education

Instruction Learning

Instruction learning is a widely accepted learning strategy that provides various opportunities to understand the content through processing, knowledge construction, developing classroom interest, and positive attitude of the students. Students in a classroom enjoy an assortment of physical and mental abilities; therefore the effective acquisition of knowledge is essential for each classroom. An experienced teacher practices instructional strategies to reduce the difficulty of the content. By using appropriate instructional learning methods teachers can introduce the content. Group discussion, peer discussion, assignments, and incorporate learning give a new insight to the teachers to enrich the weak students. Through the help of various instructional strategies, the teacher can connect the weak students to the content. The learning process is a very important factor in experimental classrooms. Implementation of a step-by-step problem-solving method enables the weak students to attain the desired outcome. Changing the ‘nature’ of the learning material is more effective than reducing the quantity of subjects. Various instructional learning methods, such as discovery learning, experimental learning, and multicultural learning provide positive learning outcomes. James K. Conant says; “To make class discussion work, the students have to believe that they are in a supportive environment” (Conant, 2006, Requirements and costs of using the learning system, para.6).

Reasonable selection of teaching strategies and learning theories helps the teacher to distribute problems and learning activities based on various cognitive levels. Students having strong cognitive support require complex problems and assignments. Reducing the quantity of the content part affects the smooth functioning of student’s academic performance. Therefore, he/she faces disability in the content area. Struggled students face continuous difficulties in specific areas of their learning procedure and the successful implementation of instructional learning methods reduces the poor performance of the weak students.

Discovery Learning

Discovery learning is an innovative learning method based on inquiry-supported instruction. Bruner developed this method based on social constructive theory. Here the learner connects and analyzes his/her past experience and knowledge to find new concepts. The student in a discovery learning classroom involves in effective interaction with his/her surrounding. The online article titled Discovery Learning (Bruner) by Jerome Bruner shares his views about the term discovery learning. Bruner remarks; “Students interact with the world by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments.” (Discovery learning (Bruner), 2008, para.1).

Discovery-based learning and instructional strategies promote a sufficient learning environment for students. Studies have proved that Discovery Learning has considerable advantages. Firstly it encourages the students to participate in classroom procedures and the teacher has the role of a facilitator in the Discovery Learning classroom. Teachers can provide effective motivation techniques to his/her students. Discovery Learning and other experimental learning methods constitute the classroom behaviors such as self-esteem, responsibility, and independence. Through projects and classroom problems students can develop creativity and problem-solving skill. Discovery learning helps both the teacher and the student to construct healthy interaction and that will promote effective scaffolding.

Educators state there are some disadvantages in a Discovery Learning classroom. The making of cognitive surplus affects the learning process of a student seriously in a classroom that follows the principles of Discovery Learning. Sometimes the teacher may fail to calculate the potential of the student. Finally, Discovery Learning discards the chances to perceive specific problems and misconceptions. Even though there are some disadvantages, Discovery Learning helps the students to generate, amalgamate and simplify their knowledge.

References

1. Conant, J K. (2006). IDP newsletter archive: 1995: Writing and thinking: A success story in political science: Requirements and costs of using the learning system. PII: University of Oklahoma Program for Instructional Innovation.
2. Discovery learning (Bruner). (2008). Learning Theories.com: Knowledge Base and Webliography.

Introduction

This literature review is to discuss the essential ingredients needed in children’s play which involves people, space, time, and resources/materials. All these stakeholders’ or ingredients plays a crucial role in molding children’s social, cognitive and language learning competence throughout their development into adults (Fromberg, 2002)

People

Several people are involved in shaping children’s learning through their play. The main parties involved are teachers, parents, curriculum developers and their playmates. Children spend most of their time in school; hence teachers are the most influential people in their learning. They contribute to children’s learning through inclusion of play into the school curriculum by conducting activities such as physical exercise (P.E), games and directing play activities among children (Isenberg, & Wuisenberry, n.d).

However, Wardle (n.d) lamented that most of the school administrators as well as parents, view play as time wastage. The stereotypical belief that children’s play is meaningless throughout the world is strongly disregarded by child development specialists and early childhood educators. In fact, most of the educators confuse some learning activities with play, a perception that Wardle disagreed with. Generally, the educators and curriculum programmers are not playing their role in promoting children learning through playing opportunities (Oliver & Klugman, 2003).

As observed by Fromberg (2002), other children participating in play, i.e. their friends and colleagues also act as an ingredient in learning, particularly in the social dimension. Through their playmates’ children learn how to appreciate other people’s ideas and reconstruct their thinking to incorporate other’s thoughts. This can be seen when they implement what their colleagues do. Wardle (n.d) supports the issue of free play halfway. According to him, children should be monitored by a grown-up and should not be allowed absolute freedom in order to avoid violence among them.

Though it is relevant for children to develop self-initiative in learning, teachers and other mediators such as parents should provide the best resources, materials and opportunities for play to be more effective in terms of educating. The activities provided should be interesting and challenging and should also increase in complexity as the child develops his understanding and skills.His assertions were seconded by Isenberg, & Wuisenberry (n.d).by stating that no adult instruction can substitute children’s free play.

