Learning and Teaching Styles Essay Example for Free

Learning and Teaching Styles Essay Wk. 2 Learning and Teaching Styles â€Å"In almost every actual well-designed study, Mr. Pashler and his colleagues write in their paper, ‘Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence,’ the pattern is similar: For a given lesson, one instructional technique turns out to be optimal for all groups of students, even though students with certain learning styles may not love that technique. † (2009) I wanted to start this paper with this quote since it did involve some sort of evidence that teaching in one style still works. Students can and do succeed and have received equal scores as their peers whose learning styles matched the teachers methods of teaching. I do believe however that students may not catch on as fast and lose interest easier when being taught material. This is why I would still use different methods of teaching versus just one. As a visual learner, I understand how difficult it can be to orally receive directions for an assignment or other activity. I thrive on written directions and learning materials that need to be read or are graphed. I often had to ask the teacher numerous times to repeat the directions because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. This put me behind and my grades occasionally suffered as a result. As a past teacher who worked in a school that believed in teaching using the multiple intelligences method, I found great joy in seeing my students succeed. As teachers, we were required to hand in our lesson plans weekly to the principal. Our lesson plans had to involve each of the intelligences. This was my first real job as a teacher and I did not completely understand why we were required to do this and not use our own personal methods. Looking back, I am so grateful that I learned and saw first hand the consequences of teaching using the multiple intelligences. I enjoyed seeing my student’s motivation rise as their type of learning was focused on for a particular lesson. When I go back to teaching, I will with no doubt in my mind, use this method again. It completely fits with my style of teaching most likely because it was my first real experience and works even for those students who have a completely different learning style than I do. In an ESL classroom, â€Å"dividing a lesson into phases† (Palmberg) to make sure I use each of the intelligences is ideal. I firmly believe that this method works no matter how different a student’s learning style is from the teacher. In a sample lesson for example, I would explain the topic (i. e. vocabulary words on food items) and give the students an overview of what they will need to do and what they are expected to learn. I would read them a story relating to food or going shopping. Next I would have them write down their own list of items that their families normally buy often for a real-life experience. The next phase is to divide the class into groups and share each other’s lists. They would also discuss what their ideal list and store layout would be like if they could buy any type of food that they wanted from their ideal grocery store. They would then move on to thinking about a song or songs that is about food. We would play that song the following day. For the students who feel comfortable, creating their own body expressions describing food would be next and sharing these movements with the rest of the class. This exercise could be turned into a fun lesson where the rest of the class would have to guess which food item is being emphasized (like charades). We would next come up with a class list of favorite food items. There would more than likely be some disagreement so I would divide them up in half asking them to have a debate based on reasonable food limits and favorites to come up with an ideal list. We would do the same thing for the ideal store layout. For the sake of repetition, each original group would compare with the class their original lists and new â€Å"reasonable† list and layout. I believe this lesson would take a few days but involves most if not all intelligences. Being a visual learner, I can benefit from the students who are different from me as much as they benefit from me and the lessons I teach them using the different intelligences. For example, as I try and improve my weaknesses in some forms of learning, I can benefit from the students who learn better in a completely different way (say kinesthetic). They will get much benefit from the part of the lesson that involves movement and I will get the same benefit seeing how they react and learn to this part of the lesson. To make things fun for the students (and me) those willing could come up with their own way of teaching each other about a certain topic. I would of course give them the general rules and guidelines and they would do the rest. I think each student could benefit from this because they would more than likely use their favorite way of learning to â€Å"teach† a lesson. For those who do not want to do this, they could also benefit from this since it is an exercise that is not ordinarily done and will hold interest longer. I am not a teacher and never have been one who forces students to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable (i. e. standing up and doing a charade). I think that this will do more harm than good. The student may back off and not participate or be eager to learn for fear that they may be picked on by their peers or even the teacher. I had this experience in middle school and know how it feels. I began to pull myself away from the class and especially the teacher. As a result, I did poorly in the class. For these types of students, a more gentle approach is necessary. The teacher may ask this type of student to write an explanation of what they would do or simply tell the teacher what they would do for an assignment. This is why I am such a believer of the multiple intelligences method. It involves all students and doesn’t single out particular ones. Everyone benefits and everyone learns based on their own learning strengths. Another less popular/obvious benefit of this teaching method is related to the impact that the students learning has on their own family and home life. I think that because a student is more eager to learn as a result of the multiple intelligences method, they will carry their positive attitude into their home life and be more compliant towards their family and of course themselves. As we all know, a student’s home life reflects their attitudes and success in school. References: chronicle. com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to/49497/ www. sube. com/ /integrating_learning_styles_and_skills_in_e www. tecweb. org/styles/gardner. html www. tefl. net/esl-lesson-plans/multiple-intelligences. htm Gardner, Howard. 1993. Multiple intelligences. The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.

