Category: Human Development

One of the at-risk behaviors of the seventh grader concerns poor reading and comprehension skills. As a rule, students that lag behind the group feel inferior and can experience emotional stress which can become the reason of other emotional-social problems and gaps in behavior.

The poor reading and comprehension skills can be qualified as unaddressed learning problems or as poor performance in class which can influence a student’s academic progress in other domains. The interventions to cope with this at-risk behavior include the following:

1. Clear instructions and more attention can be paid to a student; besides, this individual should be involved into some special programs if other methods turn out to be ineffective.
2. Work in groups or with a partner can be effective in terms of improvements to reading and comprehension skills.
3. As a student shows interest in drawing, it is possible to visualize instructions to the reading tasks and make the understanding of material more available to this student.

The next at-risk behavior is the daydreaming which can have negative consequences on the student’s social-emotional behavior and academic progress. Such behavior results in lack of attention to the subjects learnt and influence on the overall social-emotional and academic progress of this student.

At the same time, daydreaming can be the result of self-analysis which is considered normal for the age of 13-18 when children start to think about the future and their future roles of adults. As parents of this individual are divorced, it is possible that the student is concerned about becoming an adult and experiencing the same problems as his/her parents. The interventions include the following:

1. Removing distractions can be the first step to coping with the problem of not being focused. A student should know the goal and achieve it while a teacher can guide him/her on the way to attaining the goal.
2. A teacher might allow movements in class for all students. These would be short breaks for children to think about things that distract them and to get down to learning after that.
3. A teacher can make this student responsible for certain activities by assigning a role of a manger in class to this student. So, additional activities can help this student not to be distracted because when a person is responsible for the activities of the entire class, it can change his/her perception of the learning process.

Finally, lack of social skills can be treated as at-risk behavior because it can influence social-emotional behavior and academic progress. A teacher should do everything possible to make a student feel safe in class. Hylen (2008) emphasizes the importance of safe and healthy learning climate for children, especially those with at-risk behavior (pp. 18-20).

Regressive behavior of students can be seen in their academic achievements and their anti-social behavior (Kruger & Maher, 1990, p. 35). Possible interventions to cope with recess and lack of communication skills include the following:

1. It is necessary to encourage a student to communicate with classmates. A teacher can introduce more tasks that require a work in team.
2. A teacher can structure the class activities in a way that a student should cooperate with classmates before asking for teacher’s help or requiring some additional guidelines.
3. A teacher can ask students that lack social skills to monitor the class activities and report about those in the end of every day.

References

Hylen, M. G. (2008). The impact of a character education based interactive discipline program on at-risk student behavior in an alternative school. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest.

Kruger, L. J., & Maher, C. A. (Eds.). (1990). Promoting success with at-risk students: Emerging perspectives and practical approaches. Binghamton, NY: Routledge.

Observation and Description

The lesson is taught by Lisa Polacsek for the fourth-graders. As learning theories may have some aspects in common, it is necessary to take into account those that are more related to the lesson in question. As such, the learning theory observed in the video can be considered relevant to social learning theory established by Albert Bandura.

This theory presupposes that students learn from each other in the process of interactions. Besides, theory of social development by Vygotsky presupposes that students can learn something new in the process of social interactions. Finally, we can see discovery learning established by Bruner in action as students discover new facts in the process of learning.

The teaching situation includes division of students into science groups of six students in each; the roles assigned to every student are aimed at engaging every student into the learning process. Moreover, a teacher takes a role of an observer who does not interfere in the scientific activity of the group. The students are grouped so that there are about the same boy to girl ratio whereas the number of members is equal in all groups.

The lesson takes place in a large room where students can see the erosion when they poor water on soil: one person reminds what they should do and/or see at a specific stage; another person supplies water; the third person tracks the water; the fourth person serves as a messenger when a team has some questions to a teacher, etc. The teacher performs the role of an observer who can talk to a messenger only.

The observed teacher-to-student interactions presuppose that one student in each group whose role is a ‘messenger’ can only speak to the teacher directly while all other members of the team cannot do that. For instance, in the video the teacher asked a student to remind who can talk to her and talk to the messenger instead of talking to her. This approach is aimed at making students cooperate.

The observed student-to-student interactions include management as every team has a manger. Besides, students have to talk to each other because they should ask for a teacher’s help only via ‘messenger’. In addition, other members of the group also have their roles that imply certain actions within the group such as tracking the scientific activity or managing water supply. In other words, student-to-student interactions are based on the roles assigned.

