremely crucial, especially for children with disabilities. The absence of certain assistive technologies or other structural barriers obstructs accessibility and restricts their ability to partake in classroom activities (Hemmingson & Borell, 2002).

Symbolic environment factors:

Classroom layout: The classroom’s layout and how the furniture is laid out in the class can influence the way children learn. Classrooms that are very cluttered and not well-planned or have linear seating arrangements that prevent group discussions and collaborative interactions can significantly impact student and teacher communication (Cheryan et al., 2014).

Decor and classroom objects:

The decor of a class, for example, materials displayed, the manner in which walls are used, mats on the floor, plants, etc. give a certain feel and vibe to a class. While creating the decor, teachers must keep in mind that it is not over stimulating which creates visual distractions. Care should also be taken to make sure that objects and materials displayed do not acknowledge only a certain section of students. Minority or socially underrepresented groups must not feel excluded (Fisher et al., 2014).

In fact, the class decor must be used to welcome the underrepresented groups and also not have negative effects on the majority groups. Local and native arts and stories could be promoted in the themes displayed in the class.

Furniture and equipment within classroom facilities need to be adapted in a manner such that it ensures access and participation by every child in the class and allows flexible use and interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces. The environment needs to be inclusive, promoting competence, independent exploration, and learning through play. Children need to be supported to become environmentally responsible and show respect for the environment. (Guide to the National Quality Standard, ACECQA).

Children with disabilities must be supported by providing appropriate aides where needed. Adequate structural quality is of prime importance for children with disabilities. For example, excessive external noise can impede learning for children with hearing disabilities.

Other studies have emphasized the significance of the relationship between the classroom environment, student behavior, and academic engagement (Visser, 2001). A well-designed classroom allows positive interactions between teachers and children, reducing the occurrence of challenging behavior (Martella, Nelson & Marchand-Martella, 2003). Disruptive behavior like talking back, getting out of seat, and speaking without permission often interferes with students’ engagement in the learning process (Public Agenda, 2004). Class environment may act as a direct intervention for children who demonstrate ongoing disruptive behavior (Conroy, Davis, Fox & Brown, 2002). Environmental structures are a preventive, whole-class approach that may decrease challenging behaviors and allow children with no problem behavior to access learning without interruption.

A teacher’s personal set of beliefs about children and how they develop largely determines how she interacts with her students. Educators’ perspectives and approaches will vary as per the theoretical lens through which they view their pupils and where along the ‘control continuum’ they sit (Erden& Wolfgang, 2004).

The non-interventionist approach assumes that a child has an inner drive that expresses itself in the real world and that children should be allowed the freedom to express themselves. They need to be shown empathy and acceptance. Interventionists are the most controlling and believe that the external environment shapes an individual’s behavior and hence the use of reward and punishment is encouraged. A more recent conceptual analysis groups discipline theories on a similar continuum from autocratic to authoritative and mixed to egalitarian (Porter, 2007).

Between the two extremes, lies the interactionalist approach which focuses on the interaction between an individual and his environment. An interactionalist teacher works with students in a manner that ensures learning while maintaining a good two-way student-teacher relationship while respecting a child’s dignity.

Louise Porter’s approach to behavior guidance suggests that both rewards and punishments are attempts to make children behave in a certain manner and control them. This adversely affects their self-esteem. Giving children information rather than judgment keeps their self-esteem intact by encouraging their self-concept. It also teaches them how to behave considerately by observing how their behavior impacts others. Considerable research suggests that this style of behavior guidance produces more cooperative, self-controlled, self-confident, social, and independent children.

I, as a teacher, too would focus on creating a classroom environment that is welcoming and inclusive to create a sense of belonging among children. Mutual respect encourages children to ask questions and feel welcomed in the class (Bucholz & Sheffler, 2009). Simple routines such as smiling at children, using positive gestures, and exchanging pleasantries make children feel safe and secure (McDonald, 2019). Another way to build a secure classroom atmosphere is to have a classroom routine or tradition. For example, having children recite a morning pledge that highlights school values and acknowledges the traditional owners of the land. I would also encourage classroom meetings in groups to allow children to express their ideas and concerns in a relaxed manner. Planning my lessons in advance to offer challenging tasks would also help them keep engaged.

An inclusive approach that aims at redirection rather than sanctions would be my way of guiding behavior; giving children more autonomy and a sense of control. I would focus on offering children a basket of choices to help them reach an agreed-upon instructional goal. My aim in guiding a student’s behavior would be to help the student develop their social and self-regulation skills so that they are able to identify challenges and solve problems.

When I first started this English class, I was not sure how well I would do. When I met my professor, Rebecca Samberg, I gained more confidence because she explained the materials in such a way that helped stimulate my interest. I feared I would struggle through the course but being under the supervision of professor Samberg, it got easier for me.

Aiming for a grade A average, I doubted myself when our professor asked us to write an essay supporting or disclaiming the “uptick in civic action impact on our country”. Although this was not a graded piece, I was nervous about what the outcome of this course might be. With this, I have learned about the steps to take when writing an essay which made it easier for me to follow when doing my assignments.

For the first writing assignment, “Personal Reflection on Belief Narrative”, I found it to be easy, or rather, I got complacent with it. By writing that essay, I had no doubt that I wouldn’t get a good grade. After my teacher reviewed it and graded it as an initial draft, it was a wake-up call for me. English is more than just putting my thoughts together on a piece of paper. Articulating my sentences, and using proper punctuation and grammar is imperative.

