Category: Education

Introduction

Social emotional learning should be offered to students in every school district. Through social emotional learning, the students will be able to uphold the governing principle of individual rights. This paper explores the principle of individual rights and how it relates to social emotional learning. The importance of the introduction of social emotional learning in schools is explored. Moreover, the principle of individual rights and the changes it has undergone throughout the history of the United States is discussed.

Body

Social emotional learning enables the students to manage their feelings and be able to relate with others and form constructive relationships. The students are also able to make wise decisions and deal with challenges that they face in their day to day lives.

Through social emotional learning, students are able to acquire the skills necessary for them to function in the world successfully and be able to deal with different tasks in their lives as future citizens. Social emotional learning molds individuals character and enables them to be responsible. Moreover, the students become responsible citizens as they learn to be responsible for their actions, take care of their health and relate better with other citizens (Zins 12).

One of the guiding principles of the United States government is individual rights. The principle states that the citizens have rights that should be protected and not violated. The basic rights of every citizen should be protected. These rights include the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness.

Through social emotional learning, the students will be able to succeed in their studies and contribute to the wellbeing of the society. They will be able to achieve their goals, have meaningful relationships with others and therefore, achieve happiness. They will be able to respect and sympathize with others and therefore not violate their rights.

They will thus be able to uphold the principle of individual rights. The introduction of social emotional learning in schools is an effort to enable the students to understand the concept of individual rights from an early age in order to espouse the principle later on as citizens.

In order to increase the social emotional learning programs available to students, the Academic, Social and Emotional Learning Act of 2011 has been introduced by Judy Biggert, Dale Kildee, and Tim Ryan. Through this Act, the teachers will be able to instill all the necessary skills in their students in order to enable them to become responsible citizens in future.

The Founding Fathers included the principle of individual rights in the Declaration of independence as one of the guiding principles of the United States government. Among the key Founding Fathers were George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison (Schwartz 68).

All the other rights rest on the rights to life, liberty, and pursuing happiness. The Founding Fathers believed that the sole purpose of the government was to protect these rights. They also believed that an individuals life does not belong to anyone else but to him/ her alone and therefore, they should have freedom to do whatever they please (Freehling 81).

The implementation of the principle of individual rights enabled citizens to live freely without being submissive to any master. They were free to live their lives as they pleased and pursue their dreams and relate with others freely. The implementation of individual rights enabled the citizens to have access to other rights like freedom of speech and religion, among others.

The principle of individual rights has continued to be upheld through the enactment of several statutes, for instance, Section 1983 of title 42 of the United States Code (Blackmun 1). Moreover, the constitutions of the states have been revived to uphold the principle of human rights (Brennan 535).

However, what the Founding Fathers believed in has changed over time. The United States government has over the years introduced programs and laws that do not protect individual rights. The rights of citizens are being violated and therefore, the government is going against the concept of individual freedom that was introduced by the Founding Fathers.

For instance, the citizens right to property is violated through taxation where their money is taken and distributed to others. Moreover, re-distributing of wealth violates the rights of people who have worked hard for it since each individual has a right to what he/she has worked for. The right to the citizens body is violated through prohibiting the consumption of particular foods.

The government also violates the right of individuals through welfare programs since the individuals are denied the freedom of using their money as they please. The rights of businessmen to set the prices that they deem suitable for their products have been violated through the enactment of anti-trust laws.

The right of individuals to choose how to invest in their future has also been violated through Social Security. In addition, business regulations by the government have violated the right of individuals to make their own decisions regarding their property. Therefore, the original vision of the Founding Fathers to have a nation where each citizens individual rights are protected has been corrupted.

Therefore, social emotional learning should be incorporated in all schools in order to enable the students to understand how to live with others and embrace the true meaning of individual rights.

The major skills that the students gain include understanding their feelings and those of others, ability to manage anger, mood and impulses, the ability to set and achieve goals, the ability to sympathize with others and the ability to manage relationships and resolve conflicts (Zins 30). With these skills, the students can in future be able to take the country back to the ideals of the Founding Fathers and change the current government programs and laws that contravene the individual rights of the citizens.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is evident that the introduction of social emotional learning in schools is a very noble idea as it prepares the students to become responsible citizens in future. The students are able to learn about the principle of individual rights. The relationship between social emotional learning and individual rights has been discussed and the changes that the principle of individual rights has undergone have been highlighted.

Over the years, there has been a deviation by the government from the original ideals of the Founding Fathers regarding individual rights. Therefore, social emotional learning should be introduced in all school districts in order to enable the students to shape the laws and programs of the United States government in future in such a way that the principle of individual rights will be upheld.

Works Cited

Blackmun, Harry. Section 1983 And Federal Protection Of Individual Rights  Will The Statute Remain Alive Or Fade Away? New York University Law Review 60.1 (1985): 1. Print.

Brennan, William. The Bill Of Rights and the States: The Revival of State Constitutions as Guardians of Individual Rights. New York University Law Review 61.4 (1986): 535. Print.

Freehling, William. The Founding Fathers and slavery. The American Historical Review 77.1 (1972): 81-93. Print.