Analysis, Exploration, and Reasoning

The purpose of the observed lesson is to teach students understand erosion as a natural phenomenon and make students cooperate with the help of dividing them into science groups and assigning specific roles to them. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the meaning of every role and duties that every student has to perform within a group.

The teaching strategy implemented in the observed lesson can be characterized as problem-based learning because a teacher implemented a real-life situation into the teaching-learning process in order to show students everything in practice. The topic of the observed lesson was erosion.

So, students had to see in their own eyes how the process of erosion destructs soil with regard to the time necessary for such destruction and scale of it. The strategy is aimed at making student learn the natural phenomenon by observing how things work in the real life.

The teacher’s possible purpose for implementing a teaching strategy observed in the video includes two aspects. The first aspect is the knowledge acquisition and practice. When students can see how things work, they can better understand the concept of erosion and other phenomena that can be seen in class. The second aspect is the social interaction and communication as to manage the entire class a special strategy was required. As such, roles assigned helped the teacher to make sure that all students are engaged and no mess occurs.

The level of student engagement with the observed lesson is high because every student has a specific role which presupposes work in team and particular duties for every role. So, students look excited and they gladly accept the roles assigned and do everything required. It would be impossible to reach such a level of engagement without roles and a task (a range of duties as every student should be in charge of a certain stage of the process) for every student.

Introduction

A tutor or instructor comprehend easily the way children study and develop since the children spend most of their time with the teachers. Therefore, the teacher can offer a good learning environment, which would assist the children’s personal, cognitive, intellectual and social growth and development. In addition, students learn more through viewing things in physical, thus, this is a good environment for the students to improve their intellectual abilities. Therefore, in this case the paper will discuss how the students will develop a deeper understanding of interdependence within ecosystem by examining on saltwater marsh using jigsaw strategy of instruction.

Jigsaw steps

The steps of jigsaw include;

• The teacher creating groups and giving an assignment on the following topic; salt marshes
• Each learner should get a sub-topic on the salt marshes.
• The students should proceed to the library and research for the relevant materials concerning their sub-topics.
• The learners should then leave their original groups and combine with an expert group where they are supposed to discuss about different issues about salt marshes like animals and plants such as cordgrass which thrive in such an environment (Grades Perk, 2005, par. 3).
• After the discussion, the members go back to their groups to teach their members about what they understood on salt marshes.

Description

When using Jigsaw as a model of cooperative learning, the teacher should create a ‘home group’ of four to five students and allocate them a certain topic which the tutor could have handled in the class. Secondly, in the assigned topic, the teacher should create some sub-topics and ensure that every home group has a particular sub-topic. After assigning the students the sub-topics, they should proceed to the resource center where they can read more on the topic. Later, they should depart from their groups and meet with an ‘expert’ group where they can fully brainstorm and discuss on what they understand concerning the topic.

After they are through with the discussion, the students should resume to their home groups and teach them what they know about salt marshes. Finally, the group is supposed to prepare some presentations.

Rationale

The rationale behind jigsaw as a cooperative learning model is that, when the teacher creates a topic like sea marshes, the topic is not biased as it could be if it was created by the students. In addition, when the teacher prepares several diverse subtopics which are related to the assignment of salt marshes, every group will be in a position to cover the same topic but different sub-topics (Weiner, n.d, par. 2).

It is very significant for the student to go to the resource center in order to gather relevant and deep information about salt marshes. When the students meet with ‘expert groups’, it will assist them in discussing and understanding the topic in a better way than if they could have read it by themselves. After the discussions, it is important for the students to go back to their home groups and discuss or teach their members what they learnt and understood about salt marshes. Therefore, Jigsaw model of cooperative learning is essential since it allows the learners of a group to handle a specific area of a course and understand it better than if they could have read it on their own (Bennett, Rolheiser & Stevahn, 1991, par.7).

When the teacher uses jigsaw as a strategy of giving instructions to the students, the learners will be introduced to the topic appropriately. In addition, they will be in a position to sustain a high degree of personal roles. By using jigsaw, the learners will establish group work and cooperative or supportive learning skills amongst themselves. Moreover, the strategy will assist the student to gain a great depth of knowledge and skills which they could not have if they studied the materials individually.

Individual assessment

In order for the teacher to understand the progress of a student performance evaluation is very significant whether it is individual or group performance. This is because performance assessment is an essential issue that concerns personnel management since it motivates career growth and development of the institution. By the use of the jigsaw method of learning, the teacher is in a position to carry out individual assessment.

This is because at the end of the task, each student is required to return back to her or his home group and present or give a presentation about the salt marshes. Therefore, the jigsaw strategy will clearly show the learner’s own comprehension concerning the concept of salt marshes. In addition, the strategy will disclose any misinterpretation about salt marshes which the student had (Aronson, Blaney, Stephin, Sikes & Snapp, 1978, par. 3).