Space

The play environment is a key ingredient in shaping children learning through play. For instance, a child will develop a self-centered kind of learning development, socially and cognitively, if much of his/her play centers on computer games and TV watching, which dominates most homes currently (Wardle, n.d). Wardle disapproves of such play environments as they undermine good learning and development in children. The school environment is also criticized by Wardle for not providing enough play programs for children.

The play environment as noted by Isenberg & Wuisenberry (n.d) should be enticing and inviting for children to play in. For instance, more space should be provided for outdoor play and the environment should be properly planned for and well equipped to encourage group play and promote incidental learning experiences. A stimulating and well-planned play environment, acts as an ingredient for shaping children’s feeling of power during the play and in life generally. This is because, children get ample room to interact with each other and with their environment as they perform various activities including playing adult roles. The sense of personal power in children develops out of the various contexts in which they experience their plays. Dynamic cultural and political play contexts develop a very powerful feeling among children (Fromberg, 2002).

Time

The time scheduled for children to play greatly impacts their learning progress. Wardle (n.d) disagrees with majority of play opponents, who argue that play always calls for the teacher’s direct instruction and that it diverts or takes away a lot of valuable time from other academic activities. He disapproved of this idea and asserted that play is in fact the most powerful and efficient learning experience for children. Isenberg & Wuisenberry (n.d) noted that play should be continual, and not restricted at particular children’s ages, if learning is to be efficient. Appropriate play activities and materials should be provided at different times.

Resources/materials

Isenberg & Wuisenberry (n.d) argues that enough and appropriate materials for children play at different ages is a crucial ingredient for learning through play. Children need opportunities, materials and equipment for play, which vary with age.

Young Preschoolers borrow and lend playthings, chat about familiar activities and play with their Colleagues, with no explicit goals or rules. On the other hand, older preschoolers love building and creating objects, take roles and use models that substitute for real objects. They perform activities and modify details to match their desires. Often, their activities are goal and rule-oriented but with little or no interest in winning. Through play, preschoolers gain and improve motor skills, acquire fundamental academic skills such as counting, reading and writing as well as develop mastery of content.

At the primary level, children are involved in casual and formal games with their peers such as puzzles computer games and skipping. Such games boost their coordination and physical progress, improve their social skills and build characters such as competition and teamwork (Isenberg & Wuisenberry, n.d).

Primary school children need a lot of recreational opportunities such as breaks, and group games. To facilitate this, educators should incorporate materials that have a stronger link for the development of psycho-motor skills.

Isenberg & Wuisenberry (n.d) agrees that children’s books and magazines should be emphasized much in indoor play activities. The play equipment such as toys should be different for different age groups. Playgrounds, homemade and commercial equipment are necessary ingredients for children learning.

Conclusion

In view of the discussion on the conceptual framework about the essential ingredients needed, it showed that it is a contemporary issue discussed by many early childhood educators. People involved in the children’s play activities are generally the core ingredients, as they dictate children’s playing spaces (environment), the resources and materials available for play to take place and time requirements for children’s play. They should therefore avoid stereotypes that dismiss play as an insignificant activity. All in all, play is a vital learning process and for it to be effective, all the above ingredients should interplay.

References

1. Fromberg, D.P. (2002). Play and meaning in Early Childhood Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacal.
2. Isenberg, J.P & Wuisenberry, N (n.d). Play: Essential for All Children. A Position Paper of Childhood Education International.
3. Oliver,S. & Klugman, E. (2003). When play presents problems. Resources for managing Common play challenges. Child care information exchange. pp. 35-45.
4. Wardle, F. (n.d). Play as Curriculum.

Significance of the study

Attitudes and beliefs form a very important aspect of teaching and learning mathematics. Uncovering the unknown truths about preservice teacher’s attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics is a major step towards catering to the changing needs of students in mathematics. A number of studies have been carried out in the past on attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics but it is important to underscore that most of them have addressed few factors on attitudes and beliefs.

With globalization, the needs for education are changing and focus is being put on incorporating the needs of students from all parts of the world in education planning and development. This study is relevant as far as the development of a curriculum that can address the needs of international students seeking to study and benefit from mathematics. For this to be achieved, there has to be a move towards internationalizing courses to reach out to the needs of the majority of students. ( Australian Education International 2009)

The information gathered in this study would be fundamental in the design of a model that would include factors that determine attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics. As indicated by Peelo and Luxon (2007, p. 69), this would be instrumental in the design of courses that would be tailored to meeting the learning needs of individual students from different parts of the world. All this can be attained through taking into consideration the affective and human components of learning, recognizing the social constructs of learning, and utilizing opportunities that exist in international learning environments.

For it to achieve the desired objectives, the instructional practice of mathematics as a subject requires the incorporation of attitudes and beliefs that are indeed influential not only to the teachers but also to the learners. This study would make a significant contribution towards the anticipated change in the instructional practice of mathematics. Instructional practice should be designed in such a way that the achievements in mathematics can be realized. Beliefs and attitudes play a very important role in influencing achievements. They should be therefore put into consideration when designing the instructional practice, especially for the preservice teachers.

