Friday, December 30, 2011

Study of Academic Skills Needed to Succeed

On any given school night, a common question parents ask their teenagers is: "Do you have any homework?" or "Have you studied yet?" What those parents should be asking, is: "Does my child know how to study?" Unfortunately the answer is often no, yet having strong study skills are the key to academic success-whether in middle school, high school, or college.

What often happens in the middle and high school classroom is that a teacher tells students that they need to take notes. After the pens and paper come out, the teacher usually tells the students what to write down. Some students get it, some don't. The students are given a reading assignment to go along with their notes, and sometime later there is a test. The teacher usually does some type of review before the test, but basically the student is on his own to study. Maybe he never read the assignment; maybe he only half listened during the note taking; maybe he only half listened during the review. When he sits down to study, he doesn't have what he needs, probably gets bored, and calls it a night. That does not bode well for how he will do on the test.

It doesn't matter what the subject is, if the student does not understand, or even care, about the correlation between good study skills and good grades, he or she will probably end up a mediocre student at best. And if they want to go to college, keep in mind that a student without good study skills can sink very quickly. Parents should know that college professors must assume that the student comes to class fully aware of the importance of good note taking, effective reading, and paying attention. Those that have those skills succeed in college; those that don't struggle.

The problem, of course, is getting your teenager motivated enough to learn good study techniques and then use them. That is not easy and parents will need to be creative in their efforts to get their teenagers to see the value. If that teenager plans to go to college, be ready to explain to her that reading, note taking, and studying are everyday chores in college-the better prepared she is now, the more likely she will do well in college.

Some middle and high schools do offer classes that teach study skills. One example is a program called AVID - Advancement Via Individual Determination. In AVID classes, students learn how to take notes, read for content, study, and organize themselves. It would be worth a call to the counselor's office to see what your teenager's school offers if you feel he does not know how to study.

One effective study method can be self taught-if you can convince your student it is worth the effort. SQR3 (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) uses five clear steps to studying:

   1. First survey, or scan, the whole document. Pay attention to titles and subtitles, to graphs and charts, to bold or italic text.
   2. Question what you've just surveyed. What questions come to mind with each subtitle or chart? What does that italic test make you wonder?
   3. Then thoroughly read each section one at a time, looking for answers to your questions.
   4. Next recite the answers to your questions out loud - speaking the answers helps you remember the information.Then write down the answer.
   5. After you have read and recited each section, do a final review of all your notes, questions, and answers. Make a list of the main points.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

How Educational Resources Have Changed?

As with all advancements in technology, many different sectors are directly influenced by the changes, sometimes for the good and sometimes not. Most industries that are hit first are those of business as these advancements can often affect their operations, marketing and production, etc. However, education in schools, colleges and universities are all influenced by the changes in technology.

We all know that the world was revolutionised with the introduction of computers but they are now more heavily involved in part of many early years' resources. For those in higher education you can understand how the process is a lot easier to integrate and will be more easily adapted. However, concerning really young children who will not be able to quickly learn about computers, the process could prove more challenging.

One of the ways in which this notion has been introduced with outstanding success is via the replacement of traditional white boards, or even chalk boards, with electronic smart boards. These have been specifically designed for classrooms and feature a range of teaching programmes. This simple advancement will allow the children to familiarise themselves with the computer systems, allowing for easy adaption, without putting any pressure or responsibly onto the actual children.

Many of the programmes used by these systems are fun, interactive and also educational, which has been found to help younger children grasp particular concepts a lot easier. They are actively involved within the lesson and you can teach them via topics they are interested in and will want to learn. It has also been found that the use of educational games and sounds has been a success when it comes to teaching more academic levels. They are able incorporate the use of imagery and sounds, combined with words to help adhere to a range of different learning styles.

With more and more educational bodies recognising the different learning styles and how many children learn better using a variety of techniques; audio, visual and kinetic, they have been able to incorporate these factors into differing features of technology. This has allowed teachers to get the most out of classes and the best performance from individual pupils. By addressing this at an early age, where children are prone to soak up information, it can help to push the standards of education forward.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Importance of Outdoor Learning

Traditionally, learning and education has always done indoors in a safe and secure and lean environment, but this has since been revised and look into more detail.

Outside environment is rich in natural space and the dynamic of a lot can be learned through physical processes and interactive. Children of all ages will be able to learn in a fun and healthy environment when some classes are taken outside. Its value as an important lean environment has been recognized by many different pieces of research, and more recently Stage Early Years Foundation (EYFS).

They have been able to summarize the values ​​of the outdoors and have identified the following in particular;

    * Being outdoors has a positive influence on children's welfare and all other aspects of development.
    * The outside of the home offers the opportunity to do things in different ways and at different scales, which is not possible in the room is accessible.
    * They also give children real life experience with the weather, seasons, wildlife and their habitats as well as many other things related to the natural world.
    * They give children the freedom to explore and use their senses and be physically active and alive.