Group assessment

Similarly, since each home team is expected to prepare some presentations concerning salt marshes, the teacher can go through the presentations and assess the group performance by looking at the quality of the presentations the group has. In addition, the teacher could incorporate the entire class in assessing the content which they anticipate in order for them to grasp the evaluation. By using the jigsaw model of cooperative learning, the teacher can prepare study guides, which contain all the concepts that each topic should handle, the manner in which the student or group should organize their work.

Through the study guides, the teacher can be able to assess individual and group performance. In addition, the tutor should evaluate the level of mastery of the student regarding all the materials. Learners can also assess themselves on the way their team performed in the jigsaw by encouraging one another, dynamic listening and looking at one another for comprehension and creating objectives for further discussions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, jigsaw strategy of instruction is important since it is offers the students a chance to train themselves rather than having materials given to them. Moreover, jigsaw allows each learner to have exercise in self-teaching hence, making the learner to become competent in using geological terminologies. Jigsaw also offers an opportunity for the learner to participate effectively in a discussion and as a result he or she understands the topic better rather than if one had studied the materials on his or her own.

Reference List

Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Stephin, C., Sikes, J. & Snapp, M. (1978). The Jigsaw Classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing Company.

Bennett, B., Rolheiser, C. & Stevahn, L. (1991) Cooperative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind. Educational Connections, Ontario.

Coppit, D., (n.d). An Objective Approach for Evaluating Individual Performance in Group Projects. Web.

Grades Perk, (2005). Teacher’s Information, Pre-trip and Post-trip Activities. Web.

Wenner, E., (n.d). Dynamics of the Salt Marsh. Marine Resources Research Institute. Web.

Learning is the process through which knowledge is acquired for the purpose of human development or the modification of previously acquired knowledge that is expressed in human behaviour or life skills (Terry, 2006, p.35).Human beings are endowed with ability to learn because of their highly developed brains. The learning process takes time and involves addition of new information to the already existing one. Learning may take place under several situations motivated by different factors. This may include learning for the purpose of getting an education, training in a certain field of expertise or as a way of developing oneself intellectually or spiritually. Acquisition of knowledge through learning may take place through formation of habits or through formal instruction as in the case of schools and other institutions of learning (Terry, 2006, p.38). In learning, cognition plays a very important role. Cognition is the ability of the mind to process information and apply acquired knowledge in the processes of decision making and problem solving. These are vital processes in learning.

A change in behaviour as a result of personal experiences is considered a way of learning. This may involve several variations. The behaviour may elicit a reward or a punishment depending on whether it is positive or negative (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009, p.56). A reward reinforces the behaviour and increases chances of its repetition and adoption while punishment decreases the possibility of its repetition and adoption as a part of an individual’s character. It may also be developed from conditioning in which case a certain stimulus brings about a reflex response. Behaviour may be directly linked to experiences which are a great source of knowledge hence important in learning (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009, p.57).

Learning may take place in different ways and all involve the active participation of the learner. Two types of learning include visual learning and auditory learning. In both types the learner uses his senses to receive information (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009, p.66). They are used by different types of learners because any given learner uses a specific sense for learning more than others. Visual learning is a type of learning that involves the use images to pass on information and ideas to the learner. These images include diagrams, maps, drawings, pictures and videos. Learners who prefer this method of learning find it necessary to form mental images of the information they receive in order to retain it. This type of learning is highly effective because learners can use the images to take in more information compared to other types of learning. This type of learning saves more time than others. Auditory learning is a type of learning that involves acquisition of information through listening. Its effectiveness depends on the speaking and listening ability of the learner. Auditory learners possess well developed auditory skills and contrary to visual learners who think in images, they present their information in words. The type of learning preferred by a learner depends on which sense is most developed (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009, p.66).

There is a very close relationship between learning and cognition. Learning results in cognition considering that cognition involves different processes of the mind that process and analyze the information acquired through different types of learning. Cognition involves processing the information received in the learning process and also the application of the acquired knowledge (Baars & Gage, 2007, p.67). For example learning through multimedia presentations requires the student to absorb the information presented, process and analyze it. Cognition is applied in processing received information since the information has to be encoded and analyzed for ease of recalling (Terry, 2006, p.46).

