Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Teaching Kids Creativity Through Science



Creativity is a subjective thing, usually considered an inherent trait and one most often associated with "soft" school subjects such as music and art class. You either have creativity or you don't, right? But is that really true? Can kids in particular be taught how to be more creative and can that happen in science class? I happen to think so and here's why.

Rote Learning Stifles Creativity

In the public school environment, creative answers and solutions are often not appreciated. And it's no wonder with all the red tape and national requirements that teachers face these days. They are more worried about getting their kids to pass standards tests than encouraging them to think about new ways to approach old problems. Fortunately, as a homeschool teacher, you can get past those barriers to creativity.

The biggest obstacle to promoting creativity in the classroom is rote learning - asking your kids to simply memorize facts out of context. There's nothing creative about that type of learning and it can actually be detrimental in the way it discourages kids from thinking outside the box or making decisions on their own.

Let's look at an example. If you are teaching astronomy this semester, you might be studying the planets in our solar system which, of course, revolve around our sun. That's a fact - but a pretty boring one. Your kids might be memorizing the names and orders of all those planets, again a fact but not one that gets kids excited. And learning those random facts doesn't result in good retention because they aren't associated with things within the child's environment

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Care Training: An In Demand Course For Everyone

Every person on earth would reach a point where they would need professional medical assistance and this is where nurses and other experts in the field comes into play. The government knows that by the year 2020, the number of people who will need the service of nurses and doctors would double and decide to act on it as fast as possible. Their objective is to provide programs that can help ease other people's suffering as they enter the hospital with regard to the billing and quality of service. If you are seeking for a profession that not only pays well but is fun and rewarding as well, then there are many health care training facilities in Australia that you can enroll into. There are unlimited opportunities that await people who take medical professions because of the list of individuals who are seeking health care assistance in maintaining their body's good physical shape. Medical trainings are given to individuals who are seeking greener pastures.

The government has increased the salary of doctors and nurses in an effort to entice others to consider taking health courses. The scarcity of doctors and nurses today are among the many problems that every government in the world is facing right now. The government needs to produce professional nurses and doctors to provide the sick citizens with the utmost care and quality services. There are private organisations that render their help to the citizens with regard to providing medical assistance and are receiving help from the government since they have the same vision thus making this faster and more efficient.

People who have undergone the proper training and passed the appropriate exams can easily get a job since they are qualified to do so. There are many facilities that graduates in this field can go to, like hospitals, aged care facilities, local clinics, and many others. With so many facilities that are looking for professionals, getting a job in the medical field is as easy as singing the ABC song.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Digital Classroom - Brighter Tomorrow For Children Today



Education has always been an important foundational aspect for any society. It is the pillar that holds various economic, social and political factors together. With the changing times, there needs to be a change made in the traditional classroom system as well. This is where the digital classroom comes into the forefront. The students of today are very tech savvy which makes this type of a class room advantageous for them and the overall learning process.

With the Smart classroom, there will be a variety of factors that will be implemented in terms of teaching the children:

    Encouragement: Students need to be encouraged through the use of technology. No matter what they are doing, children should always be given the approval and there should be a refrain from making any sort of discouragement.

    Energy: Being an enthusiastic educator is important in the Virtual classroom. The teacher will always bring in lots of energy into what ever social cause he or she is involved in. Children too will follow suit and give all their energy.

    Fun: Since these are kids who are aware of the technological importance, teachers should not take away the element of fun. There should be a proper balance between what is right and good and what is fun and appeals to little students in the digital class room. The child learns faster when there is a lot of playfulness in the activities. A serious approach is not mandatory.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Typical Learning Contents From PASMA Training Courses



There are several PASMA training courses which would benefit those who are in the work at height industries. These are accredited courses which are recognized by the local authorities on safety and health as well as industries.

There are basic as well as advanced courses offered by PASMA which is a well recognized training agency that contributes to the development of safety and health courses in various industries.
Types of courses

PASMA offers a variety of training courses to benefit those in the relevant industries. Its Towers for Managers course is essential for managers involved with mobile access towers while the Cantilever Access Tower training proves useful to those who are using Cantilever access methods and equipment.

The PASMA courses on Towers on Stairs, Bridging and Linked towers are important to those who are involved in building and dismantling such items.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Positive Aspects of Homeschooling



Choosing Christian homeschooling provides a number of advantages over traditional schooling. Although this might require more effort on the part of the parent, many Christian families prefer homeschooling. Learn why you must consider this option by checking out the following advantages of homeschooling.