The biggest challenge for me as a writer is figuring out how to write a rhetorical analysis. This was evident in the third writing assignment. I chose the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, to analyze and even though it was an intermediate draft, I struggled with getting the main concepts together. I went from rhetorical analysis to literary analysis while I was doing the essay. Evaluating the text seemed harder than it should have been because I merely restated what the text already said rather than going into detail about how the writing itself conveyed the poem’s ideas. I placed too much pressure on myself to explain how the text had an influence on readers.

Another challenge I face is transitioning. In the second writing assignment about a profile of my sister, getting my sentences to flow and give them a mutual connection so it to not confuse my readers was a bit of a struggle. I lacked the confidence in what would make a good transitional word or sentence that would carry through my idea from the previous paragraph. Working on my transitioning skills will now be my key focus while I move on to more advanced classes in my major. This will help my readers to interpret my ideas and it will effectively carry my thoughts from one sentence to another.

In order to overcome the challenges of writing, I brainstormed ideas in order to get the creative juices flowing. I pick the ideas that best suit my essay and work from there to refine them. I admittedly also ask my boyfriend for help at times to bounce ideas off and see what sticks. I also dedicate more time to English by removing all distractions and sitting in a quiet room to help narrow my focus. I also put more effort into working on rough drafts and focusing less on getting them correct the first time. This frees up any tension I feel as well as lets my ideas flow without the worry of messing up. By doing so, rough drafts helped me to narrow my ideas down on what works and what doesn’t. I also structured my work time with breaks in between to give my thoughts some time to settle and to also reflect.

In addition to the challenges I encountered, I started to focus on my grammar and spelling to improve my writing. During my English class, I was required to read more and that opened my eyes to learn more about the fundamentals of writing which helped me communicate to my audience through my essays. English class has sharpened my writing skills and it made me more confident as a writer.

Writing essays 2, 3, and 4 is a testament to the fact that not only have I grown in writing but that I have applied what I learned to produce writings that are all about what I genuinely think and feel. My writing is more mature than before and even though I have not yet fully overcome the rhetorical analysis struggle, my writing skills are now refined because through practicing, I learned self-assessment was the key for me to knowing where to begin

As such, when I am no longer in class I will dedicate a clear space and time to help improve my writing skills as well as practicing how to write a personal paper and writing down my goals and objectives will help me succeed. I will set aside time to write and review my drafts which will help me to expand my vocabulary. This will help me to get prepared to write several drafts as the first draft will not be perfect but like they always say, practice makes perfect.

Writing tools are essential to learning and I have learned to express myself on the paper I am writing. Being clear, concise, and analyzing drafts during class gave me the desire and confidence to excel in my future endeavors of writing. Constructing my sentences carefully, using proper grammar, and reading more will also give a fluent message my audience can fully understand.

Samsung Smart Class

The Indian education system to date is to a great extent driven by regular techniques for utilizing course books as instructive material and addresses for conferring information. This prompts substandard learning results at advanced education levels, further reflected in low-talented labor in India.

Samsung considers training to be the seed of development and along these lines made the Samsung Smart Class program that bolsters instruction using Samsung’s innovation, administration, and skill. Set up in association with Government schools in India, Samsung isn’t just dedicated to giving understudies more noteworthy access to training yet is extending the extent of learning. Samsung is working with instructors around the globe to improve learning encounters using innovation, encouraging a classroom domain that is boundless and gives understudies access to a universe of information from their work areas. Using IT innovation, the Samsung Smart Class encourages a brilliant instruction condition, empowering understudies to have the chance to effectively comprehend and acclimatize the schedule ideas through a more student-driven training stage.

The Samsung Smart Class activity goes for connecting the advanced hole in India while improving the nature of instruction given to burdened kids. Shrewd Classes are outfitted with Samsung intelligent whiteboards, workstations, printers, and Wi-Fi to empower understudies to learn in an advanced, intuitive condition. More than 120,000 students in 200 schools crosswise over India have profited through the activity to date. Educators who encourage utilizing Smart Classes vouch for expanded consideration and interest from understudies amid exercises, just as higher recognition among understudies in utilizing workstations and printers.

The Samsung Technical Schools are a reaction to the nation’s requirement for talented labor and a chance to draw in burdened youth to add to the economy. Set up in a joint effort with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Departments of Technical Education in states, for example, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Kerala and West Bengal, the Technical Schools empower youth to increase specialized abilities that will prepare them to look for openings for work in the customer gadgets assembling and administration division.

Employability – Samsung Technical School Program

Unemployment has been one of the greatest difficulties tormenting the Indian economy. Pretty much every industry is confronting a deficiency of a gifted workforce. The genuine issue is finding appropriate possibilities to fill occupations. Being unemployed and unemployable are two distinct issues. Societal disparities, deficient training framework, nature of instruction and absence of a powerful evaluation of aptitudes are a portion of the reasons why a dominant part of the common laborer’s workforce in our nation are not fit the bill for the employments that they try for.

While issues of unemployment are not new, the ascent in a number of individuals who can’t address the business issues because of the absence of vocation situated information and aptitudes set is a squeezing issue. Samsung has, through its Samsung Technical School, chosen to help the young of today in planning their future and establishing the framework for monetary freedom by offering orderly professional instruction and neighborhood business. Samsung encourages promising abilities by offering client administration instruction, delicate aptitudes and capacities expected to make due in the present aggressive work climate. The alumni are additionally presented to fundamental abilities preparing or entry-level position openings amid their course, which sets them up for the genuine work environment situation.

