Performance distance Essay Example for Free

Performance distance Essay In â€Å" Embedded Learning Strategy Instruction: Story-Structure Pedagogy in Heterogenous Secondary Literature Classes†, Michael Faggela-Luby, Jean Schumaker, and Donald Deshler examine the problem of uneven learning structures among literature students. Their previous research found that a majority of secondary education level students were reading below the reading comprehension level appropriate for their age level. This was attributed to the inability of teachers to find a structure of teaching reading comprehension and story structure in a method that would both allow LD students to comprehend narrative story structures while still challenging higher level learning students. They present a number of relevant studies done over the years that have presented different story structure learning models to different focus groups of students to examine the results. However, these results are largely inconclusive because some studies failed to produce graphs that explained their results and others did not separate LD students from other students, therefore failing to examine the experimental structures in terms of these two distinguishable groups. Their research attempted to find a reading comprehension structure that could be applied to all levels of students and be used as a universal tool towards learning comprehension and story structure for students of all learning aptitudes and levels. They conducted a research experiment using 79 students to examine the effectiveness of the embedded-story structure. Some students were limited readers, while some were strong readers. Students taught in their regular classrooms with regular materials and were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group would use the embedded story structure (ESS) while the other would use the comprehensive skills instruction (CSI) method. A graph and statistical data was included to present the statistics of these two groups in terms of age, gender, and test scores. Another figure displayed the categories of self questioning, story structure analysis and summary writing that were utilized in ESS. The CSI group used the categories of vocabulary strategy, question-answer relationships, and semantic summary mapping. More tables listed the statistical information for which students received which test form. Results of all tests administered revealed data that proved learning improvement and comprehension advancement in students using the ESS method. These increases in comprehension were in the non-LD students on both lower and higher reading strengths. The conclusion seems to be that ESS benefits readers on any reading level, but does not necessarily provide marked improvement for LD students. The results of the research seem positive, and it seems that the ESS method could represent a solution to the problem of uneven learning comprehension in students at different reading levels. But one of the limitations pointed out by the researchers is that in the experiment, the teacher was also the researcher. I found this interesting because it helped to ensure study viability, but does not guarantee that improvement results would be the same with other teachers, which makes it questionable as to its practical application in the classroom. A possible solution to this, and a way to help ensure that ESS is being taught similarly at learning institutions everywhere, would be to implement an educational forum to instruct teachers how to properly utilize ESS in the classroom. This could also give teachers suggestions for implementing the method with LD students in an effort to give them the same benefit. Further research could be done into streamlining ESS to better benefit LD students and instructing teachers accordingly. The article, â€Å"Ensuring Content-Area Learning by Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities†, Donald D. Deshler, Jean B. Schumaker, B. Keith Lenz, Janice A. Bulgren, Michael F. Hock, Jim Knight and Barbara J, Ehren research the problem of preparing learning disabled students to handle heavier course loads and learning expectations at the secondary and high school level. They provide background statistics finding a large number of LD students that experience self-esteem issues at these school levels or drop out. A graph included shows the performance distance between LD students and the general population students they are often put in classes with and illustrates how the two groups acquire knowledge differently. The researchers examine dual elements of a study done at the University of Kansas Research Center on Learning. The purpose of the article was to examine the study done at KU-CRL and determine whether its dual-intervention approach was beneficial to LD students and could be implemented in classrooms at all levels. The researchers at KU-CRL found that there needed to be two levels of intervention to help LD students. The first, according to the authors, needed to be done by the teachers and involved implementing teaching strategies that were accessible to students on all learning backgrounds. The second focused more on the students themselves and teaching them learning and studying methods that helped them understand and comprehend material. There are five levels of intervention teachers can use to impact learning levels of students. They vary according to the methods of intervention used by the teacher and the direct impact on the student, ranging from implementing overall learning routines to providing the student with individual strategy structures designed for them. The authors cite studies in which these strategies of embedding learning have worked with limited results. They also point out that the method of delivery for the strategies is important to their effect. A model explains the inclusion strategy for use. Overall, the authors find all of the studies done on the KU-CRL research finds that general learning strategies can be beneficial to LD students to help them with learning comprehension, and that once these are implemented in the classroom that many LD students are able to utilize these strategies outside the classroom too. It recognizes that placing LD students in general classroom settings doesn’t mean that they will be able to learn successfully according to general strategies. I found this article interesting for its examination of the learning needs of the LD student at both the individual and institution-wide level. The authors stress that individual attention and tutoring are still vital when implementing these blanket learning strategies, and I think that’s important to remember. My recommendation if these intervention level learning strategies were to be implemented would be to simultaneously implement a tutoring program for LD students that find themselves requiring a different level of intervention or a different strategy than what is being implemented in the classroom. This would assist teachers attempting to implement the intervention model but still finding that some LD students aren’t receptive. This tutoring could also encourage LD students to keep learning new methods for knowledge comprehension. The authors also emphasized proper training and ongoing support for teachers implementing this learning strategy in the classroom and I think that’s important as well. Teachers learning a new approach for helping LD students in their classroom should have the benefit of accessing new research and findings into the most effective methods of teaching to bridge the gap between normally developed learners and LD students.

