TOPIC: What obstacles must students overcome in order to be educated?
Introductory Paragraph:
Hook: Obstacles often cause hindrances for one to achieve his or her goals.
Introduce topic: In the 21st century, pursuing education is a key aspect every learner has in mind. The journey to pursuing education is not always smooth as one would have in mind. In the society we live in, white-collar jobs and owning large businesses have preoccupied everyone's minds. The only path to having this idea come true is by making success in education and furthering the learning process past the high school level to gain tertiary skills to fit in the job market.
Thesis: The obstacles a student must overcome are upbringing adversities, financial difficulties and develop critical thinking skills.
The obstacles a student must overcome are expectations, financial difficulties and developing a mindset.
So what?: due to hindrances caused by these constrains, on reading the literary works of Edmundson, Goldrick-Rab, and Dweck, I have realized that students must learn to overcome certain obstacles to make strides in education. The obstacles should not be reason one does not make the necessary academic achievements in life.
Body Paragraph 1:
Topic sentence: Cultural expectations influence the way children perceive education.
Claim: Cultural values and early life experiences influence both the expectations and the whole process of learning.
Evidence1: This perception is evident; for instance, in some communities educating a boy is more valued than a girl. This cultural aspect makes education a lesser treasure in a girl's mind, and learning may not be prioritized.
Explanation1: In reading Edmundson’s literacy work on expectations, he says, “They have given you family traditions- you’ve learned the ways of your tribe and community” (Edmundson, 411). This quote directly offers an opportunity to redefine the cultural aspects and channel the rightful influences so that an obstacle is not created.
Evidence2: Some culture expects that a learned generation must be produced.
Explanation2: We all do not conform to the same levels of knowledge and skills, so academic achievements do not match. A lesser knowledgeable person will feel disadvantaged in a community will high levels of expectations. “For somehow your predecessors are more yourself than you are” (Edmundson, 411). Buying into the less demanding cultural aspect will help an individual set academic pace so as the skills are achieved.
Transition: Other than the cultural expectations, the financial aspect plays a crucial role in the learning cycle.
Body Paragraph 2:
Topic sentence: lack of financial resource limits the chance of an individual to learn.
Claim: Inability to pay bills subjects one to frustrations as in the recent world, everything calls for some bills to be settled. Every parent wishes to give better education to their children; however, financial status ruins this moral.
Evidence1: Financial stretch at lower levels of learning is less demanding, but as learning advances, financial need also advances, and in the case of low-income family background, stress is introduced.
Explanation1: At times, when one is faced with heightened financial frustrations, making an achievement is limited. “In a culture where the major and determining values are monetary, what else could you do? How else would you live if not by getting all you can, succeeding all you can, making all you can?” (Edmundson, 409). This quote creates room for one to look financial help elsewhere, and on making an achievement, payback should be an option.
Evidence2: Financial hardship influences an individual's cognitive abilities.
Explanation2: with altered cognitive abilities, academic performance is negatively impacted. “Lack of financial resources is keeping students from succeeding” (Rab, 747). To solve this, looking for financial aid to meet academic bills should be an option. “Some have allocated additional appropriations to prevent increase, and this works to ensure that the institutions do not raise tuition while also ensuring they have the resources needed to support students” (Rab, 746).
Transition: Having a solution to financial difficulties, cultural expectations, a leaner needs to develop an excellent academic mindset in order to emerge a victor.
Body Paragraph 3:
Topic sentence: To achieve academic success, and academic mindset needs to be developed.
Claim: A learner may not be faced by financial or cultural challenges in the learning process but may not have a mindset to learning and pursuing academic success.
Evidence1: Developing an academic mindset helps a learner to have utilization of all the capabilities one may have. “It’s not just that some people happen to recognize the value of challenging themselves and the importance of effort…”(Dweck, 601).
Explanation1: A close reading of this text will prompt one to make self-evaluation, and this will help one develop and adjust the learning styles that will yield more results.
Evidence2: Various levels of learning institutions call for particular mindset development. As one grows, a change in perceiving things changes as the reality of the world unravels. One starts to learn of being self-reliant and accommodating responsibilities.
Explanation2: "When they face equally arduous tasks later in life, students will tap their old resources of determination, and they'll win” (Edmundson, 409). Life is a learning experience, and an accommodating mindset is worth avoiding bad influences and achieving the core goals of learning.
Transition:
Conclusion:
Brief summary of argument/thesis: Conclusively, obstacles will always be present to make things look impossible. Whether things work out or not depends on the mentality, one faces challenges with. The learning process requires determination, confidence, and selective handling of activities. Arising challenges will not necessarily deny one a chance to learn if the urge to learn is present. One may have all the requirements footed by guardians without struggle, but this does not guarantee learning in return. "If, like those with the growth mindset, you believe you can develop yourself, then you're open to accurate information about your current abilities, even if it’s unflattering”( Dweck, 602).
Larger context for argument (So what?): Obstacles will always appear in one way or another. For a student to fully adapt to the learning process and have less impact from the obstacles, it is important to first have self-acceptance. This will ensure that one goes for the chances available at reach without struggling. Having a better way of solving arising obstacles can also help in reducing the impacts. Maximum utilization of resources should be enhanced given an opportunity for maximum leap.
Works Cited
Carol Dweck from mindset The new psychology of success
Sara goldrickedusson.comRab From paying the price
Mark edmundson Who are you and what are you doing here? a word to incoming class
Education plays an important role in society as it acts as the measure for intelligence and is used to determine what position an individual holds and the role they play in their community. Through education, people learn new skills that enable them to secure employment and earn a living. In the past, learning was facilitated through traditional means where students would attend schools where they were taught by teachers through lectures and written material. The reading material was determined by the school system and made available in schools, libraries and bookshops. Advancements in technology have however revolutionaries learning and the way students access information. This paper seeks to discuss the importance of technology and why digital learning should be intensified in schools. Information will be collected from; researchers that have already conducted studies on the importance of digital learning and technology in education; publications from the media; books; and online journals. The data collected will be used to add emphasis on the importance of incorporating technology in learning so as to help students benefit from the opportunities digital learning has to offer.
Most people in society have developed the mentality that information should be accessed with ease to ensure that people are informed about events as they happen. The belief is in line with Wikranamayake Gihan’s argument that people not only want to be provided with information, but also desire the knowledge needed to utilize the information and use it to impact their lives (Gihan 1). The author is of the opinion that promoting digital learning will prepare students for life after school especially because most aspects of society require technology to function. His argument is compelling in that it discusses how the skills learnt in school will help students to incorporate in society after school. The ability to use computers in schools for example will create an ideal environment where students can learn how to use computers. The skills and knowledge gained in schools will better prepare students for life after school as they will have the skills needed to operate the different forms of technology used in society (Alam et al 453). Incorporating digital learning and technology will prepare students on how to survive in a society that relies on different forms of technology to function.
In their article, Fransson et al make a compelling argument in support of digital learning with claims that its inclusion in schools improves access to education. They further argue that traditional forms of learning are hindered by various barriers that make it difficult for students to learn. Some students find it difficult to access schools due to geographic barriers, long distance from schools, poor weather and national disasters (Fransson et al 1). Since teaching mostly occurs in classes, learning is dependent on whether the student is able to access the school or not. The authors see digital learning as an ideal solution in that, students can learn at the comfort of their homes and are therefore not limited by geographic barriers. Technology further ensures that learning continues even in the occurrence of natural disasters (Fransson et al 1). In cases where the weather or natural phenomena like pandemics make it impossible to go to school, teachers can utilize computers and smart phones to connect with students and continue learning.
