Student Teaching Reflection Essay Example for Free

Student Teaching Reflection Essay The class was a very talkative and energetic bunch of students. The class had a high tendency to get off task when working independently, during free time, or in small groups. The cooperating teacher and I developed a new positive behavior plan in hopes of improving the talkative behavior. We develop a plan to give each student a star when we saw them reading, not talking when they are not suppose to be, getting things out quickly for the next subject, or sitting down and doing their work without talking. At the end of the week the students would have the opportunity to cash in their stars for tangible rewards. The class’ talkative behavior did improve because of the new positive behavior plan that the cooperating teacher and I developed. All of the students stayed in the classroom for most of the day except one student who is on an IEP for a learning disability and ADHD and is currently taking medication. This student is only in the classroom for Social Studies/Science and at times for Math. He does join the students for P. E. , music, lunch, recess, T. V. programming, computer, and counseling. There is, also, another student who is ADHD and he is currently taking medication. There are three students who leave to go to the Title I room for reading and there are five students that leave on occasion for math, depending on how much they are struggling. Three students leave once a week for speech therapy. Once I started teaching the whole day, my days went by very quickly. Within an elementary classroom there is always so much going on and with very energetic 1st  graders I never had a chance to stop moving. I did learn quickly that no matter what you plan in your lesson plans, they change and the teacher needs to adapt to the change. I have found that organization, time and classroom management, flexibility, and communication with other teachers and administration are a must for teachers. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend parent/teacher conferences and teacher in-services meetings. I felt that attending these activities helped me better prepare myself as a future teacher. The teacher in-service provided me with wonderful information that I will continue with and take into my classroom. The in-service informed us about the unfamiliar disability, a learning disability. The in-service did not just give me information about LD, it gave me a chance to know and feel what it is like have a learning disability. It really opened my eyes and my heart to the LD students. Before going into my student teaching experience, I was unsure of how I felt about the No Child Left Behind Act. After being in the classroom and viewing the guided reading groups, I think it is a great way to keep students reading at their level. It benefits all children to achieve and succeed in their reading skills, abilities, and levels. If there was only one reading texts for all of the children, it would only benefit a handful of students. The more advanced students and the less advanced students would be at a great disadvantage and not be able to succeed at their highest potential. I also believe that there should be separate groups for math. I had students who could have excelled at higher levels in math, but were held back because of the less advanced students. No Child Left Behind Act is very hard for one teacher in the classroom to handle, if they want to be able to get to all of the groups of students and to have them excel. I feel that teachers need an aide within the classroom to assist during the guided reading time. My experience in the 1st  grade classroom has taught me a tremendous amount about being a teacher, organization, time and classroom management, flexibility, and communication. I learned many effective ways to run a classroom, classroom management, and teaching strategies. I feel that I am prepared for a teaching position in a regular education classroom. I am looking forward to the challenges, rewards, and positive benefits to teaching children.

