Home Schooling and Traditional Schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Home Schooling and Traditional Schooling - Essay Example As a result, there have been debates whether it is a good idea to home-school children or if it would be better to send them to traditional schools. One of the arguments presented against homeschooling is that there is no guarantee of quality education because not all parents and tutors have the proper training to teach. Moreover, the lessons that might be presented to the student may not be on the same level of the nationally accepted curriculum such as those taught in school (kidshealth.org). On the other hand, the same argument can also be presented in the traditional school because not all licensed teachers really have the skill of effectively teaching students. In relation to the quality of education given to students, homeschooling prides itself on an intensive program that could be designed for the student depending on the student’s learning speed. The one to one teaching and learning experience can be a catalyst for quantity learning. In contrast to this matter, traditional schools have set schedules that need to be followed so that the quality of learning is greatly affected (Baker & kidshealth.org). For instance, slow learners are often left behind while fast learners get bored with the lessons that are repeatedly discussed for those who have difficulty following the lesson. Another problem that is said of homeschooling is the absence or limited access to the development of social skills in students. Home-schools may organize groups for their children in order to compensate for the socialization they miss while learning alone at home and join group activities such as tours and sports but it is so limited in contrast to the exposures of students in traditional schools. Moreover, the facilities used in homeschooling are far limited than in traditional schools.  

Premises Of Cognitive Development Theory Psychology Essay

Premises Of Cognitive Development Theory Psychology Essay Fruitful practical work of the outstanding Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and theoretical work of the famous Russian scientist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) awaken our scientific interest to the cognitive-psychological researches which cover the whole human life. It is necessary to discuss cognitive development theory and forms of cognitive knowledge in the body of this essay. Also we will compare and contrast the stages of cognitive development and intelligence from the perspective of above mentioned theorists for children and adolescents. In this part of the essay it is necessary to define the term cognitive development and describe the basic premises of cognitive development theory. Lets begin our discussion from the theoretical facts presentation. It is well-known fact that cognitive development is a base area of study within developmental psychology. Oakley (2004) defined developmental psychology as the study of the psychological changes that take place between birth and old age. Thus, the purpose of developmental psychology is to describe and explain the changes in human mind from the birth to adulthood. Cognitive development is the study that explains how psychological processes and activities involved in knowing and thinking develop children and adolescents world. Adults thinking greatly differs from children thinking and cognitive development deeply studies these developments and changes. Piaget was the first person who noted that the childs mind is arranged quite differently than the adult psyche and children were not just small copies of adults, but in fact children were different in their ways of surrounding reality cognition and interpretation. Piaget proved his idea that knowledge in adult mind and in child mind has different structure and it doesnt mean that adults simply know more than children. For example, children believe that if the object moves, then it is alive, and the name of the object is sitting inside it. Childrens question why? is associated with the confidence that every thing has its purpose. Writing a scientific answer to the childs question: Why do stars shine? means its absolutely misunderstanding by adult person. Lack of social orientation is noticeable in the childrens conversations: children rather speak for other people than with others. In contrast to the self-centered adults who become such people on their own will, self-centered childre n show such behavior because they are almost incapable to put themselves on others place, or take someone elses point of view. Comparing and contrasting views of Vygotsky and Piaget on cognitive development and in continuation of the topic we see the next: Vygotsky considered Piagets work revolutionary, but at the same time he stressed that its pioneering quality suffered on dualism, that is, uncertainty about the materialist and idealist positions. Since the psychology of intellectual development has been studied in the tradition of scientific materialism, inevitably there was a conflict between the actual essence of this method and idealistic theories of human intelligence. It was a serious debate, especially between 1920 and 1930, when the development of experimental psychology became a serious threat to the idealistic, nonmaterialistic and philosophical trends in psychology. Neisser (1967) stated that there were three main principles in the base of Peagets theory of cognitive development: assimilation (the process of putting a new experience into already existing mental structure), accommodation (the revising of an existing schema due to a new experience) and equilibrium (the process of seeking to achieve  cognitive  stability through assimilation and accommodation). And Oakley (2004) stated that Vygotskys theory focused upon three key factors. These were culture, language and the zone of proximal development. According to Wertsch (1985), Vygotsky agreed with Piaget that a child does not sit back and somehow passively absorb knowledge but instead actively constructs knowledge. This idea was in direct contrast to the view of Pavlov that learning was essentially a passive activity. However, Vygotskys theory differs in key principles from Piaget. He stated that childrens complex thinking was acquired through social interactions between children and the adults around them. The child will interact with others peers, parents and teachers and these interactions will result in learning. Contrasting two theorists points of views we see that Piaget considers that the childs thinking develops from autistic form through egocentric to a socialized. Vygotsky agrees with the general periodization of Piaget, but rejects the genetic predetermination of the sequence. In other words, Piaget believed that development precedes learning, and Vygotsky believed that learning precedes development. Other point of disagreement between these two theorists was the nature and function of speech. Piaget considers that egocentric childs speech, addressed to itself during the thinking aloud, paving the way for social speech, and allows child to learn experience patterns and begin to use speech for communication. Vygotsky considers that the mind of the child from the birth has the social nature and egocentric speech has also social origins and social objectives: children learn egocentric speech of others, and use it to communicate with others. This premise is the main point of the theory of Vygotsky and the main aspect of differences between the positions of these two theorists. Analyzing stages of cognitive development Wertsch (1985) shows four Piagets stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor stage  (infancy) motor activity without symbols use is necessary for intelligence demonstration; pre-operational stage  (toddler and early childhood) symbols are used, memory and imagination are developed, language use matures, but egocentric thinking predominates; concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence) egocentric thinking diminishes, systematic and logical symbols manipulation related to concrete objects; formal operational stage  (adolescence and adulthood) abstract concepts used in thinking process. While Piagets cognitive development theory has four concrete stages, Vygotsky said that there are no set stages at all, but put our attention on affiliation, play, learning, peer, work. For the last part of the paper I want to use Slavins (2003) words who said that a possible classroom application of Vygotskys cognitive theory could take place in a first grade classroom. First grade students are often on varying levels of knowledge. Some children may already know how to read while others are still trying to master this concept. A good way to help the children who are not reading as well as the others may be to give these children help sounding out a word when they get stuck while reading a story. Thus, basing on above observed information we could conclude that according to both theorists formal operational thinking marks the end of intellectual growth. The child went a long way from simple reflexes to complex thoughts newborn adolescents and adults. And Piaget came to the conclusion that reality is not the thing that an individual reaches the outside, but inside, through his own logic, depending on the structure of the psyche.

Civil Rights and Legislation in Mississippi Essay -- Black Civil Rights

The civil rights movement spurred the passing of much federal legislation throughout the 1950’s and 60’s. Although, race relations eventually changed in Mississippi due to federal force, civil rights legislation would pass but segregation continued in Mississippi because of unsupportive state government, lack of federal enforcement and white Mississippians continuous threats and intimidation. The civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 60’s was a monumental event in American history. The large amount of legislation passed in accordance with this movement was greatly outnumbered by the many horrendously, violent acts that occurred throughout it. Judicial decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 should have been able to inspire hope within black communities. Yet the brutality of events such as the murder of Emmett Till and Medgar Evens, as well as staunch, white resistance like the Southern Manifesto, kept many African Americans desire for freedom repressed by their desire for safety. The civil rights movement was opposed with some of the most unrelenting resistance in the state of Mississippi. Organizations tackling integration in Mississippi were met with unyielding violence and discrimination, by both citizens and local officials. â€Å"†¦going into Mississippi to organize was not like going to any other state in the South. Mississippi w as the heart and soul of segregation. It resisted integration more fiercely than any of the other southern states.† Legislation passed and judicial decisions continued to be made in favor of civil rights but the federal government failed to enforce these successfully. As early as 1947 the President’s Commission on Civil Rights declared, â€Å"The very fact that these outrages [lynching] c... ...ce equal rights eventually became the standard in Mississippi and throughout the South. Works Cited 1. R. Edward Nordhaus, â€Å"S. N. C. C. and the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, 1963-64: A Time of Change,† The History Teacher, Vol. 17, No. 1 (November 1983), 95. 2. Eric Foner, "The United States and the Cold War, 1945 – 1953," in Voices of freedom: a documentary history. Third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2011), 232. 3. Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, (New York: Random House, 1968), 413. 4. Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 403. 5. Nordhaus, â€Å"S. N. C. C. and the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi,† 96 6. Eric Foner, "An Affluent Society, 1953 - 1960," in Voices of freedom: a documentary history. Third ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2011), 253. 7. Nordhaus, â€Å"S. N. C. C. and the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi,† 97