The authors further point out how digital learning and technology can help break the learning monotony. Digital learning takes students away from the traditional learning setup they are used to and exposes them to a different environment where they rely on different forms of technology. Since the technology requires input from the students, it promotes participation as students key in the input needed to continue learning. The type of learning is beneficial to students as it helps them to learn how they can use technology to conduct research and collect information (Social Research 2). Unlike traditional forms of learning where research was limited to books, students can continue learning from the unlimited sources available on the internet even when not in school. Learning therefore becomes a continuous process that extends beyond schools and the confines of a classroom.
The Office of Educational Technology however offers contrasting arguments suggesting that digital learning should be discouraged on the grounds that it adds on to students’ workload and takes attention away from the school curriculum. The argument is based on the notion that students must first learn how to use the new technology before learning can commence (OET 85). Although the author gives credible reasons why technology is more of a burden than an assistant in schools, the forms of technology used in schools are relatively easy to learn and require a few hours of training. Furthermore, the advantages that the technology introduced presents to students compensate for the time spent learning and students have more to gain from using the technology than relying on the traditional forms of learning.
Conclusion
A significant number of people support the inclusion of technology in learning because of the opportunities it creates for students. The advantages of using technology in different aspects of society have made its incorporation a necessity in different organizations and. Since technology is used for different purposes in society, schools have a responsibility to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills needed to operate the different forms of technology used in society. The responsibility that schools have and the benefits that technology offers to students offer enough reason to support the claim that digital learning needs to be implemented more in schools and other learning institutions.
References
D Olofsson, G Fransson & J. O Lindberg“A study of the use of digital technology and its conditions with a view to understanding what ‘adequate digital competence’ may mean in a national policy initiative” Educational Studies, 2019. DOI: 10.1080/03055698.2019.1651694
Alam, Monirula. Qian, Cao. Sarker, Nazirul, and Wu, Min. “Leveraging digital technology for better learning and education: A systematic literature review” International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 2019. DOI: 10.18178/ijiet.2019.9.7.1246
Office of Educational Technology, “Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 national education technology plan update” United States Department of Education, 2017, retrieved from, https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf
Social Research, “Literature review on the impact of digital technology on learning and teaching” The Scottish Government, 2015. Retrieved from, https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24843/1/00489224.pdf
The goal of the Qatar National Library is to transform Qatar by creating a Knowledge-based society (Henkel et al. 2018). Since the country has achieved economic diversification, the national library aims at supporting education. The library also focuses on creating a knowledge economy by allowing Qatar people to access high skill levels. The younger generation in Qatar lacks information literacy skills. The library offers information literacy courses where students will access information and use it in their daily lives (Henkel et al. 2018). Lastly, the national library focus on changing the Qatari culture and create a culture of book reading. The national library has established an enabling environment where Qatar people will play, learn, and interact.
References
Henkel, M., Barth, J., Gremm, J., & Stock, W. G. (2018). Qatar National Library as part of a
countrywide knowledge infrastructure. In LIS2018. International Conference on Library
and Information Science. Bangkok, Thailand (pp. 163-90).
Al Eid, N. A., & Arnout, B. A. (2020). Crisis and disaster management in the light of the Islamic approach: COVID‐19 pandemic crisis as a model (a qualitative study using the grounded theory). Journal of Public Affairs, e2217.
Quantitative articles
Sergent, K., & Stajkovic, A. D. (2020). Women’s leadership is associated with fewer deaths during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of United States governors. Journal of Applied Psychology. Retrieved from: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-47004-001.pdf.
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Ansell, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. J., Bakker, A. B., ... & Creary, S. J. (2020). COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action. Retrieved from: https://psyarxiv.com/gkwme/
Analysis
What characteristics make the study and research methods used quantitative?
It is essential to understand what is meant by a quantitative study. The research is said to embrace quantitative characteristics if it emphasizes or numerical analysis of information collected during the research. The collection of data, in this case, may be in various forms. For instance, the research team may have engaged in questionnaires and surveys, or by any means, they may have multiplied pre-existing statistical information utilizing the computational technique.
The studies by Sergent & Stajkovic (2020) and Kniffin et al. (2020) have excellent characteristics of a study that have been developed through the quantitative method in entirety. Form the two studies, quantitative features can be seen in the sense that they both gather data using structured research instruments. In this case, the two articles' results are centered on higher sections amounts that are represented by the populace. Given the higher reliability for the study, articles utilizing quantitative methods usually can be replicated or repeated. On the same, it is clear that the researcher clearly defines research questions, which in return, objective answers are sought. For instance, the study by Sergent & Stajkovic (2020) is based entirely on the question that is to be solved through quantitative methods.
Additionally, the research articles have utilized all aspects of the study very clearly designed before the data is collected. For both studies, data is collected in the form of statistics. Mostly the data is arranged in tables, charts, figures, as well as non-tactual forms. For instance, Sergent & Stajkovic (2020) study has a variety of tables, such as table one, which represents correlations for the quantitative analysis.
What characteristics make the study and research methods used qualitative?
Rather than exact and numerical estimations that depict the circumstance, subjective research centers on the thinking behind persons' activities, societal orders, and humanities (known as the 'why') through open-finished, exploratory inquiries. Personal exploration happens in indigenous habitats. Typical habitats in this setting mean a spot that members can uninhibitedly talk about and give top to bottom responses to the inquiries that the specialists give. This regular spot can be either be on the web or disconnected. Clarke (2009) have proved that the regular spot relies upon the assets accessible to the analyst; anyway, as of late, the most examination has moved online as it empowers scientists to get an example that is a better delegate of the vaster populace.
Subjective examination techniques are significantly more close to home, imaginative and intuitive than their quantitative partners. Strategies, for example, center gatherings, online examination networks, discussions, and so forth, permit research members more opportunity to give top to bottom answers and conversations for more point by point and educated bits of knowledge. The setting is critical while breaking down personal information. The experiences picked up from the information gathered through subjective examination will consistently be setting ward and, in this way, should be deliberately announced concerning the setting wherein it was assembled (Clarke, 2009). The story examination strategy specifically considers setting cautiously. It is a procedure where the essential information gathered by scientists is reformulated into synopses, which consider the setting of each case and the distinction encounters of every member.
What are the significant differences between the two types of research methods?
Between the two strategies research is essential in decision making. This is because there exists a principal qualification within the given data. Mann (2003) denotes that, Quantitative data can only represent data in numerical forms and abstract data in particular. For this circumstance, it can be understood that, the emotional investigation is multi-method in emphasis and an explanatory, realistic approach to achieve its focus. This proposes abstract investigators scholars in their brand situations, trying to understand the phenomena concerning the proposals individuals convey to them. Theoretical investigation determines to understand the communal fact of persons, and societal guidelines as possible as its entities sense it or live it (Mann, 2003). Besides these outlines, individuals and social occasions are amassed in their customary locale. Assessment resulting in an abstract procedure is investigative and confidences to explain 'how' and 'why' a specific wonder, or direct function as it does in a specific background.
