Personal Education Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Educational’

There are many millions of people who buy and use educational media products for their children and even their infants.  I wonder if the parents stop to think about how this honestly affects their children both good and bad.  The American Pediatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agree that educational media can be beneficial to children when used in the proper context.  I fully agree with the idea, the problem is that many parents don’t follow the recommendations of groups such as the APA and AAP.  Either these parents believe that the advertisers who make these products know more about the development of children than the groups of people who have PhD’s and study how these things affect children, or they would just rather use educational media as a sort of baby-sitter because it makes them feel better about putting infants in front of a television if what they are putting them in front of is at least educational.  This is what I disagree with, programming our children to occupy themselves by sitting in front of television sets all day long.  Let’s get our children out from in front of the television sets and computers and let them learn and explore with their bodies and minds instead of watching someone else on a screen.
Guidelines written by the APA and the AAP suggest no television for children under the age of two.  They state that between birth and two years, children learn best from interaction with a parent or other caregiver rather than media sources.  Alissa Quart stated in her article Extreme Parenting that Charles Nelson, a professor at Harvard Medical School and permanent scholar of the infant brain, said “There is no proof of the value of the early-enrichment toys and videos in terms of brain science.”  In other words, there is no proof that these toys and videos will actually teach a child any better or any differently than they would have learned that same information from actual interaction with other human beings.  According to Quart, “in one study by a University of Massachusetts researcher, a sample group of infants learned to use a puppet from a live teacher, while another group studied a video.  The group who had a teacher learned to use the puppet almost immediately, but the video-watchers had to view the instruction six times before they learned the same skill.”  According to this study, infants learn better from interaction with other people than what they do from educational media which supports the claims of Charles Nelson.  Also, along the same lines as this idea, is that Thompson, Ross, and Yoshikawa from the group Zero to Three state that in their research they have found that when the adults in children’s lives make the viewing experience an interactive one, the children benefit more from it.  In other words, if we are going to have our young children watching TV or videos then we should share the experience with them to make it a more fulfilling and enriching one.  One way to do this would be to remind them of something that was watched together when it is seen somewhere aside from the video or TV program, or remind them while watching the video or program of the same thing seen elsewhere.
Every parent wants to give his or her children all the opportunities in the world.  All these early-enrichment companies know this and they try to use it to their advantage as much as possible.  They do this by playing on parents fears that many learning opportunities are time-limited to the first three years of life.  They speak of things like infant brain-cell death and limited brain plasticity.  As Quart says, “what they don’t tell us is that scientists have proven that the brain maintains at least some amount of plasticity throughout ones life.  They also don’t tell parents that according to many professionals; like Charles Zorn a neuropsychological education specialist; intelligence, knowledge, and ability to learn are not measured by brain cell counts.  Every time we learn something we are killing brain cells to create a pathway, cell death is how our nervous systems refine their circuits.  Therefore, reducing or preventing infant brain cell death is counter productive, contrary to what the educational media companies would have people believe.”  In other words, we have to kill brain cells to actually learn, that is just the way it works, and companies that tell us that we are not doing right by our children for letting their brain cells die off are just trying to play on parental fears to get more money.
These claims the co9mpanies have made, although proven scientifically inaccurate, have become popular belief and are enough to make any parent, especially new ones, nervous.  To gain an accurate perspective, one needs to separate themselves from popular ideas such as “brain plasticity”, “crucial stages”, and “imprinting”, since some of these only apply to learned activities that are experience-expectant (bound by crucial periods in an child’s life) and not to activities that are experience-dependant (not bound by any period), to look at the scientific side and take a look into history at some of the most intelligent people.  According to the article ”Was Einstein’s Brain Different” by the Center for History of Physics, Einstein himself didn’t speak until he was three and was still hesitant to speak at the age of 9.  Maybe there was a mild form of autism or maybe he was just shy, but either way, his parents feared that he was below average intelligence because of this.  This is a statistic that should prove to us that we need not push our children.  Einstein’s parents were wrong, and maybe we are too.  Yet, there is a company that has named their product after Einstein expecting us to believe that Einstein was in fact showing his extreme intelligence as early as infancy.  If we were in fact raising Baby Einstein’s as this product’s name suggests, then we wouldn’t be pushing our infants to do so much so early, we would have a world full of “late bloomers”.

