Parent Involvement in Learning

Learning is a continuous process that requires involvement from parents, teachers and students alike. The success of the education system is heavily dependent on the relationship that exists between teachers, parents and the students. When positive, it creates a learning environment where teachers have the support, they need to create a learning environment; parents are involved in the learning and teaching process; and students are aware of the input from both parents and teachers as well as how it is likely to impact their academic life. Despite the important role that parents and teachers play in the student’s learning, research suggest that parents are not as involved in their children’s education as much as they should be. Most parents only contribute by paying school fees, attending important meetings and ensuring that students go to school with all the provisions required. There is however need for more involvement in the child’s learning both at school as this is likely to determine the kind of attitude that the student has towards school and learning.
Solution

            The best approach to remedy the issue where parents are not as involved in their children’s leaning is by facilitating parents’ involvement in school activities, when the child is at home, and also setting academic targets that the student is expected to achieve during their learning (Ulman et al, 2012). Since learning is something that happens even outside the classroom, parents’ involvement ensures that the students keep learning and gaining knowledge even when teachers are not present (Clinton & Hattie, 2013). There is however the need for teachers to instruct parents on what approaches to take in order to ensure that the student gets the right type of support and guidance from parents and caregivers.

• Parents involvement during school activities

Students engage in various school activities that are not necessarily related to learning. Although there are school activities such as symposium, debates and spelling bees that aim at improving the student’s knowledge, others related to sports and hobbies are intended to help break the classroom monotony by giving students the chance to get away from books and focus on other aspects of their lives (NEA, 2016). Parents involvement in such events is important as it communicates to the student that the parents is interested in the overall development of the child. In activities such as sports for example, the absence of a parent could have negative consequences on how the student performs (NEA, 2016). Some students tend to perform better at spelling bees or competitive sports when their parents are present. The negative consequences are that a parent’s absence could affect the individual’s performance negatively.

            Parents involvement in school activities also teaches the parents and caregivers that learning is a process that involves more than just reading books and attending lectures. The learning process incorporates other activities such as sports, debate, arts and other fields that do not necessarily have to do with the learning curriculum (Lopes, 2012). The exposure is ideal in that it communicates to parents the importance of allowing students to have hobbies that are not necessarily tied to their academic performance (Garcia & Thompson, 2013). When at home, parents can therefore come up with activities that take attention away from learning and focuses on the student’s development (Lopes, 2012). Creating such an environment at home is ideal in that it allows the student freedom to engage in other activities and still study. Parents must however strike a balance between learning and other activities to ensure that the students learning does not come second to hobbies.

• Parent involvement at home

Parents can also positively influence their children’s learning by engaging in activities aimed at promoting positive study habits while the child is at home. Being a continuous process, learning takes place even after the student leaves the classroom. Most schools have a system where students are given assignments to work on at home (Bunijevac & Durisic, 2017). The assignments vary in depth depending on the period of stay at home. On a daily basis, most schools give students homework to work on at home as part of fulfilling the curriculum in time and also to increase the student’s retention. Parents should therefore get involved and ensure that the student has an ideal learning environment. The goal is to establish a system where the child is given ample space and time to study and tackle assignments without interruptions from other members of the family (Bunijevac & Durisic, 2017). Parents involvement should also extend to helping the student tackle tasks that may be too challenging. The goal should however remain to help the child fulfil the assignment requirements on their own. Parents should in no way do the assignments on behalf of the student but rather teach the child how to go about finishing the homework.

Schoolwork performed at home also gives students the chance to manage themselves and this greatly helps them to become independent (Spungan, 2014). While students are supervised most times while at school, homework helps the students to be more independent as it creates a system where students are expected to manage their own time while at home and find a balance between responsibilities at home and also what is expected from the teachers (Williams et al, 2002). Since parents are more accustomed to juggling different responsibilities, they are in a better position to assist the students strike a balance between their school and personal life (Pungan, 2014). Parents can help students to design study timetables so as to have a plan on how to accomplish specific tasks. Parents should however only act as a guide and ensure that the students commit to the assignments or homework without offering any help that could be detrimental to the students learning in the long run.

• Parents expectations on learning

The attitude that students have towards learning is greatly influenced by the expectations that parents set for their children. To improve academic performance, parents should get involved and teach their children on the importance of education and the impact that academic qualifications have on society (Ntekane, 2018). Other than just pushing children to get good grades, parents should also spend time to explain what good grades translate into in real life. Parent involvement should therefore focus on teaching their children on the importance of education in securing promising careers. To achieve this, parents should first set academic requirements that the student has to achieve (Ntekane, 2018). Parents should assess their child’s academic performance and come up with goals to help them improve. Parents should also take time to review tests and any feedback provided by teachers relating to the child’s performance at school. The information can then be used to set targets that the child is expected to reach (Desfoges, 2003). A reward system can be put in place to motivate the student. Most of the motivation should however come from the student as this acts as proof that the concept of education is clear and that the child is committed to acquiring academic excellence.

Conclusion

            The lack of parent involvement ion a child’s learning is mainly because parents do not have a clear understanding of what schoolwork entails. Most parents are of the opinion that school is a place of learning where students attend lectures, write down notes and take exams. Inviting parents to school activities therefore creates an environment where the parents gets to see how schools’ function and also to identify the huge influence that parents have on their children’s learning. It also makes it easier for parents, teacher and students to communicate and this makes the learning process more successful.

References

Bunjievac M and Durisic M, (2017) “Parental involvement as a important factor for          successful education” CEPS journal, retrieved from,      https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156936.pdf

Clinton, J. & Hattie, J.  2013.  New Zealand students' perceptions of parental involvement in        learning and schooling. Asia Pacific journal of Education, 33(3): 324-337.

Desforges, C (2003) The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family    Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment. DfES Research Report

Lopes I, (2012) “Parental involvement in children’s education: Why does it make a           difference” The Teachers College Record

NEA, (2016) “Parent, family and community involvement in education” Centre for Great             Public Schools, NW, Washington DC

Ntekane A, (2018) “Parental involvement in education” ResearchGate, DOI:             10.13140/RG.2.2.36330.21440

Sapungan M, (2014) “Parental involvement in child’s education: Importance, barriers and            benefits” ResearchGate, retrieved from,             https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283539737_Parental_Involvement_in_Child            's_Education_Importance_Barriers_and_Benefits

Ullman A, Williams B and Williams J, (2002) “Parental involvement in education” BMRB          Social Research, retrieved from, https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4669/1/RR332.pdf

Williams,B, Williams,J & Ullman,A (2002) Parental Involvement in Education: DfES      Research Report

Garcia, L.E. & Thornton, O.  2014.  The enduring Importance of parental

            involvement. Retrieve from, http://Neatoday.org/20 14/11/18/the- enduring-          importance of parental-involvement-2/.