Lower Cost of Education

When you homeschool your child, you will have significantly lower financial cost. Enrolling your child in public and private schools involves paying high school fees on top of the usual tuition fees. This also saves you from giving your child his or her weekly allowance and from spending on transportation. This is why many families with financial problems also prefer this option.

Personalized Education

Children have their own different ways of learning things. Most public and private schools use generalized curriculum. In some instances, a teacher's teaching method may not work for all of the students in a class.

Homeschooling does not force a child to learn from a fixed curriculum. As a parent and teacher at the same time, you know your child very well. You know his learning style, personality, and preferences. This makes it possible to adapt the curriculum that will best match your child's learning curb.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Top 5 Ways to Reduce Problem Behavior in Children With Autism



If you have a child who has behavior outbursts, it can leave you desperate for things to try to stop the behavior or reduce its intensity. As a behavior specialist, I have learned many reactive strategies that help to reduce behavior if it is already occurring. Without giving you too much technical terms about ABC data, finding functions of behavior, and setting up a behavior intervention plan, (which you should have a behavior therapist do), here are 5 strategies/consequences you can try when you are in the heat of the moment:

1. Ignore the Behavior. Please know that this means you are not to verbalize the behavior that is happening. If your child is doing something dangerous to himself or others, you obviously have to intervene but you still do not have to draw attention to the actual behavior. This strategy only works if you know that your child is doing this behavior to get attention, even if the attention is negative. You don't want to reinforce inappropriate behavior, so ignore and then also try a strategy below.

2. Redirection. If your child is a acting out, verbally or physically, it is important to redirect her to another task or activity. Instead of focusing on the behavior, focus on what you want her to do next.

3. Decrease Demands. Sometimes, your child becomes frustrated with the task at hand and does not know how to ask for help, so instead, he acts out. Lower the demands that are placed on him. This can include lowering the amount of time he has to be on task before he gets a break. You may just have him work for one more minute. Decrease the number of questions or offer assistance to complete the task together.

4. Decrease Stimulation. Often with children with sensory processing disorders, the environment or setting can be causing your child to demonstrate behaviors. If the setting is too loud, has too many people, too many pictures, or is too lit up or too dark, it may be overstimulating for her. Use headphones, a preferred electronic device like an iPhone or iPad to distract her, or simply take a walk outside or to a quieter location. This may help you get through a trip to a restaurant, family party, supermarket, or store.

5. Use a Calming Down Protocol. It is very important to try to help your child self-regulate and calm down before the behavior escalates to a dangerous situation. Teach him how to take deep breaths, fold his hands to avoid hitting/punching, count to a designated number, close his eyes, go for a walk, etc. You can also try some sensory integration in your protocol like deep pressure or light scratching on the arms if your child is calmed by this.

Read more special education resources, especially tips for children with autism, on my blog, http://www.tips4specialkids.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathi_A_Flynn

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Music and Trance States of Mind

In all popular music such as Rock, Dance, and Pop, there is a phenomenon that produces the state of trance in another and it is called a "trance generating loop." Essentially, a "trance generating loop" is trapped attention or consciousness flowing in a circular motion. In other words, the "trance generating loop" is consciousness stuck in a feedback loop and like all forms of feedback it can be increased or reduced in terms of distortion - or in this case mental distortion - by increasing or reducing the signal input.

A trance generating loop is created when a certain quantity of perceptual repetition is reached sufficient to produce an altered state of consciousness. Some trance researchers describe this process as an awareness loop, or a circular flow of consciousness. It is believed that the looping alone is the only necessary and sufficient condition to induce a dissociated state of mind. So by now you already know what it is that the hypnotist does to produce this occurrence in another for "therapeutic purposes," but now you will see how it is possible for a songwriter to perform the same "trick" using the medium of sound.

Music and the Trance State of Mind

The creation of a proper trance requires 3 conditions. The first is the existence of the dissociated state of mind. The second is the persistence of the dissociated trance plane. And the third is the manner or rate of substitution and timing. Each of these 3 factors must be present and reinforce one another by your design in order for your song's music to produce the necessary susceptibility for a trance state upon the individual audience member. Moreover, it is necessary to utilize each of these three factors correctly or else the fascination and heightened sense experience your music possesses will lose its substance and not retain its trance value. Trance researchers are fully aware that music consists of many trance generation loops consisting of multiple rhythms, melodies, and words. As one listens to one specific rhythm or melody, when a certain value is reached, the melody is 'learned' and a dissociated trance plane is produced. To stabilize a trance state what one has to then do is provide an additional layered trance generating loop consisting of the dissociated trance plane AND the original trance generating loop.