Essentially, this study would be very useful for educators to design mathematics as a subject in such a way that it meets the needs of a cross-section of learners. This would be after careful consideration of attitudes and beliefs of students from different cultural backgrounds towards mathematics. The study would also pay attention to the most critical factors that influence the attitudes and beliefs of students towards mathematics. From this background, the necessary changes can be initiated so as to make the study of mathematics not only enjoyable to the learners but also achieve great results.

Limitations

A number of limitations have been cited in this study. First of all, it is important to mention that the study focused on articles published after 1996. This is a limitation in the sense that for the last 12 years there must have been changes in preservice teacher’s attitudes and believes towards mathematics. Some of the factors therefore might not be relevant in specific countries. This can be attributed to the varying needs of learners between different countries. The environments for learning are also not the same in different countries. The study has therefore not taken into account the current state of affairs because of the approach that was adopted.

Secondly, as noted earlier, the purpose of the study is to identify the factors that influence attitudes and beliefs by pre-service teachers towards mathematics achievement and instructional practice. In view of this, it is important to maintain that the results and findings of the study cannot be restricted to a particular country or context. This means that it can be a challenge in the course of implementation in specific country settings bearing the existing cultural differences.

Categorically, the six factors mentioned and discussed in this paper have been selected from the articles. However, it is important to note that these factors are not necessarily the most crucial in determining the attitudes and beliefs of preservice teachers towards mathematics. With the changing educational setting and cultural backgrounds, many other factors are likely to be behind the attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics. There is also a possibility that the crucial factors would keep on varying from one country to another. This situation is a limitation because the exact factors that influence attitudes and beliefs cannot be accurately identified.

Another limitation in this study concerns the selection process of the articles that have been utilized in the study. There is a possibility that there might have been some bias with most of the studies being undertaken in a specific country. This is a limitation in the sense that the factors that influence attitudes and beliefs might be different by far between different countries in the world.

Finally, by virtue of the fact that this study has employed an analysis of a considerable number of articles that are related to attitudes and beliefs of preservice teachers towards mathematics, there is a challenge in incorporating all the articles into the findings of the study. There are no specific criteria as to the contribution of each article to the final results of the study. Besides even though there was an effort to make use of many studies in this research there is a high possibility that the most relevant studies were not included in the findings of this research.

Results

In accordance with the objectives of the study, the thirty articles presented in table 1 were analyzed to identify the factors that influence attitudes and beliefs of preservice teachers towards mathematics.

The factors that influence attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics

Each of the selected articles was carefully studied to identify the important variables that influence attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics. Additionally, the moderating factors that shape attitudes and beliefs were also noted. This information was captured in table 2 which appears in the appendix. The findings given in table 2 are represented in figure 1. The numbers given in figure 1 represent the article number which is given in table 1.

Six factors that most authors emphasized in their research studies that determine attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics have been discussed in this study. These factors are anxiety, confidence, achievement, instructional practice, knowledge, and past experience.

The study noted that there is a relationship between anxiety and attitude. According to most of the articles anxiety made a significant contribution to the attitude of preservice teachers towards mathematics. Confidence was also observed to be playing a role towards attitude. The studies made revelations on how levels of confidence in preservice teachers have shaped their attitudes towards mathematics. (Cooney et al, 1998)

The approach towards instructional practice is a very important aspect of the training of the preservice teachers and it is has a close association with the attitudes and beliefs of the teachers towards mathematics. Different teachers with their varying approaches to instructional practice exhibit different attitudes and beliefs according to the studies.

The study further found out that there is a strong relation between achievement and attitudes and believes towards mathematics. This tends to be evident in both the teachers and the students. Teachers who have strong beliefs and a positive attitude towards mathematics tend to achieve better results in the classroom than those who have weak beliefs and negative attitudes towards mathematics. Goulding, (2007).

Past experiences have proved to be having an influence on attitudes towards mathematics according to the articles. This has been known to affect the behavior of teachers and students towards the subject and even influenced their achievement. Self-esteem has been shown to be a very important component of an individual’s attitude. People with different self-images show different attitudes towards subjects like mathematics. The study has also demonstrated that lack of knowledge has a lot of contribution towards an individual’s attitude towards mathematics. Mostly the student teachers who lack adequate knowledge in mathematics have a negative attitude towards mathematics according to the findings in the articles. (Morrisey, 2006).

Finally, the study has managed to uncover and shed light on the relationship between attitude and belief. That most attitudes of individuals are influenced by their beliefs towards the subject. Positive or negative attitudes towards mathematics can be attributed to the beliefs held by individuals over mathematics.

References

Akinsola, M. K. & Tella, A. (2007). Correlates of Academic Procrastination and Mathematics Achievement of University Undergraduate Students. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 3(4), p.363-370. Web.

Australian Education International. (2009). Monthly Summary of International Enrolment Data – Australia- YTD 2009. Web.

Ayub, A. F. M, Lian, W. S. & Mukti, N. (2005). Students’ Attitudes Toward Calculus: A Preliminary Study Among Diploma Students at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Jurnal Teknologi, 42. p. 49–60. Web.

Casa, T. M., McGivney-Burelle, J. & DeFranco, T. C. (2007). The Development of an Instrument to Measure Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes about Discourse in the Mathematics Classroom. School science and mathematics (0036-6803), 107 (2), p. 70.