From the above assessment articles, Mann (2003) has a team of procedures for exploratory social resources, running from one set to place acknowledgment, to the investigation of doodads, accounts, and public information, to the usage of optical constituents or distinct practice. For instance, a certified instance of an abstract assessment system could be structured, which make emotional data exploiting open requests in Tham, Lu and Teo (2020) article. This allows the defendant to discourse in some meaning, alternative their own arguments. This authorizes the investigator to improve a real sentiment of a person's understanding of a complaint. Acknowledge that emotional data might be roughly beyond disputes or text. Pictures, accounts, sound annals, and so on, can be realized as emotional data.
Explanation of the selected research method
For the study the qualitative method is far much fitting in the research for the study purpose I the context of the effects of Covid on leadership. This method aligns appropriately with the study, purpose as well as the research at hand the sense that much of the data is based ion theoretical bases. The study on leadership challenges as resulted by corona virus denotes a systematic subjective approach; this can be utilized in description of life experience of the leaders hence giving a clear meaning to the expected result. With the use of the qualitative method it will be a possible way out to demonstrate richness of the material of data gathered. On the same, the depth, insight, and the complexity of information are easier while utilizing the qualitative method in the issue at hand. Hence, in the context of the effects of covid-19 of leaders, the best and effective method to enhance during the research is the qualitative method.
References
Al Eid, N. A., & Arnout, B. A. (2020). Crisis and disaster management in the light of the Islamic approach: COVID‐19 pandemic crisis as a model (a qualitative study using the grounded theory). Journal of Public Affairs, e2217.
Clarke, D. J. (2009). Using qualitative observational methods in rehabilitation research: Part one. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 16(7), 362-369.
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. J., Bakker, A. B., ... & Creary, S. J. (2020). COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action. Retrieved from: https://psyarxiv.com/gkwme/
Mann, C. J. (2003). Observational research methods. Research design II: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. Emergency medicine journal, 20(1), 54-60.
Sergent, K., & Stajkovic, A. D. (2020). Women’s leadership is associated with fewer deaths during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of United States governors. Journal of Applied Psychology. Retrieved from: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-47004-001.pdf.
The steps in the stages of research involve preparing for research whereby you need to first know what kind of information you need for the research. The second one is accessing resources that will guide you through the research. This involves finding credible resources and that fulfill the purpose of the research. The third step is processing the information which includes analyzing, sorting, and organizing the information. The final step is transferring your learning in the best way possible for the audience. Here you have to know who the audience, the purpose of the research, and the format to use. For the theories of fear, the main thing that is involved is figuring out the source of the horror in the story. The three sub-genres of horror include moral allegory which mainly focuses on good and evil. The psychological horror focuses on abnormal human psychology. The final one is the fantastic which is a kind of horror that comes from not knowing. In the elements of fiction, there is the narrative's voice which includes the difference between a reliable and unreliable narrator. The thinking section includes visualizing thinking strategies, avoiding distractions in the listening strategies, and brainstorming in the writing strategies. The communication skills developed include business letters: audience, purpose, structure, voice. Throughout this learning, I have developed different skills that have improved my way of thinking, listening, and even communicating.
Knowledge
As you prepare for research, it is important to first define a task and this means knowing exactly what the task is and the kind of information that is needed. To access resources, it is of utmost significance to find information from a variety of sources to ensure that you have a complete idea of what is needed. Librarians are research experts, therefore consulting a librarian will be important because they will enlighten you more about the sources. Reading and taking notes is very helpful and this includes noting your sources. After getting the information that you need, you then need to process the information. Before everything else you need to analyze the information that you got, this means comparing the information from the different sources and test its consistency. This will help you sort out the sources that have the information that you need and eventually enable you to organize your information. Graphic organizers which include fishbone diagrams can be used to help you organize your research. It is also important to know the headings and sub-headings to use and based on your analysis, then it is easy to conclude. The final step is where you transfer your learning. Here you think about the audience and who your audience is, what you think they need to know, and what you want them to know. It also includes the purpose and format of the research and in what form your audience will take it.
In the theories of fear, the sub-genres of fear include, moral allegory. In this sub-genre, there is normally a focus on the battle between good and evil and there often will be a kind of intrusion of supernatural evil. When you break a rule, you get punished and the rule and punishment might or might not make sense. The rule and punishment too might or might not involve death. Psychological horror is the other sub-genre which focuses on abnormal human psychology. Here the abnormal human or creature creates horror through his or its actions. The “monster” is at the center of the story and often represents some aspect of ourselves. The “monster” can either be human or supernatural. The third sub-genre is fantastic whereby the source of horror in this sub-genre comes from not knowing. There is an occurrence of a supernatural but we only know about it indirectly. There is no explanation given and if it is given, it does not make sense in everyday reality.
For the elements of fiction, the difference between a reliable and unreliable narrator is that a reliable narrator is one who narrates what exactly happened and does not add any of his emotions or comments. A reliable narrator does not have any prejudice. On the other hand, an unreliable narrator is a narrator that does not narrate about the real happenings in the true sense. An unreliable narrator does not bother about the outcomes of the actions or events. This means that their credibility has been compromised. This allows the audience to make their interpretations of the story that is being narrated.
Thinking
In the reading strategies, visualizing was helpful because it improved my concentration, motivation, and coordination. It helped me not to get distracted and focus on what would enable me to achieve my goal. For the listening strategies, avoiding distractions was very helpful to me because I stayed focused and this increased my concentration. For the writing strategies, brainstorming was helpful because it allowed me to effectively generate innovative ideas and analyze the information I got.
Communication
The communication skills for a business letter: audience, purpose, structure, voice involve how well the information gets to the audience, with the correct structure, voice, and fulfills its purpose. The audience is the person or group aim of the writer, the purpose is the reason the writer writes the business letter, the structure is the order of ideas, which should be linked together and the voice is the attitude the writer conveys about the letter.
Application
Visualizing will help me focus on my goals and aspirations and this will motivate me to keep moving and accomplish what I want in life. Avoiding distractions will help me concentrate on my projects and tasks in my workplace. It will help me give them my full attention and this will yield great results. My knowledge about audience, purpose, structure, and voice will help me write an effective letter while applying for a job.
Literacy is the ability to read and write or the ability to communicate through writing, listening, and speaking. Literacy enables people to communicate, share their ideas and thoughts with others and this helps to create relationships. In special education, programs are developed and used to guide the daily teaching and assessment of the children to develop literacy.
The student population is special education 8:1:2 (Pre-K) and the objectives of the literacy lesson are that children can take turns and be able to wait for their turn. The other objective is that the children will be able to identify shapes using words and gestures. The lesson plan procedures are developed by the teacher (Graham, Berman & Bellert 2002). It includes singing the Tommy the turtle sang by TA1 with gestures and the hello song sang by TA2 respectively. The teacher then reviews the shapes on the pail poster of the shell game by pointing and saying their name. Then the teacher picks a child and asks them to show where the seashell is and the shape they pick. They are given a chance to respond and if they don’t, the teacher encourages the parent to physically help their child pick a shape and this continues until the shape has been found. The teacher’s role is to encourage the student and the parent to keep looking when it is their turn and the game continues until each student has found the seashell. Parents and teachers give praise to each student as they find the seashell.