Health and Medical care – Samsung Smart Healthcare

Rapid urbanization has prompted a disturbing increment in the rate of medical problems, unplanned wounds, wrongdoing and savagery in India. It is very much perceived that our human services framework isn’t completely prepared to address the difficulty as huge lacks exist in current injury frameworks. Most emergency clinics taking into account the underprivileged have wasteful administrations for therapeutic or injury care, because of money-related limitations and the absence of a proper wellbeing framework. Most don’t offer brief determinations or life-sparing treatment. Thusly demise rate in India is evaluated to be sevenfold more awful contrasted with most developed states.

Samsung expects to upgrade emergency clinic care through its restorative gear and innovation, in this manner improving survival and utilitarian result among patients. Samsung’s establishment of robotized organic chemistry, immunology, and hematology gear will empower medical clinic divisions to profit by this fast quality testing, particularly in instances of crises, for example, heart tests or mishaps. Samsung gear won’t just furnish quick analysis with test outcomes, yet additionally decreases the time between damage and the complete treatment subsequently diminishing bleakness and mortality.

Health and Medical care – Blood Donation Drives

The requirement for blood is continually expanding the world over. Aside from infections like dengue, millions lose their lives to mishaps and regular or man-made fiascos. Against a yearly interest of 12 million units, India can gather just 9 million units of which 70 percent is from deliberate blood contributors while the rest of the 30 percent is from family/substitution benefactors. A blood contributor by his gift spares numerous lives and offers plan to numerous whose circumstances may some way or another be sad.

Samsung normally arranges blood gift camps to urge representatives to give blood. Through these blood gift camps, Samsung intends to help the regions of blood and platelet gift and treatment of disarranges, for example, sickle cell iron deficiency, thalassemia and hemophilia that require rehashed blood transfusions.

Sports – Samsung Ratna Program

Indian games have made a noteworthy commitment at the international level, in particular cricket. Regardless of the realities and records, the current state of games in India (with the exception of cricket), is in any case grim. Impetuses, foundation and appropriate preparation is falling a long way behind, to put it plainly, sports in India require a great deal of progress. Each game has its own significance and merits measured up to regard and the executives. The state of the ladies’ groups is as yet poor.

Samsung has since its origin comprehensively added to the headway of games culture and finding and developing games’ skilled human assets ceaselessly. Samsung has been effectively occupied with an expansive scope of games occasions including supporting residential and global challenge gatherings and competitors, sports promotion and sponsorship, and sports organization.

Samsung acknowledges the estimation of games and is pleased to have supported and bolstered the world’s driving donning occasions including the Olympic Games (since 2000), the Asian Games (since 1998), and the Youth Olympic Games (since 2010). Starting with the Olympic Games in 2004, Samsung made a further promise to sports by initiating the Ratna Program wherein the organization underpins top positioning competitors crosswise over individual games disciplines with their preparation costs while they get ready for the Games (Olympic or Asian). Designed on the lines of the Global Olympic Solidarity Fund, the Samsung Ratna Program has over the years bolstered 41 gifted competitors crosswise over different Asian and Olympics Games, who have proceeded to win awards enhancing the developing donning society in the nation.

Response to Humanitarian Disasters

India’s urban and rural people has dependably been defenseless against catastrophic events. Dry spells, floods, avalanches, violent winds and seismic tremors are a portion of the catastrophic events that have as of late influenced the nation. The effect of each danger differs, and leaves an enduring effect much of the time on the general population and on the national spending plan, upsetting life and vocations.

In this unique circumstance, Samsung will stretch out some assistance to help networks confronting cataclysmic events in diverse ways including starting alleviation and recovery exercises and offering the administration and money-related help. As help to such activities isn’t pre-arranged, in this manner they will be of a specially appointed nature. The greatness and the type of venture secured under this help will rely upon the idea of the catastrophe.

Samsung cares for the dreams of girls in India

Samsung is resolved to make a superior life for the general population of India through the advantages of innovation. Samsung Technical Schools are a declaration to that responsibility. Begun in 2013, today there are 20 Samsung Technical Schools crosswise over India. 10 schools are in a joint coordinated effort between Samsung India and the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME). 10 different schools are at ITIs in organization with the State Governments of Delhi, Bihar, Kerala, Rajasthan and Bengal. Samsung selects its approved coaches to direct courses at these Technical Schools to give specific preparation. Understudies from our schools are profitably utilized crosswise over various enterprises and are seeking after their fantasies. This is our unassuming commitment towards ‘Ability India’.

My Dream project

Samsung India has announced the, a research study in collaboration with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to find out how to enhance learning outcomes for middle school students in India and how their stress levels can be reduced.

In a different association with the Andhra Pradesh Government, Samsung declared setting up of Samsung Smart Class at 14 government schools crosswise over Andhra Pradesh which offers Bachelors of Education (B.Ed.) and Diploma in Education (D.Ed.) courses.

The 14 Samsung Smart Class will convey 200 hours obviously educational programs that is being produced for the Andhra Pradesh Government under the UNESCO MGIEP activity ‘Showing Teachers for Technology. The course is been created by UNESCO MGIEP so future instructors can be adequately prepared to train understudies with the assistance of the most recent innovation utilizing advanced teaching methods.

Under the My Dream venture, Samsung and UNESCO MGIEP will direct a two-year investigation learn at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) schools crosswise over India. This examination is intended to see how extend-based and socio-passionate learning (SEL) can be utilized to drive learning results of understudies as characterized by their Mathematics and Science scores estimated by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and furthermore to decrease their feelings of anxiety.