Misconceptions of Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights :: Wuthering Heights Essays

Wuthering Heights Misconceptions  Ã‚   Victorian reviewers of Emily Bronte’s classic Wuthering Heights found it to be far too harsh and dreary for their tastes.   One author, writing for the Atlas, compared Wuthering Heights to Jane Eyre saying that, â€Å"Wuthering Heights casts a gloom over the mind that is not easily dispelled† (WH 300) while Jane Eyre manages to provide some cathartic element that offers its reader a release.  Ã‚   The same author criticizes it for its lack of realistic elements saying that a â€Å"few glimpses of sunshine would have increased the reality of the picture and given strength rather than weakness to the whole† (WH 300).   Upon further comparison the author says of Jane Eyre it â€Å"lacks the power and originality of Wuthering Heights, [though] it is infinitely more agreeable† ending saying Ellis Bell (pseudonym of Emily Bronte) is an author with colossal promise (WH 300).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some literary critics of the time preferred to ride the fence on this controversial book.   An essay published in Douglas Jerrold’s Weekly Newspaper stated it was a â€Å"strange book – baffling all regular criticism† (WH 302).  Ã‚   While not committing to actual criticisms of either story or author the writer alludes to the disturbing themes of the   piece and closes his article by saying, â€Å"We strongly recommend all our readers to who love novelty to get this story† (WH 302).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other critics are more than willing to attack both the work and Ellis Bell.   A writer for the Examiner stated, shortly after the publication of the book, â€Å"it is wild, confused, disjointed, and improbable, and the people who make up the drama†¦are savages ruder than those who lived before the days of Homer† (WH 303).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charlotte Bronte attempts to, in her forward to the 1850 publication of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, address misconceptions about her sisters, their pseudonyms, and Emily’s infamous book.   Charlotte claims that a grievous error was done to her sister when critics attempted to claim that the same hand that penned Jane Eyre was responsible for Wuthering Heights.