References

1. Baars, B. J. & Gage, N. M. (2007). Cognition, Brain, and Consciousness: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience. London: Elsevier Ltd
2. Olson, M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An Introduction to Theories of Learning (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
3. Terry, W. S. (2006). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Education is the process of training learners so as to endow them with skills; to change their character for the better and to change their behavior positively. Human development refers to the process through which a human being develops from childhood to adult hood through a number of stages. Learning is the process through which the learners acquire knowledge, skills from the teacher by being taught by the teacher.

Self esteem refers to the ability of an individual to view themselves with high regards as they view other people. High self esteem is normally a great drive in achieving greater things than could have been imagined. While low self esteem is normally a discouraging factor and normally affects individuals who have little belief in themselves and are normally afraid of making any initiatives. In a classroom environment, it is normally important that the teacher helps the learners to develop high self esteem. High self esteem is normally a motivator to the learners. The teacher can develop self esteem in the learners as he or she teaches. This normally involves appreciation of the learners. The teacher could use words of appreciation that will encourage the learners to participate in class; words such as good attempt, keep it up, well done and so on really provide a lot of positive motivation to the learners (Fernandez, 2008).

Security, also be referred to as protection is essential for learners in classroom environment. The classroom environment including the buildings and the classroom accessories need to be in good condition so as to enhance the learner’s security. School achievement is normally a collective responsibility of all the learners and the teachers.

Since the performance of every individual learner contributes to the overall school performance, the teachers should ensure that all the learners are effectively involved in the learning process. He or she can involve groupwork, tuitions and special classes to help the weaker students. This will help in strengthening a point not well understood during the normal lessons and as a result improving the overall school performance in the long term.

The three strategies can be involved during a laboratory experiment for a science practical. The teacher can group the learners. He or she can then consider making the groups compete for the best performance. Since the laboratory equipment and some of the chemicals used are very dangerous, the teacher can consider involving the laboratory technicians or assistants to help him/her to guide the learners and prevent any possible accidents. At the end of the practical experiments, the teacher can consider assisting the group that performed poorly and teach them on how to do the practical accurately. The laboratory practical also enables the learners to apply the knowledge gained in class in practice or in real life situations (Harrison, 2002 p. 168).

The introduction of competition in the groups is a motivating factor that will boost the learners’ motivation to do the practical effectively. The presence of the laboratory assistants and technicians to assist the learners in the laboratory helps in enhancing the learners’ security and preventing any possible accidents. When the teacher sets aside the group that performed poorly and helps them go through the practical once again, he/she is likely to enhance the overall school performance.

References

Fernandez, C. (2009). A boost for slow learners. Web.

Harrison, R. (2002). Supporting Lifelong Learning: Perspectives on learning. London, Routledge Falmer.

In many ways, the era preceding 1949 was a trying time in china. This era was marred with challenges such as domestic wars among the communities in china, international feuds in Asia and the world at large (like world war 1 and 2), economic challenges like the great depression of the 1920s and the increasing growth of U.S.A as a world superpower.

Therefore, as of 1949, there were still many issues for china to deal with especially in regards to human development and general well-being since the historical challenges acted as limitations in one way or another.

However, the government of China carefully assessed its options for making progress, took note of their strengths and weaknesses, then started making small steps towards changing all important industries in the country to encourage a holistic development in China.

Fast forwarding to 2012, China is commendably a formidable economic force to reckon with. Its high GDP, highly industrialized nature, good interrelations with other countries, oneness in thought of the Chinese people, superior technologies and great products and services are some of the notable developments that places China above many countries.

These developments have greatly improved the nature of human development and well-being in China since a good number of people have some form of employments.

In addition, china deservingly boast of a great healthcare system that has been able to reduce the prevalence of deaths thus reducing the mortality rate in the country, unlike many other regions that still contend with deaths from some diseases that could be prevented by good human development and well-being systems.

So, what is the secret behind China’s catapult to the world of success? Well, according to most scholars, there are two specific issues behind china’s lauded success. These are:

1. Public initiatives
2. Private initiatives

According to researchers, the development of company laws, the emergence of general principles of corporate social responsibility, the establishment of corporate social and environmental disclosure and the development of socially responsible investing as well as environmentally responsible financing are some of the key public initiatives responsible for China’s heralded well-being.

These initiatives have helped by encouraging hard work, objectivity, accountability, and efficacy in their endeavors.

On the other hand, two issues come into play regarding the private initiatives. Firstly, there is the emergence and development of human development standards and guidelines in China—which, reportedly, helped in keeping individuals and organizations in check. Secondly, there is the factor of reward.

Through forums that give rewards to people and organizations that champion human development endeavors; more people have been encouraged towards engaging in human development and well-being issues.

Based on these developments, there has been increased involvement of China in global business endeavors—for example, joining the World Trade Organization, hosting the Beijing Olympics and engaging in corporate social responsibilities like creating poverty alleviation programs or even giving donations to needy people both domestically and internationally.