Individual Written Reflection

Table of Contents

Page

Introduction                                                                                                                                 3

Reflection                                                                                                                                    6

Conclusion                                                                                                                                  7

References                                                                                                                                   8

Introduction

                  Reflection is one of the techniques used in professional development and education to assist in learning and reinforce what is taught. It often functions as the base of professional advancement and is responsible for an individual’s ability to rationalize the experiences gained and converts what is understood into a practical strategy that promotes personal growth as well as having a positive impact on organizations. Reflection operates by integrating activities that occur in a person’s daily routine and creates awareness, assists in decision making and self-management as well as ensuring that the individual can make rational decisions. Furthermore, it helps people to cope with success or failure as it pushes the individual to appreciate achievements made as well as learn from failure by examining the steps resulting to the outcome in order to identify the root of the problem and come up with a practical solution.

            Reflection plays a major role in determining how people interact in school, society and other settings that require people to interact. The skill is however transferrable and one can learn how to best reflect on an issue so as to achieve the most desirable results. However, the ability to reflect is considered as one of the highest levels of manifestation that gives the individual better control of the human brain. While people reflect on a regular basis, it is often difficult to plan out the reflection or control it in such a way that it is beneficial. Most reflections occur but passes by without allowing the individual to ponder over it and determine the kind of impact it could have on the person’s life. As such, reflection is a skill that needs to be learnt and understood properly (Race 2002). Doing so is likely to give the individual more control over the reflection process and make it easier for the individual to have a better understanding of things that take place in society.

            Some of the common ways of enforcing reflection is through education and employment. Concerning education, students’ reflection is facilitated by the learning logs, achievement records and personal development plans that are used to assess what progress has been made as well as identify areas that need improvement. Organizations that hire people have also adopted a similar approach as the one used in schools when dealing with employees. Various teaching and training sessions are carried out to equip employees with the skills needed to become better at performing duties and enhance efficiency. Other than possessing the skills that makes one qualify for the job position, employees are also trained on reflection as way to help them assess their progress and identify areas that could be improved on to ease the workload or make performing duties more efficient.

            Reflection often occurs as a discourse between two or more individuals. Reflection can occur between teachers and their students or between an employer and the employees. The discourse helps one become better at reflecting because the feedback provided can help the parties involved identify areas that need improvement. In order to be successful however, the students or employees need to be aware of their abilities and how they are influenced by the nature of the environment they live in, and also how reflection can help to improve these abilities. In both cases, the parties involved can rely on the learning cycle developed by Kolb (1984) as it shows how reflection, if well implemented can result in improved learning or make one better at performing a task in the workplace. The learning experience consists of four stages as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning

            From the cycle of learning, Kolb draws the conclusion that the four different learning styles are as a result of the habits that form when an individual gradually responds to the learning environment. In order to note the learning style, it is therefore important to pay attention to the changes that occur in different stages of the learning cycle. However, since people are influenced differently by the experiences that occur in a social setting, there are various types of learners as is evident in figure 2.

Figure 2. Kolb's Learning Styles

Reflection: Importance of self-reflection

            Reflection is important as it helps people to pause and contemplate over what has been learnt and its impact rather than just progressing on without assessing development. In order to be able to review my effectiveness and develop my skills I need to reflect, rather than just carry on doing things as I normally do them. It is therefore important to contemplate over what I do and why I do it and then decide whether it is a better, or more productive, way of doing it next time. self-reflection is described as the act where one assesses personal achievements and developments to determine their impact on the individual’s life. Reflection has therefore become a crucial part of my life not just at home, but also when interacting with my colleagues.

For reflection to be successful, it is recommended that one operates on a set of questions that try to dig deeper into an individual’s daily routine. The questions act as a tool that prompts the individual to reflect further on events that occur in order to develop a better understanding of how to conduct oneself in such occurrences. Some of the questions include;

• Strengths – What are my strengths? For example: Am I a good listener? I can be an efficient leader?
• Weaknesses – What are my weaknesses? For example: I get bored easily from reading? Do I need better time management?
• Skills – What skills do I have and what am I good at?
• Problems – Is there any problems at work/home that can affect me? For example: responsibilities or distractions that may affect your study or work.
• Achievements – What have I accomplished?
• Happiness – Are there things that I am unhappy with or disappointed about? What makes me happy?
• Solutions – What could I do to improve in these areas?

Although the questions are intended to make the process more effective, the reflection process can at times reveal information that some may consider embarrassing at first or is influenced by selfish reasons. With practice however, the individual becomes more comfortable with the responses and this makes self-reflection more effective. According to Peter F. Drucker, any form of effective action that is followed up with reflection is likely to result in more effective action. This is especially because the reflection, though quiet, allows the individual to focus more on the effective action. This in turn helps the individual to identify areas that were problematic and come up with better ways to resolve any challenges that ensued as a result. The added information makes it easier for the individual to make improvements and yield better results as the information gained through reflection broadens the individual’s knowledge, level of experience and the confidence demonstrated when performing the act, or a similar one, with added knowledge.

Academic study skill

            Schools play an important role in society as help to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to survive in society. Reflection is among the various skills that students gain school and it is a product of the approach taken when teaching and setting up examinations. In a normal setting, students are taught in a classroom and provided with notes regarding the different subjects covered in the school’s curriculum. To assist the students, retain the information they gain, exams are issued on a regular basis to not only test the student’s learning, but also identify areas that need improvement. The test therefore acts as the tool for reflection as it gives both the teachers and the students the chance to assess what have been learnt. After a test, students go over the questions again, either alone or in groups, and in so doing, get the feedback that helps them to reflect on their studies.

            A good example is the academic study skills that is one of the higher education modules in our school. The module aims to equip students with the skills needed to succeed in their academics and also in life after school. The module focuses on helping students to better learn how to manage their time and academic work, while still retaining a personal life. The module teaches students how to conduct research while still acknowledging the original researchers of any work cited on the student’s work. Through it, the students not only learn how to excel in academic writing and literature, but also learning about academic integrity and what strategies can be employed in order to attain good results. Some of the strategies include the best approach to take in ensuring that work done is not plagiarised as well as the importance of giving credit where it is due.

The “Academic Study Skills” is a module that analyse several quality tools which enabled me to look at my core skills in the academic field and identify areas that I could improve. In the beginning of this module, the only skills that I possessed were those gained from the experience living with my parents and also my experience as a team leader. From all my experiences I learnt a lot regarding the importance of teamwork and communication skills. The skills were however ill equipped for all aspects of society, something I learnt at the beginning of this course.

Conclusion

From the module however, I have developed and put in practice skills I was not aware I could achieve easily with guidance and positive feedback. A good example is the case where I had to present and lead a group presentation which was part of our first assignment for this academic year. The team had 5 members with different characters traits and from the attitude portrayed by the other members, I could tell that it had the making of a very strong team. I was later appointed as team leader and my responsibilities included assigning duties and following up to ensure they were fulfilled. As team leader, my responsibilities also included being the voice of reason as I would listen to other team members contributions and determine which was the correct course of action to take. Other team members would also approach me with questions on how to tackle a specific problem before sharing the issue with the rest of the team. Being my first presentation in front of senior students, I was a bit concerned on what approach would be most suitable. The experience interacting with my team made the ordeal easier as the team had already equipped me with the skills needed to interact even with seniors. Through reflection, I was able to look back on how I handled members of my team and used similar approaches when presenting the work, we did and this had a great impact on my audience.

