Category: Education 2143

Peer review process

Two points of the peer review process seem especially important to me. First, it is important that the peer reviewers are working separately and do not share their findings before arriving at a definitive conclusion. I think it is important because it eliminates the cognitive bias of groupthink and allows increasing the objectivity by aggregating several independently made conclusions. Second, I think it is important that the peer reviewers do not receive the information about the author of the manuscript. If this would be the case, the reputation of the author will likely get in the way of objective judgment. The fundamental principle of the scientific method is the priority of evidence over reputation, and blinding of the process warrants the adherence to this principle.

Differences between Editors and Peer Reviewers

There are two main differences between the editor and the peer reviewers. First, the editor considers the overall value of the article whereas the peer reviewers verify the specificities of the methodology. From this standpoint, the latter performs a more technical role. Second, one of the editors responsibilities is communication with the author of the article intended to reach the desired goal whereas peer reviewers assess the content and point to the discrepancies. Thus, the editor has an observable share of influence on the final product.

Information on Peer Review

The article by Riggs, Lozano, Mohelnitzky, Rudnick, and Richards (2014) was peer-reviewed. The easiest way to verify this is to refer to the profile of the publication source, The Permanente Journal, which clearly states that the articles undergo the peer review (The Permanente Journal, n.d.). Since peer review is a procedure recommended by the academic standards, the journals that incorporate it usually specify it in their profiles. Therefore, the peer-reviewed information should be sought primarily in the overview of the source as its inclusion adds to the sources credibility.

References

The Permanente Journal. (n.d.). About the journal. Web.

Riggs, K. R., Lozano, P., Mohelnitzky, A., Rudnick, S., & Richards, J. (2014). An adaptation of family-based behavioral pediatric obesity treatment for a primary care setting: Group health family wellness program pilot. The Permanente Journal, 18(3), 4-10.

Rationale

The lesson on writing arguments is developed for students from Grade 9. Although students develop their skills in writing arguments in different grades, it is important to enhance their knowledge and train practical skills. Therefore, the purpose of this lesson is to improve students skills in analyzing speeches, formulating claims, and planning their own effective arguments. In this class, students have developed skills in discussing arguments, and the needs of diverse students are addressed with the help of differentiating instructions and providing additional materials to stimulate their participation in the lesson activities.

The strategy selected for the lesson is the Micro Lab Protocol that allows for presenting and discussing students claims and counterclaims. Working in groups, students receive opportunities to share their visions without being interrupted, and they can listen to other ideas. The discussion of the shared views allows for revising students approaches to presenting their opinions. The used strategy is effective to prepare students for writing according to principles of active learning.

Lesson Plan

Reference

Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

The most important skill a student should have is to learn enough information. Sometimes this task can be challenging to perform because proper learning requires a persons skills and skills of self-organization. The no less important factor that can facilitate or, conversely, complicate the process is the use of learning strategies, which should also be well chosen. With reading knowledge, I could recommend group discussion strategies and role play, as they allow students to memorize information for a longer time; nevertheless, it is essential to be careful about multitasking because it can reduce learning productivity.

While studying reading, I have identified several strands of learning that I find most effective in teaching students. One such is the format of group discussions, which can be held regularly in the classroom. In formed small groups, students can get various opinions on the topic of a debate, thereby increasing their interest in the proposed case. Also, this tactic is helpful because each person has the opportunity to compare results, ask questions to the interlocutor, and form their own opinion while developing critical thinking. A second effective learning strategy is role-playing, which allows students to create simulations to deepen their understanding of the subject. It is also helpful because the person acquires practical knowledge about acting in a particular situation, what decisions to make, and how to establish communication with fellow students properly. These learning strategies not only motivate students to achieve results but also help them to memorize new information.