‘Through the My Dream venture, UNESCO MGIEP needs to fabricate mentally and candidly flexible youngsters. We try to make teaching fun and peaceful, and prepare youngsters to be careful, sympathetic, and empathetic. This examination task will enable us to see how learning results for understudies can be improved and how their feelings of anxiety can be relieved,’ said Dr. Anantha K Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP.

Toward the finish of the investigation, a far-reaching report and suggestions will be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

The association with the Andhra Pradesh government for setting up Samsung Smart Class at 14 B.Ed. and D.Ed. government schools crosswise over Andhra Pradesh looks to help instructors adjust transmissive training that advanced advances bring to the table and get conduct and attitudinal move towards coordinating these new instructive potential outcomes offered by innovation with educational program and exercises in core interest.

Smart Healthcare Citizenship Initiative in Manipur

Samsung India today inaugurated the Samsung Smart Healthcare program at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, Manipur to provide affordable and quality healthcare to patients from the economically and socially weaker sections of society. As a component of its Smart Healthcare program, Samsung gives progressed and inventive human services gear, for example, ultrasound and computerized x-beam fabricated by the Company allowed to choose government medical clinics the nation over.

The Samsung Smart Healthcare office was introduced by Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur within the sight of different dignitaries. Samsung Smart Healthcare is Samsung India’s leader citizenship activity in the social insurance area. ‘Samsung India chips away at the fundamental belief of changing networks and making a superior life for individuals. We are satisfied to offer medicinal services arrangements with the compelling utilization of innovation in Imphal. Through this, we try to give a lot more individuals in the state simple access to cutting-edge social insurance offices. Samsung Smart Healthcare program joins great framework, most recent innovation and best accessible restorative ability under one rooftop,’ said Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, Samsung India.

Samsung Smart Healthcare program intends to help the Government’s endeavors to profit networks with constrained access to quality social insurance. With imaginative items, for example, ultrasound, computerized x-beam and extras that encourage medicinal services intercession and various therapeutic examinations, since 2015, Samsung has teamed up with 16 government emergency clinics crosswise over to the nation for the Samsung Smart Healthcare program.

Over 3.5 lakh patients from monetarily and socially flimsier areas of society have profited by the Samsung Smart Healthcare program till date. Specialists, professionals and radiologists are likewise prepared to deal with best-in-class indicative hardware and programming.

Samsung India as of late banded together with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to include 20 new Samsung Smart Healthcare focuses over the state and give reasonable and quality medicinal services to patients from the financially and socially more fragile segments of society.

Interview with Deepak Bhardwaj Vice President CSR, Samsung India

• Q. How has the CSR & sustainability program evolved at SAMSUNG INDIA? What is the background to deciding on these initiatives and what social issues do these programs or initiatives seek to address?
• A. Samsung seeks to help create a better world. We believe that Samsung can be a true global citizen when we use the talent of our people, our advanced technology, and our specialist expertise to address the social and environmental issues of our time.

The Company uses both its innovation and global network to create positive change, responding to people’s needs around the world and helping them to live better lives, with more choice, freedom, and greater possibilities. We seek to directly tackle local challenges, addressing key issues like education, healthcare and employment, the environment, and accessibility.

We are working to advance digital inclusion by reducing technological and information inequalities for underserved people, in turn trying to improve their quality of life.

Samsung helps young people around the world gain access to better education and learning opportunities. Utilizing our technology and people, we champion regionally tailored programs and initiatives that help young people learn technical skills and get prepared for today’s digital economy.

In today’s India, education, skilling, and healthcare are key needs, which is what has prompted Samsung to start initiatives in these sectors to help society. Having been in India for over 22 years, Samsung has placed great importance on working as a responsible corporate citizen in the communities where we operate.

• Q. Which are the Key CSR projects of SAMSUNG INDIA and which one, do you consider the FLAGSHIP project?
• A. Samsung runs its citizenship programs in three broad sectors education, skilling, and healthcare, and each of these sectors has flagship programs running.

Samsung Smart Class

In the sphere of education, our flagship citizenship program is Samsung Smart Class, which aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. The endeavor is to promote digital education among less-privileged students, especially in rural and semi-urban India.

Samsung Smart Class was launched in 2013 in association with the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and is available at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The program has benefitted over 2.5 lakh students and over 8,000 teachers have been trained on the use of interactive technology.

Samsung Technical School

The second flagship program, related to skilling, is the Samsung Technical School program. It was started in 2013 and aims to support the government’s vision to make India a global manufacturing hub by addressing the need for talented manpower with practical know-how and relevant industry experience.

Samsung India currently has 22 Samsung Technical Schools in partnership with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Departments of Technical Education in different states such as Rajasthan, Kerala, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Jharkhand.

These schools have so far trained over 2,000 youth and made them job-ready across different technical trades. Around 70% of these students have got jobs, 45% of them with Samsung service centers. Many of the trained youth have taken the start-up route, helping more people gain employment under them. The initiative is part of Samsung’s Make for India initiative and contributes to the government’s Skill India mission.

Samsung Smart Healthcare

Samsung Smart Healthcare program is Samsung India’s flagship initiative in the healthcare space and aims to support the Government’s efforts to benefit communities with limited access to quality healthcare.

With innovative products such as digital ultrasound, digital x-ray, and accessories that facilitate healthcare intervention and multiple medical examinations, Samsung has collaborated with 16 government hospitals across to country for the Samsung Smart Healthcare program since 2015.