The session is based on the children’s response to the activity and the teacher uses different strategies for each child and group. If a student cannot focus, some shapes are taken away and if students are moving around, they are allowed to have a toy until it is their turn. If the students are enjoying the session, it runs for a longer time. The differentiated instruction is that students are encouraged to say and point the shape on the screen and their parents will support their child to point. The game is practiced several times in a week and the lesson will be given to two groups of nonverbal and semi-verbal children in a self-contained classroom with a ratio of 8:1:2. Group 1 are students who can focus a bit longer and group 2 are students who
are focusing more on basic skills such as sitting, attending, and listening and they require to hand over hand assistance to point and make choices. For assessment of the student, student comprehension was consistently checked throughout the session (Graham, Berman & Bellert 2002). Praise was used for participation and also modified assessments based on their responses. From the assessment, realized that students were motivated and were eager to participate. For future lessons, I will be able to interact, support, and understand the students better which will make it more effective and fun.
Conclusion
In special education, programs and lessons are developed to guide the students on how to learn how to communicate and express themselves. The teachers use different strategies on different students based on their responses to the lessons. The teachers and parents give praise to the students upon participation which encourages and motivates them. In the future, this will enable me to be more supportive of the students and the parents.
References
Graham, L., Berman, J., & Bellert, A. (2002). Practical literacy programming for students with
special learning needs. In Practical Literacy Programming. Primary English Teaching Association.
High-leverage practices (HLP) promote students' learning and help teachers in advancing skills. Based on HLP 2, teachers are required to collaborate with professionals and parents in making decisions and share multiple perspectives (CEC, n.d). Based on HLP 3, teachers are required to involve families in making decisions concerning the children's needs. A teacher-parent relationship promotes a positive relationship and encourages parents to identify children's needs and support them (CEC, n.d). Focusing on the instructional program, I can rate myself 4 out of 5.This is because, during a lesson, I create instructional goals and build a supportive environment to meet the needs of every student. To meet the instructional goals, I interact with students and create a collaborative environment where students develop a sense of belonging. I also use explicit instruction to capture the students' attention to help students understand the topic and the contents. I encourage students to work together in a learning activity and share skills in solving the problems. My weaknesses in this area is that I am unable to construct an effective instructional program due to lack of knowledge about students' cultures, religious backgrounds, and other social status. To improve in this area, I will integrate culture and religious perspectives in interacting with students since these factors impact students' academic life.
On information about individual students, I can rate myself 5 out 5.This is because I provide individualized instruction to every students. The purpose of an individualized specialized instructor is to meet the students' academic, functional, and emotional needs. In general, in my instructional program, my instructional activities include communicating clearly to the students, providing feedback, and being responsive to their needs. On the engagement of families, I can rate myself 3 out of 5. This is because I have not met full professional responsibilities especially in the area of communicating with families. I rarely communicate with parents/guardians concerning students' behavior. I only deal with students and my goal is to adhere to the established standards to help students gain knowledge and skills. To improve in this area, I will engage families in students learning and allow them to add input to the education program. I look forward to have a meaningful interaction with families to learn more about culture, interest, and expectations.
Question 5
In HLP 1, teachers should not work independently but they should collaborate with other colleagues and parents to form professional relationships. The collaboration allows the team to develop a support system toward improving students learning (CEC, n.d). On a scale of 0-5, I can rate myself 5 out of 5 in the area of improving content knowledge and pedagogical skills. I apply research-based participants to produce positive outcomes. I interact with other teachers to review the learning standards and plan lessons that adhere to the curriculum standards. I also like reviewing educational periodicals to learn about the instructional strategies to improve teaching practices. Through interaction, I identify the important pieces of content, I narrow my focus and address the specific subject, and focus on a subject that has anticipated responses. On receptivity to feedback, my rate is 5 out of 5. This is because, when working with other professionals, I receive constructive feedback and I use the feedback to improve students' learning. I view the feedback from colleagues as a gift that has a potential value in students' learning. My service to the profession is 5 out of 5. Focusing on HLP 1, teachers must collaborate with other professionals to improve learning. By collaborating and interacting with other teachers, we share knowledge and knowledge helps in providing quality education and bringing social changes in the community. I also share knowledge with other teachers to assist them with the newly gained knowledge toward improving the learning. In general, teachers are required to adapt to the current skills. To stay informed, they need to interact with others and join professional organizations and attend conferences. On this area, I do not have weakness and this means that collaboration or working as a team has enabled to grow professionally.
Question 7
On HLP 6, reflection is an important element and teachers must engage in reflective practices to maintain the effectiveness in teaching (CEC, n.d). Reflection helps teachers to appraise themselves and create a new perspective or gain a new awareness of personal behaviors. According to Gheith & Jaberi (2018), refection allows teachers to have proper planning. Rather than depending on routine activity, teachers engage in critical thinking where they think and analyze the teaching events and practices. Reflection is important in that the teacher will assess the classroom environment and make amendments to ensure that the teaching practices improve students' learning. Having understood the role of reflection, I can rate my accurate reflection as 5 out of 5. After introducing the lesson to the students, I conduct an assessment to evaluate whether the lesson was successful or not. I do not just assume that the lesson was 'okay' or 'terrible'. I reflect on what happened through collecting data, analysis data, and planning. In case of any dissatisfaction, I seek help from my colleague on how to solve the problems and meet the students' needs.The teachers’ help in becoming more accurate by providing me with additional strategies. The teachers not only help in solving the problems but they also engage in the refection practices by observing the students' responses. Thus, I include mentoring teachers in my professional work as they help in growing professionally and improving students learning. A point to note is that reflection helps to become more accurate in teaching. Secondly, reflection helps in assessing the effectiveness of teaching practice by using specific examples such as students' questions. Finally, reflection help in using reflections in future teaching. Note that in the future, I will reflect on what happened to the previous lessons and improve the practice.
Question 11
Based on HLP-1 through HLP 22, teachers are required to support the students by ensuring that they receive fair treatment (Danielson, n.d). They should also show a high level of commitment to using the available resources to meet the students' needs. Furthermore, they should participate in decision making and adhere to the schools and district regulations. These are some of the ways in which teachers should show professionalism. Personally, I can rate myself 5 out of 5 in advocacy to students. As a teacher, I am aware that sometimes students' voice is not heard. Therefore, they require supportive teachers who would advocate for them and ensure that the decisions made have a positive impact on the life of students. I advocate for students by listening to their voices and connecting them to a support system. On service to students, I can rate myself 5 out of 5 simply because I am aware of the students' needs and use the best tools to support learning. Serving students is a high priority and I am interested in providing students with a positive experience. I am aware that the role of my professional expertise to make a great contribution to the life of students. In integrity and ethical conduct, my rating is 5 out of 5 in that I support a culture of integrity by encouraging students to work hard with determination and to believe in themselves. My professional ethics is also 5 out of 5 in that
I treat students with care and commitment. I do not only provide quality education but I adhere to good values to achieve desirable outcomes. I also apply my professionalism in making decisions. I adhere to the professional standards in interacting with students and other professionals. Finally, my compliance with school and district regulation is 5 out 5 because I do not only comply but I also go beyond the compliance. For example, I adhere to the current regulation of curriculum and I work with my colleagues to under the new curriculum and the best practices.