African American Sentiments :: essays research papers

For those people who did not study the Civil War or doesn?ft know anything about the Civil War, there were many African Americans fighting too. Before the Civil War, the African Americans that were not freed by their landowners were treated poorly. Some left their family in the south and escaped to the north in hope to get more freedom and also to help bring an end to slavery. After the battle at Antietam, many African Americans were allowed to enroll in the war. Many of them wanted to fight for one single purpose and that was to bring an end to slavery. In the movie ?gGlory,?h the director focused on the African American in the north that fought in the 54th regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. During the time of the Civil War, the African Americans that fought in the 54th regiment were often treated unfairly but there were always nice people that backed them up. In this essay, I?fm going to discuss the different sentiments towards the African American solders that dedicated th eir life to preserve the union and abandon slavery. During the Civil War, there were people who were extremely prejudiced against the 54th regiment because the soldiers were all different colored skin and the people where used to the idea that different color skinned people worked as slaves. In ?gGlory,?h Colonel Montgomery, Sargent Mocati (the Sargent that trained and prepared them for war) and the colonel that was in charge of distributing necessities, served as the people who discriminated the African American soldiers. When in training, Sargent remained strict towards the training of the African American soldiers even after his short talk with Robert about being too harsh on the soldiers and stuff. I think he was racist against the soldiers because if the solders were white, he probably wouldn?ft treat them the same way. When he was teaching the soldiers how to march, some of them couldn?ft tell the difference between left and right. He acted as if all African Americans were uneducated and they were hopeless to teach. Shoes were a n essential part of training. Many of the African American soldiers didn?ft even have decent shoes when they enrolled for the war. Naturally, after all the training, their shoes worn down. If the 54th regiment were composed of white soldiers, the department that pass out shoes would already prepare extra shoes for them.

Agriculture and Technology Essay

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1) Summary of Character Traits a) School smart (Maya is smart. When she moves to San Francisco from Stamps, Arkansas, she is skipped a grade. b) Caring sister (she always talks of her devotion to Baily) c) Determined (she wants to get a Job with the streetcar company and she keeps bugging them until they finally give her a Job) d) Proud (she lives with the Junkyard kids instead of going back to her father’s; she slaps Dolores for calling her mother a whore) 2) Appearance a) African American, tall, skinny, small and squinty eyes, big feet, large ap between her front teeth, black hair 3) What The Character Wants a) Maya wants, ultimately, for her family to be happy. She wants the segregation of blacks to end (she is disgusted when young white girls call her grandmother by her first name). 4) How the Character Changes a) After being raped, Maya stops talking as much b) After spending time living in the Junkyard, Maya learns tolerance, which will help her through out her life. She matures from a young girl to a mother, as well. c) Becomes more mature once she gets her Job with the street ars 5) Key Statements About the Character a) â€Å"Ritie, dont worry Ocause you ain’t pretty. Plenty of pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind. † (p. 56) b) â€Å"In those moments I decided that although Baily loved me he couldn’t help. 0 1 knew that because I loved him so much I could never hurt him† (p. 73) 6) Key Actions a) Father comes to Stamps and takes them to their mother b) Moves back to Stamps, then to SF c) Drives home from Mexico d) Slaps Dolores br;  e) Stays with the Junkyard people f) Gets pregnant 7) What Others Think Of the Character a) When they are younger, Baily really looks out for Maya. As they grow up, and after she spends time with her father, they drift apart. b) Her grandmother loves Maya very much, and knows that she is a very smart girl with a lot of potential. c) Her mother seems to care much more about her than her father did. Thesis Statement: Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. br>Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya is a strong willed, often stubborn, outgoing, somewhat outspoken, and rather intelligent girl. She becomes very tolerant due to some of her experiences. She also matures faster mentally than many other girls her age because of her situation and experiences. From the time she was young and through adolescence, Maya considered herself ugly. She was a tall, somewhat lanky African American. She was skinny, and felt that her eyes were too small and squinty. She was also ashamed of her large feet. r; Throughout the story, Maya is discouraged by the segregation of the blacks. For a long time she is denied the Job that she wishes to have because of the color of her skin. Also, she wants her family to be together and to be happy. She is separated from her parents at a young age and lives with her grandmother and uncle for most of her childhood. When she is with her parents, she tends to feel secondary. There is always something a touch more important that she and her brother Baily. autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. When the book begins, Angelou is a young child, a mere three years old. As she grows up, though somewhat sheltered by her grandmother’s position as a general store owner, her eyes are opened to the current ways of the South. Blacks are lesser people that whites, and that was the way it was for her. On several occasions she watched in horror as young girls called her grandmother by her first name, when they should have been respectful and at lease used â€Å"Miss†. Once breaking the segregation barrier for herself, she gets a Job with the Streetcar Company. Having a Job, and the responsibility that comes with it, she mentally matures faster than the other children her age. While living with her mother he first time, Maya is molested by her mother’s boyfriend. After this, she becomes almost completely silent. She avoids talking as much as possible, which is a contrast to her previous behavior. Maya spends time living with other children in a Junkyard after her father asks her to leave. He asks her to leave because she and his girlfriend, Dolores, get into a fght and Dolores hurts Maya. After spending time with those children, she learns tolerance and matures more. Also, after becoming pregnant and realizing that she is responsible for another human life, she matures even more and becomes more responsible. br>Maya and her brother Baily were very close during their childhood and most of their adolescence. Baily was always proud of Maya for her intelligence, even though at times she wished she could have forfeited it for good looks. Baily expresses his pride by saying, â€Å"[Maya], don’t worry Ocause you ain’t pretty. Plenty of pretty women I mind than cute behind. (p. 56) After being raped, Maya wishes to protect her brother. She doesn’t want anything to happen to him because, according to her, she isn’t as good of a person as she should be. Through out her life