From the experience, I have learnt that time management is a major weakness for me. I tend to pay attention to details and try to achieve the best levels possible. I also have a tendency to take on more responsibilities than I can handle especially because I enjoy the challenge. Despite my willingness to be better however, I find it difficult to manage my time and constantly have to rush to finish projects. From the experience however, I have learnt the importance of team work and how effective it is to tackle issues as a group. Since I have a tendency to take on more than I can comfortably handle, I will try and engage in delegation rather than taking on all responsibilities to myself. I will also engage with close pears to learn better management skills. since a problem is easier to tackle as a group, I will rely on those close to me to help me come up with schedules that help me manage my time better.

References

Moon, J. (2013). Reflection in Learning and Professional Development. 1st ed. London: Jennifer A. Moon, p.1.reflective-practice-guide_tcm18-12524.pdf. (n.d.). [eBook] Grace Owen and Alison Fletcher, p.1. Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/reflective-practice-guide_tcm18-12524.pdf [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Citt.ufl.edu. (2019). Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning » Centre for Instructional Technology & Training » University of Florida. [online] Available at: http://citt.ufl.edu/tools/kolbs-four-stages-of-learning/  [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Nwlink.com. (n.d.). Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Model. [online] Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/kolb.html  [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Pcliv.ac.uk. (n.d.). Reflective practice. [online] Available at: http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/ehls/prescott/Practice-Education/_20.htm [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Open.ac.uk. (n.d.). Self reflection | The Open University & Unison in Partnership. [online] Available at: http://www.open.ac.uk/choose/unison/develop/my-skills/self-reflection  [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Herbert-Smith, K. (2018). The importance of self-reflection. [online] Blog.irisconnect.com. Available at: https://blog.irisconnect.com/uk/community/blog/importance-of-self-reflection/  [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

Students. (2017). Study Well - Students. [online] Available at: https://students.usask.ca/articles/study-skills.php  [Accessed 18 Jan. 2020].

ON Dumpster Diving and Why Stuff Is Not Salvation

What ′basic′ step-by-step process (es) does Lars Eighner teach us about in ″My Daily Dives in the Dumpster″?

 In the essay "My Daily Dives in the Dumpster", Lars Eighner introduces four steps that help the reader understand everything. The four steps include;

• Self-stigma- in this first step, the author says that he started to seek food, clothe, toilet paper, medicine, and other things in the dumpster (EIGHNER, n.d). However, but he felt ashamed and used to visit the dumpster at night.
• Overindulgence- in this second stage, the author increased the desire of dumpster diving as he noticed that people throw away rice, egg, shoes,  pocket calculator,  ice cream,  and other good stuff or things in good condition (EIGHNER, n.d)
• Recovery- in this third stage, the author understands that people throw many things in the dumpster but he decides to collect things of higher value. He took what he can use and leave useless things.
• Expertise- In the final stage, the author becomes a professional in that he can now give advice. For example, he says that if you decide to go to the dumpster, you should lower yourself or degrade yourself. This means that good stuff is on the bottom and therefore one needs to use a stout stick to grab the good stuff at the bottom (EIGHNER, n.d).  In general, dumpster diving needs the practice to increase profit.

 As I mentioned in Week 6′s Lecture, a well-written Process Essay is not only about a step-by-step process. It also illustrates how the process (es) represents life on Planet Earth; they teach us valuable life lessons. What are the deep life lessons that Lars Eighner teaches us? Explain them in your own words; please do not copy them directly from the essay.

 The deep life lesson that Lars Eighner teaches is that there is income inequality in today's society. The poorer spend their life in the dumpsters whereas the richer earn good income and live a good life (EIGHNER, n.d). Despite the difference, the author teaches that both the poorer and richer live a fulfilling life.  The lesser accepts the conditions because at the end of the end, they gain treasure.

 What is Anna Quindlen′s overall message to us? Is it similar to or different from Lars Eighner′s message(s)? Please explain.

            Ann Quinten's overall message is that one does not achieve a fulfilling life by using materials things such as dolls, toys, gadgets, among others (Quindlen, 2008). She says that one can be happy by using things that they cannot survive without (needs). The stuff is not a happiness maker but they lead to debt.  The message in this article is similar to the message delivered by Lars Eighner′s. Both focus on informing readers to think about meaningful things. They both say that the important things are valuable things (Quindlen, 2008). Rather than focusing on material objects, they should buy things of greater value or in other words, they should stop purchasing things they do not need.

The last paragraph of Lars Eighner′s essay is very profound and has burned itself into my long-term memory. You may have to read it a couple of times to decipher it. What do you think it means? Please explain it in your own words:

 According to me, the last paragraph of Lars Eighner's essay means that the wealthier does not know that the poorer gets treasures from the trash. According to Eighner, he does not only achieve physiological needs but he also gains self-actualization (EIGHNER, n.d).  Once he satisfies his need, he can live life to the fullest. He now recognizes that he is capable or he has the power to achieve the highest need.

References

EIGHNER (n.d).  ON Dumpster Diving. Retrieved from:  https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001395/Centricity/Domain/10659/On%20Dumpster%20Diving.pdf

 Quindlen Anna. (2008). Why Stuff Is Not Salvation.  Newsweek. Retrieved  from: https://www.newsweek.com/anna-quindlen-why-stuff-not-salvation-82837

Financial Aid Disqualification Appeal

I am writing this appeal letter for the reinstatement of my financial aid which was revoked because of my academic probation. I realize that I was not able to maintain and keep up the academic progress that I was required, to keep benefiting from the financial aid. I take full responsibility for this and I believe I know the reasons that led to my academic probation. I would like to apologize and appeal for a second chance. The situation that led to my probation is off my chest and I have a plan on how I will get back to my original performance. However, I would like to explain the circumstances and thank you for allowing me the opportunity.

In summer 2012 to spring 2013 I found myself homeless and was living in my car. This was very difficult for me because I still had to pursue my course by attending school. At the same time, I had to work two jobs to try and find a place to live. This situation was very frustrating for me and I started losing my concentration due to exhaustion. It was one of the most trying times I have ever had in my life. I felt broken, confused, and lost and at some point, I did not know what to do. Due to being homeless and trying to juggle between jobs, I could not be able to attend school anymore. I put my dreams on hold for the one year I was homeless and decided to focus on finding a stable and better living before going back to school. This would enable me to concentrate more and work towards getting and sustaining good grades.

Before summer 2019, I decided to go back to school and continue pursuing my dreams for the summer session. Because of my academic probation and financial aid disqualification that I had in 2013, I was unable to qualify for financial aid but qualified for a Board of Governor's waiver. My last full-time job ended in December 2019 and currently, I am working part-time to be able to pay for school and other necessities which are a struggle for me. I have been able to rent a room and I am currently living in a healthy environment. This has enabled me to be focused and concentrate on school full time and get good grades. I am now able to continue pursuing my career and fulfill my dreams from a conducive environment. I have learned a lot from the situation I found myself in and this has made me want to pursue my dreams even more.