More Children Education Articles

When buying toys for your children you have to consider several different things including if they will like them and if they will learn anything. Educational toys for children do not need to be boring and you will be amazed at the choices out there.

There are many different educational toys for you to choose from. They range in style and ability but have one thing in common which is fun. The best way to get your child to learn is whilst they are playing as they do not realize they are learning. If you buy the right toys then they will be having loads of fun and learning all at the same time.

The toys that are now available to buy are endless and you can have every style, size, design and type that you could have ever dreamed of. Your children will be lost when trying to decide what they want to play with. Educational toys for children look similar to any other style of toy so your child will not realize they are in fact learning through their play. Your child will be learning so many new skills without even realizing it.

Educational toys often will teach your children several different things at the same time which is ideal when they are growing up. They may be learning speech skills, focus, sports, music, balance and imagination. All of these are part of growing up and if they can sit and play and be having fun whilst learning them then this is great.

Construction toys and toys that need to be built are fantastic educational toys for children. These help to engage their brains and help their skills of building and focusing. Anything that your child has to put together is perfect and at the end of it they will be proud that they built it.

When looking at buying toys for your child you have to consider your child’s age and what they will learn from the toy. Even the smallest of toys may serve a purpose for teaching your child something even if it simply counting or staking.

Building blocks are ideal for very small children as they help them to recognize shapes, colors and sizes. They also have to learn to stack them and what happens when they fall. You can begin to buy educational toys at a very young age for your child as they will love the challenge the toy brings.

Researching the best educational toys for children may be an idea as this will help you to decide which ones are good. Although the educational side of the toys is very important you have to still remember the fun side of things as well. You do not want to focus on the educational side of the toy so much that it becomes boring.

Your child will still want to play with the toys as well as learning from them. The toy will therefore need to interest your child and be something that they will enjoy playing with. If you look at both sides to the toy then you will be successful in finding the perfect educational toys.

The increasing demand of online education makes many colleges arrange online programs to meet. Their customers are people lacking of time due to schedules, taking care of children or distant problems. These programs are showing their convenience and flexibility for almost every attendants.

An education degree is the best option for individuals who want to specialize in the learning and teaching field.

Specific programs are offered, so you can choose based on your goals and career direction. There are programs for degrees in literacy, secondary education, and instructional leadership.

Go through each program, its objectives, and request information or more details to help you decide. Another option is to consult with a counselor to help you find a good program and fit it into your schedule.

They can give you advice in both choosing the program and the online college as well.

Online degrees are offered by reputable colleges that are known for their standards and quality of education. Factors that you should consider when choosing an online college include background of the college and instructors, available courses and subjects, registration and course fees. Before signing up, you should also find out more details about a college’s online educational system. How do they deliver lectures and coursework materials? How are homework and projects assigned? How are evaluations and grading systems conducted? How do they monitor the performance of their students? Keep in mind that you are investing in your future.

Online colleges that offer education degrees are not a trend, but rather, they are a good option which provides the same quality of education as in the traditional school setting. They give a chance to those who are limited by time constraints, those who live far from the school, or those who are looking for a more affordable education.

There are individuals who can study and learn by themselves, without constant face to face interaction with instructors and other students. They prefer a more flexible program that can fit in their schedule. If you are confident and motivated to pursue a degree, consider earning it online. You can work and be at home, without compromising your learning process.

Almost everyone would agree that the best way to learn something is to make the activity fun. The Internet has provided parents, teachers, and students with a great way to learn new stuff. Most kids enjoy playing games online because it helps them to build their hand-eye co-ordination. Some games involve strategy and problem solving. All of these games help teach important skills. Educational websites provide a unique way for kids to learn.

One significant difference between a regular website and educational websites is the emphasis placed on game play. The best way to help your child to learn is with fun. Regular websites are often provided to give people access to information. Educational websites can have multiple places to cater to children, parents, or teachers. So many kids’ websites exist that many people find it difficult to find the right website for a child that will not only be fun and educational, but safe as well.

If you were to do a search for kids’ websites, you would probably be surprised at how many different places would turn up in the results. If you have a child with special needs, you will enjoy the resources that you can find on the Internet. Children with special needs sometimes need help and educational websites can help. Do not discount the great resources that can be found on many educational websites that can help you teach your child to learn no matter what impairments or challenges they may face.

