EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION:
Every morning, diverse students – rich and poor, black and white, rural and urban, gay and straight — begin the school day by rising, facing the flag, and pledging allegiance to a country that claims to be indivisible, ensuring liberty and justice for all. Students learn the value of equality, which states that everyone in the United States has the right of equal treatment regardless of background, belief, economic status, race, religion, or sex. Students also learn about the value of justice, a belief that society offers the same benefits and has the same obligations to all of its citizens. Both of these values teach students that individuals and groups are not favored over other individuals or groups. Although students are learning the value of equality and justice, this is not always the case within the educational system. Instead of everyone being treated the same and having the same opportunities, there still exist differences among both equality and justice.
The idea of social justice brings many different issues to the administrators within the educational system. Yes teachers are introduced to some diversity, but how educated are they on culturally diverse groups?
Teachers are suppose to be able to provide students with a learning environment in which race, class, ability, language, appearance, sexuality and gender are accepted. Children need to have equal opportunities for success and learning. Equal does not mean the same though. Students come from many different cultures, languages, lifestyles and values. Treating each student exactly the same will not be in the best interest of the students. It is important to focus on the individual and their needs.
The ethnic background of culturally diverse students should not be dishonored in the classroom. Instead, the different backgrounds should be embraced and recognized as an important part of ones identity. There are a variety of learning materials that would aid in the assistance of educating other students to appreciate various ethnic perspectives. For example, learning through multicultural literature. There are many different things teachers need to take into consideration when teaching students. On top of teaching important information, they need to be culturally diverse and truly provide their student with equality and justice.
Education is very important and leads to the openning of different windows. These windows provide one with opportunities to reach success and the things they really want in life. If I was to put the purpose of education in a metaphor, it would be:
THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IS TO TURN MIRRORS INTO WINDOWS
Throughout education we learn different information and life skills that have meaning and use throughout life. The information that we learn in schools helps for later success in life and that is why education and the educational process is so important. Schools work to build the foundations for success. All of these foundations, life skills, and important knowledge provides opportunity.
These opportunities enable each educated individual of society to earn a living. Education aims at making the individuals of society self-sufficient. They try to teach students how to live within society, including interactions and success to move forward in success. Education produces productive human resources, which can contribute to the creation of wealth.
Education puts down the foundation for the success. Education allows dreams and aspirations to become true or atleast move someone closer to their dreams and what they want. Education helps a students and people meet their career objectives and achieve an economic growth. Education builds a resourceful individual who can benefit from their knowledge. These resources that this individual has can open windows for success. Education results in a sense of personal fulfillment and opens windows to go on to do other things. An educated human being, having experienced the positive effects of education on their personality is on the right path to success.
An individual goes from looking at just oneself and not being able to see what they want in life to seeing what is out in this world for them to grasp and take part of!!!!
HOW IS COGNITIVISM APPLIED IN THE CLASSROOM?
Cognitivism is the psychology of learning which emphasizes human cognition or intelligence as a special endowment enabling man to form hypotheses and develop intellectually. The underlying concepts of cognitivism involve how we think and gain knowledge. Cognitivism involves examining learning, memory, problem solving skills, and intelligence. The goal of cognitivism is for students to develop thinking skills for lifelong self-directed learning.
Students construct meaningful knowledge through experiences and interactions. The development of engaging and interactive activities and lessons will promote this kind of learning. Students must be able to interact with one another and be able to share ideas and thoughts. Through various different experiences and interactions, students learn skills that will last them a life time. Students benefit greatly from the use of manipulatives and real-life learning opportunities. It is best in these learning opportunities are relevant to prior experiences of the students. It is the teachers responsiblity to stimulate cognitive development. This can be done through mediation of students learning and monitoring of the thought process.
In the Classroom it is important to understand that problem solving changes throughout childhood and for that reason it is important that children are learing at developmentally appropriate levels. It is also important to take into consideration cultural differences and the affect it has on academic achievements, language development, and other skills important in cognitive development.
In a classroom environment, there are many variables that influence and contribute to learning. When creating and implementing a learning environment, it is imperative that the teachers not only create a setting that promotes learning, but also take the time to understand each child. Classrooms are widely diverse and complex. Students learn differently and are at various developmental levels. Teachers who properly manage their classrooms and establish expectations will be able to incorporate diverse teaching philosophies and create an excellent learning environment for each student. It is important that teachers create a learning environment that encourages students to do their best and makes learning interesting. This creates a motivational climate within the classroom. There are two factors that are critical to motivate students, value and effort. Students must understand that the work they are performing is worthwhile. Value measures the importance of a student's work to himself and others. Effort is the amount of time and energy students put into their work. Understanding the value of academic tasks and the effort needed to complete those tasks can motivate students to perform better in the classroom environment.
http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/31012664/Cognitivism
LEARING DISABLITIES: How do they affect the classroom?
There is a 6-10% estimate of the school-aged population in the United States that is labeled as being learning disabled. The learning disabled have difficulties with academic achievement and progress. There are descrepancies that exist between a persons potential for learning and what they actually learn. The learning disabled show an uneven pattern of language, physical, academic, and perceptual development. Learning disabilities develop at different rates and may run in families.
The primary characteristic of a learning disability is a significant difference between a child's achievement in some areas and his or her overall intelligence. Learning disabilities typically affect five general areas:
Spoken language: delays, disorders, and deviations in listening and speaking.
Written language: difficulties with reading, writing and spelling.
Arithmetic: difficulty in performing arithmetic operations or in understanding basic concepts.
Reasoning: difficulty in organizing and integrating thoughts.
Memory: difficulty in remembering information and instructions. If your child has a learning disability you should contact the child's school and arrange for testing and evaluation. Federal law requires that public schools provide special education and related services to children who need them. There is different planning and placement that can take place. With the proper help most children that have a learning disability can make excellent progress.
I work for an afterschool program and in the program there is a child that struggles very much when it comes to homework. I have communicated with parents and teachers and it seems as if he is not getting the proper help needed. This young boy is 9 in 3rd grade. It is his second time in third grade. His most difficulties are with math. He has a tough time even adding simple numbers. I do whatever i can to help him with his homework to make sure he understands, but that is not enough if i am the only one. There definitely needs to be more done for this young child to help him succeed because doing nothing is not going to help.
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/learning_disabilities.shtml