 It was a privilege having been given financial aid in the first place and I do not take it for granted. I am humbly appealing to you to reinstate my financial aid because it will be of great help to me and I promise not to let you down in terms of my academics. It would mean so much to me if I had the opportunity to graduate from this institution. If I am reinstated, I will be able to focus more on my schoolwork and manage my time properly. I hope you understand my situation that led to my academic probation and give me another chance. Thank you very much for your consideration.

PART A: Students must identify and show the supporting text from the article found below for the following types of theories:

1. One biological theory (not his sex!) –

Social control process theory

“Although the neighborhood children considered Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as a “dad”, they were not his.”

1. One psychological theory –

Cognitive theory- this theory is important because it assist in providing the foundation for evaluating and transforming cognitions as a way of altering how people behave, feel, or think.

 “   Bailey said Gray told him, “I am trying to do right. I don’t want to go back out there [on the streets]. I’m trying, but I cannot get a job. I have a record.”

1. One social structure theory -

            Social disorganization theory – this theory tries to highlight how crime and the      society are perceived. In this case, crime is considered to be a social pathology            or disease while the society is considered to be a type of organism.

“At times, the criminal justice system was confusing for Gray”

1. One social process theory

 Social control theory – this theory is important because it tries to explain how behavior is related to what is generally anticipated in the society

 “Nearby, an artist was finishing a two-story mural featuring a larger-than-life Gray, surrounded by images of young black men raising their hands in protest, police wearing riot gear and firefighters   dousing flames”

1. One social reaction theory

Labeling theory – this theory tries to illustrate the fact that individual behaviors and identity can be influenced or determined by some of the terms that are used to classify or describe them.

” He graduated from high school, but was convicted for robbery and second-degree assault in 2005 and 2006, respectively”

PART B: Students must also fill in the blanks/identify the requested theories for the following items related to programs/policies:

1. The Job Center is a program developed in response to psychological and social structure theories.
2. City Watch is a program developed in response to social control theory.
3. The police presence in Freddie Gray’s neighborhood is in response to social reaction  theory

PART C: After completing the above, write a 1 page reflection paper on the impact Criminology has on the field of Criminal Justice.  Consider what has been discussed in class, the current state of CJ and the future of CJ.  Is Criminology being used to its fullest?  Cite examples from the readings and class to support your position. 

            Criminology is a field which takes into account the use of various mechanisms that are formulated and implemented by government, businesses, societies, individuals, and other organizations to target environmental and social factors that increases victimization, disorder, and crime. As much as criminal justice is concerned, understanding the various approaches or mechanisms for preventing crime is what the field of criminology seriously takes into account. This is because appropriate management and institutional arrangements are important in supporting specific strategies used for crime prevention. For instance, the environmental approaches used, including urban planning proposals and situational transgression prevention mechanisms are all directed towards modifying the physical environment.  As a result if that, it becomes possible to reduce the occurrence of crimes.

            Nonetheless, instead of basing the issue of crime on the physical environment, it is important to ensure that all the mechanisms used has the propensity of influencing economic and social issues being addressed. Ideally, it can be argued that criminology is been extensively used to enhance criminal justice because of how offenders are being treated.

How parent involvement affects students' academic performance and behavior in elementary school

Introduction

Parental support is vital for students' academic performance and behavior. Parents should be actively involved in the education of their children and provide them with advice and guidance, motivation, and positive mindset to shape their behaviors and increase their academic performance. The biggest concern in the elementary schools today is that many parents do not pay attention to their children's education. In other words, parents do not adequately meet the need of their children as they deny them better communication and lack of support.   Recent research and studies have examined the problem and offered a suitable solution that parent involvement in children's education increases academic achievement, and enhances positive behaviors. Therefore, parents should increase their interests and support and become more engaged.  As children feel more supportive, they will gain motivation, improve learning mindset, they will enjoy school and increase attendance, and improve attitude and behavior.

The Traditional Classroom Education

Introduction

Traditional classroom education is a type of learning whereby communication between students and the teacher is face to face. The classroom is also arranged in rows whereby desks face a specific side allowing all students to face the teacher while teaching. In this type of classroom education, students do not have any knowledge of what they will be learning when they come to class, thus students fully depend on the teacher for knowledge. Similarly, students are taught basic knowledge about a specific subject. On the other hand, students are required to conduct their own comprehensive knowledge while at home and which usually termed as homework. Students would then be tested later on to understand how resourceful they were. For that reason, this paper will provide an argumentative essay in support of this type of classroom education, before refuting opponent’s most significant view.

Background Information

This type of education relies on both the teacher and student since the student is required to conduct more research after being taught in classroom. On the other hand, the information is passed by the teacher henceforth students would only be introduced to a specific topic before being allowed to carry on with it. In as much as this this type of classroom education looks outdated, it did have a number of advantages which consequently be discussed in the paper.

Reason 1

Communication and Interaction

In traditional classroom education, students are required to attend classes in person as well as in campus thus improving interaction and communication. Students are therefore supposed to live within or around the school compound if they are in campus (Experts, 37). Attending classes is significant for students, for the reason that they will be able to follow the topic systematically. In addition, the level of students understanding is also tested by the teacher through asking students questions about the previous topic they had initially learnt. In so doing, the teacher is able to gauge students’ level of understanding before they can move to a different topic. Similarly, students also have the authority to ask questions while in class to get clarity in situations where they may not have understood the topic. Likewise, students also learn to interact with teachers and classmates, a move which improves their aptitude to maintain social relationships together with communication skills.

Reason 2

Extra-curricular Activities

While in school students tend to enjoy participating in class field trips, clubs, athletics, and sports. These life involvements can only be enjoyed in school, where students get a chance to relieve their minds of classroom matters. Participating in sports for instance, can help in teaching life lessons which cannot otherwise be taught in class (Chang, 2). This may include understanding the significance of teamwork, promoting togetherness which in turn reduces evil vices such as racism in the society, and finally growing one’s talent. Henceforth, once a student graduates, it will be easier to earn a job owing to the fact that the student will have an added advantage over other students.

Reason 3

Scheduled Learning

In traditional classroom education classes are in a well-organized manner. In this type of learning, students are taught to be punctual, discipline as well as organized. These skills are not only important in school but also in other areas since students will definitely adapt to punctuation hence once they a job they will be organized (Chang, 2). Furthermore, this also makes students responsible and resourceful in that they may be able to plan for the class, and to also study after being taught in class. In the fast changing world, such skills are necessary since once a person gets employed it becomes necessary for the person to remain punctual and organized at all times hence delivering the best results.