Cook, T. D., Cooper, H. & Cordray, D. S. (1994). Meta-analysis for explanation: a casebook. Russell Sage Foundation. Web.

Cooney, T. J., Shealy, B. E., & Arvold, B. (1998). Conceptualizing Belief Structures of Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. 29(3). p. 306-333.

Creswell.J.W., (2008) ‘Educational Research: Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research’. (3^rded). NewJersey, Prenhall.

Goulding, M. (2007). Mathematical Subject Knowledge in Primary Teacher Training – A View from England and Wales. Seminar report on Conceptualising and theorising mathematical knowledge in teaching (Cambridge). p. 1-11. Web.

Haladyna, T., Shaughnessy, J. & Shaughnessy, M. J. (1983). A Causal Analysis of Attitude toward Mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. 14(1). p. 19-29.

Luxon, T. & Peelo, M. (2009). Internationalisation: Its Implications for Curriculum Design and Course Development in UK Higher Education. Innovations in education and teaching international (1470-3297), 46 (1), p. 51.

Lyons, L. C. (1997). Meta – Analysis: Methods of Accumulating Results Across Research Domains. Manassas, Virginia.

Marzano, R. (2009). Designing & teaching learning goals & objectives. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory. Web.

Mellado, V. (1998). The Classroom Practice of Preservice Teachers and Their Conceptions of Teaching and Learning Science. Science Education, 82(2). p. 197-214. .

Morrisey, J. T. (2006). Changing Beliefs: Teaching and Learning Mathematics in Constructivist Preservice Classrooms. Science Education. 65(2). p. 157 – 177.

Ozgun-Koca, S. A. & Sen, A. L. (2006). The Beliefs and Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers Enrolled in a Subject-Area Dominant Teacher Education Program about “Effective Education”. Teaching and teacher education, 22 (7). p. 946-.960.

Peelo, M. & Luxon, T. (2007). Designing Embedded Courses to Support International Students’ Cultural and Academic Adjustment in the UK. Journal of further and higher education. 31 (1). p. 65.

Raymond, A. M. (1997). Inconsistency between a Beginning Elementary School Teacher’s Mathematics Beliefs and Teaching Practice. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. 28(5). p. 550- 576.

Ruffell, M., Mason, J. & Allen, B. (1998). Studying Attitude to Mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics. 35(1). p.1-18.

Scheffler, I. (1973). Reason and teaching. London : Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Sheppard, I. (2008). Towards a Constructivist Pedagogy for Year 12 Mathematics. Australian senior mathematics journal. 22 (1). p. 50-58.

Simpson, K. (2009). A Home Away from Home? Chinese Student Evaluations of an Overseas Study Experience. Journal of studies in international education (1028-3153), 13 (1). p. 5.

Wilkins, J. L. (2008). The Relationship among Elementary Teachers’ Content Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices. Journal of mathematics teacher education. 11 (2). p. 139-164.

Wolf, F. M. (1986). Meta-analysis : quantitative methods for research synthesis. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

Zacharos, K., Koliopoulos, D., Dokimaki, M., & Kassoumi, H. (2007). Views of prospective early childhood education teachers, towards mathematics and its instruction. European Journal of Teacher Education. 30(3). p.305-318.

Introduction

There is a general agreement that the world has developed more than it was several years ago. In this respect, disciplines are probably more intertwined with one another than they were before and college education needs to respond to these needs if they exist. The Learning All Students Need for the 21st Century gives a view that college students need be purposeful and self-directed in multiple ways.

College education must not only insist on passing information to students, the processes and the procedures of doing it, must it need to ensure that students see the connection and linkage of the information passed. In addition, important components must ensure that students put into practice what they learn. In many systems in the countries in the world, employment is the target for making people go through college education as can be evidenced by the alignment of the degree programs with the industries in those or other countries.

While this is good practice since students can utilize the academic knowledge gained at school to run the organizations when they get employed, diversity in the aspect of self-employment and securing employment elsewhere is important. The curriculum must be tailored to ensure self-employment is emphasized especially in countries with low levels of employment.

The quality of education is very important to ensure that those going through the system attain not only knowledge but also personal benefits. The community also stands to benefit from education through shaping the economic, political, and social lives of students who are part of the community.

In this aspect, the functions of education to the members of the society are diverse. Harmonization of the education system to include all aspects of lives in the social, economic, and political view is important to ensure that it achieves diverse functions. Policymakers need to provide that education avails an opportunity to shape the lives of individuals not only at school but also away. In addition to providing a high quality of education, high participation in the curriculum is of high importance because non-participation should be interpreted as a negative impact on the community.

College Education and Current and Expected Benefits

A 2007 report on the benefits of education in the United States documents a correlation between higher earnings and higher levels of education for all racial/ethnic groups and both gender. This is true because education is highly expected to equip the student with the knowledge to perform various duties and activities in the society when they get employed through which they earn a living. Society takes the students as possessing trained qualities and offers these opportunities to them.

In some places, society offers these opportunities are offered as rewarding opportunities for students after hard work at school. The impact of the income benefits among college graduates can be evidenced by the income gap between high school and college graduates. The earning was reported by Baum and Ma (2007) to be high enough for an average college graduate to recoup the cost of full tuition and fees and the earnings were forgone during college years.

