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Archive for September, 2008

Furniture Arrangement Affects Learning

Did you know that the furniture arrangement in the classroom affects learning too?

A classroom is called as the learning environment of both teachers and students. The former has the control over the classroom setting while the latter are in one way, is controlled by classroom environment and its elements. According to recent studies, teachers hold dominion over their classroom environment- they even make it personalized in most cases. Teachers believe that through this, they are able to control the social interaction among students.

Sensory stimulation is another effect of a good classroom setting. For children, it is easier to learn in a very appealing classroom- like the elements of the things that would appeal to the senses are there. Pictures, colors, sound, and so forth. The arrangement of furniture affects space allocation and space allocation has effects to the learning atmosphere. If the classroom looks narrow and small for students, they feel restricted and they do not interact well. On the other hand, if a classroom provides adequate space, students feel that there is space for interaction.

“Many teachers and administrators tend to focus on pedagogical and interpersonal issues, ignoring the physical-spatial context in which the teaching-learning process occurs.” (Loughlin & Suina, 1982; Weinstein, 1981). What is a class of seemingly smart students when a classroom seems too dark for interaction?
In modern times, technology is being integrated to the curricula. On the other hand, if the classroom setting is not improved in such a way that it will not create an atmosphere of participation, it is useless.

By tradition, classroom arrangements come in two patterns: the territorial and the functional arrangements. In a territorial set-up, desks are arranged by ownership while in the functional, they are arranged according to the tasks in an activity. Both may be effective as long as external factors are considered well.

It is surprising to know that furniture arrangement affects learning- but indeed, it is true.

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Traditional Education or On-line Education

There most common on-line form of education today is English tutorials. As of now, students and tutors use chatting, headset and web camera as the path of communication and of education.

People must prefer the traditional way because in a classroom setting, students can learn and socialize with their peers. Also, from the instructor, he or she can teach students many valuable lessons of life which cannot be learned through technology. It is like the question of doing research through the library or the internet. Both have advantages and disadvantages but traditional education has the numerous advantages over on-line education.

Students learn better socially and academically in a classroom. Students are mostly young-aged. Therefore, they are generally interested in meeting and being with their peers. As they interact, it makes it easier for them to pay focus and learn. As social creatures, one could not just stay secluded and educate his own self. That is impossible! We live, grow, learn and succeed with people along the way.

Besides lecture materials, a classroom instructor teaches many other important life lessons. Students can learn and develop punctuality and good study habits. A teacher serves as a guide through education process which is a big part of life. Another important mission is to direct youth out of trouble. There is this bond between the instructor and the students which could not be built on-line. As the source of education, a teacher is not around just to introduce books and exams but also, he or she is selfless enough to share the lessons life taught her or him.

We must prefer to study at traditional schools and let us send our children there. It is because being around other people of our age or different ages gives us the opportunity to socialize and learn not only from the internet or books but from the society and from life. We could also learn other things which are important to education such as study skills. On-line education or any form of technology-based education is convenient. However, let us not risk quality. Long-term goals must always be prioritized

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Coeducation or Exclusive schools

Coeducation has been the most common form of classroom for most schools around the globe. These days, more and more children are being sent to exclusive schools for boys or girls. Their parents have varied reasons of making that decision.

There are some reasons parents consider why they enroll they enroll their kids. One of the reasons is the teacher-student ratio. Unlike coeducation schools, the situation is really better in single sex schools. The fact is that the number of students in these kinds of schools is not that many, so teachers’ number is not a big problem. For most single sex preparatory schools, there is really a consistent number. The trend is like 12-15 students per class.

This setting would really give students the fair chance to learn from the teacher. All students will be given enough attention and supervision vital for them. For the teacher, she or he will also have the best time to get closer to students. This kind of atmosphere will indeed create a space for good communication and interaction. These factors are catalysts of quality education. And, quality education is a need in making the best out of a person’s life. Another important thing is that students do not have the chance to quit a class because the teacher’s attention is nailed at them.

There are studies around the world which shows that female students in exclusive schools develop higher ability improvement when it comes to reading skills and Science tests. Furthermore, if compared to girls of the same age from coeducational schools, they excel more in writing, reading and science.

Scientists have proven that males and females differ in their neurons. Thus, educating them separately would really be beneficial.

The most important thing for students in single sex schools including the males is that they were able to polish their academic excellence. They need that for College. Therefore, having it would enable them to be at par from the rest.

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Free Online English Courses: English Secondary Language

Free online English courses and tutorials and lessons in learning English: English as a Second Language programs, audio and video lessons, English practice courses, business English, pocket dictionaries, and more. With all of the free online English courses and free English help available on the Internet today, learning English has never been so easy.

This site has the list of the sites where you could study English online using up-to-date and state of the art technology. One is the use of videos that would really help one in learning English as a secondary language in the easiest way. But, do not expect that all these sites offer free service.

The following are the possible sites where you could study English online plus videos that showcase ESL:

American English Institute

American Business English Internet School

Bell English Online

The Boston Language Institute

Conversa Language Center

Daily Grammar

English @ Oxford

English-To-Go
Free English Language Lessons

ESL Pro Systems

free-ENGLISH.com

GlobalEnglish.com

Mind Your Language

MyEnglishTeacher

Norquest College - TOEIC Prep On-Line

Online English Teacher

Online Video English

Optimnem

Rose of York English Language School

University of Washington

You could visit the following sites and check out if them indeed of great features and services. If you aim to study ESL, make sure that there is that line which separates what is quality and what is price.

ESL is very important and it could shape your entire life, this is now the modern way of education.

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The Benefits of Music for Education

The benefits of music for adults are clear. For kids, there are numerous special benefits of music and learning different instruments. At an early age, there are children who manifest great interest and talent when it comes to music.

Music education and learning how to play musical instruments develop the child’s left side of the brain which is involved in the processing of language. Also, it nurtures the child’s spatial intelligence since there is a link between music and this kind of intelligence. This intelligence is about identifying things that may come together up to solving mathematical problems.

Music as a form of Art really helps kids grow up with creativity. Through art, they could think in all aspects and not merely search for one concrete answer. This is where critical-thinking starts. There is also one study that shows how much it could help students develop special academic skills. The results state that kids who learn music excel in achievement tests in high school compared to those who do not.

Through music, a child could get easily exposed to different people, different cultures. This would allow them to know, discover, explore and understand other people and other culture. This is an early training for them to be exposed to what the world is.

Kids also get educated on how to build the craftsman in them. Moreover, in playing the instrument, mastery is a factor. That makes a mistake- really a mistake. With this, a student learns the value of consistent effort to achieve excellence or satisfaction. Learning how to play instruments in a group makes a kid learn the essence of teamwork.

Musical instruments will teach kids to actively participate in learning than sit down and observe only. Furthermore, it will enhance his self-expression. The most important thing is that kids learn to conquer their fears, show their talents and share what they have. This is a foundation of a better growth and development in the holistic sense.

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