When applying different learning strategies, it is important not to forget the concept of multitasking, which is popular among students. However, it was essential to implement the idea cautiously in its curriculum, as abuse could lead to negative consequences and worsen outcomes. In cognitive psychology, it is known that simultaneous tasks in which a person uses the same types of resources lead to reduced productivity (Jamet et al., 2020). When a student performs several cognitive actions, they will only be performed qualitatively if cognitive and motor activities are performed qualitatively. I would like to warn students against mistakes associated with the pursuit of multitasking, as it is necessary to approach this issue competently and not keep many tasks in mind simultaneously. The human brain can only physically perform a few functions at the same time, so they will only be completed with the result that a person could expect to perform in one job. Thus, multitasking is a good skill if you can use it correctly and combine different activities requiring a student to use various resources.

In conclusion, it is essential to highlight that the learning process is not easy and requires specific knowledge and human resources from the person. To facilitate learning, various strategies can help students organize their activities and increase efficiency. I find team discussions and role play to be the most valuable strategies during training, as they allow to increase a persons interest in the subject under study and form critical thinking. Working in groups and discussing a specific topic provides a valuable opportunity to compare interlocutors opinions and get the right results when solving many tasks. However, it is essential to be careful with multitasking, as trying to perform multiple actions simultaneously can lead to lower performance and worsen student outcomes. Thus, if people want to try new strategies and ways of learning, it is necessary to study their positive and negative aspects carefully

Reference

Jamet, E., Gonthier, C., Cojean, S., Colliot, T., & Erhel, S. (2020). Does multitasking in the classroom affect learning outcomes? A naturalistic study. Computers in Human Behavior, 106(106264), 106264. Web.

Introduction

The school district has a program of gifted education which is quite comprehensive and effective. Nonetheless, it has a number of drawbacks. Shaklee (2001) stress that it is important to have an efficient program or it is better not to have any program at all. Therefore, the school district in question should consider certain changes.

Young Learners

First of all, it is important to understand that gifted children should get the corresponding education from the earliest stages. Rogers (2002) emphasizes that gifted children in kindergarten should also have the opportunity to develop. The researcher notes that it is possible to estimate a childs potential at early stages (Rogers, 2002). Thus, Emma, the first-grader, is an example of inappropriate treatment of younger learners. Emma should have started a program for gifted children as early as in the kindergarten or, at least, in the first grade. The earlier a child starts getting the necessary education, the more effective the program becomes. Hence, the school district should consider possibility of adopting the program for gifted students which starts in the kindergarten or the first grade.

Family

There is another serious issue to be addressed. Gallagher and Gallagher (1994) stress that programs for gifted students should be comprehensive. The researchers add that it is important to take into account family life of students (Gallagher & Gallagher, 1994). For instance, Muhammad, the twelve-year-old student of the sixth grade, can be regarded as an example of the negative affect of constraints in the family. Muhammad is a gifted student and likes studying but he cannot study properly at his foster home. The program should also take into account difficulties of such students. It is possible to encourage such students to spend more time at school (doing homework with peers and/or teacher, studying in libraries, etc.).

Overload

Finally, there can be issues related to overload. Thus, Ricki Rivers is a gifted student, but she does not need the load she used to have. She is eager to focus on English. Remarkably, Neihart (2001) notes that there are certain myths about gifted students. According to these myths, gifted students can handle all tasks given, they are absolutely self-directed, etc. (Neihart, 2001). However, Ricki could not cope with the overload and she has decided to leave the program. Therefore, the school district should pay more attention to the students load. Students should be able to cope with the tasks given and they should not be or feel overwhelmed. Otherwise, they will simply stop studying and their gifts and talents will never develop. For instance, Clark (2002) provides a variety of strategies and methods to effectively motivate and develop gifted students. The school district in question should consider adopting some of these strategies.

Conclusion

On balance, it is possible to note that, while creating the program for gifted students, the school district in question has to pay more attention to development of a program for younger gifted learners, appropriate load for gifted students, and possible family problems of students.

Reference List

Clark, B. (2002). Growing up gifted: Developing the potential of children at home and at school. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Gallagher, J.J., & Gallagher, S.A. (1994). Teaching the gifted child. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Neihart, M. (Editor). (2001). The socio-emotional development of gifted learners: What do we know? Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Rogers, K. (2002). Reforming gifted education. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.

