Abstract This paper examines Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences- the history, the details, and the impact, and discusses the flaws of standardized testing and how the blossoming field of brain research has led to new discoveries in the sphere of human interaction. The author analyzes the definition of intelligence and how our common, definition has affected the educational system.
From the Paper "The inner workings of intelligence, intellect, and rational have been contemplated since the beginning of thought. As knowledge is the greatest gift human kind possesses, it is imperative to our survival to know the factors of intelligence and, perhaps more importantly, how to cultivate the power of these factors. There have been many theories about the nature of the mind since the ancient philosophers picked up the pen. For Descartes, mind was seen as hydraulics, or a fluid in the supposed nerve tubes. The ancient Greeks supposed that marionettes, controlled by strings, provided the model of mind, which gave birth to our word neuron as neurone is the Greek word for string. Centuries later, Francis Galton extended Darwinian Theory and introduced the idea that perhaps intelligence was hereditary. Thus, the study of the mind was transformed from an entertaining science to one crucial to our continued existence."
Abstract This paper provides evidence and argument that the universal accessibility has improved since the year 1997 for schools and libraries across the nation and the world. The writer uses several articles to illustrate the changes as well as the constants that have been experienced over the course of the last four years.
From the Paper "If anyone had told us a few decades ago where technology would take us we would have decided they were crazy. However, today with the click of a mouse one can access the world and never leave home. As exciting as it was there were still many students who did not have computers at home. It was not long before they began to lag behind in many areas of knowledge. That is when schools and libraries began to step in and assist in the education of all people equally."
Abstract This persuasive essay lobbies for the halt and reversal of the trend that is banning the seemingly harmless game of dodgeball from public schools across the country. It presents views from both sides of the argument fairly, but clearly is opposed to banning the game.
From the Paper "Political correctness has made its appearance in the gymnasiums and schoolyards of America. Dodgeball, once an innocent childhood game, is now the subject of a heated controversy throughout the United States. Nine states have already banned this seemingly harmless diversion, and this mindset is spreading. Physical education instructors, psychologists and parents across the nation are all embraced in an intense debate over what the psychological effects a simple game of dodgeball may have on the ever-growing sensitive psyche of the youth of America. Is this a brutal contest of the mighty against the meek, or simply a harmless childhood game?"
This paper looks at the effects of the drug Ritalin given to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) children.
Abstract This paper looks at the debate surrounding the use of Ritalin, especially the misuse among children under the age of six. The paper details what ADD and ADHD are, how they are diagnosed and treated and what the growth in the number of children being diagnosed with these disorders has done to the use of Ritalin. The paper looks at several different issues including treatment of adolescents, teenagers and young adults. It also addresses the issue of a lack of research being conducted into the affects that this drug has on children and adolescents.
The paper has an extensive bibliography, but is without footnotes, or endnotes.
From the Paper "Children who take Ritalin note that they are more goal directed, they are able to stay focused on their schoolwork, are less aggressive and are more docile and compliant. The effects of the drug usually are seen within 30 to 60 minutes after taking it. The peak occurs within one to three hours and the influences are gone in 3 to 5 hours. The sustained release form, effects last 6 to 8 hours. It is entirely metabolized and out of the system within 12 to 24 hours. The dose is usually taken twice a day. The Physicians Desk Reference lists more than 25 side effects that can be seen while taking Ritalin. Some of these include nausea, insomnia, headaches, weight loss, slowing of growth, compulsive behaviors, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure and Tourette syndrome. Regardless of the evidence that this drug has damaging side effects, doctors still ignore a safer solution. Non drug approaches for children are also underfunded."
Abstract The author looks at several sociological and environmental factors that can be associated with the rise in juvenile violence, whose roots can be traced back to the early 1980s. The author looks that the rise in the numbers of juvenile crimes, the sociological factors that specifically affect juvenile crime, and lastly, examines specific environmental factors that appear to be affecting juvenile crime. The paper looks at this rising trend, that began with changes that the country underwent at the turn of the twentieth century, and the adverse affects they had on the family structure.
From the Paper "In his popular 1997 book entitled "Kid's Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood," author Gary Cross states that, over the course of the twentieth century, American parents "increasingly lost control over and even understanding of the play of their children" (p. 149). The children's entertainment industry developed alongside an advancing technology, and basic toys and games became increasingly complicated and complex as well as increasingly foreign to parental understanding with each passing decade. By the time that the Electronic and Information Age had fully exploded in the 1990s, most parents had fallen so far behind the technological times that effective censorship of the films that their children viewed and the games that their children played had become, in effect, virtually impossible. In the face of a rapidly changing technology, many modern parents simply stopped trying to monitor their children's entertainment activities. With this decrease in parental notice and attention came an increase in violent and criminal content, an exchange that ultimately resulting in an electronic atmosphere and environment that graphically glorifies violence and worships the virtual gods of death and destruction."