Over 3.5 lakh patients from economically and socially weaker sections of society have benefitted from the Samsung Smart Healthcare program to date. Doctors, technicians, and radiologists are also trained to handle state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and software.

• Q. How are your CSR activities aligned to the developmental agenda of the nation?
• A. Samsung India has been working closely with central and state governments on all of its CSR initiatives.

Governments at the Centre and States are most concerned about uplifting citizens at the bottom of the pyramid. Their core focus is to deliver appropriate interventions in education, healthcare and skilling. All of Samsung’s CSR projects are also directed toward that section of society, be it through Samsung Smart Class, Samsung Technical School, or the Samsung Smart Healthcare programs.

This helps build synergy with the broader intent of the government. It also helps build capacity across government institutions, something that all Samsung CSR programs deliver in a structured manner.

For example, we have so far trained 8,000 teachers as part of the Samsung Smart Class program to effectively use interactive technology in the Samsung Smart Class for teaching. Samsung Smart Class has been set up at over 500 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools across the country that is run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Under the Samsung Technical School program, we have trained over 200 trainers at the institutes run by our partners Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Departments of Technical Education in different states.

Samsung Smart Healthcare program, which aims to support the Government’s efforts to benefit communities with limited access to quality healthcare, also trains doctors, technicians and radiologists to handle state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and software.

Under the Samsung Smart Healthcare program, capacity building is being undertaken across tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare centers through different facets of our program.

Samsung’s CSR programs first build capacity and then go for implementation, which has helped in making them successful. For us, capacity building and training are key focus areas for the success of our CSR initiatives.

• Q. Can you share a recent accomplishment you are especially proud of in your CSR & Sustainability role?
• A. We are proud of our citizenship initiatives and what we have been able to achieve through them.

Under the Samsung Technical School initiative, one of the biggest success stories, among the many, is that of Ms. Seema Nagar, from a small village near Jaipur, who, with her resilience broke gender stereotypes and became a trained technician, working with a Samsung Service Centre in Jaipur, only to make her parents and family proud. She recently got a government job with the same institute where she got her technical education and is now teaching students, inspiring them to dream big. She dreams of becoming an IAS officer.

• Q. The level of involvement of employees in CSR all over the country is very limited, except few selected companies. What is the level of Employee Engagement and involvement in CSR activities of SAMSUNG INDIA?
• A. We have 3 levels of engagement for employees

1. Designing a new CSR initiative
2. Running the CSR initiative
3. Volunteering for outreach programs

Samsung Digital Academy program is designed, run and maintained by employees of the three Samsung R&D centers in India, at Bengaluru, Noida and Delhi. These centers provide their technology leadership to enable world-class engagement with various partners of this initiative.

Similarly, the Samsung Technical School program has been conceived, designed, and managed by employees from the Samsung customer service team.

Across the above two, and other initiatives, the leadership of various business groups at Samsung is involved in formulating the programs and ensuring a regular review process to keep them aligned and relevant for the market.

We also have a large-scale volunteer program. With Samsung’s deep commitment to giving, employees find an encouraging and supportive environment to give back to society. Employees form volunteer groups or may contribute their individual time for a cause.

• Q. It is believed that the CSR involvement of employees improves the level of motivation. What is your take on this?
• A. Definitely. Samsung is founded on the principles of deep innovation and research. It may be interesting to know that Samsung electronics spent over USD14 billion on R&D in 2017.

Samsung employees engaged in key CSR initiatives keep discovering newer ways to positively impact the lives of citizens. Each program goes through a complete review annually to bring in fresh ideas and suggestions from employees.

We have seen a positive correlation between CSR and employee motivation through the many employee volunteer programs that we run at Samsung.

• Q. How do you find your CSR activities in SAMSUNG INDIA are different from other companies?
• A. All the core, flagship Samsung initiatives are focused on building capacities and using technology to leverage innovation and impact on the ground
• Q. What is the level of involvement of the CSR Head in India in CSR strategic formulation?
• A. The CSR Head at Samsung is one of the many individuals who contribute to building the core strategy and direction for CSR programs. Apart from key leaders in business and R&D, the global team also contributes strategically

Reference

1. https://www.samsung.com/in/info/csr-policy/
2. http://www.csrvision.in/deepak-bhardwaj-vice-president-csr-samsung-india/ (Interview with Deepak Bhardwaj Vice President CSR, Samsung India)

The essay dwells on the use of media, in the classroom, and relates to the sphere of high school education. The theory is developed from the perspective of a teacher and aims at the analysis of the classroom media employment as well as the accommodation of the reviewed sources to the school conditions. The study of the students’ performance as well as the estimation of media relevance proves that the incorporation of media materials in the high school curriculum performs three essential functions: stimulates learning commitment, develops critical thinking skills, and improves the cultural competences of the learners.

The employment of media resources, in class, maybe sustained through a variety of materials such as videos, film reviews, news reports, pictures, and computer web-sites. If one analyzes the effects of classroom media use on the mastering of reading and writing skills, several advantages may be specified. Thus, the learners benefit from studying media since it activates their deductive and analyzing skills, which promotes critical thinking.

Consequently, the students improve their communicative competencies as well as draw the ideas for writing. Secondly, studying media stipulates the acquisition of new knowledge while the discussion or written analysis of the sources enhances the level of cultural awareness of the students. The most critical factor, which defines the nature of good pedagogy, concerns the involvement of students in the study process. Thus, since media offers non-trivial and original learning solutions, the students tend to reveal a high commitment to media-assisted learning (The importance of media in the classroom, 2003).