Schwartz, Bernard. The Great Rights of Mankind: A History of the American Bill Of Rights. USA: Rowman & Littlefield, 1992. Print

Zins, Joseph. Building Academic Success On Social And Emotional Learning: What Does The Research Say? USA: Teachers College Press, 2004. Print

Introduction

This paper is aimed at developing an eclectic theory of learning. In particular, it is necessary to combine those models which describe the way in which people acquire knowledge and skills. Much attention will be paid to behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and transformative learning since they can be used to describe various activities of children or students who want to gain a better understanding of the world. Furthermore, it is critical to examine such aspects of learning as the development of habits and skills, concept formation, discovery, and re-evaluation of ones worldviews or stereotypes. This task is important because it can demonstrate the strengths and limitations of different learning theories. Overall, one can argue that a single theoretical framework cannot explain every way in which people can gain knowledge. This is the main argument that can be put forward.

Behaviorism: learning through observation and the development of habits

First of all, one should focus on behaviorism which implies that a person learns by responding to external stimuli such as positive or negative reinforcement (Gordon & Browne, 2011). This theoretical model is suitable for explaining the way in which a person develops skills and habits by observing the actions of others (Gordon & Browne, 2011, p. 66). According to the behaviorist approach, children learn to operate different objects by observing the activities of other people who act as role models. In particular, they may observe the way in which parents use cooking utensils, pens, or any other material objects. The actions of parents can be viewed as a stimulus which gives rise to the response of a learner. In turn, children can repeat the observed actions provided that in this way they achieve the desired results. For example, they can learn how to use television or computers when they see that certain technology functions as they want. If it does not, they change their strategies and try a different course of action. Furthermore, the praise offered by parents or teachers can be a reinforcement of certain behavior. So, learning through observation can adequately describe with the help of behaviorism.

Others theories cannot fully explain the development of such skills. In particular, according to the principles of cognitivism, learning is a sequential development of different of mental processes such as recognition, analysis, reflection, critique, and so forth (Utley, 2010, p. 23). Nevertheless, the examples discussed in this section do not involve these cognitive processes, except for recognition. In turn, a constructivism paradigm implies that a person can discover certain kinds of knowledge. In particular, he/she can discover that a television set can perform certain functions. However, this model does not throw light on the reasons why a child chooses to repeat some kinds of behavior (Leonard, 2002, p. 37). Furthermore, the constructivist approach cannot explain how observation supplements learning. In turn, transformative learning can describe those situations when an individual has to change his/her assumptions or worldviews. Yet, it is not suitable for explaining the formation of habits or skills.

Cognitivism and concept formation

Furthermore, it is possible to examine the principle of cognitivism which can show how an individual acquires an understanding of complex concepts or processes. This theoretical approach is also useful for showing how a person learns to apply them. According to this model, the formation of knowledge consists of such steps as memorization, perception, reflection, understanding, problem-solving and assessment. This approach can throw light on the way in which students learn new concepts in mathematics, physics, biology, and many other sciences (Utley, 2010, p. 23). For instance, a student, who has to learn the Pythagorean Theorem, should first rely on the background knowledge of such notions as a ratio and a cosine. This knowledge is critical for understanding the proof of this theorem. So, one can speak about such cognitive processes as memorizing and recognition. Secondly, he/she should apply the new knowledge in order to solve various tasks. This stage can be described as problem-solving. Moreover, the learner should reflect on how it can relevant to other areas of geometry. At a stage, a learner is engaged in such activities as reflection and creativity. Therefore, one can see that learning involves various mental processes.

It seems that other theories cannot effectively explain this process. Behaviorism implies that learning is driven by a series of responses to external stimuli. Nevertheless, in this case, a student is an active agent who takes independent steps. In particular, such mental processes as creativity, reflection, or even memorization can be attributed to the internal needs or motives of a learner. They cannot be attributed to an outside stimulus. In turn, constructivism postulates that a person can discover knowledge when he/she come to new information and apply their background knowledge (Leonard, 2002, p. 37).

Certainly, it is possible that a person can discover the properties of geometrical objects independently. Nevertheless, the constructivism does not show a person can learn to apply new concepts in order to solve different mathematical problems. This goal can be achieved if there are exercises that are designed for this purpose. This is the main limitation that should not be overlooked. In turn, the model of transformative learning implies that new knowledge is generated when a person can reinterpret or reevaluate existing meanings and assumptions (King, 2009). Yet, this process may not be relevant to those situations when a statement does not give rise to various interpretations. The most eloquent examples can be found in mathematics, chemistry or physics in which the meaning of formula has only one meaning. Thus, there are situations when cognitivism is probably the only theoretical framework that is used.

Discovery of knowledge and constructivism

Apart from that, it is possible to examine the application of constructivism because this learning theory can also be helpful. As it has been said before, this model lays emphasis on the process of independent discovery (Saab, van Joolingen & van Hout-Wolters, 2005, p. 603). To a great extent, it prompts a student to act as a researcher. For instance, it is possible to refer to those cases when a teacher encourages learners to discover the properties of chemicals, physical phenomena, living cells, and many other things. The main strength of this approach is that an individual learns directly from his/her experience. The information derived in such a way can better be understood and memorized. Moreover, a student can grasp theoretical models and assumptions that are used to explain various natural phenomena. There are other important aspects of constructivism. It implies that a teacher should stimulate learners interest in a certain subject. Furthermore, an educator should create an environment in which a student feels confident enough to be engaged in independent discovery. These are the main aspects that can be singled out.