Question 9
Focusing on the learner's profile, it is important to note that learners have different abilities, interests, and talents (Cooper, 2011). Teachers must recognize individual needs in order to design instructional programs that fit every student. Another point to note that learning profiles allow teachers to use different variables when planning programs. While analyzing the learner's profile, I learn that there are four areas to focus on. The first area is group orientation- this is a group of students who enjoy working as a team. The cognitive style profile entails focusing on the learning styles of students as well as their behaviors. Learning environment profile entails analyzing how environment impact students learning and intelligence preference entails analysis of how the surrounding environment including places and things influences learning (Cooper, 2011). The four learning profiles reveal that teachers are required to conduct a diagnostic assessment to understand the students’ interest and readiness to learn. The information will help come up with an effective plan and integrate the essential concepts in the program. It is important to note that in the 21st century, students have diverse needs and it is difficult to recognize these needs unless the teacher gets the right training that goes beyond focusing on subject areas to include diverse learning (Cooper, 2011). However, while analyzing the learners' profile, the question that came in my mind is 'does each learner profile require specific learning resources? My worry is that since the learning profile is shifting to personalize learning, it means that the teachers will not achieve desirable outcomes unless specific methods of teaching and resources are used. My concern is if it is possible to use collaborative learning where students' problems are addressing in a single learner profiles.
References
Cooper, D. (2011). Redefining Fair: How to Plan, Assess, and Grade for Exellence in Mixed-
How did your life circumstances change after you left High School?
I experienced positive and negative life circumstances during the period of transition from high school to college. In high school, I enjoyed peer group relationships. I could interact with same age friends and the friendship was associated with pleasurable experiences and psychological satisfaction. I enjoyed companionship, intimacy, and encouragement. I can also say that I valued friendship while in high school as it helped in identity formation and self-esteem. After high-school, my life circumstances changed because I lost the friendships and relationships. I developed anxiety and depression since all my friends were enrolled in other colleges. Even though I had excitement and happiness for achieving my dream of joining a college, I felt upset and lonely. I could not interact with my parents and friends and therefore I lacked a sense of belonging. In college, I learned that college life is a period where one need to make a definite identity and live an independent lifestyle. Therefore, this was a new life stage and I struggled with anxiety since I was unable to make personal decisions. However, I am optimistic and I gained a self-focus and was able to make independent decisions,
How prepared did you feel going into this new phase of your life AND in what area did you discover that you still needed guidance/help?
I felt unprepared going into the new phase of life. In highs school, the most important thing was to attend class and the teacher could follow the curriculum. I general, I depended on teachers. In college, I found that students need time management, teamwork, and personal responsibility. One is also required to set career goals, create a lifelong commitment, and explore new activities. I feel I was not prepared because I lacked life skills that could help in managing time, making new friends, coping with homesickness, and adjust to new life. Since I got myself in a new world, I discovered I needed guidance on how to cope up with loneliness, pressure of studies, and the new life.
What has been the most significant change, and what is the most significant lesson you learned during this time period?
In high school, I valued friendship more than academic. However, the most significant change since I joined college is gaining independence and freedom, and realizing my own potentials. I focused of my professional and developed a big picture. I learned that the most important thing is to live happy and free, focus on the power of learning, be kind, and create a small social circle and surrounding yourself with people who make you feel worthy and happy.
Response 1
Many students think that college is all about independence. As a student, you were eager to become independent and enjoy life to the fullest. Unfortunately, college life is beyond gaining independence. College is a place where one become challenged and inspired. An important point to note is that freedom and own independence is not bad but college students use the freedom to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as passing time with friends, partying, watching movies, and more. Thus, it is important to use the independent and freedom to improve future lives. Luckily, you realized the difficulties during transition and learned the importance of setting personal goals and having an academic pursuit. Overall, transition from high school to college is associated with a myriad of challenges but it is easier to overcome these challenges by visiting academic resource center and students help center. I also agree with you that friends, peers, or family play a significant role in personal development. However, it is important to follow your heart and engage in healthy behaviors that will help achieve personal and academic goals.
Response 2
I am happy for you that you were academically prepared for entering college. What students need to know is that college is a new world and failure to get prepared will contribute to many disadvantages. Students need college-oriented mindset, practice good habits, and work collaboratively. With no doubt, college preparation will help the student learn how to manage time, become organized, become responsible, and accomplish personal and academy goals. Another important point is that college students need to understand that freedom and independence should provide strength and self-confidence toward making decisions and solving problems. Finally, friendship and relationships are a source of love an excitement. It is important to address the relationship problems and recognize the self-worth.
Having had a successful career in Nursing, I feel that this is the ideal moment for me to advance my career and obtain a DPN degree. This is because I want to experience greater levels of the joy of leadership in the years ahead of me. I am interested in earning the DNP degree so that I can advance my healthcare delivery and patient outcome skills. The Incarnate Word University provides the best foundation for the development of leadership and enhancement of clinical management skills for practicing registered nurses. The university also offers the Post-BSN to DNP track for nurses who want to become a psychiatric mental nurse practitioner which is my area of interest.
The DNP is rooted in clinical practice and is meant for advanced practice nurse practitioners whereas the Ph.D. is rooted in research and meant for people who want to be educators and researchers. The reason I selected DNP is that I want to be involved in clinical practice rather than focus on research. I want to be involved in the patient’s lives and help them through their conditions because that is what am passionate about. Therefore earning a DNP will enhance my knowledge and improve my nursing practice and the outcome of the patients. My expectations from earning the degree are that I will be able to deliver high-quality advanced nursing care. From the additional knowledge about leadership that I will get, I will be able to provide the required leadership in the discipline of nursing.
The DNP degree will give me the expertise that is needed to analyze and interpret a patient’s health data and then use what I observe to implement individualized strategies of treatment. I will be in a better position of being able to educate patients about ways in which they will manage their chronic diseases, how to avoid injuries, and overall maintain a healthy lifestyle. The DNP credentials will enable be utilize the evidence-based practice that will help me develop effective work teams that will have a positive impact on my practice.
Military veterans, forensic, and jail/prison populations are the clinical populations that are of interest to me. This is because these populations involve patients with infectious diseases and are prone to poor health. These populations need undivided attention due to their exceptional healthcare requirements. These populations also require treatment concerning mental health and drug abuse and that is why I am interested in them to ensure that their treatment needs are catered for and they get the required education and information. Psychiatry is my clinical area of interest because mental health is very important in the entire health and life of a patient. Psychiatry is an area that requires a competent and compassionate mental health nurse practitioner who will be able to assess, diagnose, and treat the mental health condition.
Innovative leadership is a method that combines different leadership styles intending to influence employees to come up with creative ideas, products, and services. Being an innovation leader means being a leader that can think and influence other people to develop and implement new and better ideas that help in the delivery of healthcare and the outcome of the patient. It means being a leader that influences the growth of their team and the organization as a whole.