Effect of Bilingualism on Ageing and the Brain

Effect of Bilingualism on Ageing and the Brain Nur’Aisyah Binte Yussof In Wiley’s journal article, he states that speaking two languages benefits the aging brain. He presents his ideas, arguments and analysis with supporting evidence from epidemiological study by Dr. Bak and colleagues from the Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. This critical review will examine another three different articles on this issue and would evaluate its contents based on the assumption from Wiley’s article. Although Wiley had proven his point, his article might be biased and contains some misinterpretation of data coming from only one source of research to prove his point that bilingualism benefits the aging brain. Thus, the other research studies to support his ideology. In the first paragraph of Wiley’s journal article, he stated that â€Å"bilingualism is thought to improve cognition and delay dementia in older adults.† This conclusion is based on the data from the study of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 undertaken by The University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). The results from this study indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would be expected from their baseline. Wiley, as supported by the research study determines that bilingualism has a positive effect on cognition and may slow down cognitive decline from aging. The research done proved that acquiring a second language, even as an adult may benefit the aging brain. Bilingualism allows the brain to respond more rapidly to the conditions that placed greater demands on the working memory. Stagnant use of the brain; monolinguals, would result in the brain to slow down and be more prone to effects of aging. Cognitive abilities are better when the language sphere is used more often thus, increasing the rate of brain functions. Distinguished Professor of Psychology from Penn State; Judith Kroll stated that â€Å"Bilingual speakers can outperform monolinguals (people who speak only one language) in certain mental abilities, such as editing out irrelevant information and focusing on important information.† Bilingual speakers may benefit and perform better in tasks such as multi-tasking and also have an advantage in attention and cognitive control which will have long-term benefits. Increasing use of these systems slows down aging and also deters sickness such as dementia and also Alzheimer’s. These three articles from Ellen Bialystok, American Academy of Neurology and Universtat Jaume I, acknowledged the fact that bilingualism benefits the aging brain. In the book from Ellen Bialystok; Bilingualism in development: language, literacy and cognition, she explained that bilingualism involves language proficiency which consisted of two cognitive processes, analysis of representational structure and control of attention. These cognitive processes would determine proficiency through the degree of involvement and mental representations that refers to the process of explicit structure and organization of information represented with knowledge. â€Å"Language proficiency is the ability to function in a situation that is defined by specific cognitive and linguistic demands, to a level of performance indicated by either objective criteria or normative standards.† The journal article by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) states that: â€Å"Speaking more than one language is thought to lead better development of areas of the brain that handle executive functions and attention tasks, which may help protect from the onset of dementia†. In addition, the journal article from Universitat Jaume I states that, bilinguals use the left inferior frontal lobe, the Brocas area, to respond to stimuli where executive functions are performed (such as ordering forms by colour or shape), whereas monolinguals use the right part to respond to the same stimuli.Findings are very important because they show an unknown aspect of bilingualism, which goes beyond linguistic advantages, and they also show bilinguals are more effective in responding to certain stimuli, explains researcher Cesar Avila, who ensures the research shows that bilingualism does not only have effects on the brain at a linguistic level, but that it also works differently, emphasizing the importance of introducing languages at an early age because it generates cognitive benefits. All of these sources, with supporting evidence links back to the main article that we studied, whereby it is strongly believed that bilingualism would benefit the aging brain. These articles contain similar arguments about how language and use of cognitive process are inter-related. With the brain performing cognitive processes while a bilingual person speaks, it would increase brain activities which in turn would benefit aging brain to not be vulnerable to sickness such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease due to frequent activities in the brain. In an American Academy of Neurology study, stagnant use of brain, such as monolinguals, would increase the risk of one developing a sickness four and a half years before bilinguals. Although believed that bilingualism will benefit the aging brain, cognitive functions due bilingualism, that slow down due to aging can be fine tuned and maintained in other ways as well. It is measured by the efficiency level of our brain as we age. For example, being physically active produces positive effects on many cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, information processing and problem solving. Cognitive abilities in an aging brain could still be active as it was in the youth through spatial attention which is critical in many aspects of our daily lives. According to the research from Dr Joanna Brooks, certain types of cognitive systems in the right cerebral hemisphere, are encapsulated and may be protected from aging. Thus, bilingualism would not be the only factor that would benefit the aging brain. This critical review examines the findings of Wiley and a few other research studies to determine if bilingualism would benefit the aging brain. Being supported by most studies, Wiley’s statement is credible. However, bilingualism, being the only factor would not be strong enough to benefit the aging brain. Cognitive abilities, such as the biologically organized mental structure in the brain known as the Language Acquisition Device facilitates the learning of a language and allows the rapid cognitive activity which will also benefit the aging brain. Wiley’s article misleads readers and focuses attention only on bilingualism while ignoring other factors that will also affect or benefit the aging brain. 1029 words. References: Association for Psychological Science. (2010, November 9). Bilingual benefits reach beyond communication. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109113028.htm Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition. United Kingdom, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Concordia University. (2013, January 16). Language mixing in children growing up bilingual. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130116123641.htm Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore. (2014, July 1). The less older adults sleep, the faster their brains age, new study suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140701091458.htm Ithaca College. (2013, July 15). Bilingual children have a two-tracked mind. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130715151106.htm Northwestern University. (2014, September 2). Community music programs enhance brain function in at-risk children. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140902205335.htm Penn State. (2011, February 21). Juggling languages can build better brains. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110218092529.htm Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland). (2014, February 5). Links explored between physical activity, learning. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140205091550.htm Umeà ¥ universitet. (2012, April 27). Maintain your brain: The secrets to aging success. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120427163335.htm Universitat Jaume I. (2010, July 7). Bilingualism associated with brain reorganization involving better efficiency in executive functions, research finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100707065139.htm Wiley. (2014, June 2). Speaking two languages benefits the aging brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140602101204.htm