Health is the greatest wealth Essay

Nobody would deny the importance of health. If a person suffers from any disorder, his mind suffers with it and he is not be able to make much progress in career, in getting knowledge and so on. Besides, people with bad health are unfit to person required duties in social and family life. There are certain lows in different spheres of life, the lows of health deserve particular attention. They are very simple and even a child can learn them. One of the most essential lows of health is perfect cleanliness. Taking a bath or having a shower every day is a must. Because the human skin is full of minute pores, cells, blood vessels and nerves. It should always be clean because it breathes the way the lungs do. Besides, it’s always very pleasant to look at one who is tidy and clean. That’s why there should be an indisputable rule for everyone: to keep one’s skin clean, to brush the teeth thoroughly, to have the hair neatly combed, the finger-nails in order. Then a person should keep in his mind that a constant supply of pure fresh air is one of the main conditions for having a good health. But unfortunately, the ecological situation in many reasons is threatening, that’s why people should go to the countryside for the fresh air as often as they can. Everybody should keep in his mind that exercises warm, invigorate and purify the body. The best way of getting exercises is to engaged in some work that’s useful and at the same time interesting to the mind. Some people work very late. And they continue working at home. Late hours are very harmful to the health because they exhaust the nervous system. People should keep to the following principle: â€Å"Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise† What and how much people eat is also a great importance. Our body is continually wasting and needs to be repaired by fresh substance that’s why food should be taken with due regard to the exercise and waste of the body. I can give you some pieces of advice how to eat in the right way, be moderate in eating: don’t overeat, never swallow your food wholesale and abstain from everything that intoxicates, always remember about the evils of intemperance of alcohol. Taking into consideration all things mentioned above we must remember that moderation in eating and drinking, reasonable hours of labor and study, regular exercises, rest, cleanliness lay the foundations for food, health and long life. But, unfortunately, in real life many people can’t or don’t want to keep his health in perfect condition for this or that reason. This fact results in shortened longevity of people. Human health is a fragile structure, influenced by many inner and outer factors. That’s why it should be permanently taking care of. People suffer from different disease starting with the common cold, flu, mumps, insomnia, nose-bleed, dandruff, hiccup and from the more serious one’s sick as heart-attacks, strokes, cancer and AIDS. Many people think that the common old isn’t a very serious disease, but they are mistaken because in every case of being ill-cold viruses weaken the immune system. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the common cold as so far because cold viruses are every changing and there is a great variety of them. Some people don’t pay much attention to minor elements until they became chronic ones. Then, these people go to see the doctor, complain, spend a lot of time and money for medical treatment and, if there is luck, recover. The others prefer not to get ill at all and so take preventive measures by attending fitness clubs, eating healthy food and spending their holidays in  mountain camps or by the rivers. This sort of life-style is cheaper and becomes more and more popular in the West as well as in Russia. Fitness, no doubt, wins the battle with medical clinics, as not to lose health is better than to lose and find again. If you decided to join a fitness club or gym, you should consider many things, connected with the following questions: Are the instructors qualified? Is there someone on hand who knows how to give the first aid? Are the facilities clean? Is the equipment well maintained? Is the staff pleasant and helpful? Fitness in general is for everyone; children, men and women of all ages, but you should always consult your doctor before undertaking any exercise problem. Those people, who can’t effort attending fitness club for this or that reason may jog in the morning or to go to a swimming pool at least once a week. Even if a person is healthy there is no guaranty that he might fall ill or his relatives or his friends might fall ill, that’s why we all should know how to help or to deliver the first aid. First aid is terribly important and you can save lives if the right action is taken. If someone isn’t breathing, you must give them artificial respiration. If the person is bleeding, the bleeding must be stopped. Medical help must of course be sought and someone must decide whether the victim can be taken to hospital, or whether, given the nature of their particular accident, the victim should be left alone. On the subject of burns, for example, some people