Refutation of Opponent’s Claims

According to my opponent, classrooms are overcrowded thus making it difficult for students to understand what they are being taught. This is not however the case with traditional classroom education, owing to the fact that classrooms are arranged in a specific order and a certain number of students are allowed per class. Besides, the teacher moves around the classroom while teaching and often asks questions to make sure students understand what they are being taught (Lytras, 517). As a matter of fact, in this type of learning students are able to improve their critical thinking abilities because teachers use group discussions in most cases where students take part in tackling specific topics with the aid of the teacher. Thus it is wrong to state that students do not understand what they being taught due to overcrowding.

Conclusion

As discussed in the paper, traditional classroom learning is effective in that it enables a teacher-student interaction, which basically improves social relationships. Nonetheless, this type of education need also be improved in the sense that students should not solely depend on the teacher for information but they should be able to gather information on their own. This can be done through allowing students to access online libraries where they can gather information and read ahead of the teacher hence being prepared for the lesson while in class. In so doing, becomes easier and enjoyable for students as they will easily understand what they are being taught.

Work Cited

Chang, Chew-Hung. Learning Geography Beyond the Traditional Classroom: Examples from Peninsular Southeast Asia. , 2018. Internet resource.

Lytras, Miltiadis D. Technology Enhanced Learning: Quality of Teaching and Educational Reform : First International Conference, Tech-Education 2010, Athens, Greece, May 19-21, 2010 : Proceedings. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2010. Internet resource.

Experts, Disha. UGC NET Paper-1 Study Material for Teaching & Research Aptitude with Higher Education System. Disha Publications Inc. 2020. Internet resource.

Students Should Not Be Penalized for Bad Performance

Guides at school and guardians at homes will, in general, use discipline as one of the critical ways or measures of destroying awful practices or little mistakes. Structure mental viewpoint, punishment is said to as whatever lessens the event of a lead; physical torment, pull back of thought, loss of behaviors. punishment is characterized as whatever is initiated on an individual to bring down the pace of rehashing terrible practices or, more than likely rehashing the mistakes. Punishment might do in various manners that incorporate withdrawal of consideration or anything that an individual considers unsavory, yet others are unreservedly doing it.

Corporal punishment

Educators state disciplines given to students planned to ensure that a slip-up rehashed due to the reputations. Tutors in schools induce corporal punishments due to various reasons like being late, not complying with the school rules, not doing the assignments as taught or expected, fights in the schools. Bad habits like utilization of harsh words in the school and awful execution in the assessments or tests given. Students are induced to corporal punishments in various ways that may incorporate canning, physical disciplines like watering the flowers, cutting the grass, kneeling at the motorcade ground or on stones, doing activities, for example, push-ups, bringing water from a specific source and cleaning the asphalts among numerous more (Moreno, et al. 98). Even if corporal punishment shows up as the best standards for changing or controlling their practices in order to get discipline the bill of youngster rights conceded to goals to forestall or end the flogging on kids and numerous nations in that convection bought into it to help and secure the privileges of the kids in the given nations. If corporal punishment results to injury or death,the situation will reinforce rebellion,resistance and resentment to the victims.”(Nishesh, n.p)

Negative and positive types of punishment.

There are two sorts of disciplines that are sure discipline and adverse punishment. Positive discipline the one aide by killing or limits the likelihood of one to rehash the conduct by controlling an inappropriate action of discipline, the one amended introduced an aversive improvement; thus, the individual is probably not going to rehash the error again; one of its models is slapping. When slapped, he would, in general, recollect it often. The torment thus the propensity of rehashing a similar slip-up will be low, so this helps understudy or youngster not to rehash the mix-up in the future (Moreno, et al. 85). The negative discipline is the one that, for instance, drives a youngster out of the class possibly because he is bombing in that subject or a parent will not permit the kid a few things at home like staring at the TV just because he is not performing great in school.

Mental health issues.

A student may not be performing admirably in school, perhaps because he is steady intellectually or has mental health problem issues (Asarta, et al., 77). An occurrence in Sweden was accounted for a part of youngsters experiencing mental health problem issues, for example, anxiety, depression, personality disarranges, and even confidence issues.so discipline is not an answer for such an understudy, and it cannot make him change the behavior.”A student can have lower intellectual achievement due to mental health problems.”(Cohen, 34). A winding can likewise be brought by scholastic achievement in that it can actuate a constructive change in the student’s mental health well-being state, which can be joined by progress in scholarly fields.so it is clear that even before punishing because of terrible showing, it is advisable to address their mental health wellness needs, which can be brought by such occasions as family issues

Background of the student (poverty).

A research was done and demonstrated that exhibition improvement can be determined by where the students comes from or the environment that surrounds him or her, for example he comes from poor background and the troubles and battles of the spot that are presented to him  day by day bases might be the reason for under performance and lack the motive to work harder in their studies, so tutors should try and consider the background history of students before punishing them and contrary to that it can  also be  a decent inspiration for the person in question to find out more and harder in order to improve his presentation and improved his way of life (Asarta, et al., 35). It is a generally excellent main thrust to a student and may induce improvement when contrasted with acceptance of discipline, which may intensify his circumstance and possibly flee or decline to proceed with concentrates because of the weight.

Use of verbal communication.

The utilization of verbal strategies for discipline through possibly offering clarification to the person in question why a few things are occurring, and they ought to do in such a way that they broaden, expands, or restructures the thinking and disposition of the understudy and gives him inspirational demeanor towards that revision (Asarta, et al., 67). He may gladly and adequately change since he comprehends the reputation of not doing to while flogging is initiated to him, which may prompt defeatist mentality a furthermore resistance. That is one away from demonstrating that whipping or, in all likelihood, discipline is not a necessity in the understudies’ change. “The use of verbal methods of discipline through explanation and reasoning are likely to provide more cognitive stimulus than the use of corporal punishment without induction”(Derella, n.p).

Irregular punishment.

Exploration done presumed in schools, there is quarter level discipleship incited. Some botches are not purposeful, and others are inevitable, so guardians and educators ought to remember that and not rebuff the understudy for each error done (Asarta, et al., 67). That dread of committing errors, “A punisher should be very clear  about what he/she regards as misbehavior” (Parsley, 78) it's the one was prompting high paces of dropouts and high paces of road kids in towns who are promotion an aftereffect of fleeing from their marital homes because of the disciplines that were there.so the instructors and guardians ought to make that excellent and agreeable condition for their youngsters (Asarta, et al., 67). Likewise, irregular punishments for everything fouled up may cause a youngster to create with the mentality that solitary beating or just brutal raising can cause one to do right or do the usual thing and create with the demonstration of no self-reliance.

 Discipline viewed as a homeroom method of keeping up control to guarantee understudies completely partake in the learning process when they cannot concentrate, maintain quiet, and follow the organization's rules(Asarta, et al., 35). The speculation hypothesis expresses that when beating is instigated to an understudy when others are watching they may tend not to do that botch or such practices which might be correct, but this additionally does not train the understudy to act naturally determined and do the right things even with less supervision, its demonstrated that a huge of understudies will, in general, change their practices after school finishing and presented to this present reality this is because that youngster was acting right because of the dread of discipline or the management of the instructors or guardians and when they are not close to they will in general act mischievously.