Early childhood education plays a significant role in establishing a child's future success. Early education and intervention help the child gain brain development, social development, physical development, and emotional development. However, for practitioners in early childhood education to provide quality education, they must be aware of child development and best practices. The theories of early childhood education help the teacher predict behaviors, interpret behaviors, understand the typical and unique patterns of behavior, make informed decisions, and use the best practices. Researchers have come up with many theoretical frameworks that help the ministry of education create evidence-informed policy and practices. It is important to note that in researching the theories of early childhood education, researchers employ the social, economic, political, cultural, and development perspectives. Therefore, the ministry of education can connect the theories with early childhood education and establish policies and the best practices. The Federal and State government is also concerned with the field of education. The two levels of government ensure access and quality of education by establishing laws that regulate the practices. Thus, early childhood education does not only adhere to the practices of theories but they implement the State and Federal polices to provide the best practices. Theories, policies, practices of early childhood education, and federal and state laws are the basis under which educators understand a child's development and learning; consequently, teachers can use the best practices to promote a child's learning and development.
Knowledge and skills of child development are important in early childhood education. The knowledge and skills help the educator understand the varying abilities of children, show commitment and accountability, and provide high-quality education (Sheridan et al, 2009). However, teachers require early learning guidelines for them to employ the best practices and provide quality education. It is also important to note that professional development in early childhood education is not only based on credentials and experiences but the current era requires educators to apply theoretical and empirical knowledge in teaching (Sheridan et al, 2009). Note that the primary objectives of early childhood education are to educate children. In this objective, the educator uses facts and concepts that are gained from direct instruction, discovery, and other ways. The second objective is to gain personal professional growth and help the systems become more efficient. In this second objective, educators are required to engage in professional practices and activities (Sheridan et al, 2009). In other words, they are expected to deliver effective services, and employ ethics of responsibility. The main point is that traditionally, educators have gained professional development through specialized training, coaching, and communities of practice. However, the next section shows that educators can gain professional development by moving beyond the traditional forms and application of a theoretical framework. In general, educators cannot use the best practices and make the appropriate decisions without applying the following developmental theories.
Biological-maturational Theory
In understanding child development, educators need to know that a child must have a biological maturation, or in other words, a child's biological growth helps him or her understand the real world (Crone & Ridderinkhof, 2011). A child is biologically ready to interact with a physical object and develop a learning experience. This means that in early childhood education, the educator needs to understand the child's maturation level and connect him or her with the appropriate literacy activity. An important point about this theory is that a child has a set of human capacities and a unique perspective toward learning or activity (Crone & Ridderinkhof, 2011). In early childhood education, environmental factors play a minor role in the development progression. In other words, institutions and practice do not benefit the child. Rather, biological inheritance is the main factor that influences development in that a child has a certain level of maturation that enables him or her to accomplish tasks (Crone & Ridderinkhof, 2011). Thus, in designing a curriculum, educators should come up with activities that fit child’s development level.
Behaviorist Theory
From this perspective, educators should understand that behavior and learning are influenced by events occurring in the environment. This means that in early childhood education, teachers must adapt to the "Curriculum of Behavior" (Anindyarini et al. 2018). This is because the child's behavior is influenced by a positive stimulus. The latter increases pleasure and satisfaction and hence positive learning outcome. The theory suggests that there is something known as the law of readiness. This means that in early childhood education, teachers should prepare the children to learn by providing an attractive introduction, or telling them about the importance of learning (Anindyarini et al. 2018). Children will gain satisfaction and became ready to learn. Another proposition is the law of exercise. The theory states that teachers should motivate behaviors frequently. In other words, children should receive positive reinforcement regularly so that children can make learning a habit. The last proposition is the law of effect. This means that positive reinforcement is associated with positive results. For example, when children receive a reward, they develop positive feelings and satisfaction (Anindyarini et al. 2018). As a result, they will increase commitment in learning and increase performance, and ultimately achieve success. In general, teachers should focus on changing behaviors through motivation. As a result, children will develop self-confidence and participate actively in learning.
Cognitive-developmental Theory
In cognitive-development theory, a child's development is as a result of a change in thought processes. For example, children go through the sensorimotor stage, and during this stage, the child recognizes the environment and the surroundings (Ojose, 2008). The child interacts with the objects and interprets things through their perspective. Children also go through the preoperational stage where they develop logical thoughts. The child can talk, think, and solve problems by applying a different perspective. The third developmental stage is the concrete operational stage. In solving problems, a child finds a sensible solution to arrive into accurate conclusion (Ojose, 2008). The last developmental stage is the formal operations stage where a child moves beyond concrete objects to systematic ways of solving problems, the child can also apply hypothesis and conceptual reasoning. In early childhood education, educators should understand the cognitive level and then design their teaching (Ojose, 2008). Note that as the teacher understands the child's think, it will be easier to connect the child with meaningful learning.
Sociocultural Theory
Educators need to understand that learning is influenced by cultural tools and artifacts. In other words, history plays a significant role in shaping knowledge and child's development. Children do not only need to focus on their personal experience but they should also consider factors such as family and community (Shabani, 2016). This means that as children interact with the social structures in learning, they will gain beliefs and attitudes and use symbolic tools in solving problems. Since teachers are aware that a child's learning is influenced by cultural factors, they should design a curriculum that values beliefs. Note that in the 21st century, classrooms are full of diversity of children (Shabani, 2016). This means that teachers need to use sociocultural perceptive. The latter will influence thinking or in other words, children will construct knowledge by reflecting on historical context.
Federal and state laws on education in the classroom
State and Federal governments have enacted laws to increase access to education and ensure the provision of high-quality education. The following are the key state and federal laws;
Individual with Disability Education Improvement Act
The U.S constitution states that disabled younger children should receive free education. The Federal government provides funds to the State government so that children with disabilities such as developmental delay, behavioral disability, and more receive a quality education (Jacob, 2011). There should be nondiscriminatory testing and the law also states that there should be an individualized education program to meet the needs of every child.
No Child Left Behind Act
The law recognizes that children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds do not access education. Therefore, the law provides financial assistance to ensure all children especially homeless, minority, delinquent children, children who lack English proficiency, and others with such issues should receive free education (Jacob, 2011). Under the 'No Child Left behind Act', young children receive provision such as Early Reading First; this refers to the creation of education settings where children from poor backgrounds learn readings kills, and language (Jacob, 2011). The other provision is Even Start; this is a program that provides children and their parents with literacy training.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy
The law states that students and their parents have the right to access educational information, financial records, and other forms of information (Jacob, 2011). The school should not disclose the information to educational institutions through electronic transmission.
Protection of Pupil Rights Act
The law states the school should obtain parental consent to conduct surveys or evaluations aimed at gaining student's personal information.
Compare and/or contrast the federal and state laws with the principles and practices of the theories
First, it is important to note that early childhood development is a topic that is addressed by multiple disciplines. For example, scholars in psychology field are interested in cognitive abilities, psychological skills, parental-child relationships, and other subjects (Huntington, 2016). On the other hand, legal scholars are insensitive to early childhood development. Legal scholars do not engage in interdisciplinary research on child development and this means that the legal system does not consider age and behavior as a factor in addressing the child's need.
One notable difference is that the Federal and State laws deal with the children and their families. Rather than focusing on the development of milestones, it addressed the special needs and the importance of early intervention (Huntington, 2016). For example, it is concerned with disabled children and provides them with educational opportunities. The law is concerned with the school improvement and the federal government provides financial resources to ensure that the society as a whole gets access to education (Huntington, 2016). Even though the law recognizes early childhood education, it has not grappled with the development milestones.