Emily Dickinson :: essays research papers

The complex fate of human beings in this tragic yet beutiful world and the possible fortunes of the human spirit in a subsequent life is what interests us all in life, and this is the central theme in most of Emily Dickinsons work. In her enticing poetry, Emily establishes a dialectical relationship between reality and imagination, the known and the unknown. By ordering the stages of life to include death and eternity, Dickinson suggests the interconnected and mutually determined nature of the finite and infinite. She aims to elucidate the incomprehensible, life, death, and the stages of existence. The subjects of life and death have been a traditional theme in poetry and they are central to most of Dickinsons poems. Love and ecstacy are also primary in her poems and they are often cconcerned with celestial betrothal. In the poem "Death is a subtle suitor", Dickinson illustrates the love-death symbolism, an explicit rendering of deatyh as the lover who transports her in his carriage to be married in a proxy wedding. Dickinson uses the metaphor of a funeral as the wedding journey to eternity, setting up a system of correspondences between the changes brought about by death ans the changes in role of the unnamed partners in this spiritual love game. 'Death', to be sure, is not the true bridegroom but a surrogare, which accounts for his minor role. He is the envoy taking her on this curously premature wedding journey to the heavenly alter whre she will be mariied to God. When 'Death ' first appears as a suitor she changes from a girl to a blushing virgin. This must be a 'stealthy Wooing,' for though she knows it will result ina glorious new status for her, she is vaguely aware that it will mean a renunciation of all the world she has known. She shows a maidenly resereve by the manner in which she forces to conduct his courtship, by 'palid imnnuendoes' and a 'dim' approach.' But he does win at last and attains his goal, for he is a 'supple Suitor'. The second change comes twith great suddenness for it is the kiss of death, transforming her from virgin to bride, or at least the betrothed. Then 'Death' bears her away 'in triumph,' both from a substitute wedding and towards a final one, to the sound of 'brave Bugles' such as would accounce a royal merriage, or the Day of Doom.