Because of its unique features and characteristics of the outside offer, it will provide children with experiences and activities that can not be easily replicated in the room. It has the same value of learning in a room and provide a basis from which children can actively acquire academic information. They need support from adults who are involved and enthusiastic about the outdoors to show them how important and how it can affect their health and wellbeing; it will seek to ensure that they have a positive opinion from the outside, helping them form a well balanced lifestyle and active.

While teaching in your outdoor environment to actively encourage children to make their own decisions about things, while also giving them the opportunity to freely explore, solve problems and grow in confidence as they create their own experience. They need a lot of time to develop their own skills and find things they are interested in, and things that they do not, something that can only be achieved by giving them time to investigate the accident environment. They will make predictions with a drawing of what they have leaned in the classroom in addition to playing experience, they will be able to actively learn and test these theories because they experience things first hand for themselves.

Friday, December 2, 2011

A Simplified Approach for All Students

Recently, a "regular student" approached me in absolute panic! With tears in her eyes, she told me that he had received half the value that he truly believes is lower than that obtained. I explained to him that the teacher did, indeed, make mistakes from time to time, but it is relatively easy to solve the problem. All students have to do is take all the duties assessed him, tests and quizzes for the master and ask him to re-calculate the grade. Unfortunately, the "regular student" is a throw in assessed work habits when teachers return. In accordance with the form, this student has made no paper in the file and, therefore, had no way to verify its values, or explore the possibility of teacher-generated errors.

This is a difficult lesson to learn, but students are not entirely to blame. Children, at a very early age, came to depend on adults to keep track of important information. By nature, mothers and fathers are responsible for ensuring children get to school on time, go to the doctor for routine check-up, clean up his room, etc. Ultimately, however, there are times when a young student should begin to assume a modicum of responsibility and independence. Thus, sooner or later students will find that adults are not perfect. Unfortunately, too often children come to this realization through the episode as described above.

This is why it is essential that a student begin to use the scheme of the organization when he started school (kindergarten is not too early to start organizing a job). Parents can not rely on the school system to teach children organizational skills. That's not to say that all schools at all ignoring this problem. Unfortunately, some schools are not, indeed, make a token effort to help students to organize themselves, fall short of doing a complete job and almost always fail to strengthen the process throughout the school year. The school may, for example, give students a "planner" (often an organizational tool that schools only have to provide). In many cases, however, both teachers and counselors take the time to show students how to use a planner or to verify that students have used the planners at all! This applies both to public and private schools alike. Many private schools are the most expensive, after selling the parents in the schools' organizational skills and a rigid program of study, "do nothing to teach students to use and maintain these essential skills.

Because the school has been regularly ignored to emphasize the importance of adopting an efficient organizational scheme, students have come to a natural conclusion that the organization is not important. In fact, students are often denied their implementing any "outside" the organization chart by asking, "Why do I have to do this, the teacher does not make me do it!" The sad truth is that so many teachers do not realize the impact that the organization (or lack thereof) has a student's performance.

And what about the students who try hard to get organized. He had to take a trial-and-error to this issue, because no one ever showed him only what works and what does not work. Let me give you an example. Students often will buy a notebook wire-bound or glue-bound some believe that a separate notebook for each class is a good way to organize one's work.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Traumatic Effects of Slavery and Colonialism

This paper outlines ways of conceptualizing and understanding the intergenerational impact of slavery and colonialism.

In consideration of the volatile and emotive nature of this subject I shall define what I mean by black issues. I am using a working definition of black issues rather than present myself as the expert on this theme.

The term 'black' in this context is a political and sociological term applied to the most visible minority in the UK who are vulnerable to white racism.

Black people are the least represented in the field of psychotherapy and counselling and there may be several reasons for this. For example Taboos about washing dirty linen in public and sharing family behaviours and culturally specific conflicts with individuals outside of their communities of origin and their networks. Suspicion about the use of traditional therapies that may be culturally inappropriate and exclusion and misunderstanding due to institutional racism may also be another cause.Having said this, although the term black is generally used to affirm the rich African and Asian heritage of colonised peoples, it is important to be clear that not all Africans, Caribbean peoples and Asians identify as 'black'. Indeed a Caribbean artist friend alluding to 'black as a transitional phase through authentic identity development insists that you are black until you are African. In the book I have referred to black issues as pertaining to the experiences and concerns in the lives of black people of which racism has a significant influence. This outlook can therefore be used as model for therapeutic understanding of oppressive influences on other minority groups.

I would like to draw attention to the racial or cultural pre-disposition of the black or minority client in the therapeutic process. There are three main areas in this process. The first being the personal and psychological impact that derives from experiences of individual overt or covert racism from which, according to Scheurich & Young (1997) comes epistemological racism. Even if the individual does not accept they are being racist epistemological racism occurs and thus creates discourses of institutional racism and Eurocentricism.