In general, federal laws do not focus on the child's growth and development. On the other hand, theorists are concerned with the developmental milestones and stresses that there is a dynamic interaction between learning and child development (Huntington, 2016). They pay attention to developmental stages and uses the developmental milestones to create a healthy development. While the laws address the need of children through providing resources, theorists explore childhood development to use the best practice including the academic instructions.
Conclusion
The research has found that early childhood education requires educators to use the best practices. It is important to note that the field of education has grown in that there are discoveries that provide educators with new knowledge and evidence-based practices. Theorists have proposed different theories that educators should apply to improve a child's learning. Rather than relying on the traditional forms of professional development such as training, educators need to learn more about the growth and behaviors of children. This knowledge allows educators to understand the physical, social, and cognitive aspects and by understanding the aspects of development, it becomes easier to meet the need of every child. However, federal and state policy does not put into consideration early childhood development. Rather, the law is concerned with student access to education and achievement. The law requires educators to use quality instruction and provide knowledge and skills to students from all backgrounds. However, the legal scholars and the theories of early childhood should address the topic of early childhood education together. As a result, they will gain an insight concerning early childhood and the state's regulatory attention. The federal laws will also foster childhood development by creating laws that guide parents. By understanding childhood development, federal law will come up with effective policies that protect the child’s well-being.
References
Anindyarini, A., Rokhman, F., & Mulyani, M. (2018). Behavioristic Theory and Its Application
in the Learning of Speech. KnE Social Sciences, 522-530.
Crone, E. A., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2011). The developing brain: from theory to neuroimaging
and back. Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 1(2), 101-109.
Huntington, C. (2016). Early Childhood Development and the Law. S. Cal. L. Rev., 90, 755.
Jacob, S., Decker, D. M., & Hartshorne, T. S. (2011). Ethics and law for school psychologists.
Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons.
Ojose, B. (2008). Applying Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development to Mathematics
Instruction Math.
Shabani, K. (2016). Applications of Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach for teachers’ professional
development. Cogent education, 3(1), 1252177.
Sheridan, S. M., Edwards, C. P., Marvin, C. A., & Knoche, L. L. (2009). Professional
development in early childhood programs: Process issues and research needs. Early
Followership is defined as the will to cooperate in working towards accomplishing an objective and showing a high degree of interactive teamwork. Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy whereby the main objective of the leader is to serve. Leadership is a process that involves influencing followers. Followership and servant leadership are two different words but none of them can exist without the other.
In servant leadership, the leader puts their focus on the well-being of other people rather than the acquisition of power. In an organizational setting, servant leadership is notable in the nature of the association between the leaders and the workers. In the traditional style of leadership, leaders put their focus more on sustaining hierarchical relationships with followers. Contrary to that, servant leadership promotes cooperation between the leaders and their followers (Nguyen & Wan Kang 1). While servant leaders establish cooperative relations, followership maintains that both the leaders and the followers are in an interdependent relationship. Followers also take an active role in the relationship rather than just be passive participants. Followership helps in complementing servant leadership meaning that the leader to follower relationship is mutual whereby both of them benefit from each other.
There are several ways in which the servant leadership and followership differ. Servant leadership and followership both have different roles and this is between the leader and the follower. The leader’s role includes motivating the followers and providing them with the required support to enable them to accomplish their objectives. A leader is expected to involve the follower in the process of making decisions to ensure that they build a sense of trust between them. Followers develop objectives and strive towards accomplishing the objectives they develop. Servant leaders work towards serving other people and the followers work towards accomplishing their objectives (Crystal 1). This means that servant leadership is meant to work for a collective purpose whereas the followership is meant to fulfill personal interests. Followership is the determiner of how a leader will be perceived and it predicts how a follower will follow and also how they will lead.
In servant leadership, leaders have to encourage other people for them to be successful. They have to create an environment that a team can flourish. A leader in servant leadership should lead by example, develop an environment that is supportive and safe, listen without judging, and respect the capabilities of different people (Gilbert 1). They are also responsible for assisting a team in working together and removing any obstacle that could act as a hindrance to success. Servant leadership is all about empowering other people, supporting them, and be there for them when they need them.
There can be no leaders without followers and it takes the existence of a follower for a leader to accomplish something. For a team to be successful, a leader has to put their ego aside and put the needs of the team before themselves, hence acting in the capability of a servant leader. For leaders to be successful, they have to generate and support followers that are loyal and dedicated to their vision and mission. They have to develop relationships with their followers and build trust and support among them. Just like a good leader, a good follower serves their team, their leaders, and society. This makes them too to become leaders by their aspiration to serve and ensure that the needs and interests of other people are met before their own. Therefore, servant leadership is as effective for followers just as it is for leaders. Servant leaders possess several skills that include good listening skills, being aware of what is supposed to be done, their behavior, and be committed to helping other people to grow (Gilbert 1). Servant leadership also includes some values which include integrity, humility, and honesty to be able to motivate other people in possessing good values and be trustworthy. Followership includes accomplishing an objective while exercising respect for power, positive attitude, integrity, and self-discipline. Both servant leadership and followership because require good morals.
Followership and servant leadership are two philosophies that cannot do without the other. In servant leadership, the leader works towards the well-being of other people whereas, in followership, the followers work towards accomplishing objectives that they have set. Servant leadership includes the motivation of people for them to be successful and not concentrating on their interests but the interests of others. Followership helps to compliment the servant leadership and determines how a leader is perceived.
Works Cited
Davis, Crystal J., ed. Servant Leadership and Followership: Examining the Impact on Workplace
Behavior. Springer, 2017.
Jacobs, Gilbert A. "Servant leadership and follower commitment." Proceedings of the 2006
Servant Leadership Research Roundtable. 2006.
Thao, Nguyen Phan Hanh, and Seung-Wan Kang. "When Servant Leaders Inspire Followers to
Become Organizational Citizens? Empirical Evidence From Vietnam." SAGE Open 10.1 (2020): 2158244019900184.
How can administration support first-year teachers in providing effective classroom management techniques?
The administration wants teachers to provide quality performance. However, first-year teachers suffer from stress and loneliness due to changes in lifestyle and career transitions, and therefore they need support and guidance. The administration should provide support and assistance to the first-year teachers to help them overcome the common problems and achieve the needs and expectations. Note that administrators play a significant role in student achievement. But then, the administrators and students have an indirect relationship, it means that the administrators should work with teachers and provide them with professional development, hence support student learning. Thus the administrators should provide first-year teachers with quality instruction, as well as resources and mentoring to promote their classroom management.
Administrators should understand that first-year teachers view them as friend and supporter. Therefore, administrators should provide support and assistance and make it an ongoing program so that the first year teachers can gain effective teaching strategies. The following are ways in which administrators should use in supporting first-year teachers to meet the expectations.
Prepare teachers for professional development
First, administrators can support first-year teachers by providing professional development. Note that first-year teachers find it difficult to manage classroom disruptive behaviors (Oliver & Reschly, 2007). What happens is that these teachers become more reactive or in other words, they fail to follow the predetermined principles. Rather than creating a positive learning environment, they use behaviors such as suspending students from class. To prevent these problems, administrators should create a preparation program where teachers gain knowledge and skills in managing the classroom (Oliver & Reschly, 2007). They will become competent and efficient and they will use the appropriate preventive and corrective behaviors.
