Archive for the ‘School Psychology’ Category

Education In America After No Child Left Behind: Where Do We Go From Here?



Public schools play a vital role in shaping this nation’s future. As I write this article, we are about to elect a new President. It is probable that a change in administration will result in a new policy effecting education. The direction and quality of this policy will have a lasting effect on our public schools and on our nation as a whole. So where do we go from here?

At this moment, sitting in a classroom somewhere in America is a future Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Martha Stewart. Will these students have the necessary tools to rise to the top of their profession or will we become dependent on other countries to provide leadership in this global economy? Education may be the determining factor.

“The economy of the future will be dominated by industries in microelectronics, telecommunications, robotics and biotechnology – not to mention new fields that haven’t even been predicted.” – NEA TODAY, March 2008

The essential focus in education must be to prepare American students for the challenge of the twenty-first century workplace. It is abundantly clear that our drop-out rate is too high and student performance levels are too low. Identifying these problems may be the first step toward a solution but current solutions simply don’t work. Under NCLB, academic testing has become the main focus for education reform. An emphasis on test results has forced educators to direct their energy and resources directly toward teaching to these tests. The irony is that some career-related courses and arts programs that clearly motivate students to stay in school and perform have been weakened, or even eliminated, in the process. The pressure that this type of reform has placed on educators can negate innovation and creativity in the classroom. Current policy hinders the teacher’s ability to inspire students.

Future planning for education must include a focus on changing technology and introduce the student to the necessity of lifelong learning. Programs like Tech-Prep, School-to-Work and Career Academies have successfully introduced these ideas to some high school students but have not gone far enough. No plan is complete without a delivery system that motivates and inspires students to learn. Such a plan must be implemented long before high school and have the potential to impact every student. When students are motivated to learn, test scores will rise. So where do we go from here?

A successful plan for education will include structured partnerships. As described in the book Facing the Future Together, educators should never plan or implement a program in isolation. Through structured partnerships with those who are stakeholders in education (business, industry and other agencies in the community) every program becomes stronger and every student benefits. Business and industry have an enormous stake in student achievement. Where will future customers, clients and skilled employees come from if not from the school system? Partnerships bring us closer as a community to address our common concerns and everyone benefits. Since we all have a stake in the student who exits our school system, the number of potential partners is almost limitless.

A successful school-business partnership is well structured, sustainable and clearly designed to show students the connection between education and the world beyond the school’s walls. This approach brings relevance to learning and helps to keep students motivated and in school. As previously stated, students will perform better in class and score higher on tests if they understand the relevance of subject matter they are expected to learn.

Taking that first step toward building a successful partnership can be a challenge but the result is that everyone wins. As a new administration takes office in Washington D.C. and a new education policy is formulated we have an opportunity to gain some of the ground we have lost in recent years. Facing the future of education together as partners gives us a strong foundation to build upon.

Relieving Hemroids Through Natural Remedies



 

Natural herbal remedies occupy an important role in Alleviating Hemroids. There are many natural treatment & remedies available which are very natural and not so ruthless than the conventional medical treatment and can provide relief from Hemorrhoids.

 

Cranberry poultice preparation

If you want to achieve fast relief from Hemorrhoids, cranberry poultice is the most suitable research. To prepare cranberry poultice you have to take four teaspoonfuls of cranberries and mingle it in a mixer. After merger enfold this powder along with cheese and push it into the anus for the next one hour. This will facilitate a patient to get rid from Hemorrhoids cure.

 

Use onions and garlic

Using onions and garlic is another natural way to treat Hemorrhoids.. The onions and garlic also minimize swelling The process to use the onions and garlic is very easy, you just have to remove the outer cover of the garlic or of the onion and insert it into the rectum. Next day in morning the used garlic/onion will be pushed out along with fecal matter.

Patients who are suffering from bleeding hemorrhoids would not allow using this method.

 

Use the mixture of germanium and almond oil

To use this natural method, we have to mix the correct ratio of these two oils. After combining systematically, apply it all the affected areas around the anus. This will assist

In slaughtering the microbes and keeps the areas cool.

 

Ice Pack

This pack can be easily prepared at home and it is one of the best way to get rid of Hemorrhoids.For this pack we collect some small ice piece in a bag and then apply the bag on all affected areas. Repeat this process at least 15 minutes and see quick results.