Personal benefits include a rise in social class and rating, better salaries to those who secure employment after a college education. College education also avails more opportunities for the students to enjoy the social benefits provided by the employer such as health insurance and pension benefits than those who do not pass through this system. The benefits of a college education are expected to be financial and non-financial, indirect or direct. Non-financial benefits include greater opportunities, high moral standards, and more responsibility in society and community leadership.

The society benefits are also diverse and include financial benefits through the taxation of the students employed after college, their donations to public coffers, and development projects, while non-financial benefits include contributions in terms of leadership in the community, reformation of the community through high levels of moral standards. There is a correlation between the decrease in poverty levels with the reduction of illiteracy and increased employment. In the United States, low levels of smoking rates, higher perceptions of personal health, and healthier lifestyles among college graduates have been documented compared to those who did not graduate from college.

High levels of participation in voting, volunteer work, blood donation, civic and high level of openness to opinions of other people have been correlated with participation in college education. This participation helps the community in general. Education would be expected to help the members of the society identify the opportunities available for investment and thus more members can benefit from this investment because they can get employment at various capacities even with lower education levels.

The students would be expected to will thus be expected to empower other members of the society either through practical involvement of lesser fortunate through opening the economic opportunities or through empowering them to take these opportunities themselves. The difference between those who have graduated from a college education and those who have not must be clear in terms of identifying the developmental projects that are essential to uplift the community in terms of society enjoying better living standards in terms of health among other aspects.

Education must also ensure that there is an understanding amongst members of the society because their understanding of the importance of peace, harmony, and the consequences of negative ethnicity would be expected to be higher. Education should go beyond providing knowledge to the beneficiary but go ahead to making them access its quality and effectiveness because they could be involved in the formulation of important policies pertaining running of the system in the future.

For so long, students have been taught critical thinking skills which can help them to identify flaws and improve the system. In addition to providing technical skills necessary to empower students after college, it is necessary to make sure that students learn and appreciate the need to live in a multi-diverse community. This is to make sure those problems that would deter development such as tribalism and negative cultural differences do not negatively affect community development.

It is in these aspects that the college education must encourage or motivate students to volunteering in community development issues. Volunteering points to the fact that education may be perceived as a necessary tool to empower the whole society rather than the central focus of benefiting the individual. Volunteering is important because in some cases it involves undertaking those activities and opportunities that interest people.

To make sure that there is a high benefit for the volunteering programs, students should be advised to volunteer in areas where they have an interest. the curriculum must ensure that students are well versed with the benefits and consequences of volunteering so that they will go into it with an absolute mind. Increased volunteering to the work of the society is important because the society participates in activities that are not necessarily delegated to certain people, and where they have been delegated, those involved may be fewer and thus slowing down important developmental processes.

Sometimes individuals may offer voluntary counseling and property offering which some have indirectly attached benefits because the community in which they reside, improves. Moral training is, therefore, necessary to train individuals not only to train others but also to become morally upright themselves. Morality can be emphasized and achieved by establishing a connection between the subject matter and social life.

Although the emphasis on education as a benefit for an individual is important, the individuals must be trained to be integrated into society. It is in this aspect that issues of empowering students to be effective in communicating with other members of the community, teamwork, and social ethics need to be embraced in college education. To become socially responsible when they take positions of leadership or in businesses, students need to be able to have not only identified the need to become socially responsible but need to have practiced through their college work to be or at least think in a socially ethical manner.

This knowledge is important in ensuring that the corporations they head in the future plow back some benefits to the community in terms of social activities like sponsoring development projects. In many countries, the major focus for education has been ensuring individual survival through the system and eliminates the less fortunate. College education must be used to benefit both those with mental ability and those who have the lower ability since the society is diverse even in these aspects of mental capability endowment.

References

Baum Sandy and Jennifer Ma. (2007). Education pays: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. Web.

Martin, Jane Roland, “The Schoolhome: Rethinking Schools for Changing Families” (1992) MA: 2 Harvard Educational Reviews. Pp. 53.

Noddings, Nel. The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York: Teachers College Press. 1992.

Schrader, Dawn E, “Justice and Caring: Process in College Students’ Moral Reasoning Development”, in Justice and Caring: The Search for Common Ground in Education New York: Columbia University, 1999. pp. 43-52.

Sexual Harassment Awareness Training for College Students. Web.

The Learning All Students Need for the 21st Century. Web.

Education in the modern world is much more than books and degrees and also involves means opening up minds to a whole new world, the world in which there are no geographical barriers to knowledge. Education is indeed a powerful means to remove the prejudices from our mind relating to gender, class, caste or race. An educated person will generally respect human kind in all its forms. The aim of education is not to merely gain bookish knowledge; it develops and enhances the ability of an individual to think and perceive the various situations that life offers. The cognitive development and progress of the academician will obviously have a positive impact on the culture and society in which he/she survives. Thus, education ensures the social development of not only the individual but also the culture with which he/ she is closely related to.