Many parents are searching for ways to help them teach their kids and man kids’ websites exist to help parents reach this goal. A network of parents and teachers make up an online community that can help anyone who is interested in finding new ways to teach their kids topics and subjects that most children may have trouble with. Check out the message boards, blogs, and forums to learn from other parents and teachers.

If you want to provide your child with the right tools, be sure you help them to learn how to search for information. Perhaps one of the most critical things children have trouble with is finding good information. If the child does not understand what and how to search, they may get results back that are not what they needed or want. Learning to use the search engine on kids’ websites is important. At one time, most kids would not be interested in learning about search engines, but today this is definitely not the case.

For those who need help learning about the many different kids websites, several websites also exist to help parents, teachers, and students to find fun educational websites. Check out these resources because they can provide you with more help than you might have thought of. When you visit these sites, they can provide you with information and sample websites that you can check out. Take the time to learn the most you can and you will be one step closer to providing your child with the resources to learn in a fun manner.

Article by Dr. Bruce A. Johnson

As a classroom instructor, are you familiar with the basic adult learning theories? It is understood by most educators that the process of adult education involves more than providing students with a textbook and developing learning activities. Adult learning is influenced by classroom conditions created by the instructor and the characteristics of the students, which includes their specific needs, expectations, societal roles, and responsibilities. The process of learning involves an acquisition of transferable knowledge and the development of academic skills, which is also the primary goal of most adult education programs. There are three basic educational theories that inform the process of classroom facilitation and include andragogy, self-directed learning, and transformational learning.

AndragogyThe theory of andragogy was developed as a method of informing educators about the process of adult learning, with an emphasis on the adult’s needs. Andragogy was developed as a means of understanding the adult and is a learner-centered approach. This is in direct contrast to the theory of pedagogy, which is an instructor-centered approach to learning. Andragogy places an emphasis on active learning with the adult taking responsibility for learning and becoming a co-creator of knowledge. Pedagogy is a theory of teaching children and utilizes a passive form of learning where the students are given knowledge by the instructor. When andragogy is used as an instructional strategy the classroom becomes a collaborative learning environment. Instead of the traditional use of lectures to deliver information and tests to measure learning, adult learners are allowed to interact with the information to create knowledge and they are given choices about projects that will demonstrate their progress towards meeting the learning objectives and outcomes.

Self-Directed LearningSelf-directed learning, as an adult education theory, is an extension of andragogy that considers the needs of an adult and how learning occurs. A self-directed learner wants to make decisions about the process of learning and be given choices that promote a sense of autonomy. In addition to taking responsibility for their learning the adult is expected to plan and control their process of learning. The theory of self-directed learning as a teaching strategy involves offering options about learning activities and projects, while providing tools and techniques that support the process.

Transformational LearningTransformational learning as an adult education theory is focused on the cognitive process of reflective thought as a means of learning. As an instructional strategy, the adult learner is asked to reflect on their belief systems and then they are challenged to consider alternate views through discussions, self-assessments, and group problem solving. As an adult begins to consider other perspectives they become transformed and learning occurs. The theory of transformational learning is effective when utilized as a planned activity rather than as a means of course design.

Many instructors are assigned a course that includes a pre-programmed syllabus and learning activities. While there may be little flexibility provided for modifying or adapting assignments, it is still beneficial for an instructor’s facilitation practice to understand the foundational theories of adult education. Andragogy and self-directed learning remind instructors that adults expect to be involved in the process of learning and want an opportunity to make choices about their level of involvement. Transformational learning provides a basis for understanding the role of cognition in the process of educating adults. At the very heart of these theories is a recognition of the adult’s developmental needs and the co-creative nature of adult learning.

About the Author

Dr. Bruce Johnson has had a life-long love of learning and throughout his entire career he has been involved in many forms of adult education; including teaching, training, human resource development, coaching, and mentoring. Dr. J has completed a master’s in Business Administration and a PhD in the field of adult education, with an emphasis in adult learning within an online classroom environment. Presently Dr. J works as an online adjunct instructor, faculty developmental workshop facilitator, faculty mentor, professional writer, career coach, and life coach.

Dr. J’s website: www.affordablequalitywriting.comFollow Dr. J on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrBruceJ

More Informal Education Articles