Bandura (n.p) furthermore suggests that physical control enables children to learn commanding behavior through illustrating. If parents endeavor to change their children's direct through conveying torment, then those youths are most likely going to do in like manner to various s when they have to affect others' exercises. Social, mental researchers also request order may legitimize violence for the children social associations since they will all in all camouflage the social association they experience (Kail, n.p).

Different hypotheses have kept on varying with the way that discipline of understudies because of less than stellar scores doesn't spur them to perform better in coming days (Moreno, Pedro, 467). The great relationship among the instructors and the understudies and understudies among understudies make a decent learning and serious condition for learning as there are fellowship and inspirational demeanor towards learning and may prompt great execution of the understudy. 

The latest research shows that the utilization of verbal or physical strategies for actuating discipline like clarifications of why a few activities happen that way and thinking together causes the kid to build up a decent upgrade differentiation to the physical punishment(Asarta, et al., 35).In south Asia, Kenya and Botswana, discipline is as much of the timeto urge learning and to instigate order to them. To nations like Australia, guides are against invalidation or boycotting of beating and fear that it will recognize understudies getting incredible.

Taking everything into account, punishing the understudies because of horrible showing or some terrible practices might be an acceptable techniques for guaranteeing they learn and improve their exhibition yet, in addition, has negative impacts to certain understudies also and may prompt intensifying the circumstance as opposed to improving it we should bolster and fortify the battle towards invalidation of beating or flogging since there are risky impacts of control(physical solicitation)as enduring in youths, at any rate, an additional normal bit of time well into adults hood.

Work Cited

Asarta, Carlos J., and James R. Schmidt. "Comparing student performance in blended and           traditional courses: Does prior academic achievement matter?" The Internet and Higher         Education 32 (2017): 29-38.

Cohen, David K. "Rewarding teachers for student performance." Rewards and reform: Creating   educational incentives that work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (1996).

Derella, Olivia J.,et al.”Reciprocity in undesirable Parent-child Behaviour?Verbal Aggression,     corporal punishment, and girls”

Mayer, Daniel P. "Do new teaching standards undermine performance on old tests."          Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 20.2 (1998): 53-73.

Moreno-Marcos, Pedro Manuel, et al. "Analyzing students’ persistence using an event-based        model." Proceedings of the Learning Analytics Summer Institute Spain (2019).

Nishesh, Rashmi Karunesh.”a study of impact of corporal punishment by the school of     authorities on upper primary school”

Parsley, Connal. “The Ex ceptional image:Torture photographs from Guantanamo Bay and Abu   Ghraib as Foucaults spectacle of punishment.

Crime Rates in Colleges and Universities

The article focuses on the crime rates in universities and colleges, and also provides information and data on the chronology of events involving crime in colleges and campuses. The article has relied more on the data provided by the published research. The news article has therefore provided the crimes rates, number of shootings, location where the events took place, which was basically areas in or around the college or learning institutions vicinity. In addition, it has also provided data on the number of students who were shot, and those who were wounded, and the ones who also died. The media article aims at determining the safety of students at institutions of higher learning, through the provision of information relating to crimes involving students either directly or indirectly within the learning institutions. Through providing the data, it becomes clear based on the number of shootings which have taken places in universities and colleges in the US that crime rates as still high. However, judging from the statics provided in the article, the data shows a decline in the number of incidents across campuses in the US. For instance, in the year 2006 and 2016, the total number of report crimes in institutions of higher learning decreased by 32% (Cannon, 2016). In addition, the article also provided the efforts put in place by campuses in ensuring the safety of its students. In 4 year educational institutions which have more than 2,500 students and above, campuses employed 75% armed officers, which is an increase by 10% from the last decade. Lastly, the use of data is to back up the information provided by the article (McGrath, 2019).

The article has only focused on information concerning the security of learning institutions, henceforth it has not included all the data from the published research. This is so because, the research has emphasised on shooting in learning institutions, those who took part in shooting, and the source of the guns (Cannon, 2016). Moreover, it has consequently picked on the information which is relevant to its audience, thus living out the source of the guns. The published research has talked about the source of the gun, which it has however not provided the exact place where shooters acquired the guns from. Similarly, the article did not also talk about the victims of the incident, nonetheless, the published research talked about the victims, some of whom were campus students while others were not. The main reason why the article did not touch on this area was for the reason that the writer wanted to be precise, hence only focused on areas of much importance without delving deeper into the matter. Finally, the author does not provide any justification for omitting these information, but the author’s intentions become clear since, the article is only concerned with the number of incidents, and how the learning institutions have prepared themselves in combatting this issue.

The article has provided adequate insights into the research, through providing detailed explanation on the data provided. Moreover, the author of the article has used the data as a means of providing evidence to what the article is talking about. In so doing, the information provided by the article becomes reliable and easy to understand without having to do more research on the issue. In as much as the article has provided adequate insights to the published research, in some cases, the article has failed to provide additional information regarding the data (Gilgun, 2014). For instance, the article has only presented the data in the same the data has been presented in the research, without offering additional information on the data.

The researcher method used case study research which was significant in compiling the results, however, the author focused on sources such as news reports, some of which cannot be relied upon. In as much as the information might seem correct, in some cases news reports may contain altered information, which may eventually lead into false interpretation of results. In addition, the author has also provided a clear research question, which makes it possible to understand the main aim of the research (Burnett, 2009). On the contrary, the research has answered most parts of the research question provided, thus making the research significant. For example, the question has been on the significance of ensuring security in learning institution, the research has provided the necessary data on the reasons as to why the incidents occurred, where they took place, who was involved, and the areas prone to such incidences. On the other hand, the research has also gone ahead to provide a detailed explanation on how states can ensure the security of students in campuses, which is though enacting serious gun laws. The research also focused on one side of the research question, whereby it only provided the ways through which shooting can be controlled in or around campuses, but it did not provide alternatives of ensuring campus students to not indulge in evil acts. If strict laws are put in place to prevent the use of a gun carelessly, then learning institutions should also come up with ways of reducing crime through encouraging students not to participate in crime.

The methodology used in the inclusion of source of information into the research was not suitable. This is so because, the research focused on sources which had at least a single person being shot by a civilian in the campus or around the campus. The main issue is on the shooter, the research was only concerned with civilian shooters in campus area. The research was not consequently convinced that students could also participate in such acts, where a student becomes the actual shooter in the learning institution (Hancock & Algozzine, 2017). In so doing, the research tends to be one sided, thus it provides alternatives based on intrusion of a shooter into the campus, whereas students can also be the actual perpetrators of shootings in learning institutions.

The research provided good results and alternatives to crimes in learning institutions, which makes it significant. In addition, the results showed the incidents were majorly caused by access to guns by the victims, and in areas with a huge number of registered gun owners, the prevalence of shootings in campuses was higher. Lastly, the article did not address the strengths and weaknesses of the research, as it only acquired necessary data from the research which was relevant to the information it was presenting (Gilgun, 2014). As a matter of fact, the article did not focus so much on the research, but it only focused on the provided data, which was significant in explaining the extent of crime in campuses across the US.