Schools play an important role in the processes of education and excellence in academics has been the focus of study and research of numerous academic scholars (Purkey & Smith, 1983). Modern education teaches students to accept and respect entire human community and is much more than a good degree, for the purpose of acquiring a highly paid job. Cohen (2006) elucidates that the subjective experience, which a student acquires by way of schooling, plays an important role in personal and social progress. Education in today’s times is a tool with which can be used to transform society, and is the perfect means for the social development of any society. For any culture to thrive and flourish, the education system must be sound. Education creates awareness in the minds of individuals, a new sense of responsibility, openness to change and progress, all of which are important factors in the development of society. Edmunds (1979) asserts importance on role of the teacher in setting high standards of education.

Rational and logical thinking have always been associated with learned and educated people. Excellence in education opens the mind of an individual to think about the issues surrounding life in any situation. Education positively impacts the health of citizens and enables to people to think critically and evaluate the pros and cons before taking crucial decisions about important issue in life, whether it be health, fitness, careers or even the choice of food to be consumed, daily.

Education enables us to think deeply about primary concerns in life especially pollution. Protection of the earth and its environment has never been at such a focus ever in the history of humanity. As educated people, we know and realize our responsibilities in protecting the earth and its atmosphere. Higher educational thinking also fosters a desire for improvement in the quality of life of individuals. In nations where education activities are on the rise, the youth are more mature and level headed. This improves the entire scenario of the nation as a whole as there is reduced criminal activity.

In this age and era of globalization, education is extremely important and besides providing monetary freedom, the benefits of education are numerous, not only to an individual but to the entire society as a whole, which is ultimately the most influencing factor in the success of any nation, small or big. Education is not the window, but the gateway to the new global community. By providing greater stability, education impacts the confidence levels of persons in an extremely positive way, thereby paving the way for greater success stories in the world, now and forever.

References

Cohen, J., 2006. Social, emotional, ethical and academic education: Creating a climate for learning, participation in democracy and well-being. Harvard Educational Review, Vol. 76, No. 2.

Edmunds, R (1979). Effective schools for the urban poor. Educational Leadership, 37.

Purkey, S., and Smith, M., 1983. Effective schools: a review. The Elementary School Journal, 83(4), 427-452.

Sex education is one of the most controversial issues of the current generation. Almost all U.S. students receive some sort of sex education at least once between grades 7 and 12 with many schools addressing the matter of sex education as early as grade 5 (Sexuality Education in Fifth and Sixth Grades in U.S. Public Schools, 2000). What they actually learn in sex ed classes can be varied because there is little centralized control over what is taught in these classes. In fact, some state laws leave curriculum decisions to the individual school districts (Sex Education in the U.S.: Policy and Politics, 2002). This issue is made even more contentious by the fact that sex ed often conflicts with the religious views of families. For example, conservative Christians believe in abstinence from sex until marriage and any form of sexual education is akin to promoting promiscuity. Another issue is that even within religious denominations views on sexuality can vary widely as individual families might have different opinions as to how much sex ed a child needs. This paper is of the position that Sexual education belongs in the family and not in classroom nor the religious institutions.

School is a place for learning and so it is easily to believe that sex ed belongs in school. However as mentioned earlier, students from various social, religious and ethnic backgrounds, i.e. the mix of students in public schools, will have very different ideas about sex and thus differing sex ed needs. Due to the nature of the public school system students will receive standardized sex ed which may or may not meet their specific needs. Worse, due to the non-establishment clause, that is the constitutional provision that requires that pubic funds can not be use to advance any religion, sex ed in school will be taught divorced from the moral and religious aspects that the teens were led to believe by their parents to be closely related to sex. After all, traditional views of sex consider the procreative act as a form of sacred union between the man and the woman, a gilded intimacy hence terminology such as love making or carnal knowledge

School based sex ed is broadly divided into two approaches, abstinence only and the comprehensive approach that also teaches the teens about condoms and other modes of contraception. Both approaches have their merits. Often the dividing line between which approach is actually used by later in life has more to do with a person’s convictions than what he is taught in school. Nevertheless government money is still used to fund both abstinence only and comprehensive sex ed (An Overview of Federal Abstinence-Only Funding) in the hopes of reducing teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs.

Another major criticism is that the public school system is already overburdened as it is. As the recent No Child Left Behind law and its unfortunate impact on the public school system has shown despite our educators valiant efforts standards are slowly slipping. The fact that some schools are forced to abandon some programs in favor of major areas like English, Science and Math is proof that the public school system is in need of help. The burden of shouldering sex ed in schools is both unnecessary and improper. There are certainly better places to discuss sex ed. Educators have better things to do than discuss condoms and the pill.

Many religious denominations teach their adherents that sexual contact outside marriage such as premarital or extramarital sex is immoral. In their opinion, morality plays an important role in the sexual education of their youth. As a concession to today’s less than ideal realities, they have learned to accept that sexual knowledge is unavoidable but insist that curricula should be based on abstinence (Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Episode 823. 2005). However, even in the conservative environment of a church, temple or mosque sexual education can be awkward and unwieldy even in the best of circumstances. The same deference and respect teens feel for their faith community leaders can alienate them from learning sexual education in that environment.