The ideas about media adaptation, in class, were disclosed to me by my instructor, who tends to use video guides and picture representation. Thus, I learned that the realization of the web-resources use may be embraced in my lessons as well. In this context, I suggest the employment of short news reports with the aim of elaborating reading competencies as well as acquiring up-to-date lexis forms’ enrichment.

The development of writing competencies may be assisted with using the tasks that require the creation of critical analysis of videos or short documentaries. Finally, the daily discussion of world news may be employed with the aim of the cultural awareness of the students. The suggested planning matches the expectations of the contemporary American labor market, which prioritizes open-minded and culturally competent thinkers, who demonstrate not only academic efficiency but highly-developed analytical skills as well (Why use media to enhance teaching and learning, 2010).

References

The importance of media in the classroom. (2003). Web.

Why use media to enhance teaching and learning. (2010). Web.

Introduction

The contemporary world has witnessed robust technological innovations, which have significantly transformed most of the socio-economic and political operations. For example, information technology has revolutionized the education sector, and students can today learn comfortably at home without necessarily having to attend school.

With the advent of online classes, many stakeholders in education have conducted serious studies to determine its reliability and validity. For example, some studies have revealed that many learners are willing to attend the normal class sessions since they are skeptical about the quality of online classes.

On the other hand, students that have successfully accomplished their online programs argue that it provides the best learning experience. It is against this background that this paper seeks to compare traditional classes with online ones.

Classroom versus Online Tutorials

Many students attend normal classes because they not only enable them to learn the curriculum, but they also give them a chance to share their learning experiences with their classmates and teachers. For example, a properly conducted classroom discussions and debates can motivate students to learn social skills such as teamwork, and they develop good oral skills during such sessions.

On the other hand, online group activities are carried out through discussion boards, which in some cases are not very interactive. Nonetheless, online class interactions may enable students to relate with their colleagues from very diverse social cultural backgrounds compared to classrooms that attract majority of students from a given locality.

A traditional class provides a holistic approach to learning because it enables students to develop leadership and teamwork. For example, a class representative or a student leader can nature his or her leadership skills. In addition, traditional classes also offer co-curriculum studies, which enable students to identify and develop their talents.

Such activities have enabled students to become great sports personalities and musicians. Online classes do not have co-curriculum activities and students have to make personal arrangements to access such services. In the absence of such services, students can resort to online social networks and some of them may engage in addictive games like online gambling which may affect their level concentration in studies.

Traditional classes have restrictive learning schedules that are offered within specific timeframes. Students and instructors are compelled to adhere to the preset learning program. Some tutors are very strict to time management and usually lock out late students.

To some extent, this enables students to realize the importance of time management and working under restrictive plans. Thus, students that attend traditional classes are more likely to develop good time management skills than those taking online lessons.

In the case of online lessons, learners have the freedom to learn at their own time, and they have flexible deadlines to accomplish their assignments. This enables students to cope with both their vocational activities and family responsibilities.

Online studies are also convenient for students with serious physical disabilities who may find it rather difficult to cope with normal school routines. Nonetheless, upholding self-discipline is very difficult in the online mode of learning compared to traditional classes due to the absence of strict deadlines.

The modes of communication in these two models of learning are quite different. For example, in a traditional learning setting, a student can pose a question and he or she can immediately get answers from the tutor. In the online learning model, questions are channeled to the instructor through the discussion board, and he or she may take long before responding.

Moreover, some questions are debatable and may not be answered properly through online communication. Sometimes, individual communication will assist the learner better comprehend the response to his questions compared to conversation boards where responses are often short.

Many individuals regard online classes cost effective since students learn at home. However, a characteristic home environment has several distractions, which can interfere with online classes. Children can interfere with online class sessions when they are playing in the house.

“Even if a student lives alone, distractions may come in the form of phone calls, trips to the kitchen and a compelling desire to check one’s email just one more time”. With traditional classes, there is usually a serene environment for learning.

Traditional classes are better than online sessions especially when learners are taking courses that are instruction intensive. For example, some computer courses can be learnt better through physical contact with instructors especially when complicated concepts are to be leant. In such circumstances, “an online course that is mostly text-based may make it more difficult for a student to learn the material”.

Conclusion

The above discussion demonstrates that both traditional tutorials and online lessons have challenges and advantages. Therefore, when a student is choosing a mode of learning, he or she should consider the affordability of a given mode of learning and the amount of time needed to accomplish it.

Lastly, a student willing to enroll for an online program should first scrutinize the credibility of a given online institution to avoid falling prey of fraudsters who offer bogus online tutorials.

Works Cited

Globokar, Julie. Introduction to Online Learning: A Guide for Students. New York: SAGE, 2010. Print.

Kearsley, Greg and Michael Moore. Distance education: a systems view. New York: Wadsworth, 2006. Print.

Lynch, Maggie. Learning Online: A Guide to Success in the Virtual Classroom. Oxford: Taylor & Francis, 2004. Print.

Course outcomes

The outcomes of the online instructional method have significant differences with the classroom instructional method common in the traditional settings. The outcomes will be measured in terms of student achievement. It is an approach that is importance in making comparison between the effectiveness of online and classroom instruction method (Clark, 2007). To make the comparisons, a multidimensional concept will be used based on a number of measurements. In this case, the measurements adopted include course withdrawal or dropout rates, achievement in terms of grades, and the number of students successfully completing the course.