References

McGrath, K., M. (2019). Top Campus Safety You Should Know: Rave Mobile Safety. Retrieved from: https://www.ravemobilesafety.com/blog/top-campus-safety-statistics-you-should-know

Cannon, A., (2016). Aiming At Students the College Gin Violence Epidemic: Citizens Crime Commission of New York City. Retrieved from: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-Aiming-At-Students-College-Shootings-Oct2016.pdf

Gilgun, J. F. (2014). Chicago school traditions: Deductive qualitative analysis and grounded theory ; a reader. Createspace.

Burnett, J. (2009). Doing your social science dissertation. London: SAGE.

Top of Form

Hancock, D. R., & Algozzine, R. (2017). Doing case study research: A practical guide for beginning researchers.

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Personal Achievement

Introduction

Personal achievement is a personal characteristic that provides an individual with a sense of gratification and contentment. It could be as a result of personal success or teamwork. Personal achievement is something that an individual does and feel that they accomplished it and left a great impact on their life. Personal achievements reflect determination, courage, dedication, and hard work.

Acquiring a professional qualification is respected and appreciated by both academics and non-academics (Bostock 2014). Having traveled from the middle-east to go to college in the U.S. it was a great achievement for me to graduate from the University. For me, the challenges I experienced were with language, culture, and environmental changes. Professional qualification is more valued when it has been achieved through some pressure and difficulties. Being able to secure an education despite the many challenges and obstacles along the way is an ultimate achievement. The fact that I endured a lot of hardships in life and still keep pushing forward to my objectives is something I am proud of.

According to Bostock (2014), an achievement is not only about enjoying the happy great things but is also about enduring the hard times and the challenges that come with it. Having the ability to withstand challenges and pressure to reach your goal is a very important part of the success. Being able to pick myself when I faced challenges and keep fighting until I achieved my goals is in itself an achievement. There is pride in looking back at all the setbacks and knowing that I never gave up but withstood the challenges. This even gives me more motivation to move forward and work towards making more achievements.

The greatest achievements are the ones that are directly related to the greatest challenges and failures (Bostock 2014). It is very rewarding when you face your greatest challenges, fears, and failures and conquer them all. Having the spirit and the urge to achieve something made me face all the challenges along the way with positivity. They changed my mentality and the challenges gave me more energy to move forward. Moving to another country to further my studies and facing the language and culture challenges made me learn how to depend on and push myself more and be open to learning new things.

Experiencing the disoriented feeling of being in a different country where communication and the way of doing things had changed was the biggest challenge for me. Experiencing different climate, food, language, values, dressing, and behavior according to Santayana (2015) was a shock for me. Making friends or interacting with people was difficult due to language barriers. This had a big impact on my life because it taught me how to adjust and adapt to the situation and the new country because I was there for a reason and I had to accomplish it. The culture change made me understand and value my own culture. It made me get more confident because I had to find a way to interact with other people. This experience helped to influence interactions with the other cultures and learn more about them. I became more open-minded and developed a new way of thinking and solving problems. The culture change made me more mature and started believing in myself more meaning that it had a positive impact on me after accepting the situation and moving forward to reach my goals.

According to Ryan (2019), moving to a new country is stressing, challenging, scary, and confusing but having the courage to make such a decision in itself is an achievement. It allowed me to learn many great and different things to what I was used to. It gave me the chance to change my attitude towards a lot of things and build the life I always wanted and dreamed of. For me then that was joining and graduating from the university. It allowed me to depend on myself, be able to stand for myself, and also changed my personality. I learned that so long as you know what you want, that mindset keeps you moving even when things get tough. I also learned that in this life you have to learn how to interact with people to be able to survive and reach your goals. I had to learn the art of communication since I was too shy because I could not be able to make progress without speaking and interacting with people.

Having the courage to speak to people and ask for assistance and guidance when I needed it was a great achievement for me. It made me get closer to achieving my dreams because it taught me how important it is to allow people in your life. People have different knowledge and skill Ryan (2019) and this allowed me to learn other skills and get more knowledge. This made me get involved in teamwork and give my opinions and views with courage while others were doing so. This gave me more courage to face my fears and new strength to accomplish my goals and even aim higher.

The challenges I experienced made me get even more focused and appreciate the opportunity l had. It taught me how to appreciate the social and cultural differences and enjoy the new lifestyles (Ryan 2019). I became independent, responsible, and confident. I learned how to fight and stand for what I believe in and never to give up. The challenges pushed me to work harder and get more skills and a deeper understanding of how the world revolves to be able to find a solution for the problems that come along my way. These challenges increased my self-esteem, made me emotionally and mentally stronger, and every success I achieved increased my self-confidence. I grew so much as a person and saw my life from a very different perspective.

I was able to find myself, face my fears and challenges, and know what was holding me back from accomplishing my goals. Because of the determination I had, I was able to fight and defeat what was holding me back and came out as an achiever. Challenges made me learn how to be more flexible and tolerant (Ryan 2019). This is because of the different cultures and values of the people I interacted with. They made me open to new ideas, interests and I learned to adapt to the new ways of living. This has made me want to get more knowledge by taking the next step of joining grad school.

Conclusion

Personal achievement is defined by hard work, dedication, enduring challenges, believing in yourself, and going for what you want. It is defined by not giving up, accepting your situation, and moving forward. Challenges are part of the journey to achieving your goals. They come with a lot of lessons that keep one going and make you get solutions to problems. The challenges make you work harder towards success. Enduring challenges gives one more strength and confidence to fight their way towards reaching their goals.

References

Should Undergraduates Specialize

Patrick Allit, a professor at Emory University and a former student at Hertford College Oxford, states that undergraduates should specialize (Allit, 2006). According to the professor, undergraduate students should not be forced to undertake liberal arts in their freshman years. Instead, they should be allowed to choose a major in their freshman years, in order to study the chosen major in deep. Allit goes on to argue that while in campus, he only majored in history right from his freshman year until he graduated, a move which allowed him to study history in depth without any distractions. Allit often compares his college life with that of his daughter’s Frances who is about to join college. He says that studying liberal arts distracts students from focusing on their major, henceforth making them to learn in breadth rather than learning the chosen major in depth. In order to improve the American education system, Allit suggests the American system should make liberal-arts optional for those who prefer it and are not sure of the course to major in. This paper will consequently argue against Allit’s argument, and also provide a counterargument on specific areas of professor Allit’s argument which are important for undergraduate students.

According to my point of view, undergraduates should be allowed to undertake liberal arts owing to the fact that it provides them necessary skills to become appreciated members in the community. In addition, as freshmen, most students do not have a clear idea of what they want to major in. In order to avoid such mistakes, it is necessary for them to study liberal-arts, which enables them to create time to choose the course they want to major in. For instance, most students tend to admire professions while at high school, only to major in different courses while in campus. This happens particularly after a student joins the university and gets to understand what it takes for one to study a specific course (Garcia, 2010).