New Orleans :: American Melting Pot

New Orleans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a country containing so much diversity and history, it is practically impossible to locate one city which embodies American diversity. A colony started by the French was the first area to fully integrate culture and religion. The city of New Orleans, now prosperous from its diversity, epitomizes the "American Melting Pot". It is complicated to relate such different backgrounds, but with an overview of history, culture, religion, and integration on a small scale, a reader is capable of applying the values to the American culture as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1699 the first plans for New Orleans were born. French-Canadian, Pierre le Moyen, Sieur d'Iberville left France to found a colony on the Gulf of Mexico. Sieur d'Iberville set up a fur trading for originally on the north gulf coast, then moved the establishment to Dauphin Island. Once again, he moved the fort and created an inland colony near Louisiana. Sieur d'Iberville was in charge of all of France's responsibilities in the southern portion of the territory. Wen Iberville died in 1706 the land under his jurisdiction was given to ho brother, Jean Baptiste de Moyen Sieur de Beinville.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beinville had great plans for the development of the French colonies and in 1717 he submitted plans for a new settlement to the Company of the West. In 1718 France agreed with Beinville's plans and authorized him to establish the settlement, according to his plans, one hundred miles up the Mississippi. Four years later the capitol of the Louisiana territory was transferred to the new settlement now know as New Orleans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new colony was called "New Orleans'; in honor of the Duke d'Orlean. Duke d'Orlean supposedly had something to do with the funding for the new colony. The Duke favored John Law, the founder of the Company of the West, and supported many of the company's ventures, the construction of New Orleans inclusive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new, growing colony needed a government, so a democratic council was formed. New Orleans was under the rule of a law making body called the Superior council which was first formed in 1712. The Superior Council was well liked by the people because it was a small representative democracy. During the 1720's and 30's Beinville was replaced as mayor by Sieur de Pierre. The colony did not experience much growth between these years so Beinville was reappointed governor in 1733 and left the colony permanently in 1742.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spain took over the government of New Orleans in 1766. The Spanish sent the new governor, Antonio de Ulloa, to reign over their newest asset.

Dukes of Burgundy :: Essays Papers

Dukes of Burgundy By successive diplomatic marriages, by victories and annexations, the Dukes of Burgundy, since the time of Jean the Fearless, had constituted a vast zone of power, which rivaled that of the kingdom of France. The zone consisted of different regions and people enclosing the kingdom of France, from North Lyon to south of Amiens forming a semi-circular realm reaching as far as the north of the Netherlands. This was the longest reign in the history of France. Some the most notable of the dukes were Charles the Bold and his father, Philip the Good. Philip the Good enlarged his territory almost double its previous size. His lands included the duchy of Burgundy, Flanders, Artois, Babant, Luxembourg, Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, and Hainaut. Philip formed an allegiance with England, supporting the efforts of Henry V to secure the French crown until his subjects urged him to make peace with Charles VII of France. Philip founded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1430. The Dukes of Burgundy placed at the order's disposal the resources of their enormous wealth. The order was formed to serve as a symbol of their power and be used to tie together the domains of the Burgundian State. The splendor of Burgundy during Philip's reign from 1396-1467 was unmatched in Europe. Charles the Bold reigned over Burgundy from 1467-77. He was the last heir of the dukes of Burgundy. His only child, Mary, became valuable as Europe's most marriageable heiress. Charles' surname (le Temeraine) really means "the Rash" and perhaps explains why he was a great antagonist of Louis XI. Although his Burgundian court surpassed that of monarchs of his time, he was lacking in the political realism of previous dukes. He was defeated and killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477. The administration of the vast domain was put into the hands of Nicolas Rolin at the beginning of the fifteenth century. In the 81 years of his life Nicolas Rolin spent almost sixty years in service of the Duke of Burgundy. He was an excellent administrator and wise politician. He found how to retrieve the Duchy of Burgundy from an English Alliance. He was also one of the founders of the treaty of Arras, which reconciled France and Burgundy, putting an end to the Hundred Years War.