put cream or grease or butter on, and this in fact makes the burn hotter. If it is a minor burn, the best thing to do is put the burnt area under the cold tap, or slowly pour on iced water. This should be done for about ten minutes, and it stops  the heat from spreading. However, if it’s a bad burn, a third-degree burn, don’t touch it; you really should get for this kind of burn expert help immediately. Cover the burn very lightly with something clean like a sheet or a handkerchief and then go straight to a hospital. In road accidents first of all you should check that the victims are breathing. I mean if they’re not, give artificial respiration. The most common injuries in car accidents in fact are fractures and bleeding, so the second thing to do is stop the bleeding. Thirdly very important, don’t move the victim unless it’s absolutely necessary. I mean, if any bones are broken, the injury could be made much worse by moving the victim. You should keep them warm, loosen any tight clothing, and try to reassure them. They’ll probably be suffering from shock, so just stay with them until expert help arrives. In everyday life if you have a headache, heartache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a sore throat or a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold in your head, or if you suffer from a high or low blood pressure, you should consult a doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will prescribe some treatment, pills, tablets or some other medicine which you can buy at the chemist’s. He will recommend you to stay in bed for some time, because there might be serious complications. The only thing you have to do is to follow his recommendations. Nowdays it becomes more and more popular to use herbal remedy or holistic medicine in treating different disease. The advantage of herbal medicine is that it does not contain any chemical ingredients, thus, it may be applied to almost everyone with few restrictions. As for the holistic medicine in terms of health care it means looking at the whole body, the whole person when it comes to treating people. Modern medicine treats the symptoms and not the course of the illness. Drugs and surgery can remove the symptoms, but not the course. Besides, holistic medicine takes into account not only symptoms, but also the age, habits, motions and life-style of the individual and tries to built an overall picture. Holistic medicine doesn’t prescribe drugs because it tries to prevent illness because prevention is better then cure. A good diet with lots of fresh food, not processed food with its preservatives and chemicals is essential; a health life style without too much pressure and worry about and lots of exercise and rest, not to much, not to little-these are the things that will prevent illness.

Educational Failure Essay

â€Å"Every year, over 1. 2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day† (Thornbergh). Why this happening and more importantly, what is being done to solve this problem? Because of boring classes, too much freedom, and just a lack of motivation, students nationwide are dropping out of school, and are starting on the path of minimum wage and regret. Schools are trying to resolve this issue by giving the support students the help they need, and giving them alternatives to traditional schooling. †¦nearly 1 out of 3 public high school students won’t graduate†(Thornbergh). That’s one third of today’s youths. That’s one out of three people that won’t go to college. That’s one of three people that won’t know the rewarding feeling of getting a diploma. But what’s wrong with this one third that isn’t wrong with the other two thirds? Some say it’s because if society, others say it’s because of schools. Really only half of the problem lies with schools. There are only a small percentage of dropouts that feel that they could never meet the criteria that the school demanded. Unfortunately, many students are not given the extra support they need to make a successful transition to high school and are lost in ninth grade†(Galesic 317). Most others aren’t engaged in school. â€Å"Boredom and disengagement are two key reasons students stop attending class and wind up dropping out of school†(Furger). â€Å"Fully 88% said they had passing grades in high school. When asked to name the reasons they had left school, more respondents named boredom than struggles with course work†(Thornbergh). With this combination, schools become what many students feel to be a waste of time. When schools get this reputation, they become what is known as dropout factories. â€Å"Approximately two thousand high schools (about 12 percent), known as the nation’ lowest performing high schools, produce nearly half of the nation‘s dropouts. In these schools, the number of seniors enrolled is routinely 60 percent or less than the number of freshmen three years earlier† (Galesic 314). Although schools have some blame for the problem at hand, the other half of the problem has origins that the schools can’t control, and that is society and family. Students don’t only have to deal with their school work, but also their peers and life at home. This can be stressful time for students, and, because of this stress, students’ grades may suffer. Even though a student’s grades are low, their parents might not know, or even care. Many parents just don’t pay any attention to their child’s grades. The shocking thing is that only fifty-one percent of parents somewhat knew that their child had low grades; the other percentages range anywhere from kind of knowing to almost not knowing at all. Even though dropping out doesn’t sound too bad, a person is branding themselves a quitter. Once a person drops out, there’s no going back. Sure, a person could get a GED, but, that still doesn’t hold