Secondly, in the current world, Universities are producing more graduates than the compared to the jobs available. It is therefore necessary for an undergraduate to possess additional skills. For example, nowadays most employers recruit people with good communication ideas, those who are able to gather and analyze information, and also those who are able to adjust to the new technological and professional trends. These traits can only be possessed by a person who studied liberal-arts and sciences, hence gaining tips on how to survive in complex and fast changing world. Furthermore, liberal arts requires the use of class discussions, which is relevant in making students to think critically. Similarly, in group discussions, students get the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, listen to different perspectives a move which aids in thinking critically (Walden University, 2019). In so doing, the students becomes able to think critically, hence being able to come up with new ideas in situations where he or she is supposed to think outside the box. On the other hand, professor Allit states that Frances will be sited in a class with more than 100 students, which to him is a disadvantage. This is advantageous to Frances, since she will be able to interact with different people, thus being able to not only learn new ideas, but to also get an understanding of different people and cultures.

On the other hand, it is necessary to allow students to pursue their interests in depth without any distractions. This is for the reason that most students tend to focus on other areas which makes it impossible to study there interests deeply. Secondly, it is time consuming since students spend most of their time on liberal-arts rather than on what they actually want to focus on. As Carol Geary Schneider the President of American Colleges and Universities Washington suggests, students should be allowed to pursue what they are interested in, in their first year of college (West, 2006). Nonetheless, they should work in order to improve strong knowledgeable and hands-on skills which will be of help to them once they complete their studies. This helps in making students to focus on their desired course, henceforth gaining the necessary skills to perform what is required of them once they become employed.

The inclusion of liberal arts into the American system has only made the cost of higher education expensive. For instance, 32 years ago, professor Allit’s parents paid a total of $400 as tuition fee since he only majored in history. Currently one may be forced to pay a total $150,000 in order to study at one of America’s best colleges. In as much as college education seems very expensive, one is not able to fully pursue the desired course, hence being presented to the job market as a half-baked student. Lastly, with freshmen undertaking liberal arts, it would be near impossible to get the best of the best from different courses studied in most American universities. It is consequently necessary for the American education system to look for ways of improving the skills gained by undergraduates while in campus, through coming up with new strategies.

References

Allit, P. (2006, June 16). “Should Undergraduates Specialize”. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from login.libproxy.umflint.edu website: https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.umflint.edu/docview/214667597?accountid=14584&pq-origsite=summon

West, E. (2006, August 4). Educating Students to Earn a Living, and to Live. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from The Chronicle of Higher Education website: https://www.chronicle.com/article/Educating-Students-to-Earn-a/7236

Walden University. (2019, January 28). Top Advantages of General Education Requirements in College | Walden University. Retrieved from Waldenu.edu website: https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/top-advantages-of-general-education-requirements-in-college

Garcia, E. (2010, December 8). Liberal Arts/General Education. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from login.libproxy.umflint.edu website: https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.umflint.edu/docview/816788221/fulltext/86ACB4BFAECB41EDPQ/1?accountid=14584

What’s most important for improving education?

Adequate education resources are essential for learning, teaching, researching and improving education as a whole. These resources include books, news, videos, websites, or anything else imaginable that can assist a student through a certain topic. Quality skills and knowledge in a teacher are important in improving education. When a teacher has quality skills, he can be creative and pass it on to the students. Good character and intelligence are important in a teacher since it helps in instilling good morals in a student and also improve education. It is important to improve education because it is essential for the personal, social, and economic development of the nation and ourselves. The best way to improve it is to reduce the adverse situations students live outside the classroom, to do more tests at schools and universities, and to provide a better quality of school lunch.

Social-economic problems have a very big impact on education and students. According to Nottingham (1), the students living with a disability, who experience a language barrier, and have low social-economic status are the most disadvantaged and often get poor results. These social-economic factors lead students to have poor concentration in class, become aggressive and even give up with their education. This is because their needs are rarely addressed and learning becomes a struggle for them. To improve education for such students and in those communities, the policymakers and the politicians need to think through and come up with strategies that support such kind of students.

To improve the learning outcomes of our students, policies directed at reducing poverty and ensure housing is made affordable and accessible to everyone is important Nottingham (1). This makes a student mentally stable and has fewer problems to be concerned about while in class and so they can concentrate. For this to be resolved, an approach involving teachers, psychologists, and economists who will come together to discuss and come up with a strategy that will solve the issues affecting the education and achievement levels. This will help to establish the root cause affecting students and education and help resolve it and enable the teachers to teach with ease.

According to Anderson et al. (1), students who are entitled to reduced prices or free lunch in school tend to have better scores in their academics. Research has also shown that students who have healthy diets in school also perform better. The availability of healthy school lunches is a cost-effective strategy that enables a school to improve the learning of students. Nutritional standards are important in physical development, memory and attentiveness, and behavioral development. This means when students have access to a healthy diet, they can function perfectly and increase their educational achievements.

Examinations are part of testing a student and help them in their studies. Boser (1) states that schools and universities should do more testing since it improves the learning process of students. The test programs also benefit the teacher since they get to know which areas are of concern to a student. Other than assessing the student’s progress, they give feedback to the teacher and often enable the student to master the subject. Exams that are supported by research provide feedback on the understanding pace of the students and this helps the teachers to adjust their lessons to the pace of the students. This positively impacts the students by allowing them to learn at the rate which they understand and ensures that the teachers do not move to another topic before the current one is understood.

Low-stake testing helps a student not only to master a subject but also to strengthen the understanding of it. Testing encourages conceptual knowledge and helps students to design their ideas and establish a rich form of knowledge Boser (1). When students are capable of choosing the main ideas in a certain subject, arrange them and summarize them in their own words, they can learn more. Testing should be used to show the progress of a student from the beginning of the semester to the end linking it with their learning throughout the way and not only show the final results in a semester. When quizzing is compared to rereading material when a student is preparing for exams, quizzing has shown better results and evidence has shown that it increases the level of achievement. The students who are regularly quizzed often get higher grades in their final exams.

Even with all the positivity that comes with testing, some people see a negative side of it. Students believe that exams is a waste of time for them and some teachers maintain that the anxiety that is as a result of tests produces a toxic surrounding for them. Parents view testing as a diversion from other important activities and have no importance Boser (1). It is also believed that test programs do not give enough feedback.

Conclusion

           Improving education is associated with the improvement of social-economic issues that face students. Strategies that are developed to take care of the needs of students are important in improving education. Healthy diets are a contributing factor to improved learning. This ensures that a student can have physical, cognitive and behavioral developments leading to enhanced concentration. Testing is another way in which education is improved. When a student is tested regularly, they can develop their knowledge and improve their learning skills.

Works Cited

Anderson, Michael, et al. “How the quality of school lunch affects students’ academic

performance.” Brookings, 3 May 2017, https:// www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2017/05/03/how-the-quality-of-school-lunch-affects-students-academic-performance/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.

Boser, Ulrich. “Sorry, kids: schools need more testing, not less.” Vox, 31 May 2017,

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