Lemon Juice



This juice helps in increasing the blood vessels and also the capillary tubes. We just have to separate the whole lemon into four parts without removing the skin. Then transfer half liter of water into a pot and boil it with the lemon for 15 minutes. Let it to freezing and drink this mixture as and when required.

 

 

So you can take the benefit of these natural remedies easily at home and alleviate the effects of Hemorrhoids to get some quick relief. These natural methods do not have side effects and are safe compared to medical drugs.

Educational/school Psychology in the Pursuit of Human Well-being



Educational/School Psychology in the Pursuit of Human Well-Being

 

 

Introduction

 

            Now we are living in the technological modern world. With the help of science and technology we have developed in all fields. India is a developing country. We have lot of human resources after China. But the literacy rate is very low when compared to other developed and developing countries in the world. India is a rich country, but Indians are poor. With the help of science and technology and by utilizing all sources in the proper way it is possible to India to become a developed country in the world. In the modern world people living with high tension. The student in schools and colleges are also living with high tension because of heavy competitions. It is necessary to introduce psychology as a general subject in all the classes both at school and college levels. Yoga and meditation is also necessary for each and every one in the world.

Definition of Education

Ø      Education is the learning of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them?

–        John Ruskin

Ø      Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it is his hands and at whom it is aimed.

                                                                                                    – Joseph Stalin

The word education is derived from the Latin educare, meaning “to raise”, “to bring up”, “to train”, “to rear”. Education means the gradual process of acquiring knowledge. Education is a preparation for life. Education is also defined as the profession of teaching (especially at a school or college or university).

Importance of Education

India is a union comprised of twenty eight states and seven Territories. The Constitution provides directives regarding the development of education throughout the country. The areas in which the respective central and state governments have domain have been identified in the Constitution as the central list, state list and concurrent list. Until the late 1970s, school education had been on the state list, which meant that states had the final say in the management of their respective school systems. However, in 1976, education was transferred to the concurrent list through a constitutional amendment, the objective being to promote meaningful educational partnerships between the central and state governments. Today, the central government establishes broad education policies for school curricula development and management practices. These serve as guidelines for the states.

 

Generally, at the start of a very young age, children learn to develop and use their mental, moral and physical powers, which they acquire through various types of education. Education is commonly referred to as the process of learning and obtaining knowledge at school, in a form of formal education. However, the process of education does not only start when a child first attends school. Education begins at home. One does not only acquire knowledge from a teacher; one can learn and receive knowledge from a parent, family member and even an acquaintance. In almost all societies, attending school and receiving an education is extremely vital and necessary if one wants to achieve success.

Educational Psychology

Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Although the terms “educational psychology” and “school psychology” are often used interchangeably, researchers and theorists are likely to be identified as educational psychologists, whereas practitioners in schools or school-related settings are identified as school psychologists. Educational psychology is concerned with the processes of educational attainment among the general population and sub-populations such as gifted children and those subject to specific disabilities

            Educational psychology can in part be understood through its relationship with other disciplines. It is informed primarily by psychology, bearing a relationship to that discipline analogous to the relationship between medicine and biology. Educational psychology in turn informs a wide range of specialities within educational studies, including instructional design, educational technology, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education and classroom management. Educational psychology both draws from and contributes to cognitive science and the learning sciences. In universities, departments of educational psychology are usually housed within faculties of education, possibly accounting for the lack of representation of educational psychology content in introductory psychology textbooks.

Uses of Educational Psychology

For finding Individual differences and Disabilities

            Each person has an individual profile of characteristics, abilities and challenges that result from learning and development. These manifest as individual differences in intelligence, creativity, cognitive style, motivation, and the capacity to process information, communicate, and relate to others. The most prevalent disabilities found among school age children are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disability, dyslexia, and speech disorder. Less common disabilities include mental retardation, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and blindness.

Although theories of intelligence have been discussed by philosophers since Plato, intelligence testing is an invention of educational psychology, and is coincident with the development of that discipline. Continuing debates about the nature of intelligence revolve on whether intelligence can be characterized by a single, scalar factor (Spearman’s general intelligence), multiple factors (as in Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences), or whether it can be measured at all. In practice, standardized instruments such as the Stanford-Binet IQ test and the WISC are widely used in economically developed countries to identify children in need of individualized educational treatment. Children classified as gifted are often provided with accelerated or enriched programs. Children with identified deficits may be provided with enhanced education in specific skills such as phonological awareness.