China and Europe during the Middle Ages Essay

Globalisation is not new, though. For thousands of years, people and, later, corporations have been buying from and selling to each other in lands at great distances, such as through the famed Silk Road across Central Asia that connected China and Europe during the Middle Ages. Likewise, for centuries, People and corporations have invested in enterprises in other countries. In fact, many of the features of the current wave of globalisation are similar to those prevailing before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. But policy and technological developments of the past few decades have spurred increases in cross-border trade, investment, and migration so large that many observers believe the world has entered a qualitatively new phase in its economic development. Since 1950, for example, the volume of world trade has increased by twenty times, and from just 1997 to 1999 flows of foreign investment nearly doubled, from $468 billion to $827 billion. Distinguishing this current wave of globalisation from earlier ones, author Thomas Friedman has said that today globalisation is further, faster, cheaper, and deeper. The current wave of globalisation has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and investment. Governments have also negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalisation, therefore, is an international industrial and financial business structure. Technology has been the other principal driver of globalisation. Advances in information technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed economic life. Information technologies have given all sorts of individual economic actors consumers, investors, businesses valuable new tools for identifying and pursuing economic opportunities, including faster and more informed analysis of economic trends around the world, easy transfers of assets, and collaboration with far-flung partners. Globalisation is deeply controversial, however. Proponents of globalisation argue that it allows poor countries and their citizens to develop economically and raise their standards of living; while opponents of globalisation claim that the creation of an unfettered international free market has benefited multinational corporations in the Western world at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures, and common people. Resistance to globalisation has therefore taken shape both at a popular and at a governmental level as people and governments try to manage the flow of capital, labour, goods, and ideas that constitute the current wave of globalisation. COCULSION: In sum, most distinctive conception sees globalisation as a fundamental transformation of human geography on the eve of the twenty-first century; world affairs have acquired a rapidly growing global dimension alongside the territorial framework of old. Of course – and this point cannot be stressed too much – it is not that territorial space has become wholly irrelevant in contemporary history. We live in a globalising rather than a completely globalised condition. Global spaces of the kind formed through telecommunications, transworld finance, and the like interrelate with territorial spaces, where locality, distance and borders still matter very much. Thus, for example, people have not while acquiring a global imagination discarded their affinities for particular territorial places. Similarly, global marketers have found on countless occasions that they need to tailor their products and promotions to local sensibilities. Globalisation is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and the governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well being in societies around the world. BIBLIOGRAPHY: www.globalisationguide.org

Richard Matheson

Every author has a different style of writing and getting people to read it. If it's not exciting or different you won't want to read it. Richard Matheson's stories leave you thinking what just happened? Did that really happen? Richard Matheson uses situational irony to get you interested in reading. When reading Richard Matheson's â€Å"Girl of My Dreams† situational irony is shown. For example the story is about how Carrie dreams about people and a situation they are going to encounter, her husband Greg is controlling and cruel, to where he is making these families pay money for the information Carrie dreamed.Carrie had a dream about a boy getting hit by a car; Greg wanted ten thousand dollars in cash. â€Å"†Thursday, the fourteenth! † she blurted into the mouthpiece. â€Å"Two-sixteen in the afternoon! †Ã¢â‚¬  (Matheson). â€Å"He emphasized each repetition of the word with another savage blow across her face. † (Matheson) Greg had killed Carrie because she gave the information to the lady that Greg wanted ten thousand in cash from, but before she died she gave greg information â€Å"Street† she whispered, â€Å"†¦night.†She sucked in the wheezing, blood choked breath. â€Å"Greg. † She tried to sit up but couldn’t. Her expression was becoming one of terrified concern. She whispered, â€Å"Man†¦. razor†¦. you oh no! †Ã¢â‚¬  (Matheson). Richard Matheson’s â€Å"Girl of My Dreams† in the beginning would make you think why it is like this, and wouldn’t expect Carrie to die, but yet before she dies she has a dream about Greg and dies before she can give him what day, just like he was doing to the families.â€Å"Button, Button† Richard Matheson did the same with the Situational irony. The story was about a button that if it was pressed you would receive a payment of fifty thousand dollars but someone in the world would die. â€Å"She felt unreal as the voice informed her of the subway accident, the shoving crowd. Arthur pushed from the platform in front of the train. She was conscious of shaking her head but couldn’t stop† (Matheson). This was after she had pushed the button that her husband Arthur was against.â€Å"â€Å"My dear lady,† Mr. Stewart said, â€Å"do you really think you knew your husband? †Ã¢â‚¬ . Richard Matheson had us thinking that they could have ended up with the money and not knowing who died, but in the end it was a shock to us to find out it was her own husband who was so against it. These stories by Richard Matheson â€Å" Button, Button† and â€Å"Girl of My Dreams† both prove my point of how Richard Matheson uses Situational Irony in his stories to draw the reader in and keep his stories different and keep you in shock.