Other models may not be equally efficient in explaining the type of learning process. For instance, behaviorism implies that the actions of a person are shaped by positive or negative reinforcement. In other words, the activities of learners are attributed mostly by external factors. Yet, independent discovery is possible if a student has an internal motivation to conduct research. In turn, the supporters of cognitivism lay stress on such processes as analysis, recognition, or creativity. Yet, this model does not show a person incorporates empirical observations into the process of concept formation. The principles of transformative learning can only be partly applicable to this task. An educator can prompt students to re-evaluate some of their assumptions regarding natural phenomena by encouraging them to conduct independent experiments. Yet, this model does explain a teacher has to guide independent discovery. This is one of the main limitations of this approach.

Transformative learning and re-evaluation of worldviews

Finally, one can examine the situations when the principles of transformative learning are most relevant. This approach is adopted to explain those cases when a teacher prompts students to look at the same situation from various viewpoints. In this way, educators can bring changes in the behavior of students. For instance, during literature classes, teachers encourage learners to examine an ethical dilemma or conflict from the perspective of different characters (Irvine, 2008, p. 132). This method is relevant when it is necessary to refute stereotypes and biases or overcome hostility (Irvine, 2008, p. 132). This approach is applied not only by educators. Psychologists also make wide use of it, especially when they want a person to cope with mental problems such as low self-esteem or depression. In many cases, this approach can be very useful. This is another issue that should be considered.

Certainly, one can make use of other theories in order to describe this learning activity. Yet, their relevance is very limited. First of all, re-evaluation of ones worldviews and perception cannot be achieved only with the help of external stimuli such as awards or punishments. A person should be willing to put oneself in the position of others in order to transform ones assumptions. This is why behaviorism cannot be explained with the help of behaviorism. Secondly, one should remember that this process requires emotional intelligence and empathy (Irvine, 2008, p. 132). In turn, cognitivism is aimed at describing mostly mental activities, but not emotions. This is why this model cannot effectively substitute transformative learning. Furthermore, it is possible to look to examine the principles of constructivism. One can construct a situation that will make students to reassess their beliefs and assumptions. Yet, this strategy cannot always make a person change his/her frame of reference. Sometimes, it is necessary for a teacher to provide direct instructions to students.

Conclusion

On the whole, this discussion suggests that different theories of learning are suitable for describing and explaining the acquisition of knowledge and skills. For instance, behaviorism becomes relevant when it is necessary to describe learning through observation and development of habits. In turn, learning through independent discovery can be better analyzed with the help of constructivism. Yet, it is important to remember that a single model may not completely capture the acquisition of knowledge. These are the main points that can be made.

Reference List

Gordon, A., & Browne, K. (2011). Beginning Essentials in Early Childhood Education. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Web.

Irvine, C. (2008). Teaching the Novel Across the Curriculum: A Handbook for Educators. New York, NY: ABC-CLIO. Web.

King, K. (2009). The Handbook of the Evolving Research of Transformative Learning Based on the Learning Activities Survey. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Web.

Leonard, D. (2002). Learning Theories, A to Z. Boston, MA: Greenwood Publishing Group. Web.

Saab, N., van Joolingen, W., & van Hout-Wolters, B. (2005). Communication in collaborative discovery learning. The British Journal Of Educational Psychology, 75(4), 603-621. Web.

Utley, R. (2010). Theory and Research for Academic Nurse Educators: Application to Practice. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Web.

Students need to undertake wide literature review from readings relevant to their syllabuses; the quality and quantity of materials read determines a students/learners academic success or failure. When tutors are choosing the materials to use or recommend to their students, they need to be sensitive on personal attributes, personalities, perceptions, and social life elements like hobbies/interests, life experiences, and skill level.

Barbara Foorman, of the University of Texas, observes that there is close relationship between how children are prepared to be a readers at early age and the interests of readings they develop in future, the scholar says, 88 percent of students who were poor readers in first grade were poor readers in fourth grade (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000, 9).

When reviewing an article by Phil Hunsberger called Where am I? A all for connectedness in literacy published in the journal of Reading Research quarterly, I agreed with the writer right from the onset when he suggested that for learning to occur the students need to have close connection with the materials they are reading. The writer emphasized that connectedness is imperative for students; when students appreciate and connect with the materials they are getting information their learning and understanding level are boosted resulting to quality learning and understanding (Hunsberger, 2007). When teaching military people, low socioeconomic status, and single families I am sensitive of the kind of materials I use as I understand the need for students to connect with the materials used.

After this weeks research and information studies I have established three texts that are complimentary texts and fall into the middle of the semiotic and linguistic matrix; all the three texts fall in the informational side of the matrix.

The nature of human beings is that they are ready and willing to learn and read interesting materials that focuses on areas that they have high interests; with the notion in mind, I will be using three texts that will tie into the social studies unit lesson on the State of Texas and Texas Folklore. One of strength that the materials have is that they hold the phrase everything is bigger and better in Texas; with such common background, I will discuss the topic and address emerging issues effectively.

The main area of interest in all the texts are context clues, vocabulary, identifying the plot, conflict, climax, main idea, summarizing, and sequencing; all the parameters will be addressed to offer an insight understanding of the case.

The text, The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie de Paola is a folklore story which focuses on Indian culture and tells about how the bluebonnets came to be. The story is centered on a little girl named She-Who-Is-Alone who parted with her only possession, a doll her mother made her, and became a great hero in her tribe the story suggest that the girl threw the doll into fire as a ritual to please the gods of rain, after the ritual the rain began to fall and beautiful blue flowers grew.