Such involvements have not only encouraged the proliferation of human development endeavors, but they have also increased china’s stature and respect.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that China, just like most countries, still have their fair share of challenges such as frequent floods, strong completion from other countries and the need to continually better its development endeavors.

However, in overall, China has done a splendid job is improving its human development and well-being agendas both locally and international countries. If the few challenges it faces can be mitigated, a lot more can be expected from china in the near future!

Introduction

HDI is commonly known as the measure of economic development in a given country. However, this measure utilizes the combination of education, health and income (Kelley, 1991). The HDI is based on single numerical statistics that show the development of each country in relation to values between zero and 1. According to HDI, a country is considered developed if it accrues a higher value. The development of education in the country is based on the mean of years among adults aged 25 years and the expected schooling duration of children at the time of schooling age. On the other hand, life expectancy is used to determine the level of health in a country using a standard of 20 and 83 as minimum and maximum years respectively. Income is measured as a wealth component and provides insight into the country’s economic progress.

For example, HDI uses $100 and $ 87,478 as minimum and maximum income standards respectively. In this respect, wealth as a component of standard living is based on GNI per capita (PPP). Despite the HDI making critical progress in analyzing economic development in countries, there are serious disadvantages associated with the measure. This paper discusses the limitations of using HDI in reviewing countries economic progress.

Limitations

HDI is ineffective when used to measure education. For example, an indication that two thirds of American population is literate raises critical questions. Considering that one third of the population is only derived from a Gross Enrollment Index in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Therefore, this means that to get a maximum measure of education in a country, one has to assume that the entire population is made up of students (Klugman, Rodríguez & Choi, 2011). Therefore, this assumption is absurd and does not account for graduation and school drop-out rates. In addition, the HDI does not account for the actual human values perceived by the populace. In this regard, some section of the population would regard secondary objects like vehicles and property more valuable than books.

The HDI use of GNI is a deliberate move to initiate a bias against the principles of GDP (Klugman, Rodríguez & Choi, 2011). In this respect, an equal measure bounding the values between zero and one cannot be used for conclusive measurement. Precisely, this is because the GDP per capita is not static in any country as it grows with years. However, the HDI assumes that GDP per capita does not grow especially in developing countries. In this context, HDI portrays an incorrect position about wealthy countries by assuming their GDP per capita is on constant growth. For example, the United States economic superiority is exaggerated when HDI is applied, ignoring the country’s lower performance in recent times.

HDI uses the age of 83 years as the maximum life expectancy age. Therefore, this contradicts the current improvement in life expectancy over the last 20 years. In fact, 85 years is now considered the optimal age. Therefore, HDI life expectancy scale would consider the value of 85 years, the immortality age.

From a logical perspective, HDI does not improve and evolve with time. The measure is based on a static position that the county’s optimal achievement is the value of 10 irrespective of any economic development. The fact that HDI excludes important elements of economic and social life is absurd. It is a fact that factors such as corruption, poverty, crime play a critical part in determining a country’s economic development (Klugman, Rodríguez & Choi, 2011).

Benefits

Using HDI as a measure of economic development has its own advantages. For example, HDI is based on three measures that are easy to collect and evaluate in terms of availability of data. Moreover, the reliability of data related to education, life expectancy and income are easy to obtain from government libraries and databases. Using the measures of life expectancy and education is necessary for evaluating how successful governments have been able to implement policies. Although HDI may fail to capture the actual position of the country’s economic development, it remains an important element in predicting a country’s potential in improving citizens’ living standards.

Conclusion

Understanding a country’s position in respect to economic development is vital to the government and the respective population. In this regard, using HDI to evaluate the country’s performance in vital areas of the economy is necessary. As indicated earlier, HDI is instrumental in evaluating the government performance in implementing policies especially in health and education. On the other hand, the limitations attributed to the use of HDI raises important issues on how economic development should be measured. Therefore, an effective tool of measurement that utilizes important aspects of the economy should be used.

From the HDI evaluation, it is evident that the exclusion of GDP per capita does not guarantee an accurate measurement of economic development. However, HDI can be used by governments to make plans and policies in regard to improving citizens’ welfare. More importantly, an evaluation on HDI forms a fundamental research foundation for scholars to study on new economic measurement methods.

References

Kelley, A. C. (1991). The human development index: handle with care. Population and Development Review, 315-324. Web.

Klugman, J., Rodríguez, F & Choi, H. J. (2011). The HDI 2010: New controversies, old critiques. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 9(2), 249-288. Web.