the same weight as a diploma. Dropping out of schools will affect a person their entire life. â€Å"Even a GED is not sufficient for a job here anymore (Thornbergh). † There is no replacement for a diploma. The path of minimum wage and unemployment starts with dropping out. Only forty five percent of High school dropouts are able to find employment. Compared to the sixty eight percent that graduated, that’s a very low number in today’s economic state. Even if a drop out can be that forty five present that is employed, their annual earnings ($8,358) are only little more than half the earning of a High school Graduate ($14,601)(Sum, Ishwar, McLaughlin). Dropping out does not only affect the person who dropped out but also everyone around them. In today’s world, the efforts one person really affects everything around them. People often say, do as your told ;not as they do. That seems easy right? Well, when it comes to drop out, that’s not the case. Students are more likely to drop out if their parents did. When they drop out, their children are also more likely to drop out; leading through a vicious cycle of drop outs. Family isn’t the only thing affected by drop outs (Bridgeland, DiIulio, Morison). Over their working lives, the average high school dropout will have a negative net fiscal contribution to society of nearly -$5,200 while the average high school graduate generates a positive lifetime net fiscal contribution of $287,000. The average high school dropout will cost taxpayers over $292,000 in lower tax revenues, higher cash and in-kind transfer costs, and imposed incarceration costs relative to an average high school graduate. Adult dropouts in the U. S. in recent years have been a major fiscal burden to the rest of society. Given the current and projected deficits of the federal government, the fiscal burden of supporting dropouts and their families is no longer sustainable. ;(Sum, Ishwar, McLaughlin) Supporting dropouts and their families in no longer doable. So, what is actually being done to help students succeed in school and ultimately success in life? One solution that can has come into play in resent years in is alternative to traditional education such as viral schools and credits labs. They consist of virtual schools and programs that help students get back on track to graduating. With these They offer the help and support students need with out the social problems that traditional classes have such as labels, race, and learning disabilities. In doing so, theses alternatives are also adjusting learning to a more personal level. Education no longer has to be for the whole, but only for the small part that is the individual student. â€Å"Districts throughout the country are working to personalize learning by creating small schools or reorganizing large schools into small learning communities, as part of their strategy for reducing the dropout rate†(Furger). These individual students can now get more help and understanding then they would ever get in a traditional class room. Another Solution to this epidemic is stricter rules for schooling. Schools are not only making it harder to drop out, but also, raising the academic bar for students. Some students just quit because its acceptable , while others quit just because they’re board in schools. It would be no long acceptable to just quit if there are stricter penalties, right? Some states are making it so students can’t quit at an easily age. â€Å"Students who drop out before age 18 could have their driver’s license suspended or their work permit revoked unless their decision was first approved by a school or judge†(Thornbergh). But the problem doesn’t only lie with it just being acceptable, but also boredom. â€Å"Higher expectations and more challenging curriculum, coupled with the support students need to be successful, have proven to be an effective strategy not only for increasing graduation rates, but also for preparing students to graduate from high school with options†(Furger). The last and most research backed cure for this epidemic is early education. â€Å"Every month, new studies in neuroscience and psychology provide insights and warnings about how much of a person’s capacity for learning is shaped from birth to age 8. Young children need to experience rich language interactions with teachers, parents, and other adults who read to them, ask questions of them, and encourage their exploration of myriad subjects†(Guernsey Mead). Many students quit school because they are failing. â€Å"Preschool, they argue, is an early investment in youth that yields significant economic results later on. In their review of the research on preschool models in California and elsewhere, the authors found that one preschool program increased high school graduation rates by 11 percent, and another by 19 percent. Furger) â€Å"We need a much broader and deeper transformation of the educational system that starts, if parents choose, when children are as young as three years old and continues through the first few grades of elementary school. Early childhood does not stop at kindergarten; it extends through age eight, because children are still learning foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, social competence, and problem solving, they are more likely to retain them. (Guernsey, Mead) Because of boring classes, too much freedom, and just a lack of motivation, students nationwide are dropping out of school, and staring on the path of minimum wage and regret. Schools are trying to resolve this by giving the support students need and giving them alternatives to traditional schooling. In the time it took to read this, at least one student has dropped out. This needs to stop. Make a difference in one student’s life by helping the cause of helping students stay in school.