The second text that I will use is The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush written by Tomie de Paola; it is an Indian folklore that rhymes with current topics on Texas. The story is focused on an young boy called Little Gopher who according to the tradition was not fit enough to become a warrior. Despite the shortcoming the boy focused on being what he can best be an artist; he created beautiful sunsets and the brushes he left behind took root and sprouted into many flowers.

The third text under review is called The Day Pecos Bill Rode Old Twister , it was written by S.E. Schlosser; the folktale has much similarity with Texas folk tales during the cowboy days. The material has even some Texas phrases like Youve heard about Pecos Bill, the Texas Wrangler who was as tall as a two story house and as strong as an ox (Doepker & Ortlieb, 2011).

Tutors should not limit their work on selecting the materials; it is important to have an in-depth understanding of the objectives and goals they need to accomplish by a certain piece of work. Some materials may be interesting to read but if they fail to add value on the readers life, they are good not read. With the folklores I choose I wish to develop an in-depth understanding to my students on literature and cultural history. According to Doepper & Ontlieb, 201, students need to be motivated to read, they say, The students must have motivation to read and write and it is up to the educators to provide literacy experiences that tap into their emotions (Doepper & Ontlieb, 2011).

In modern computerized world, children are getting access to the Internet at early ages; they also seem to have their role models limited to their parents. Using the folklore will provide them with a balanced literacy program spiced with some entertainment. As a tutor I believe that using folklore is rewarding to students and will facilitate fast development of knowledge and talent development.

References

Doepker, G. M., & Ortlieb, E. (2011). Preserving Adolescent Readership through Interest and Motivation. International Journal of Education, 3(1), 1-7. Web.

Hunsberger, P. (2007). Where am I? A all for connectedness in literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(30, 420-424.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2000). Emergent and early literacy workshop: Current status and research directions. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health. Web.

The art of summarizing

Summarization involves careful presentation of other peoples views, ideas, opinions or findings in your own words orally or in written form. In order not to lose the meaning or distort the original meaning of information during summarization, its critical to keep in mind what others say and then say it in your own words.

In the prowess of summarizes and summarization the phrase, They say, I say becomes a central focus simply because others will say first then present what they said in summary or paraphrase form.

In a public conference, it is crucial to represent others opinion first before giving your own opinion on a particular topic to attract the attention of your listeners, as well as avoiding keeping the audience in suspense. Although many presenters or writers may fail to focus on the original meaning of the content summarized, it is of paramount importance to give justice and acknowledge the original sources.

In making excellent summaries, one ought to posses several skills and abilities, which help to bring out the indented meaning from a content of words, received orally or by writing. According to Elbow, any one making a cogent summary oughts to position himself or herself in the place of the original author or the main speaker and play a believing game even though he or she does not agree with the views of the original author or speaker (22).

As a result, this ability ensures that the audience or readers of the summary do not easily determine whether the person doing the summary and the original author agree or not. It is a powerful tool to reduce biasness in summarization as one holds his or her convictions, believes and opinions and sticks to what the author says.

Striking this balance in summarization upholds credibility of the summary produced gives honor to the original author of the piece of art being summarized, as one would quote points and statements he or she might not be interested. For instance Zinczenko views that the fast foods industries are a health hazard for they make people fat.

In his own opinion, he incriminates these industries, but in his summary, he does not present his own opinion. Instead, Zinczenko does not suggest that the fast foods industries had any evil intention (153-155). In this case, Zinczenko plays believing game well and thus the credibility of his summary.

On the other hand, it is vital to know where you are going in summarization. In a presentation, the illustration of the original work and repeated quotation of what they said keeps the audience out of confusion throughout the presentation. Although if one sticks on what others say, he or she may end up on list summary in which quotations like, the author says& In addition, he says& Also he shows& Nevertheless, the skill of having a focus and knowing where you are going saves the trouble of list summary.

Good summary, therefore, would portray clearly the views of the original author in the contest summarized. To attain this, the Elbows perception of playing the believing game well helps to achieve the indented goal and giving the source justice. Misrepresentation of the source or ignorance to play Elbows game of believing well leads to biased summary, which lacks credibility and denies justice to the source.

Works Cited

Elbow, Peter. Dialogue on writting. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.

Zinczenko, David. Eat this Not that! For kids! Be the leanest, fittest family on the Block. 3.2(2003): 153-155. Print.

Innovative Voices in Education: Engaging Diverse Communities by Eileen Kugler depicts the stories collected throughout the world, of teachers or activists in the community sharing their small but significant success and lessons learned. The book has a great value when it comes to its application in the education field. Along with the changes that occurred in the demographical area of the United States came the new resources for involving diverse students into the narrative.

The demographic shifts that have occurred in the recent years suggest the need for discussing the diversity. Thus, the student diversity has increased which leads to a greater requirement for individuals who will educate these students as well as engage them in the interactions within the diverse communities. The stories told in Innovative Voices in Education: Engaging Diverse Communities help in bringing innovations in diversity out into the open (Kugler 16), as well as inspiring those heavily involved in the educational sphere (parents, teachers, administrators, and members of the diverse community).

The book is divided into nineteen chapters that are further divided into five parts that relate to different topics. For example, the first part called Building Respectful Schools is a great introduction as it provides value for those people that have an influence in the field of education. The vice president of Cook Ross, Inc., Howie Shaffer comments on the value of Innovative Voices in Education: it is clear that we need to muster the courage to both explore and repudiate our collective willingness to relegate our most vulnerable children to an educational system that too often does not recognize nor value our unique strengths (Kugler 5). Shaffer then proceeds with saying that educators were unwilling to contribute to developing the diversity in schools for too long. He underlines the importance of respect towards such communities and elimination of the injustice system that exists.