This is a creative writing essay about life in college from the author's point of view, providing an account of the "college experience" as well as tips on how to survive college.
710 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 0 sources, 2001, $ 25.95
Abstract This is a creative writing essay about life in college from the author's point of view. This paper projects the hypothesis that experiences and challenges of college are likely to change students. College life has an impact on every student in some way. The life becomes so hectic at times that every student faces stress at one time or another. The paper gives tips on important things that will help students survive college such as - time management, extracurricular activities and dealing with stress.
From the Paper "College life presents many challenges for incoming students. Academically, many students find college to be much more difficult than high school. Students are concerned with not only their academic success at college, but their social and emotional adjustment as well. I felt really concerned if I would fit in with the crowd or not. Then another pressure was that I was able to make college on a scholarship and had to maintain my grades if I hoped to be given another scholarship for further studies. This paper projects the hypothesis that Experiences and challenges of college are likely to change students. College life has an impact on every student in some way. One of the major assumptions of faculty and parents towards students is that they are thought of as irresponsible and immature. The life becomes so hectic at times that every student faces stress at one time or another. Time management is one of the things that a student needs to learn in order to survive in college. "
Abstract This paper examines the legal educational guidelines for children with special needs. The paper investigates the language of "inclusion", the rhetoric of politics and school administration and the advocacy of parents and professionals. It describes the legal rights of special education students and illustrates the difficultly of providing an appropriate education for these children as a result of the wide variety of special needs and abilities.
From the Paper "Special education has always been under debate as far as provision of facilities and programs are concerned. Despite discussion on the issue, as well as the installation of the law, many instances of malpractice at the hand of the facilitators could be seen. Disability is a vast term that encompasses various kind of disability. For some institution it means the cognitive inability to demonstrate any kind of intelligence. As a result, critics believe that the law does not apply where providing quality facilities are concerned. ON the other hand other groups include children with physical disparagement but have the cognitive ability to think for themselves. For this reason, the States? law has outlined rights that pertain to include all level of special individuals. These programs are called special education and they are under the navigation of various case studies. While other still those youngsters who undergo cognitive change and have difficulty in learning are also included in this law. For this reason at times it is found that some of these laws does not work in cohesion for the purpose of the people / students [Roberts, R., & Mather, N. 1995]."
This essay focuses on the current system of assessment testing in schools which the author finds is no longer a tool to help children, but is now used as an intimidation tactic that places pressure on teachers and schools.
Abstract This paper contains information on the legislation that makes assessment tests mandatory, the consequences of making these tests of such great importance and a solution to refocus the system so that it is more geared toward helping the individual child than intimidating teachers and administrators.
From the Paper "Under the "No Child Left Behind Act" teachers and principals will be held accountable for the performance of their students and will face consequences if test scores are not meeting the AYP (average yearly progress). Because of this act, assessment tests have become overly stressful for teachers and students alike and have caused teachers and administrators to go to great lengths to make sure their students succeed on these tests, even if it means cheating. The level of accountability created and placed on assessment test scores has defeated the original purpose of assessment testing and has taken away valuable instruction time in the classroom by making assessment testing the focus of the classroom. I believe there are better ways to make sure that no child gets left behind. I believe that if we focus on meeting the needs of the individual student by helping him or her achieve grade level performance, without holding them back, we will be closer to that goal. Teachers do not need to be threatened to do a better job, they need support systems to help them better handle the children of today. In this report I will explain the current legislation, the consequences imposed if a school does not meet the AYP, the problems created by the system currently in place, and lastly I will explain how we can implement a new, more effective system that will make assessment tests serve their original intended purpose."
Abstract This paper discusses how multicultural students in public schools are taught. She explores teaching methods used in multicultural education. The author seeks to understand what it is like for students and teachers to learn and teach in a multicultural environment. She concludes that multicultural learning provides academic and social benefits to students. She explains the factors of race, gender and ethnicity in multicultural learning. Finally, she examines the new multicultural method of involving parent involvement in their child's schoolwork.
Table of Contents
Teaching Methods
Project Reach
The Multicultural Heroes Project
Multicultural Reading and Thinking (MCRAT)
Multicultural Literacy Program (MLP)
Opinion of these Programs
Students and Teachers in a Multicultural Environment
Race, Gender and Ethnicity in Multicultural Environment
Parent Involvement in Schoolwork
Conclusion
From the Paper "In addition to these educational benefits, it is noted that these students have higher self-esteem because they understand the value and importance of their own cultures and in doing so they can appreciate other cultures. Students also find these types of interactive curriculum fun and exciting, this encourages school attendance. In addition, students in these programs have an increased desire to socialize with children of other races when they are outside of the classroom.