Shaklee, B. D. (2001). Program design. In M.S. Landrum, C.M. Callahan, B.D. Shaklee (Eds.), Aiming for excellence: Annotations to the pre-k-12 gifted education programming standards (pp. 1-15). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Reading Mastery represents an inclusive reading program aimed to help students in mastering basic skills of decoding and comprehension through the use of the Direct Instruction approach. In particular, the program emphasizes strengthening the students thinking capabilities and acquiring background knowledge. Additionally, Reading Mastery contains various materials in the form of scripted lesson guides on how to model new lesson content, guide practice, inform the individualized approach, and apply learned skills (McGraw Hill Authors, 2012). Apart from that, students can benefit from a unique orthography tailored to provide support in terms of sound-letter identification. As the class progresses further into the book, this orthography changes to a traditional one. Meanwhile, in order to keep lesson pacing and ensure students keep up with the class and are involved in teaching, the program utilizes special signals and group responses. In case students struggle with the class pace, it can be indicated with a student performance check and addressed by specific remedial tasks. The program books covers and page samples are featured in figure 1.

The program is organized into several levels, each of which spans a single academic year. A typical programs lesson lasts for either 30 or 45 minutes and consists of up to nine educational activities with diversified content (McGraw Hill Authors, 2012). Namely, it can include particular reading capabilities, such as phonemic awareness, correspondence of letters and sounds, pronunciation, and word recognition, along with general skills  vocabulary level, fluency of oral reading, and comprehension. Phonemic awareness stands for identifying and manipulating phonemes  individual sounds  within spoken words. Letter and sound correspondence refers to the ability to affiliate sounds with specific symbols. Pronunciation tasks monitor the correct sounding of words by students; in this context, word recognition is evaluated as well. Finally, vocabulary level, oral fluency, and comprehension of reading exemplifies general reading skills.

References

Engelmann, S. (1999). Word-attack basics. Teachers guide. Decoding A. SRA corrective reading. McGraw Hill Education.

McGraw Hill Authors. (2007). Corrective reading decoding level B1, student book (1^st ed.). McGraw Hill.

McGraw Hill Authors. (2012). Reading mastery signature edition grade K, core lesson connections (1^st ed.). McGraw Hill.

Morning meetings can be a great activity to apply some of the strategies for my lesson planning skills. Morning meetings can enhance the development of essential academic and social skills by developing good teacher-child relationships, fostering supportive supervision, and encouraging active involvement. Morning meetings will give me a frequent chance to engage with my students in supportive and engaging interactions, which are essential for fostering learning and development.

By providing promising direction and fostering vocabulary growth, morning meetings can be used to boost childrens social and academic skills. Educators can use this time to set an example of solid communication skills and establish an environment in the classroom that promotes involvement and collaboration. Teachers can create a dynamic and encouraging learning atmosphere that encourages children to be involved and enthusiastic about learning by utilizing interactive approaches like storytelling, singing, or conversation.

Furthermore, morning meetings give teachers a great chance to plan and set up their lessons. Teachers can receive insight into what is working and what needs improvement by having their students examine lesson plans, which enables them to modify their instructional tactics accordingly. Morning meetings provide a dependable platform for such dialogue to occur, and this feedback can be rather helpful in determining the overall efficacy of a teachers lesson planning.

Ultimately, morning meetings would be an excellent opportunity for me to practice the techniques for lesson planning abilities. They give a chance to arrange and plan classes while receiving insightful input from students. It can be said that morning meetings can be a convenient tool for teachers such as myself who want to strengthen their lesson preparation abilities and the learning results for their pupils.

The Mississippi Legislature approved House Bill 999 in 2011 (Siecus, 2021), mandating that public schools adopt an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus sexual education policy (Casetext, 2022, p. 1). In addition, the legislative session of 2022 imposes further limits on the instruction of sex instruction in public schools, including the division of boys and girls throughout sex education and the necessity that families opt-in for their child to participate.

