Friday, January 24, 2020

The significance of asking What versus Why. :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Asking â€Å"why† is often a reasonable way to find out information. However, in some circumstances it limits the response and circumvents the objective for asking the question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When trying to resolve behavioral issues asking â€Å"why† tends to lead a student on a mental chase of cause and effect. While this process is generally helpful for critical thinking, it does not necessarily promote beneficial and on-going self-reflection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Watch someone when you ask â€Å"why† and you'll often see her/his eyes looking up as if s/he can see into her/his brain and get the answer. However, the brain is not where feelings reside; it is where they are intellectually processed. Consequently, asking a student â€Å"why† is essentially asking for an explanation. Therefore, asking â€Å"why† often promotes a sense of confrontation and judgment which puts a student on the defensive, as if s/he has to justify her/himself to you. As a result the situation has become about your needs not hers/his.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand, asking â€Å"what† is a neutral question which does not imply judgment. It is a simple question which promotes a reporting of events and/or feelings; an important first step when trying to resolve behavioral issues. Asking â€Å"what† focuses the student’s attention inward to the heart of the matter... literally the heart, the essence of the experience†¦ the feelings. Asking â€Å"what† is a non-confrontational question that gives someone the opportunity to relate her/his experience; not to judge it and/or feel judged about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Equally important is that asking â€Å"what† gives the questioner the opportunity to listen without prejudice. If we truly wish to help a student change and grow then the first step is to honor her/his feelings as valid.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Children with Reading Problem Essay

The article by Susan M. Tancock focuses its attention to the needs of special students. These students are considered poor readers. They are usually behind in reading and writing skills when compared to their classmates (peers). The special instruction that these students receive ordinarily involves the recognition of identifying sounds of letters and words instead of the construction of their meaning within the context of the text or story. In the article we are told the poor readers are usually asked to read aloud more often than other more skilled readers. Also, their teachers interrupt their reading instead of encouraging them towards a self monitoring approach to their reading. Tancock stresses the importance of being sensitive to certain ideals when tutoring young children who have reading difficulties. First of all, she feels it is of utmost importance that the tutor should truly believe that their tutee can and will become a good reader and writer. Secondly, she states that the tutee needs predictable material to help encourage successful reading habits. To accomplish this task it is best if the tutor uses quality children=s books written by well-known authors. Children can be encouraged to Aread like a writer@ by using themes that are built around the child=s personal interests. This will provide the student with a more in depth involvement with the reading process. Tutors must build lessons around the child=s strengths to build confidence within the child for future reading tasks. The students also need to be encouraged to make predictions in their reading to help develop them into risk takers. In the lesson with Gayla and Chase the author described how Gayla first sets out familiar reading material (books) for Chase to choose from so that he could read aloud. Because Chase is already familiar with these books and has probably read them in the past, it will enable him to be become confident in guessing when it comes to something difficult for him to read. By Gayla=s reminding him to read aloud so that it sounds interesting and stopping him to praise his good efforts, will involve him more in the context of the meaning of his reading efforts. One particular technique that Gayla used, was to have Chase emulate her as she reads to him. This helped to emphasize the diction and inflection for Chase. One of Chase’s books of choice related to his background knowledge of fishing and this was of great help for him to be able to recall prior knowledge when he read. Before he began reading Gayla engaged him in a conversation about his past experiences with fishing. Gayla understood this would allow Chase to explore his mind and make connections to his fishing encounters. She wanted Chase to learn how to find cues for helping himself to make guesses that would eventually lead him out of difficult spots in his reading. Gayla also from time to time used Directed Reading B Thinking Activity (DR — TA). In this illustration, Chase made guesses during reading and then by his continued reading he could then discover whether his guesses were correct or incorrect. This practice can eventually help a student to apply self-help strategies when reading in the future. Chase was also asked to recall times of difficulty and to discuss ways in which he used to solve those reading problems. Gayla then stimulated his thinking by asking him key questions. During the writing parts of the lesson, Chase was able to apply the brainstorming technique when planning what he was going to write about. After brainstorming Gayla then helped him sort his writing by relating it to his prior reading involvement. The finished writing project can also serve as a tool for future successful reading assignment because it is the student=s creation from his own personal relationship with the topic. Chase was then asked to sort some words that he had some difficulty with during his reading and writing session. In this particular student=s case he was asked to sort words beginning with s and sh. After he was done sorting he was asked to write down the few words so that he could make the connection with reading and writing. Finally Gayla read a book she had selected to read to Chase. Even though she had chosen the book, she had still remained within the theme that had been set. But the reading Gayla chose was nevertheless a little bit more difficult. After the lesson was over Chase then chose a book to take home to read to his family. Tancock states, Afluency suffers when children focus their attention more on the details of print than the meaning of the text; thus comprehension suffers too. @ Consequently as a tutor, it should be our responsibility to relieve the unneeded pressures of the details on the printed page, and to allow the child to learn with as much ease as possible the meaning of the text. Bibliography Tancock, Susan M. AA Literacy Lesson Framework for Children with Reading Problems@ The Readind Teacher, Volume 48. No. 2 Oct. 1994 Word Count: 826Ã'Ž

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Heres Why Your College GPA Matters

In high school, you likely focused on getting good grades—and, consequently, having a solid grade-point average (GPA)—because you wanted to get into a good college. But now that youre in college, you may be wondering, Does my GPA really matter any more? While that may seem like a simple question, there isnt a single, straightforward answer for it. In some situations, your college GPA can matter quite a bit; on the other hand, a GPA can mean nothing beyond whether or not youll be able to graduate. Reasons Why Your GPA Matters in College Actually, there are a lot of reasons to maintain a good GPA in college. Ultimately, you need to pass your classes in order to earn your degree—which is one of the main points of attending college in the first place. From that perspective, the answer is clear: Your GPA matters. If your GPA drops below a certain threshold, your school will send you a notice that youve been  placed on academic probation  and will inform you of what steps to take in order to recover from it. Along similar lines, you may need to keep your GPA at or above a certain level in order to keep any scholarships, other financial awards, or loan eligibility you have. Additionally, things such as academic honors, research opportunities, internships, and some advanced classes may have GPA requirements. If youre interested in participating in such a program or class, its always a good idea to check with your academic advisor about any GPA or other requirements beforehand so you can keep on track to pursue your goals. Do College Grades Matter After You Get Your Degree? Whether your college GPA will play an important role in your life after you graduate depends on your plans. For example, graduate school admissions are very competitive. Your GPA information will certainly be taken into consideration as part of the application process. If youre interested in furthering your education but the damage to your GPA is already done, youre not necessarily sunk: Good scores on the GRE, GMAT, MCAT or LSAT can sometimes make up for a sub-par GPA. (Of course, getting into grad school will be a lot easier if you focus on maintaining a good GPA from the start of college.) Even if youre not thinking about further schooling, you should know some employers will ask you for your GPA when you apply for a job. In fact, there are some companies—generally, large corporations—who require that applicants meet a minimum GPA requirement.   When a College GPA Isnt an Issue That said, if grad school isnt in your future and the corporate world isnt on your agenda, theres a good chance your GPA may never again come up after you grab your diploma. In general, employers focus more on your level of education, not the grades that got you there, and theres no rule that says you  need  to put your GPA on your resumà ©. Bottom line: Your college GPA is only as important as it is for your future plans. While you may not feel pressure to focus on maintaining as high a GPA as you did in high school, theres no reason why you shouldnt work hard in your college classes and succeed as best you can academically. After all, you never know what jobs or graduate school programs you might end up applying for years after you graduate.