Multicultural education can be very challenging for teachers because most multicultural curriculums require days of training and hours in preparation just to teach a lesson. Teachers also have to make sure that students are learning the basic curriculum of the school. However, teachers who have implemented these various programs have found that there own perceptions about different ethnic groups had changed. These changes in their own perceptions have allowed them to teach more effectively to all their students. In turn, students are more comfortable with teachers and are more apt to ask questions, which encourage learning."
Abstract This paper compares the renowned psychologists B.F. Skinner, George Miller, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura theories on learning. The paper describes the theory of behavioral reinforcement and the use of uses imagery as a learning tool. It illustrates the repetitive learning process to retain information and claims that we learn from our environment.
From the Paper "There have been many theorists over the course of history who have had influence upon the world's ideas of how people learn. While these theorists may stem from some of the same ideas, they are also each distinctly different in at least one aspect of their theories. B.F. Skinner, George Miller, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura all have different theories of learning, yet each theory can be related to one another in a number of ways."
Abstract This paper presents a practical guide to teachers who may consider teaching special needs children in the same classroom as regular students. It further examines different kinds of disabilities and how to deal with them. These include children with ADD, blind, deaf, motor impaired and manic depression. The paper explains that it is a growing trend to try and mainstream special education needs children as early as possible.
From the Paper "In the classroom, teachers are primarily responsible for ensuring that special education students are provided with equal opportunities for education. While instructors should not lower academic standards in the classroom, they should make every effort to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. By making simple adjustments, such as allowing students to record lectures or changing the format of a test, teachers can make sure that special education students do not have academic or social disadvantages."
Tags: blind, deaf, depression, school, teacher, academic, ADD, disability, social
Abstract The author describes the behavior and developmental problems of autistic children. This paper focuses on autistic children -- ages three to five ? because this is the age when diagnosis and treatment begins. The paper states that Federal law requires that at age five, when the child is ready to begin kindergarten, the state of residence must provide the child, his/her parents and the school system with an individualized education plan. The paper discusses various treatment programs.
From the Paper "Unfortunately, the newness of the condition hampers the diagnosis and treatment for children with autism. Autism itself has many varying severities ? what might show up in one child might not show up in another. For this reason, autism is usually defined as a spectrum disorder, or one that can have symptoms in any combination with different levels. While the symptoms usually begin in infancy, the true diagnosis usually occurs when the child is around age three. Several factors surrounding an infant's birth can cause slower development as far as cognitive skills or verbal skills (i.e. premature, severe illness at birth), but around age three, most children seem to taper off to more defined skill-levels."
Abstract This paper gives a personal account of the philosophy of education and discusses which teaching methods the author would use to prepare aspiring teachers and the ones he would use as a teacher himself. It gives a clear account of the educational system as it is today and the changes that need to be made.
From the Paper "I would work on helping children gain the confidence they needed to market and sale the skills they have worked so hard to gain. Without the knowledge of presentation, the confidence to convince the employer they are better then the competition, or the belief that they can be competitive, all of the technical skills they have or know are equivalent to information in a filing cabinet. The informative files just exist, but they are hidden and never serve a purpose. I would focus on competitiveness. Many educators feel that competitiveness is detrimental to children's self-esteem. I feel that the younger the kids are when they learn about competition, the better they will be able to survive in the real world."
Abstract The paper describes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD or ADD as it is commonly referred to, as a debilitating disorder that affects children and adults alike, however its effects on children appear to be more pronounced due to their need to concentrate and focus in their schooling to prepare them for adulthood. This paper explores what ADHD is, its symptoms and possible causes. Strategies by schools and teachers are also addressed, particularly in their methods of creating awareness of this disorder and including the sufferer in normal classes.
From the Paper "Many of the strategies that special education educators adopt are fundamentally sound teaching methods. Informing child ADHD sufferers in advance of what they will be learning, like providing an agenda, giving visual aids, and writing out oral instructions contribute much to helping students with ADHD. It aids them in sustaining their focus on the lesson at hand, as well as helping them recall what they are supposed to learn. Teachers even encourage students with ADHD in observing and managing their own behavior and attention by educating them on certain techniques. These techniques encompass seeking instructions on the blackboard, raising their hand in the event of a question or problem as opposed to shouting for attention, test their own memory, or quietly ask a fellow student of they have a question or need clarification on something being taught."
From the Paper "All core subjects have the potential to form feasible partnerships between the arts and core curricula. Thus, arts instruction can aid in overall learning for the student (Tunks, 21). However, active teaching for transfer is important because students do not necessarily recognize the connection between concepts presented in arts and the same concepts in other settings. Thus, it is incumbent on the arts teacher to find these connections and include them in regular instruction (Tunks, 21). For example, an educator can point out the relationship between fractions and divided and subdivided beats in music to help students integrate other learning while maintaining the integrity of the music learning. Also, concepts such as space, time, and energy are key ..."