Sexuality education in schools is not required to include every aspect of abstinence-only education. Yet, no instruction given as part of an abstinence-only program may contravene any of the mentioned components. Teaching may also involve a review of contraceptives to provide a true portrayal of the dangers and failure rates. Additionally to teaching abstinence-only principles, abstinence-plus training may also include wider sexual health subjects, such as the origin, causation, and consequences of STDs as well as HIV and other STD prevention education (Casetext, 2022). Nonetheless, the curriculum must not contain condom application and usage training and demonstrations.

At this point, it is essential to stress that each districts curricula must be approved by the Mississippi Department of Education, and a procedure must be established to ensure that teaching is age, grade, and psychologically appropriate. Pupils must always be divided by gender while sex education is being taught. In addition, no abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curriculum may teach that abortion may be utilized to prevent pregnancy. Moreover, it should be noted that parents or guardians are to be notified at least one week before any human sexuality teaching is provided. Before a student may enroll in a sex education program, the school must get written consent from a parent or legal guardian.

References

Casetext. (2022). Miss. Code § 37-13-171. Web.

Siecus. (2021). Mississippi state profile. Web.

The Education Amendments of 1972, otherwise known as Title IX, has been a topic of great deliberation since its inception. Title IX is a law that proclaims that no person in America can be barred from participating in any educational program or activity that is backed by federal monetary assistance due to their gender. This is an essential part of fostering gender equality in the world of sports and other areas. By making use of this legislative measure, access to higher education, equitable employment chances, a productive instructional atmosphere, and amplified supplies and representation in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) were all dramatically improved. Additionally, it also contributes to reducing sexual harassment and standardizing testing.

The opposition to Title IX mainly stems from the fact that it has been used to address issues that are not necessarily related to sports. Opponents argue that Title IX has unfairly disadvantaged men in college admissions and athletics (Powell, 2022). Additionally, some opponents say that Title IX has been used to infringe upon the rights of religious organizations to operate according to their beliefs and unfairly limit the opportunities of male athletes.

Title IX is a federal regulation that seeks to promote gender equity and equal access to educational opportunities for men and women alike. By upholding the principle of creating fair learning chances, Title IX ensures everyone has an equal footing in the academic world. Despite some potential for disproportionate impacts in certain areas, the effects have generally been beneficial (Stone, 2020). It has enhanced access to education and employment, curtailed gender harassment and discrimination, improved academic performance, and boosted womens STEM representation.

The resistance to Title IX stems from a need for more knowledge of its implications and outcomes. Even though Title IX can influence specific demographics in select areas, it usually positively affects educational and job prospects for both genders. Consequently, the disagreement surrounding Title IX stems from broad misunderstanding rather than intelligent debate. Title IX grants equal access for all genders regarding education and professional opportunities, eliminating any unfair disparities that may have been present in the past. Consequently, the act has generated a more diverse atmosphere inside and outside academia. Its proper execution eliminates the possibility of gender-based discrimination, enabling an equitable environment for all.

References

Powell, A. (2022). How Title IX transformed colleges and universities over the past 50 years. The Harvard Gazette. Web.

Stone, C. (2020). Whiplash in Title IX. ASCA School Counselor. Web.

Introduction

Promotions on campus range from consumable products such as foods and drinks to non-consumable products; which may include services and raw materials. People tend to react uniquely to different occasions and the promotions on campus are not an exception (Eagly, 2013). This is for the reason that both females and males respond differently to various marketing approaches (Eagly, 2013). The promotions are of different types as above mentioned and therefore one would expect different reactions to the promotions. My specific research question is to discuss the reaction of people on campus promotions. This paper discusses this question using the four-day research I carried out at Carleton University, which is located in the capital of Canada.

Methodology

During this activity my work was to observe everything that took place at the promotion booth and make notes on the same. I would sit somewhere near the promotion booth, observe every activity, then use my pen and paper to write down my observations under subtopics given my lecturer. I was to be very keen to ensure that the information I gave was accurate some instances, during my second day of research I was not only an observer but also a participant in the promotion process as I actually purchased a cup cake a the booth which was selling these desserts to raise money for the support of education.