Virtue of Aquinas and Machiavelli - 2506 Words

The Virtue of Thomas Aquinas and Machiavelli An investigation and exposition The authors goal in this essay is to evaluate the definition of virtue according to Aquinas and compare/contrast that with Machiavellian virtue. Following this evaluation the author will attempt to discredit Machiavellian virtue as being shallow and impossible. Relying on question 55 from the Summa Theologiae and various chapters from The Prince, the author hopes to lay a solid and concrete argument against Machiavelli. It is insufficient to write of Aquinas without first mentioning Aristotle and the relationship Thomas Aquinas had with his work. Aristotle writes at great length of the human good. The good for man, according to Aristotle, is an active use of†¦show more content†¦The principle act of Prudence is the execution of right or good reason, Prudence guides our reason. Examples of this are good judgment and the ability to deal with the unexpected in a good way. Fortitude is concerned with the ability to deal with what is painful or unpleasant. Temperance is associated with the urges and cravings for what is pleasurable and finally Justice towards the will of people. Emphasis must be made on the fundamental difference between the two types of virtues. Theological virtues (dealing with the supernatural) and Cardinal virtues (concerned with the natural). A moral virtue by definition avoids extremes by way of the use of human reason, the theological virtues transcend reason. The supernatural and natural virtues are interconnected as Aquinas explains: Grace (the supernatural) does not destroy but builds upon nature. Ultimately mortal mans faculties can be described as having reason which is enlightened by faith; this elevates man into infinitely higher plains than other creatures. After sufficient discourse and explanation about Aquinas and virtue we come to a crossroads. Some four hundred years later a new thought emerges with the deep and fractured (some would say deeply fractured) mind of Machiavelli, a man who continues to offer so much too so many slimey politicians across the globe. Machiavelli and his view on the human condition and more specificallyShow MoreRelatedThe Source of a Princes Happiness and Misery in Augustine’s City of God and Aquinas’s On Kingship and Machiavelis The Prince1459 Words   |  6 Pagesprince should rule contrast with Niccolo Machiavelli’s described The Prince. Augustine breaks down the true source of a prince’s happiness as revolving around God while Machiavelli focuses on the prince’s material lusts. In On Kingship, Aquinas describes the sources of a prince’s misery being suspicion, jealousy and lust. Machiavelli disagrees, saying those emotions makes a prince happy. Augustine talks about a prince’s happiness in book 5 chapter 24 in the City of God. 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