Many religions afford their preachers a very high degree of respect, whether they call them Minister, Father, Priest or Imam, the religious leader is someone who is look up to by adherents. Sex is a highly taboo topic in many religions to hear their leaders suddenly “talk dirty” and discuss sex ed would be a shocking thing for many religious teens. Furthermore, even if the faith community leaders are in a position to discuss sex ed their version of sex ed would be the exact opposite of what gets taught in public schools. If in public schools sex ed is about condoms, rhythm methods and the pill, in the religious setting it would be about sin, immorality and waiting for marriage. Faith community leaders can not divorce themselves from advancing their religious views in teaching sex ed and are likely to stick to abstinence only education which is accepted by their faith.

Public School and Church Sex education are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Both have their merits and their cons. The best alternative is to discuss sex ed at home. The proverbial “birds and bees” lecture properly belongs at home. The parents are the best teachers of sex ed to their children. Having watched them grow up they are ideally suited to discuss sex ed at pace with the level of maturity that the teen has. Unlike standardized public school education which might expose the teens to things they are not ready to understand. Since they likely share the same religious views as their children they will give sex ed advice that is consistent with those views. As parents they are the best able to overcome any shyness or embarrassment the children might have about the topic. To conclude, it is the parent discussing sex ed at home who is the best choice. Parents can offer the best of both worlds; the morality of their religion and the practicality pragmatism of daily life.

To summarize this paper believes that sex ed should be taught at home and not in school or the church. School based sex ed tends to focus too much on the mechanical and physical aspects of sex. School based sex ed divorces the moral aspect and religious aspect of the act. By comparison, Church based sex ed will tend to overemphasize the moral aspect to the detriment of the physical. In other words, church based sex ed will likely focus on an abstinence only approach because religions in general frown upon the idea of sex outside marriage. The proper balance can be found at home. At home sex ed can be tailor fit to meet a child’s peculiar needs without the unnecessary embarrassment of having to discuss this topic openly in school or church.

Works Cited

1. Sexuality Education in Fifth and Sixth Grades in U.S. Public Schools, 1999. Family Planning Perspectices 32 (5). Web.
2. Sex Education in the U.S.: Policy and Politics” Issue Update. Kaiser Family Foundation.  2002.
3. PBS, 2005 Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Episode 823 An Overview of Federal Abstinence-Only Funding.

The teaching profession is the central agent of implementing the education system. The teaching career is thus a sensitive career since it can break or break the career of many individuals in the education system within any government (Highet, 2008, p12). One of the major roles of teaching is to operate the education system, improve and develop the quality of education. The teaching profession does not really count on how much has been has been paid out to the teachers but on how much is the productivity of the teacher. Teaching is mainly dedicating oneself to produce something of value from inducing knowledge to others. Thus being a teacher mainly involves helping the students to acquire higher standards of knowledge, morals, skills and also improved abilities (Banner, 2003, p13). The work that is done in the teaching profession stands to benefit many individuals not only in the present but also in their future. Being a teacher is very challenging compared to other careers since it involves a lot of work load and it is normally not appreciated by many. However this should not deter any interested individuals to venture into the career since it has its own way of satisfaction and reward.

One interesting thing about the teaching career is that it involves the molding of people’s minds and characters something that the students will stand to benefit for the rest of their lives. The teaching profession involves helping the students change their minds about how they view different phenomena in the society by giving them knowledge. It is such a big privilege for some one to be entrusted with the role of ensuring development and also the growth of younger generations. The teaching career involves a big responsibility of parenting since the teachers will be responsible for promoting mental health and ensure moral behaviors in children. The teachers spend most of their time with the students than their parents do. Any behaviors that are uptaken by the students are easily molded by the teachers. The teaching career, therefore, comes as a privilege to the teachers to have the role of bringing up responsible individuals who have good morals in the society (Richards, 2006, p17). They are therefore the people who have the honor of building a morally upright society.

Teaching also provides the opportunity for personal intellectual development. Teaching involves coming in contact with new ideas, experiments, and books. There is always the desire to acquire more knowledge and widen the intellectual capacity of an individual. Through teaching, one will be constantly involved with searching for more information to enrich the knowledge that is passed to the students. This involves reading articles and new journals that are related to the subject of interest. It could also involve searching for new updates on the internet. This eventually not only stands to benefit the students but it also benefits the teacher since he/she also get to learn new things in the course of your career Such gained new knowledge acts as a form of motivation for most teachers to acquire higher levels of education (Schul, 2006, p26). In the course of teaching, students also get to ask many questions related to what you are teaching and this way, one also gets to know so much that maybe you thought you know. Such questions help one to expound on the different topics of interest. This means the knowledge one has when starting to teach a subject will keep advancing as your continue teaching the subject over time.

The teaching career involves molding the future of many individuals in society (Mayer, 2007, p34). Through teaching one can pass knowledge about different phenomena in society and around the world today to the young generation. With time such young generations that are in class can realize their skills, abilities, and interests in other different fields of knowledge. On the other hand, through teaching one can learn the different abilities of the students by watching and listening to them as they continue to pursue their studies. The teacher can then help such students to fully realize their abilities and skills by helping them acquire more advanced knowledge in the fields (Banner, 2003, p18). All the students in the same class will most likely not be finally interested in the same fields. Some will have their interest in the medical field, others in banking others in sports among other careers. By helping such younger generations realize the full benefits of acquiring knowledge in the different fields, teachers affect the future of the student’s career. This is because the students will most likely choose their career paths based on the knowledge they have acquired in school. Teachers will also not only affect the future of the students but also the future of the countries intellectual people. Without the teachers, the country will suffer from having an illiterate society. Today many things require different expertise and this is only realized through the knowledge that is passed to the upcoming generations. The teaching career is therefore prestigious in that it builds a nation’s level and quality of literacy.