The second area of Social and educational impact is evidenced by intergenerational oppression and trauma that can be seen in everyday attitudes. A fifteen year old teenager stands in the centre of a cultural carnival in London and states "There are Chinky's all around me" A small child points and laughs out loud at a 'little' person in a shopping centre, a seventeen year old states that he would kill himself if he were gay. An African Caribbean child hates her hair because it is not silky and straight. These snapshots of intergenerational oppression are influenced by social, cultural and educational reference points and get passed on inter-generationally. They are usually evidenced when unconscious psychological processes are exposed. Therapy creates a dynamic emotional situation that uncovers these civilisational and intergenerational modes of response to diversity and culture. Eurocentricism impacts on the modes of response to these social and educational dilemmas and can determine whether for example the oppression of racism will be challenged and the attached emotional distress supported for both individuals within the perpetrator group and victims of racism.

Racism continues to cause trauma and depression. The examination of this problem has been halted in mid flow by a discourse of post racism. Post racism is a defensive excuse to sit in a complacent matrix on laurels and not get messy in attempts to resolve the racial aspects of a transcultural process. It is often forgotten that slavery was damaging both for the perpetrators and the enslaved and both parties must be responsible for how they move on from this atrocity. Silences about the impact of slavery and colonialism within the psychotherapy profession often means that black clients may not have appropriate support for the intergenerational impact of this collective trauma.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Medical Assistant School Can Become in Your Future

Do you find yourself stuck in a meaningless job, or worse, a going-nowhere career? Does helping others genuinely bring joy into your life? Would the dynamic work involved with a career in health and medicine entice you to make some career choice changes? An affirmative answer to one or more of these questions may indicate attending medical assistant school could be a great choice for your financial future.

As you consider making this career changing decision, understand those around you will likely wholeheartedly support your choices or throw up attempted roadblocks in an effort to keep you close to them. The good news? Considering such a life-changing choice comes with some built in support knowledge you can use in your defense.

One major defensive stand includes the rosy job outlook for medical assistants over the course of the next six years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, all indications exist that point to a massive growth in the need for well trained and certified health care practitioners, specifically medical assistants. By 2018 there should be more than a 30% increase in positions needing to be filled.

This one factor easily provides the safety net you will need to overcome most any objections. Another way to help convince those who love and care for you might include pointing out the locations of some leading medical assistant schools in the country. Some of the better career colleges have branches in numerous cities. They likely have a location relatively close to wherever you currently call home.

Even if you find it necessary to travel a bit in order to take advantage of this growing medical field, you won't need to be away for very long. Many programs will have you certified and available for hire in less than nine months. And should you decide to finish an Associates Degree, that can be completed in less than a year and a half. These certifications and degrees will go quite a long way towards helping you not only get a secure position now, but to also prepare you for advancing faster in the medical and health industries.

Of course, you are going to get some questions asking about what sort of work assistants perform. You can confidently proclaim that the job duties are interesting and quite varied. Additionally, you will be trained in both clinical and administrative duties. And no, you can tell those detractors in your life, this is not about becoming a glorified secretary.

Most training programs now include an extensive computer education in order to fully operate the front office of a medical practice. As well, you will answer phones, greet patients, perform a variety of scheduling, billing and correspondence to help keep the practice's business operations running smoothly.

On the clinical side, expect to participate in taking the histories of your medical patients as well as helping them to understand the doctor's prognosis and treatment options. Of course, as the job name indicates, you assisting the medical professional will be one of the forefront duties you perform each day. You may even perform a variety of phlebotomy procedures like drawing blood and collecting patient samples for analysis.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

How Can Technology Help In Classroom?

Teachers who strive to improve their classroom setting often wonder about the addition of technology and how it might help their students. While the debate about whether technology helps or harms students continues, parents and teachers must understand the potential benefits of using technology in the classroom.

Improving Technical Skills:

In this modern world that constantly produces new and improved technological advances, the skills that come with technology are vital to future success. Children need to learn skills like typing, research and communication via technological devices early. By learning the basic skills in school while they are young, students are able to improve their ability to keep up in this ever-changing world.

Increasing Motivation:

New technological devices are ideal when it comes to motivating students. Books, paper and pen are often boring and make it challenging to motivate the students. Bringing in a new gadget that has e-books or interesting learning tools helps draw in students and motivate them to try completing tasks because they are able to also try out the new device. By motivating the students to learn the technology, teachers are also helping them learn vital skills like reading, arithmetic and sciences.

Helping Special Needs:

Technology used in the classroom can also help students who have special needs keep up with their peers. For example, a student who has problems hearing can use a tablet with a record to written feature that allows him or her to record the lecture as the teacher speaks and then see the written form of the lecture. This helps him or her keep up with the activities in class. Technology is useful in a wide range of applications that helps students who have special needs of any type. Depending on the particular disability, students can apply advances in different measures.

Working Together:

Students who are striving to learn the use of a new technological device often end up working together and improving their communication skills through tutoring, discussion and simple inquisitiveness. As students discuss and try new ideas while learning the new technology or software, they are improving their ability to work out problems without the help of adults and become better at communicating. This ability to work together to solve problems carries forward into adulthood, when students will need the skills to succeed in future careers.