Evaluating a technology concepts lesson Essay

The learning environment observed was one that had the use of computers in mind. The classroom size was big enough to seat around twenty or so students that had a student:computer ratio of 1:1. The computers were arranged in such a way that two rows of computers were back to back so that students would be facing each other. There were four rows in all with the teacher seated on the end of one row. This arrangement allowed easy student to student interaction and at the same time easy teacher to student interaction since the teacher was situated where she had a full view of all the students. An overhead projector was also set up beside the teacher with the screen facing her and the students, allowing a real time view of what the teacher was doing on her own computer making it for her to explain the tasks she gave to her students. This made it easy for students to easily check their work against the teacher’s without having to disrupt the class. 1-b: Many education activities could be observed in the class. The given task was to identify from the given paragraphs the main ideas and the supporting details to the main ideas. The students were then tasked to use the computers to put their ideas down and make sure they edited their work. Thus, the most important parts of the whole activity were brainstorming, graphic organizing, and word processing. In the brainstorming activity, the students had sharing in ideas in small group discussions that the teacher utilized to give the students time talk about their ideas. These helped the students in identifying the main ideas and supporting details. They then summarized their discussions. These small group discussions help the students learn better since they are able to check whether their ideas have merit or not. In a way, they are doing checks and balances. The graphic organizing and word processing then bring them to the realm of technology where they can put their ideas and their work to life. They can actually view the work they came up with by typing these in, editing it, and checking whether the spelling and grammar are all correct. 1-c: Effective teaching is always seen when a teacher begins the lesson with a short statement of goals, presents the material in small steps with clear instructions and explanation, and provide a high level of practice for all the students. An effective teacher also checks for student understanding and guide the students through the exercise. The teacher also provides a venue for feedback to see whether the lesson was understood and know what areas can be improved (Rosenshine & Stevens, 1986). Keeping that in mind, my observation was that the teacher did exactly what is expected of an effective teacher. She stated the goals of the lesson and delivered the instructions of the lesson step-by-step. She also gave examples of what she meant and used the computer and overhead projector to show the students what she meant. She provided the students a venue to discuss their ideas and thereby giving them a high level of practice within the lesson. Not only that, by letting the students do their work with the use of the computer, she provided another venue for real life situations wherein writing is done on computers including editing and revising. At the end of the lesson, she asked one student to read to the class his writing output and gave feedback by acknowledging that the student was able to do his work correctly since the student had a main idea and some supporting details in his work. 2-a: The students were very much engaged with the task and the vehicle of technology used to deliver the lesson. They seemed comfortable with the use of the technology and I attribute this to the teacher’s step-by-step delivery of the lesson. Her style of going through the task by showing the students what she meant made it easy for the students to follow and most likely gave them the courage to do the task. 3-a: The instructional purpose of the lesson was to simulate real life writing wherein writers make use of the computer to write, edit, and revise their work. Her additional goals included a better knowledge of the use of graphic organizers after the lesson. Her choice of technology was the best choice in terms of simulating real life situations. Not only that, it gave her students an introduction to the use of a computer in writing. This is important since this knowledge is very important not only in real life situations but also in schooling. Evidently, most assignments nowadays are expected to be handed in typewritten, in a certain format, and in a certain font. Her choice then was the best choice in driving home the lesson that students should learn to use the computer in doing the task of summarizing an essay an identifying the main ideas with supporting details included. 4-a: The effectiveness of the lesson delivery is seen in how a student is able to achieve then endpoint of the lesson. The use of technology then is a vehicle towards that endpoint. Now, if a teacher is able to effectively deliver the lesson, the endpoint can easily be achieved. This was clearly seen in the video. The teacher was able to use the computer technology in arriving at the endpoint of having a professionally made summary containing the main ideas and supporting details of her given essay at the start of the class. In the same vein, she was able to improve the students’ abilities in the use of the graphic organizer and word processor. Also, since the ratio of student:computer was 1:1, it gave the students a certain satisfaction that the work they did was actually work made by their own hands. They could say that it was a product of their own hard work and be proud and they were proud of their achievement. 4-b: I was trying to analyze how best an English lesson could be incorporated with the use of technology and tried to reflect how I could maximize not only the use of technology but also maximize the endpoints that is always best when teaching English—meaning I would not only want that my students know how to use a graphic organizer and word processor, I want them to learn how to brainstorm, share ideas, work on their own to arrive at the correct answers, and still achieve metacognitive learning by letting the students themselves arrive at reflection on whether the lesson did improve their knowledge and by how much. This is the kind of endpoint I would want in every lesson I have. Thus, this is why my evaluation of this evaluation came about from this viewpoint and why it mattered much to me that the students were able to get the best of the world of English writing and technology. 5-a:One alternative or additional form of technology that could have been useful was the use of audios. Students could be given separate paragraphs or essays that they had to listen to individually or in small groups. This would also test their listening skills as well as their comprehension skills. This alternative would make use of what is known as the VAK attack or Visual, Auditory, and Kinetic learning. This can increase learning since more senses are used. 5-b: My choice of recommendation relies in my belief that multisensorial learning is a good way to increase their chances of remembering the lesson. It also give a wider range of engagement in terms of capturing students’ attention since some students are visual, some auditory, and others kinetic. When a teacher tries to deliver a lesson that makes use multiple senses, it increases the chances of more students retaining the lesson. 6-a:My initial reaction to the use of technology in the observed classroom was one of approval. I find that the use of modern day technology should be used more often in the classroom setting since I believe that learning should reflect situations in real life. It would not be beneficial for a student to be kept ignorant of the use of technology when in school since once they are out of the campus they face a different situation. The use of modern day technology is very evident in every corner of our lives. A good example would be the use of ATMs which needs at least a very basic knowledge of keyboard use or touchscreen interface knowledge. It may be difficult to accept especially if the teacher belongs to an older generation that did not incorporate as much technology but I believe that it should be part and parcel of most lessons today. 6-b: As I expressed in my thinking process of this evaluation, I really considered how technology can be maximized in teaching as much to a student without giving them an information overload. My personal view has always been a multisensorial approach to learning helps. The professional implication of this is that I always try to incorporate a multisensorial approach to my teaching style. REFERENCES Rosenshine, B. , & Stevens, R. (1986). Teaching functions. In M. C. Whittrock (Ed. ), Handbook of research on teaching (3rd ed. , pp. 376-391). New York: Macmillan.