The most important section of the book, in my opinion, is the Part Two called The Personal Power of a Teacher. This section offers value to those involved with the educational practice as it provides some practical resources as well as inspirational stories. In this section, authors underline the importance of the bilingual education and the storytelling. These two aspects are the fundamental means through which the teachers are able to put the value on diversity as well as increase the acquisition of the new language among students. Chapter 7 Addressing Silence is the most important when it comes to giving value to teachers. It gives practical tips on how to address the issues of race, religion, diversity, and sexual orientation on the classroom. First, a teacher should understand the students beliefs, then offer a variety of new opinions and resources, and then allow each student to change or reconstruct the opinion about the debated topic.

Because teachers are very often unprepared to cooperate with the parents of the students of different cultural background, the book offers a variety of tips that can become starting points for building relationships with the families. The book is filled with insights that can help in affirming the traditions of diverse families, supporting the dreams and aspirations of the students as well as setting up new goals.

The researchers that relate to the sphere of education can find various innovative stories that can offer ways and ideas for further research and inquiry. Some teaching programs that relate to diversity can be found in the individual chapters. On the other hand, the book is valuable to many because it is able to enhance the importance of engaging various diverse communities in the educational process. Moreover, by combining all parts of the book and reading it as a whole, it is possible to distinguish between its strengths and weaknesses. The weakness lies in the book being differentiated into five different parts, with the differentiations being unclear. For example, Chapter 15 Valuing Diversity can fit into different chapters and thus, is poorly categorized. In addition, because Innovative Voices in Education has multiple contributors, some parts are more engaging and compelling to read compared to others. Thus, there is a difference between the autobiographica storytelling and the theoretical concepts described in various chapters.

However, the positive impact of this book overpowers and minor flaws listed above. Innovative Voices in Education contains a variety of perspectives that further the idea that different population groups should work side-by-side to engage different diverse communities into the educational process. The chapters combine practical advice with theoretical approaches. Generally, the stories of teachers, activists, students and their parents depicted in the book are inspirational. They remids the readers that any person can make a contribution to increasing diversity. The presentation of the book done by Kugler  combining diversity innovation stories together  is inspiring in the way of bringing hope for the future of the diverse educational process. The book presents a useful outline for engaging students, parents and teachers into creating a comfortable working and learning environment. Each chapter of Innovative Voices in Education offers descriptions of the experiences and challenges that help to further the knowledge and understanding the topic. No matter if a person is a teacher, a school director, or an educational leader, the book is a must-read.

Works Cited

Kugler, Eileen. Innovative Voices in Education: Engaging Diverse Communities, Plymouth, UK: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 2012. Print.

Case

When it is better to be seen but not heard: the ecology of public administration.

Facts

The case is at Northeastern State University

The focus of the case is discussing when the university should be heard and when it should remain silent. The case is at the Northeastern State University in the morning. The presidents Policy group is meeting to come up with policies of identifying the social issues the university should raise its voice.

Issues

The primary problem in this case is that the university has remained silent on a social issue when it is expected to be heard.

The cause of the problem is that the university does not have a policy or criteria of deciding on which issues it should be heard and when it should remain silent on.

Actors

• Jeanine Traxel- the director of the office of public relations at Northeastern State University
• Roger Donaldson- Assistant to the University president
• George Andrews- Provost of the university
• President Zachary- President of the university
• Charlene OCuff- Vice president for research
• Jack Trades- Vice president for student affairs
• Rip Oakley- Athletics director
• Sherry Knowes- Universitys legal counsel
• Jane Reading- Vice president of libraries and information systems
• Pat Standing- University lobbyist
• Henry Davis- Vice president of universitys medical center

One important characteristic of the actors is that they are all inquisitive throughout the meeting.

Analysis

There is a raging debate on living wages and the responsibility of employers. As an influential institution involved in conducting research, Northeastern State University is expected to be heard on this important social issue. However, the university has remained silent over the matter because it does not have a clear policy on issues it is supposed to be heard and the ones it is supposed to remain silent. The presidents Policy Group holds a meeting to discuss the issues that the university should be heard on and the ones it is supposed to remain silent. There are many questions during the meeting with most of the members suggesting that the university should only take position in matters that are directly related to it.

Summary of the Case

Jeanine Traxel, who is the director of the Office of Public relations at Northeastern State University, receives an email from the assistant to the university president, Roger Donaldson that catches her attention. The heading of the email is seen but not heard. The email has materials for the PPG which is a group of administrators that assist the university president on broad policy issues facing the university. The presidents policy group meeting opens by Roger Donaldson who gives a summary of the points in his memo. He points out that the memo is inspired by the living wage debate but he wants the debate not to revolve around this issue. Instead, he wants the group to discuss the criteria the university should use to give voice to the issue. The living wage issue is a debate that has elicited different views regarding the obligations of employers.