Considering a career in the teaching field would also be beneficial since the driving force of succeeding in the career is the student’s success. Nothing is satisfying in the teaching career like seeing the students succeed in life based on the knowledge that you instilled in them. The success of the students gives one the motivation to work even harder and get the best out of the students (Dreeben, 2004, p31). It is a source of motivation for the teachers. This means that even though the teachers will require other motivations from the administration, the greatest one is always within the teacher in the daily activities. Even without good pay in some areas, the final goals that the teacher wants out of the students make one be more committed and dedicated to the students. The success of students is a source of pride to the teachers. It is a great feeling to see successful business people, doctors, and pilots among others who have made it in life because of the knowledge you gave them. The success of the students is therefore a great source of inspiration and motivation for the teaching career something that is a great experience for any teacher (Richards, 2006, p21).

Most people are always seeking to work in careers that are challenging. No one wants to be in a career that does not give you a reason to move into higher ranks to achieve the best. The teaching career is both rewarding as seen above and also comes with various challenges. Such challenges give one the interest to pursue higher studies and acquire higher ranks within the career. For example, the world is changing today with different technologies coming up now and then. This changes the course of doing things in our daily lives and it, therefore, has a big impact on the education sector. Teachers have to constantly update the knowledge passed to the students to produce very qualified intellectuals who can fit in the global market today. This is a great challenge in the field since one has to keep learning new things every day. Other challenges include coping with different personalities of students every day. The teachers, therefore, have the challenge of practicing patience to learn the different characters of the students and how to handle them. Another challenge is that not all the students in the class will be able to fully make use of the knowledge you instill into them. This gives another challenge to the teachers to identify the problems of such students and help them to realize their abilities and interests which may be in other areas. It is the responsibility of the teachers to counsel such students and help them to become productive individuals in the community by giving them knowledge mostly in the areas they are interested in and coming up with different career paths for the students. Such challenges in the working environment make every day a new experience for the teachers and this is very interesting since one will always have to handle different issues every day. Thus teaching eradicates boredom in the work environment as every day is a learning day for different issues.

Once one is enrolled in a teaching career, there is no reason to worry about job security. Teaching assures one of a job and a way of earning a living in your life. This is because most parts of the world have a shortage of teachers. In almost every state there is a shortage of teachers making it a very good career to embark on since one is assured of getting a job easily within the job market (Dreeben, 2004, p39). The shortage of teachers however varies from country to country and also from subject to subject. One can take advantage of mostly the fields of mathematics and sciences where most people are shy to teach. On successful teaching of such courses, one is then flexible to look for jobs in high-paying areas. Getting a job is also assured especially if the performance record of the students is very good. The success of your former students will always rank you in the job market and sometimes we find different schools competing to acquire the services of certain teachers based on their performance records. It would therefore be very advisable for anyone to consider a career in teaching since it is a lifetime rewarding career.

Being in a teaching career means one is usually around the young generations. Such a generation is very interesting to interact with since they always have new ideas and updates about the new happenings within the society. This makes the working environment very interesting since you are always getting to learn new things from the young generation. One is therefore able to maintain a youthful status in life by just being around the young people. The fact that one can learn from the young generation makes them appreciate you as one of them and this makes it even easier to instill more knowledge into them since you can know what they think outside the normal learning process (Banner, 2003, p23). You interact with them in their social life making it a very favorable and enjoyable working environment. Through the learning of new ideas and trends from them, you can use them to break barriers in the course of teaching by trying to offer what the students appreciate most in their current generation especially in their social life. Solving problems and bringing the students back to class by bringing yourself to their level becomes very easy.

The teaching career also fits well with personal life since you can have enough time to be with your family. The time that your children are on holiday you will most likely be on holiday as well, thus you can spend more time with them. On the other hand, most schools do not have an all year teaching program which means that you can have some months off especially during summer where you can either use the time to be with you family, look for another job, or even take further quick courses taught during summer to upgrade your career (Mayer, 2007, p42).

In conclusion, teaching is a lifetime career to consider since its lifetime benefits are more psychologically satisfying than any other job. Taking a retirement having made a lot of change in various individuals’ lives is a great feeling to be always proud of. Teaching and being successful is more of a gift than a career and making full potential of it is a great reward in life. Many individuals will always owe their respect to you for the impact you will have made on their knowledge and success in their lives.

References

Gilbert Highet (2008). The Art of Teaching. Vintage Press

JA Bargh and Y Schul (2006). On the Cognitive Benefits of Teaching. Journal of Educational Psychology. London

James M. Banner (2003).The Elements of Teaching. Yale University Press

K Richards (2006). Being the teacher: Identity and classroom conversation. Oxford University Press

R Dreeben (2004).The nature of teaching: Schools and the work of teachers. Scott, Foresman

RE Mayer (2007). Benefits of teaching. Journal of Educational Computing Research. Baywood Publishing Company