It is expected that comparable performance findings will be elucidated in the two methods. For instance, online instruction method is a more effective approach to teaching the entrepreneurship course because is saves time, given that the students will not be required to travel to class (Clark, 2007).

Design of online courses to meet program and learner objectives

To achieve a well developed design for the online learning that meets the objectives of the program and the learners, it is important to use a multidimensional approach with a number of strategies. First, lectures will be used. It will provide the program with an efficient way of information dissemination, where it will be used to lay foundations as the learners work through the subject matter. In this case, lecture notes will be uploaded on the web page to allow student access. Such notes will be provided with links to the related resources as well as other websites in which they will be embedded (Clark & Lyons, 2011).

Aligning teaching approaches to student learning outcomes

To effectively align the teaching approaches described above to the student learning outcomes, the program will involve some strategies such as interactive learning. Interactive learning will involve teacher-learner and learner-learner interactions through online method, especially CMS as described above (Horton, 2010). The approach is effective in disintegrating information into smaller sessions that encourages students to participate. Then, individual work will take place. A group activity will follow and will take place in form of student groups of three discussing the case and trying to brainstorm and answer the questions (Clark & Lyons, 2011).

Assessing the effectiveness of the online course

To determine whether the online course is effective, questions will be prompted to the learners during the lecture, especially at the end of the session. The tutor will pose live questions to the students or target each student at a time. In addition, a session will be held to conduct continuous assessment tests in which each student will be provided with a set of multiple answer questions (Gronlund, 2012).

Journal 3 Welcome announcement

Welcome to the management course for entrepreneurs. My name is professor XXXX and I will take you through the course. Unlike other courses you may have taken, this course will be offered online and will require you to find a better place to sit and remain fixed on your set and your eyes on the screen. We expect you to have the best computer and internet system to avoid disruptions. Feel comfortable posing questions. I strongly encourage team work. There is not much difference with the traditional classrooms, only that we are far from each other.

The course, Leadership for Entrepreneurs 101, will be taught online as compared to the traditional classroom settings. In employing this modern method, we will be using computer-based communication technologies and the internet to deliver the course content. The students will be expected to be in their preferred places and at their comfortable positions while the tutor will be located within the university’s departmental offices (Clark, 2007).

Secondly, online instruction method will be effective in improving the student grades, given that it provides a limited interaction between the students and the teachers, which helps in building trust and positive attitudes towards the teacher (Bersin, 2014). For example, the teachers will try to save time by focusing only on the relevant materials and topics. In addition, the students will focus their attention to the teacher and not any other student or person in the room, which disrupts the process of learning in traditional classroom environments. Thus, it is expected that the online method will improve the learning outcomes and eventually achieve better grades compared to the traditional classroom instruction methods (Clark, 2007).

Notes will be provided in form of a package available for download and distribution. The lectures will be presented in terms of video, audio and words to make it the method more effective (Clark & Lyons, 2011).

Secondly, discussions will be allowed in the learning process. On the internet, course management systems (CMS) and mailing list will be used to encourage and allow discussions (Bersin, 2014). In this case, we will use CMS as it is the most common and easy to implement (Morrison, 2013).

I will be inviting answers from your groups and individuals to encourage an open discussion. The idea is to build the major points. For multiple answer questions, each one of you will only be required to click on one of the answers, which will be automatically relayed to the teacher’s interface for marking.

References

Bersin, J. (2014). The Blended Learning Book. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Clark, R.C. (2007). The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence-based Guidelines for Synchronous e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Clark, R.C., & Lyons, C. (2011). Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Gronlund, N. E. (2012). Assessment of Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Allyn & Bacon.

Horton, W. (2010). Designing Web-Based Training. New York: John Wiley.

Morrison, D. (2013). E-Learning Strategies – How to Get Implementation and Delivery Right First Time. New York: John Wiley.

Nowadays, teachers opt for presenting students with various, often unnecessary, technological tools to compensate for their lack of preparation for the classes. The research is critical to understanding how to use technology effectively and beneficially to students for fostering a comfortable learning environment and encouraging outstanding academic performance. Having settled the question and the purpose of the problem, it is of utmost importance to proceed to formulate null and alternative hypotheses that would play a pivotal role in producing reliable findings.

It is fair to assume that teachers do not use technology in classes to compensate for the insufficient preparation for teaching the required material (null statistical assumption). Naturally, statistical tests are needed to test this hypothesis and consider other reasons for tutors employing technology; otherwise, it would be regarded as false. However, the alternative assumption, in this case, would be that tutors decide to involve technology-related tasks or presentations because of the inability to teach the student due to the prior lack of preparation for the classes. The alpha significance level in this research is 5% to avoid Type I error (supporting the alternative hypothesis instead of the null when the latter is true).

Consequently, providing that the study generates valid and reliable findings, it can help the teaching field immensely. To be more exact, teachers might be held accountable for not high-quality teaching methods they employ in their classes because of insufficient preparation. Besides, this research would be the basis for further exploration of the practical and productive ways of implementing technology means to the classes to improve students’ understanding and academic performance.