As Roger Donaldson summarizes the contents of his memo to the group, President Zachary presents a case to that he heard from a previous presidents meeting he had attended. He tells the group members that the case is important since it can assist them in the decisions they are trying to make. The case talks about a local board of education that wanted to pass a referendum that would have allowed it to cut its budget by a large amount of money. During this conversation, the president was asked to explain why the university had remained silent over the matter yet it was an educational one. The president replied by saying that he could not say anything about the matter since the last time the university raised its voice it was criticized. The meeting relies on previous university engagement in its debate. Roger Donaldson explains how the previous vice president of research talked to a reporter on the importance of a contested highway bypass to the university. However, this was not relevant to the university because it is interested in research activities. Donaldson gives an example of a relevant case where the university was heard supporting local ordinances that restricted operating bars near the campus. It was important for the university to be heard because part of its obligations is to ensure that alcohol is not used in the campus.

After this explanation, the group is informed that what they need to discuss is the value to be used in making decisions on whether the university should be heard or not. Jeanine Traxel wants to know the difference between moral and political issues because it is important for the group. George Andrews on the other hand brings another perspective to the discussion that the university can raise its voice as an employer or an educational institution. It is therefore important for the group to take note of this in its discussions.

Course of Action

Many questions arise during the Presidents Policy Group meeting regarding when the university should raise its voice and when it should not. It is apparent that there are some local issues that are not relevant to the university and it is advisable that the university remains silent. Since the university is an academic institution, it should only be concerned with issues that are relevant to its research and academic mission. Eventually, the meeting seems to agree that the university should only be involved in matters that directly concern it. In other words, it should only take a position on issues it wants to act on or ones it has been acting on. It is agreed that members will come up with a decision making tree that will guide the university on when to be heard and when to remain silent.

Main Lessons learnt from the case

This case has two important lessons to be learned. The first lesson is that although universities are regarded as influential institutions in the society, they should not be expected to be involved in all social issues. The second lesson is that there are some social issues that universities might seem silent about simply because they once raised their voices and got negative feedback.

The given work is devoted to the analysis of the main aspects of adult learning. Such issues as the environment and three main kinds of learning, which are formal, non formal, and informal, are analyzed. Moreover, their importance for adult learners is discussed, and some suggestions are given. At the end of the work, the conclusion is made.

There is no use in denying the fact that education plays a vital role in the life of people. Nowadays, it is rather difficult to achieve success without having a good base which is usually given at some college or institute.

That is why people who want to become successful try to obtain a good education. Besides, there is a great number of adult learners who have also recognized the significance of education and are eager to obtain the needed knowledge. Thus, the process of education of adults has its own peculiarities, which differ from the traditional one. With this in mind, it is possible to analyze this issue to understand the main aspects of its functioning,

First of all, it should be said that there is a great variety of adult learners and, that is why there are also many various learning environments which they access. It should be said that nowadays, adults decide to obtain an education because of the influence of a great number of different factors, however, globalization, demographics, and technology are the most important among them (Linder, n.d.).

They introduce some changes to society and make people study in order to be able to respond to these changes. It should also be said that adults associate formal education with lectures at some universities and teachers who give them. Though at the same time, speaking about informal education, they mention a great number of different environments.

With this in mind, it is possible to say that great importance in adult education should be given to such types of settings as formal, non formal and informal (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Formal education is highly institutionalized and organized in accordance with a certain curriculum (Merriam et al., 2007). At the same time, the term non formal education is used to determine a certain set of learning activities and possibilities outside the formal education system (Merriam et al., 2007).

These propositions are very often voluntary and usually have a certain curriculum that regulates their functioning (What is non formal learning? n.d.). Finally, informal learning is a process that goes every day at home, in the workplace, or somewhere else (Merriam et al., 2007).

There is no curriculum, and a person obtains knowledge in the known organized way (Crawford, n.d). It should also be admitted that this very kind of learning is the most peculiar to adults and can also be called the most efficient one as the bigger part of the information obtained by adults they receive with the help of this very kind of learning.

Resting on this information, it should be said that all these concepts could be used for adult learners as they prove their efficiency. It is possible to predict what combination of all kinds of learning can lead to significant improvement in the results of adult learners.

In conclusion, it should be said that being influenced by such issues as globalization, demographics, and technology, adult learners decide to obtain a good education. Under these conditions, the concepts of formal, non formal, and informal learning obtain great significance as they influence the process of learning greatly.

References

Crawford, D. The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education. Web.

Linder, M. Diversity of learning environments  Bridges between formal, nonformal and informal learning environments. Web.

Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What is non formal learning?. Web.

There are numerous texts that can be used in the class to improve a readers understanding. As (Hartman & Hartman, 2003) explained in his article, good readers are able to relate and connect ideas from a variety of reading experiences. For this reason, I find that exposing my students to a variety of texts makes them more able to see how texts fit together in place. This point of view is also supported by Phil Hunsberger, in an article in which he suggested that students learn better if they are able to have a connection with the material they are reading. Where by, this connection process enables students to increasing their learning and understanding ability.

A textual arrangement that I found to be very powerful for this particular topic is the complementary aspect. As (Hartman & Hartman, 2003) explained, the process students use in comprehension is not only fueled by the texts used in reading but also by their own experiences. For this reason, various students can make a textual connection based on the experience they received from a visit to a place that can be related to the text, from prior knowledge gained from earlier classes, from dinner conversations with relatives or the media. Therefore, exposing students to a variety of texts heightens and stimulates their memory, in the process-increasing their learning and understanding ability as is required for each reading texts and the educational goals. Since humans are able to relate more to materials that have a focus on their interest areas, I will make use of three particular texts that will make a connection to the social studies lesson as detailed by the State of Texas and that of Texas folklore. The areas of interest in these texts are vocabulary, conflict, main idea, summarizing, climax, context clues, sequencing and identification of the plot.