FindingsDiscussion

On the first day, I started my journey towards the university, specifically toward the Troy building, which was going to be my first research center. Walking in the tunnels leading to the Troy building at around 2:50 pm was not an easy task since I felt anxious and nervous for the reason that I was not sure if there was promotion on this part of campus or whether I was going to waste that particular afternoon. Most of the lecture theaters are located in this building, making it one of the busiest places on campus. Most students will be saturated round the building waiting for lectures or just relaxing after a boring 2-hour lecture.

Apart from the lecture theaters, Troy building is also centrally placed and the most famous building for both students and outsiders. This normally attracts heavy traffic along the tunnel leading to the building as it is from this building that people can connect to other facilities and places within the campus, such as Tim Horton, Starbucks, the bookstore, the food court, Olivers Pub, and many more. Due to this high interaction of people at this particular place I found it to be the ideal place to carry out my research as I would be able to make several observations within the 30 minutes of my day one research

Contrary to my expectations, the number of people along the Troy building was not big. Everybody seemed to be in a hurry and this added up to my confusion. I almost gave up, but then I discovered a promotion booth on the third floor. The promoters were on a mission to create awareness about breast cancer and to make people support breast cancer awareness program financially.

I could not get a chair around the booth and therefore I positioned myself a distance away, sitting on the floor where no one would notice me and started jotting down my observations. I was so nervous and despite the fact that I had strategically positioned myself, I felt like everybody was looking at me. My work was to observe the relationship between the promoters and their clients. There were five promoters in the booth using a very powerful public address system to urge people to visit the booth and learn more about breast cancer.

Some loud music was playing in the background and two people dancing in front of the booth to attract people. Apart from the five promoters inside the booth, there were others moving around urging people to visit the booth. During the 30 minutes of my observation, a total of 71 people passed by the promotion booth and 11 of them donated money, including 7 females and 4 males. Out of these 11 people, some of them even took the initiative to donate money before they were asked to. The whole process was an interesting one, especially the reactions between the two parties. I sometime found myself laughing silently.

On the second day of my research, I got into a traffic jam on the way to school and it was so cold outside. At first, I was a bit reluctant to go to school alone to do the observation, especially after the embarrassment I felt the previous day but I could not avoid the work ahead of me. I continued with my journey and on this particular this day I felt a little bit unperturbed. The observation took place between 11:40am and 12:10pm on the fourth floor of a building at the center of the campus, commonly known as the university center, not very far from the Troy building.

The center has six floors and just like the Troy building, it has many lecture theaters and the university offices.it also houses the food court, Starbucks and Tim Horton. Because of these factors, the university center, unlike the Troy building, is not only one of the busiest place on campus, but actually the busiest. The promotion booth in this building was near Starbucks. Unlike the previous day this place had a lot of people lined up to wait for the services of the promoters and, as a result, I could not see clearly what was happening in the booth.

I resolved to stand to have a clear view and it worked out smoothly. I was just like the customers. Thus, no one paid attention to me, and this made me feel more relaxed and less awkward. Some students noticed that I was busy observing and noting something down and they came to inquire what I was doing. I was glad to tell them about my research. By the time my thirty minutes were over, I was extremely famished and I paid $2 for a cupcake at the promotion booth. Todays promotion also had a theme just like the previous one, the theme of education.

There were several booths on this floor, but I was attracted to this one because it seemed the busiest of them all. There were five promoters in the booth, four males and a female. I also observed exactly what I had observed the previous day; loud music playing in the background. There were many kinds of desserts on the table, such as cupcakes and chocolate bars. The cupcakes were $2 each and the chocolate bars were $1.99 each. The aim of the promoters was to collect money to aid education, especially to support needy children acquire basic education. Out of the people who purchased goods from the booth, around 72% were females and the rest males.