The Use Of Therapeutic Toys On Children - 1332 Words

At times, an 8-year-old may surprise you with their depth of critical thinking, insightful observation, sophisticated emotions, and a newfound sense of self-confidence. You might see a sassy little girl being very dramatic over â€Å"who writes prettier†, or the young boy claiming â€Å"he can do everything by himself† as he stakes his claim to independence. Growth and development is the qualitative and quantitative changes that occur in each individual. Because it occurs sequentially, nurse can recognize developmental needs in a child. When facing surgery anxiety and fear is commonly felt at any age. However when it is a child facing surgery, finding the necessary means to alleviate their fear and anxiety is left up to the nurse. Nurses must be perceptive, creative, and occasionally ingenious in efforts to decrease a child’s anxiety level and sooth their fears. One proven method to assist the nurse is the use of therapeutic toys Toys and games offer a sense of comfort to any child. At home and at school, eight to nine year old children are learning to jump rope, play tag, skip, and doing anything at allows them to be active and move fast. However, in a hospital, running and jumping is not very conducive. To promote use their fine motor skills, increase creativity, and challenge their problem solving skills the creation of the choice chart was created to provide therapeutic intervention for a child facing surgery. Incorporated in the choice chart are activities thatShow MoreRelatedThe Integrative Intervention Model Of Child Based Play928 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Many traditional family therapists often exclude small children from the therapeutic process† (Wehrman Field, 2013). Although therapists may feel as though conducting a session with children present can be challenging, it is strongly encouraged to do so. The integrative intervention model of child-based play is an effective method in which therapists should use when treating families. Recent research concludes that the â€Å"integration of children and families involved in counseling will benefit theRead MoreChildren Who Are Blind Children1093 Words   |  5 Pagesbehavior children who are blind and children who are sighted. The sighted children are felt more comfortable levels of playing at the earlier age than did the blind children. The blind children felt less uncomfortable with other children who was sighted children, the blind children played tactile auditory games and toys and in simple games. Children were playing important of source of information for children’s sensorimotor, cognitive and social-emotional development. The blind children are the MeasurementRead MoreChildren at Play1475 Words   |  6 PagesChildren At Play: Actual vs. Dramatic One of the signs of early childhood development is the ability to engage in play. Young children (ages 4-6) prefer non structured environments that gives them the â€Å"freedom† to un-limit their play in different settings. 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