 For Social, Moral and Cognitive Developemnt      

To understand the characteristics of learners in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, educational psychology develops and applies theories of human development. Often cast as stages through which people pass as they mature, developmental theories describe changes in mental abilities (cognition), social roles, moral reasoning, and beliefs about the nature of knowledge.

For example, educational psychologists have researched the instructional applicability of Jean Piaget’s theory of development, according to which children mature through four stages of cognitive capability. Piaget hypothesized that children are not capable of abstract logical thought until they are older than about 11 years, and therefore younger children need to be taught using concrete objects and examples. Researchers have found that transitions, such as from concrete to abstract logical thought, do not occur at the same time in all domains. A child may be able to think abstractly about mathematics, but remain
limited to concrete thought when reasoning about human relationships. Perhaps Piaget’s most enduring contribution is his insight that people actively construct their understanding through a self-regulatory process.

Piaget proposed a developmental theory of moral reasoning in which children progress from a naive understanding of morality based on behavior and outcomes to a more advanced understanding based on intentions. Piaget’s views of moral development were elaborated by Kohlberg into a stage theory of moral development. There is evidence that the moral reasoning described in stage theories is not sufficient to account for moral behavior. For example, other factors such as modeling (as described by the social cognitive theory of morality) are required to explain bullying.

Developmental theories are sometimes presented not as shifts between qualitatively different stages, but as gradual increments on separate dimensions. Development of epistemological beliefs (beliefs about knowledge) have been described in terms of gradual changes in people’s belief in: certainty and permanence of knowledge, fixedness of ability, and credibility of authorities such as teachers and experts. People develop more sophisticated beliefs about knowledge as they gain in education and maturity.

Psychology and Teacher

            Teacher is a national builder. He has a power to change the world through education. According to our Indians teacher is a third god. Teacher plays a prominet role in the development of society. Educational Psychology is a main subject in  teacher education at D.Ed., B.Ed., and M.Ed. levels. It is necessary for each and every teacher to know about psychology. Becausse it is necessary to know the behaviour of the students in the class. Teacher has different roles  like father, advisor, councellor, administrator and well wisher. The future of any country is in the hands of teachers. So it is necessary to give importance for teacher education. So our government introduced psychology subject in teacher education curriculum.

After undergoing the course, the student teacher

1)      Explains psychology and its relationship with Education.

2)      Classifies different branches of psychology and explains their significance.

3)      Explains the importance of heredity and environment and its influences in educational process.

4)      Explains the different aspects of the development of the child.

5)      Explains the growth and human beings and their behaviour.

6)      Describes the individual aspects of the development of the child.

7)      Explains the primary needs of the children.

8)      Explains the secondary needs of the children.

9)      Explains the theories of learning and the factors influencing learning.

10)  Explains the concept of socialization.

11)  Explains the different types of learning.

12)  Understands the concept of motivation and the steps to be taken to motivate the children.

13)  Explains attention and its uses.

14)  Develops skill of observation, listening, responding and understanding.

15)  Describes memory, remembering and forgetting and identifies conditions of good memory.

16)  Describes the effects of different methods used for learning process.

17)  Explains thinking process and its uses-perception, conception, apperception for different ages.

18)  Explains the role of creativity and its development.

19)  Explains the meaning of intelligence and understands the changing concept of intelligence.

20)  Enhances personality development of pupils.

21)  Describes the mental hygiene and mental health.

22)  Understands exceptional children and their significance.

23)  Practices guidance and counseling for school pupils.

Conclusion

          Educational psychology is an application of the principles of psychology for effective learning and modification of behaviour on desirable dimensions.  Knowledge of educational psychology makes a teacher effective in motivating the pupils in their learning.  In short it is an inseparable part of strategy in education. Education gives knowledge, wealth and health. Education is a solution for all types of problems in the society. Through education only it is possible overall development of a person in the society. Through education it is easy to know about behavour of the students and persons in the society with the help of psychology. So it is necessary to study psychology all persons in the society in the modern world. Educational Psychology helps the overall development of the student.

References

1. Educational psychology a cognitive view by Asubel, D.P. 

2..Element of educational psychology by Bhatia, H.R. 

3. Psychology applied to teaching by Bichler, R.F. 

4. Educational psychology by Cole, E.C. and Bruce, W.F.

5. http:/ www.google.com

 

 

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