On the third day, I decided I would do my research in the tunnels which connect the university to the outside world. I had seen my colleagues doing their research there and I decided to give it a try. The tunnels were a bit cold, but all in all this was the best day of my research. The tunnel being one of the greatest features of Carleton University was also a busy place. When the weather was not conducive, most students would opt to use the tunnel rather than the cold roads. There were many people walking so quickly along the tunnel.

I was more composed today and felt even more relaxed as no one took notice of me. The place was so crowded and there was nowhere to sit but I managed to sustain myself. I noticed one promotion booth whose occupants were selling flyers and tickets to attendants. I stood there for some time, and the whole thing started to bore me. The promoters had background music from a cell phone, but no one could hear it due to the commotion in the tunnel. Many of the people assumed the promoters, and by the end of my 30 minutes, only three people had purchased the tickets.

On my final day of my research, I spent some time in the residence commons between 11:30am to midday. I arranged to do a joint observation with my friend so that we could share the moment. The residence commons has a cafeteria, classrooms, and Tim Horton, and it is directly connected to some residential buildings. It is usually very quiet except during breakfast, lunch and dinner times, when students would crowd over the cafeteria to get something for their stomachs. Inside the residence commons there is a lobby with very comfortable couches and this is the place where my last day of research took place.

I bought coffee from Tim Horton for both my friend and me and we started our observation. Right across where we sat, there was a promotion booth and the place was quiet with few people, for meal time was not yet. The promotion booth was right beside Tim Horton with 2 female and 2 male staffs. They had many posters and gifts on the table. They were trying to raise awareness about HIV/ AIDS and unlike the other booths, there was no background music. The staff tried as much as they could to talk to the people walking by.

They explained to the people their intentions and asked them some questions. The active passengers would get free gifts depending on how they answered the questions asked by the promoters. At the end of our observation, a total of 67 people passed by, and 12 of them (including 7 female and 5 male students) engaged and answered the questions. Ten out of these 12 people received gifts. There were also three people who took the posters, but did not engage with the staff at all.

Conclusion

From the four observations, I was now ready to compile my research. I learnt many things from the four sessions I had. On the breast cancer awareness, I noticed that women were more concerned than men and that is possibly the reason why more women than men donated money to fund the process of creating breast cancer awareness. In the second observation, I learnt that people paid more attention to things they would use their money to get and not free things. From all the observations, it is clear that females are more social than males for the reason that in all the interactions, the number of females outdid their counterparts. In conclusion, campus promotions are reacted to differently, but females are more reactive to them.

Reference

Eagly, A. H. (2013). Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Marry Sherry, in the article In Praise of the F Word, emphasized that it is essential for students future to treat them with receiving bad grades if they are not studying enough, to put fear in them, so they would have the motivation to study. After graduating, students face the problem of a lack of knowledge and skills for their future careers. Marry Sherry blames education for this problem, as not enough attention is paid to the calm children, and there are prejudices about the impact of external factors on childrens education (Sherry, n. d.). Each person can overcome problems and study if they have a reason and motivation. In addition, the fear of economic or academic failure will show the value of education and motivate students to study. There are many other strategies to motivate students, but the mentioned one is the most effective in some cases.

The author provided an example of the effectiveness of such a strategy: her son was unwilling to learn, and his English teacher told him that she would fail him; as a result, the authors son got a solid motivation to study (Sherry, n. d.). Marry provided an example of a student who stated that due to his calm behavior, teachers paid no attention to his education. As a result, this student could not even read. Children who have no desire to study will not learn if no ultimatum is given to them. Because these students do not understand the value of education, then give them no choice but to study, this situation will change. Nevertheless, to achieve success, parents and teachers should work together so that parents support teachers efforts and methods to improve childrens desire to study. Lastly, in this article, the author supports returning to the policy of failing students who have no motivation to study (Sherry, n. d.). This strategy will help students to start studying hard and benefit from it.

Reference

Sherry M. (1991). In praise of the F word. Newsweek. Web.