Innovative configuration
Another way administrators can support first-year teachers is by communicating the components of practice and the degree of implementation (Mitchel et al. 2017). The tool will help teachers in that as they enter into the classroom, they will use the appropriate innovation practice for change. In other words, in managing the classroom, the teacher will follow an operational pattern (Mitchel et al. 2017). Thus, the administrators should create a supportive environment where teachers will get the opportunity to develop teaching skills.
Instructional approaches
First-year teachers need effective instructional strategies. Note that administrators expect teachers to interact with all types of students including poor and minority students. They are expected to deal with behavioral difficulties and improve students' academic achievement. For teachers to achieve this goal, they need instructional approaches (Tygret, 2018). Effective instructions will help the teacher address classroom behavioral problem, create a positive school and classroom environment, increase students' engagement toward learning, and encourage appropriate behaviors. In addition to instructional materials, administrators should provide teachers with field experience (Tygret, 2018). For first-year teachers to effectively manage the classroom, they need to participate in field experience. There should be strong coordination between the new teachers and experienced teachers. The purpose of coordination is to help the teachers increase management skills. The experienced teachers should also provide feedback and support as a strategy to strengthen their professional development (Tygret, 2018). Rather than focusing on basic level of classroom only, teachers need to go beyond their comfort zone and participate in the outside environment to increase the competency
Address the challenges in managing classroom behaviors
Note that first-year teachers use inappropriate tactics such as negative reinforcement trap which affects learning. For teachers to stop using negative reinforcement, they need classroom-management strategies (Farmer et al. 2014). Thus, administrators should provide teachers with the critical content and as they gain a deeper understanding of the connection, they will focus on things that are important and avoid things that are not relevant. Another point is that administrators should help teachers solve classroom problems by providing them with the case method of instruction. Case method teaching means that students are connected to the real world and they act as the decision-makers in solving problems (Farmer et al. 2014). Teachers should ensure collaborative learning which will enhance problem-solving. Teachers will benefit from this method of teaching in that they will focus on real-life situations in managing the behavioral problem.
School-wide behavioral support
This means that administrators should ensure that resources to support first-year teachers in classroom management should come from the school systems (Caldarella et al. 2011). It is the role of the school system to address student behavioral needs. Note that students' antisocial behaviors should be managed with continued intervention. Therefore, there is a need for a school-wide effort that aims at teaching students prosocial behaviors. When the school system creates a safe and positive environment for learning, teachers will find it easier to manage behaviors at the classroom-level (Caldarella et al. 2011). Thus, the school should be at the forefront to implement preventive measures and draft behavior plans. It should also collaborate with teachers in evaluating the best practices (Wienen et al. 2019). Thus, school administrators should not only act as facilitators and supervisor but they should also practice instructional leadership. It is important to note that administrators should create a direct relationship with teachers to increase their competence and strategies for classroom management.
Conclusion
Classroom management is an important aspect that creates a strong teacher-student bond. However, teachers experience challenges in achieving effective classroom management. First-year teachers agree that classroom management is the greatest concern since there is little emphasis on the issue. However, the literature has stated that teachers need preparation and professional development to effectively manage the classroom and create a positive educational environment. Therefore, the administration should establish teacher preparation programs that contain information based on classroom management. In the preparation program, teachers will learn about the comprehensive approach toward classroom management such as behavioral management, and active supervision, monitoring student behaviors and more. Administrators should also provide teachers with professional development for them to gain skills and knowledge, and resource and support.
References
Oliver, R. M., & Reschly, D. J. (2007). Effective Classroom Management: Teacher Preparation
and Professional Development. TQ Connection Issue Paper. National comprehensive
center for teacher quality.
Mitchell, B. S., Hirn, R. G., & Lewis, T. J. (2017). Enhancing effective classroom management
in schools: Structures for changing teacher behavior. Teacher Education and Special
Education, 40(2), 140-153.
Tygret, J. A. (2018). The preparation and education of first-year teachers: A case study. The
Qualitative Report, 23(3), 710.
Farmer, T. W., Reinke, W. M., & Brooks, D. S. (2014). Managing classrooms and challenging
behavior: Theoretical considerations and critical issues.
Caldarella, P., Shatzer, R. H., Gray, K. M., Young, K. R., & Young, E. L. (2011). The effects of
school-wide positive behavior support on middle school climate and student
outcomes. RMLE online, 35(4), 1-14.
Wienen, A. W., Reijnders, I., van Aggelen, M. H., Bos, E. H., Batstra, L., & de Jonge, P. (2019).
The relative impact of school‐wide positive behavior support on teachers’ perceptions of
student behavior across schools, teachers, and students. Psychology in the
Education resources often differ in terms of social identity. Identities such as race, social class, and gender have an impact on education resources. Children from low social classes tend to get few education resources compared to children from higher social classes. Teachers and parents from low-class schools are faced with school challenges which in the end affects the children in their studies. Education resources are mostly influenced by social identity in society.
The black colored people tend to be discriminated in white-dominated schools for example in the case of a parent who had mixed colored children and went to enroll them in school, and only the white children were accepted Tolerance (2020). Education resources in the higher social class children are available, updated, and are enough for each person. This is because these children consist of well able parents and guardians who can pay for anything. Unlike the low social class children who have to use the available resources. This includes the sharing of these resources and some even lack. Some teachers in the low social class children have to use their money to get education resources so that the children can benefit. In these schools they employ unqualified teachers, children are given shabby books and equipment and attend to crowded classrooms. In terms of gender segregation, boys and girls are taught different skills that are believed to be a custom to society.
The government should reduce the differences and obstacles in education. The government should help to provide schools with educational resources. It should implement policies against racial, gender, and social class discrimination (Aprr 2007). It should be responsible in terms of making sure that every child can go to school and doesn’t lack the required resources. The government should ensure that all the parents and guardians send their children to school and educate them on the significance. The government should support the local schools financially so they can accommodate the unprivileged children.
According to Sociology (2016) the issue that is most problematic is school inequality. Underprivileged children attend schools that are not equipped with educational resources while the rich children schools are well equipped. The short term consequences for the society are that lack of school equality leads to school segregation. The long term consequences for the society is that unprivileged children begin life with a lot of hardships and in the long run lack an equal opportunity with the other children.
From a functionalist perspective, general education fulfills the needs of education. Functionalists view the role of education as getting basic knowledge and skills and passing them to the other generation. Education is associated with transmitting core values and social control. From a conflict perspective, education maintains social inconsistency and safeguard the power of the people that control society Mooney, Knox, & Schacht (2007). From the symbolic interactionist perspective, education is what they directly see happening in class. From their perspectives, the teacher’s expectations influence how the student performs, their attitudes, and perceptions. I prefer the functionalist perspective because through education, we get the knowledge and skills that help us live socially with people. This way we can express ourselves and our needs.
Conclusion
Education resources are determined by social identities. Discrimination or lack of privileges that are a result of social identities tend to be common in the black community and the low social class groups of people affecting education. The government should support the disadvantaged schools in society by providing educational resources. The functionalist, conflict and symbolic interactionist explain the different perspectives regarding their understanding of education.
References
Appr Sed 2007. A Human Rights-Based Approach to EDUCATION FOR ALL Retrieved from
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