The importance of researching this matter is immense to ensure adequate education in educational establishments. Yet it is evident that sometimes teachers do not put effort into proper technological integration and rather use the means as a paper substitute (Emre, 2019). What is more, educators often opt to use technology in class as busy work, which mostly happens because of the tutors’ inability to teach the material (Fu et al., 2020; Xu et al., 2019). In other words, instead of preparing for the lessons, tutors might turn on unhelpful Youtube videos (often without watching them beforehand) to keep the students busy (Bawack et al., 2020). All in all, the poor technology implementation into the learning environment is not only useless but does not compensate for productive learning experiences that can be achieved when teachers put effort into preparing for the classes (Nelson et al., 2019). Besides, inadequate technology use does not lead to students investigating and diving into content by opting for practical discussions, projects, and scientific work within the class.

The theoretical framework of the study is to be primarily based on exploring the theories concerning poor technological integration as a result of the concept misunderstanding. However, Emre (2019) argued that the main reason for the ineffective use of technology in the classroom is not only due to the inability to understand the notion but because of viewing it as a tool to compensate for one’s incompetence. Naturally, these theories have to be further investigated to test the hypotheses considering the alpha significance level. Yet exploration of the misconception of technological integration is of utmost importance to set the basis for fundamental research and avoid Type I error (and II) to achieve valid and reliable results.

References

Bawack, R. E., & Kala Kamdjoug, J. R. (2020). The role of digital information use on student performance and collaboration in marginal universities. International Journal of Information Management, 54, 102179. Web.

Dinc, E. (2019). Prospective Teachers’ Perceptions of Barriers to Technology Integration in Education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 10(4), 381–398. Web.

Fu, S., Li, H., Liu, Y., Pirkkalainen, H., & Salo, M. (2020). Social media overload, exhaustion, and use discontinuance: Examining the effects of information overload, system feature overload, and social overload. Information Processing &Amp; Management, 57(6), 102307. Web.

Nelson, M. J., Voithofer, R., & Cheng, S. L. (2019). Mediating factors that influence the technology integration practices of teacher educators. Computers &Amp; Education, 128, 330–344. Web.

Xu, X., Wang, J., Peng, H., & Wu, R. (2019). Prediction of academic performance associated with internet usage behaviors using machine learning algorithms. Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 166–173. Web.

Addressing Legal Issues Surrounding the Use of Multimedia

The use of multimedia in classrooms, as well as working places, facilitates knowledge sharing, learning, and motivation of learners. It also provides a myriad of opportunities for trainers and educators who may use a variety of tools and data to facilitate the learning process. At that, legal issues often come into play, and organizations have to make sure that all the rules and regulations (for example, those associated with copyright, royalties and so on) are followed.

There are various examples of legal issues associated with the use of multimedia an organization can encounter. For instance, one of the employees of the organization can use some software or an application with violations of copyright (Dodman, Bird & Hopkins, 2014). Another example can be when a trainer uses some materials or methods developed by another person without any references and without contacting the developer (which may be required in terms of the copyright).

Clearly, the organization is still responsible for all materials used by its employees, and the holder of the copyright can sue the company. To avoid any legal issues, the organization should make sure that all employees are aware of major regulations and laws associated with the use of intellectual property (Agbebaku & Adavbiele, 2016). The company should also protect its intellectual property. To ensure this, various technical measures against the unauthorized use of data should be utilized (Jayakumar, Manimaran & GopiAnand, 2013).

On balance, it is necessary to note that organizations may face numerous legal issues associated with intellectual property. To avoid such issues, companies should make sure their employees are aware of major regulations and comply with them. Numerous technical measures should also be undertaken.

Simulations and Games

Simulations and games have been proved to be efficient elements of learning as they motivate learners and help them acquire new knowledge or skills. Instructional computer games can be defined as interactive multimedia that enables the learner to obtain information, create various elements and interact with the instructor and other learners (Clark & Mayer, 2016). Instructional simulation can be referred to as multimedia that involve an imitation of some situations, trends, processes and so on (Kapp, 2012). Effective simulations and games share certain features in common.

One of the basic grounds for the effectiveness of games and simulations is its coherence or, in other words, having clear aims and the focus on these goals (Clark & Mayer, 2016). Bai, Pan, Hirumi and Kebritchi (2012) evaluated a game aimed at improving students’ performance in mathematics. The game had a set of clear goals, and each part of the game addressed those goals, which ensured the effectiveness of the game. Apart from that, Clark and Mayer (2016) note that games and simulations are effective when certain guidance is provided. The researchers note that there should be an instructor that supervises the process and helps learners to take an active part in the game. Of course, clear instructions should also be available.

To sum up, simulations and games have proved to be efficient tools that can facilitate the learning process. To ensure the effectiveness of these tools, it is essential to make sure that games and simulations are coherent, as well as there are clear instructions, and there is a supervisor who ensures active participation of all players. Of course, it is important to remember that games and simulations should be engaging.

Reference List

Agbebaku, C.A, & Adavbiele, A.J. (2016). The reliability and legality of online education. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(5), 32-41.

Bai, H., Pan, W., Hirumi, A., & Kebritchi, M. (2012). Assessing the effectiveness of a 3-D instructional game on improving mathematics achievement and motivation of middle school students. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6), 993-1003.

Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2016). E-Learning and the science of instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Dodman, T., Bird, T., & Hopkins, D. (2014). A case study of developing suitable mobile learning technology for a distance learning Masters programme. In J. Keengwe (Eds.), Advancing higher education with mobile learning technologies: Cases, trends, and inquiry-based methods (pp. 35-60). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Jayakumar, S., Manimaran, S., & GopiAnand, M. (2013). Analysis of e-learning in business: and tools for improving the effectiveness of the educational system. A Monthly Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology, 2(5), 109-113.

Kapp, K. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.