The three texts discussed in this educational reading plan are based on two texts by Tomie de Paola The Legend of Bluebonnet and The Legend of Indian Paintbrush and S.E. Schlosser (1992) text The Day Pecos Bill Rode Old Twister. The first text is an Indian folklore that is based on Indian culture and discusses how bluebonnets came into existence. The main character the text focuses on is the little girl called She-Who-Is-Alone. The text talks of how she parted with the doll her mother had made for her and how she finally became a hero in her society. The suggestion put forward by this text is that the little girl threw her doll into a fire as a form of a ritual made to please the rain gods of her tribe. Following this sacrifice, the rains fell and made beautiful blue flowers to grow, thereby, turning her into a local hero.

The second text The Legend: Indian Paintbrush is an Indian folklore that is able to rhyme with contemporary topics about Texas. The story in the text is based on the character of a little boy by the name, Little Gopher, who according to their traditions did not have enough warrior-like abilities. Though the little boy had these shortcomings and despite the traditional limitations placed on him from his lack of abilities, he focused on being the best artist. His focus on art led him to create the most beautiful sunsets as he could possible do. Therefore, when he left behind the brushes after painting, they sprouted into beautiful flowers. The third text is S.E. Schlossers which has a similarity to Texan folklore as told during the cowboy days. This article is further placed in time using Texan phrases that make the text complementary. A close look reveals that the three texts under review fall in the middle of the linguistic and the semiotic matrix, as well as the informational matrix. The three texts were selected taking into consideration the goals of the Texas State that were intended to be accomplished in the reading class. The State of Texas goals that are being fulfilled in the three texts involve language art skills, social studies as are discussed in the following sections. In each section, each goal is detailed and corresponding inter, intra or extra textual questions are asked.

1. 1. The first goal is the history goal that states that the student should be able to understand the origin, differences and similarities of American Indians in North America and Texas before the exploration of the Europeans. Under this, several questions can be asked as:

1. The student is expected to explain the origins of American Indians in North America and Texas.
2. Identify American Indians groups in North America and Texas before the European exploration like Karankawa, Jumano, Lipan Apache and Caddo.
3. The student is expected to describe the regions where American Indians lived and point out those American Indian groups that still live in Texas like the Alabama Coushatta, Kickapoo and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo.

2. 2. The second goal, states that students will be able to understand the effects of the exploration and colonization in North America and Texas.
   3. They should be able to identify what motivated the European to settle and explore in North America and Texas.
   4. The student is expected to read, comprehend literary text. Within this fourth goal, the student is expected to understand, conclude and infer the structure of poetry and give evidence to support this ability from the text. The student is expected to explain how the structural elements like meter, stanzas, rhyme, line breaks relate to form like free verse and lyrical poetry.
   5. They should also be able to understand, conclude and infer on the structure and rudiments of drama. In addition, they should also give evidence from the drama and text as expected of reading, comprehension abilities of students.
   6. The student is expected to understand, conclude and infer from the composition and the rudiments of fiction. At the same time they should support their understanding of the texts with evidence drawn from reading and the comprehension of text and fiction. The inter, intra, extra textual questions asked in this goal are;

1. Sequence, summarize the plot of the main event and explain the influence of these on future events.
2. Describe the interaction that exists between the characters taking into consideration the relationship and changes they undergo.
3. Identify if the main speaker is first or third person.
   7. The last goal is based on the reading and comprehension of literary non fiction text. Here, students are expected to understand, infer and conclude on various structural features from non-fictional writings. In addition, they are supposed to give evidence to support their understanding of the text. Moreover, they are also supposed to give similarities and differences between the characters experiences and events in fictional work and real work in an authors autobiography.

These goals will be taken into consideration in addition to the needs of the English Language Learner and for the gifted and special need learner. Lesson plans will include the interests of the three student groups from the third and sixth grades, with lessons being online or read as group work. I will concentrate on questions that include cause and effect since I will be concentrating on social studies skills.

Reference

Hartman, D.K. and Hartman, J.A. (2003). Reading across Texts: Expanding the Role of the Reader. The reading teacher journal, 47(3), pp202-205.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) solution plan is a tool used by educators to reduce learning barriers. Todays educators are supposed to provide their students with high standards of learning despite the fact that some of their students have learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, language barriers, emotional problems and physical disabilities. Through UDL, learners disparities can be addressed and their needs met. UDL takes advantage of digital learning resources, hence making the learning process more effective and efficient.

For my class I have to use several teaching methods to ensure that my students meet their individual needs. A universal curriculum has been designed to achieve the leaning objectives through the appropriate ways of presentation, means of expression and methods of engagement.

Therefore, all my teaching plans should be guided by these principles. Based on my experience with Nell, I am expected to use assistive technologies to help improve mobility, self-esteem, personal care and reading skills. To improve his mobility, a walker and braces are essential and mandatory.

A walker will help him in exploring his environment by indicating the location of different rocks, how to extract them and their economical importance in the society (Kleinert, 2001). Through active participation, his mobility as well as his environmental awareness will considerably improve.

Furthermore, it will not be easy for him to study either, so I have to offer him a wide variety of studying materials, such as textbooks and online resources that are beneficial to him. The study materials should precise and easy to use in obtaining information in order motivate readership.

Moreover, he might find it hard reading printed textbooks due to his low comprehension skills. Visual aids will be necessary to highlight key information like headings. In addition, the use of power point will serve the same purpose. An oral translator will be of significant assistance this would mean that difficulty in decoding text would be minimized. Words that appear too technical for him would be replaced by an oral translator with simple and understandable words.

Nell has a low self-esteem, which affects him negatively. To enhance his oral reading I should provide him with the appropriate support. Providing him with the project a week before the class lesson will help him in familiarizing himself with the content and hence he will be more comfortable with his classmates.

Picture charts and cards would be essential as this will not only make the lesson pleasant, but also provide images of rocks as seen in the real world. For Nell to improve his social skills, students participation will be vital, as this will ensure that students appreciate his participation.

Nells inability to communicate in English presents difficulty in learning. Establishing a continuous feedback mechanism will be appropriate as this will ensure clarity and additional support. The provision of several resources will lead to access and evaluation of multiple examples. Samples of rocks will be of great importance as this will be used as practical examples during class work and students will be able to counter check their theoretical characteristics and the physical ones(Scherer 2004).

In conclusion students with spina bifida rely heavily on assistive technology. This necessitates more research to be done to identify their response on several UDL methods and impacts of these methods on their daily life. I think that with more research and support students with disabilities will be able to live independently and participate fully in the community. To teachers like me, assessments would be made more effective and efficient only by continuous research.

References

Kleinert, H. L., & Kearns, J. F. (2001). Alternate assessment: measuring outcomes and supports for students with disabilities. Baltimore, Md.: P.H. Brookes Pub. Co..

Scherer, M. J. (2004). Connecting to learn: educational and assistive technology for people with disabilities. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Introduction

The use of online or blended classes where students and instructors interact on a one-on-one basis while they are far away from each other just by the use of internet connectivity has become a common trend in the IT generation of the day. Such classes are advantageous since they enable access to information and the ability to study from anywhere around the world, irrespective of the race, location, geographic barriers, or whatever other drawbacks that may hinder one from being able to physically attend a class that they need for their own personal and skill development. Online classes however require a set of rules and principles of operation to ensure they run smoothly and that all students benefit from the sessions as well as ensuring that the instructor can convey their message and achieve desired results from the students satisfactorily. This may be easily achieved through the development of a rubric that may be used to gauge if the online class is undertaken as planned.

This study seeks to apply a rubric for online instructors (RIO) to assess the performance and success of the online class that I participated in.

Rubric for Online Instructors (RIO)

The RIO is a rubric was used for assessing the online class. The areas in the class that rated the highest according to the rubric included instructional design and delivery, online organization and design, innovative teaching with technology, and assessment and evaluation of students learning. The class had a very easy time due to the availability and assistance of the instructor who was always ready to assist in areas of difficulties and so, in the area of learner support and resources, the course had an average rating. However, the course had weaknesses in that the faculty did not utilize information and feedback from the students adequately, and there hence seemed to be a replication of the problems that had been identified and reported by previous classes.

One experience that I had during the training is that I sometimes had a problem with my reading due to a previous eye condition. However, I had to force myself to read the content for the classroom irrespective of the difficulties. I wished that there was a way of one being able to get a voice-oriented option that one may listen to instead of reading. It would be important for online classes to consider the integration of voice into the classes to avoid the long hours of straining on the computer for those with sight issues so as not to sideline some people based on their health difficulties (Lee & McLoughlin, 2010).

For any online class to be effective and beneficial to students there is a need for instructors to be more involved and show a lot of interest in what the students are doing or going through. I most cases, an instructor will post a discussion online and then disappear only to appear for assessment or the actual exams. This is great disorientation for students. However, when a student is aware of the fact that the lecturer is observing their participation and is ready to assist at any one time, then it becomes a very interesting affair for one to undertake the online classes.

My online class experience was consistent with the class readings in many ways. For example, the discussion of connectivism theory indicated that an online class requires the use of technology for its undertaking, a factor that was integrated into our class. Also, such a class required a lot of support from the instructor as well as guidelines on how the class will be conducted and on how to access information from the website in use. Also, the online organization and design of my class were as expected, perfect. A lot of time had been taken to ensure that students had the easiest time while getting information from the class and there was an inbuilt search engine that helped search for content easily (Stevens, 2004).

Creating an Assessment Rubric

The learning objectives that the rubric will focus on include learner support and resources, instructional design and delivery, innovative teaching with technology as well as assessment and evaluation of student learning. This way, the rubric that will be considered will be the rubric for online instructors that will assess the success and effectiveness of the online class about its critical thinking level. This form of the rubric is important in ensuring that information was passed on from the instructor to the students in an effective manner and as intended or expected by the faculty, the instructor, and the students.

A few barriers that were encountered during the development stage included identifying the scores for the rubric as well as fitting the different characteristics of the class into a given category on the rubric. A rubric is a very important tool since, unlike a marking scheme, it indicates the expectations of the instructor and the faculty on the outcomes of a student right before the student undertakes the course. This way, a student can gauge his/her performance while undertaking the course to be able to determine their level of performance. This tool hence helps one become better in undertaking a course hence improving the results and outcomes from the students and the instructor (Kop & Hill, 2008).

The assessment rubric developed for the class was as follows:

References

Lee, M., & McLoughlin, C. (2010). Beyond distance and time constraints: Applying social networking tools and Web 2.0 approaches in distance education. Web.

Kop, R. & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?Web.

Stevens, D. (2004). Introduction to Rubrics: An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback, and Promote Student Learning. London: Stylus Publishing.