Curriculum and instruction Essay Example for Free

Curriculum and instruction Essay The definition of curriculum transcends the conception of it as a mere document and ushers it into the realms of instruction itself. Certain researchers consider the curriculum to be a dynamic instrument that is vital to the way students and educators interact with the materials of education â€Å"in a free-wheeling setting† (Weade, 1987, p. 15). Much of the current trends in curriculum and instruction involve the constructivist practice of hands-on training (Ediger, 2001). This dictates that the curriculum takes the form of the drafting and implementation of practical methods in the planning of instruction. Depth of instruction is at the heart of current reformatory curriculum drafting, as it has been theorized by several educational researchers that the improper articulation of the intricacies of certain concepts has led to current educational problems (AAAS, 2000). The fact is that curricula, which serve as a guide for teachers, also have the ability to restrict their freedom in the classroom. The cursory way in which some curricula deal with concepts often has the effect of curtailing teachers’ tendency toward depth and breadth within a lesson, and this in turn has an adverse effect on the understanding of the students. In mathematics, for instance, a student may be having trouble understanding the application of an algebraic concept in the real world. The student may not be able to visualize the transformation of a perfect algebraic square such as (a + b)2 into the expression a2 + ab +b2. The student might not be aware of how the ab portion of the equation comes into play. Visualization of the problem might be aided through the labelling of the sides of a square with the measurements a + b and then dividing the square into bits to demonstrate the areas that correspond to a2, b2 and ab. The visual and practical demonstration of this would work in conjunction with the theoretical aspect of the algebraic problem to aid understanding and consequently memorization. In that way, freedom in the curriculum allowing for a greater depth in the instruction of the concept would lead to a better understanding for the student (AAAS, 2000). References American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Project 2061. (2000). Algebra for all — not with today’s textbooks, says AAAS. Press Release. Retrieved on October 2, 2007 from http://www. project2061. org/newsinfo/press/rl000426. htm. Ediger, M. (2001). â€Å"What makes for a quality science curriculum? † Journal of Instructional Psychology. 28(4): 241-243. Weade, R. â€Å"Curriculu ‘n’Instruction: the construction of meaning. † Theory into Practice, 26(1): 15-25.

Sons And Lovers Eaxamine The R Essay -- essays research papers

Sons and Lovers: Examine the Relationships Paul has with the Women in his Life. Paul Morel is the main character in DH Lawrence's novel 'Sons and Lovers'. The story charts his early life from when his parents married and the subsequent birth of four children, through childhood and early adulthood to the death of his mother. During this time three women have a major impact on his life, his mother, Miriam and Clara. Each has the most influence at different times in his life and can be attributed to his childhood, being a young man and early adulthood respectively; but each woman's influence carries on to shape Paul into the man he becomes. From the very beginning there is a connection between Paul and his mother in that he looks like her with his dark hair and blue eyes. As a child 'he seemed old for his years', grave and serious like Mrs Morel. He is a quiet boy but spirited much like his mother and this increases with age as his other's influence becomes more apparent. 'When she fretted he understood, and could have no peace. His soul seemed always attentive to her' is the way their attachment is described; their bond is very strong and very deep. As Paul grew older she never suffered alone for her husband's faults and what she lacked in life because 'her children suffered with her'. 'It hurt the boy keenly, this feeling about her, that she had never had her life's fulfilment' so much so that it became his 'childish aim' to provide it. When he began to work 'it was almost as if it were her own life'. 'Paul almost hated his mother' for this suffering when his father did not come home from work. He felt she should not waste herself on a man like his father when she could rely on her son. This stems from the jealousy Paul feels of his father because of his place in the household, in his mother's affections and efforts, all of which he disregards. Paul never had a strong constitution as he was subject to bouts of bronchitis. Described as 'delicate', this accounted for his mother's 'difference in feeling for him' compared with her other children. She treated him more tenderly and felt he was of a better mettle than her other children but physically weaker so 'she always felt a mixture of anguish in her love for him'. Further to this Paul could never go home 'empty to his mother' not even when collecting blackberries and because he never did so she did not expe... ...her. Sunday comes between his visits and it goes slowly, hour after laborious hour. He is physically enamoured of her, for example 'her ear, half hidden among her blonde hair, was near to him. The temptation to kiss it was almost too great.' This leads to the fact that for Paul sex is the culmination of intimacy, but as for Miriam, it is not with Clara either. This proves Paul's relationship with Clara is purely physical, as shown by the descriptions of her such as 'He could see her figure inside the dress, as if that were wrapped closely round her.' In all the relationships are very different between Clara and Miriam but if you added the aspects of them together they create something of the relationship Paul had with his mother but in a more sexual context. In all of them Paul is content, yet discontent, happy yet sad, calm but angry - he is a mass of contradictions and seems to realise this at the end of the book when he not only symbolically walks away from the mistakes and people of the past but his past self also. It is obvious his mother had a great effect on Paul not only in his actions but in the development of his personality and will probably continue to after her death.

Making Research Decisions Essay

Chapter 12 – Discussion Questions (Making Research Decisions) # 5 a Yes—Depends—No: One problem would be that â€Å"depends† is very vague and doesn’t give reasons as to why someone would pick â€Å"no† at some point and â€Å"yes† at another. A way to make this better would be to add a â€Å"please describe† line or change the wording all together. There is no way to express â€Å"don’t know† or â€Å"undecided†. b Excellent—Good—Fair—Poor: One problem with this would be that it may not have as valid a measure as say an 8 point scale, â€Å"as the number of scale points increases, the reliability of the measure increases. Second, in some studies, scales with 11 points may produce more valid results than 3-, 5-, or 7-point scales† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). What may be â€Å"good† to someone may be â€Å"fair† to another. c Excellent—Good—Average—Fair—Poor: People may have trouble telling the difference between â€Å"good† and â€Å"average† because shouldn’t â€Å"average† already be â€Å"good†? d Strongly Approve—Approve—Uncertain—Disapprove— Strongly Disapprove: An issue with this would be that it is an unbalanced scale, â€Å"unequal number of favorable and unfavorable response choices† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). Chapter 5 – Discussion Questions (Terms in Review) # 1- 3 1. a Purpose: This is one way that managers can study and chose information. This way evaluates the â€Å"explicit or hidden agenda of the information source† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). b Scope: The scope applies to the content of the information and the extent to which it covers such as any kind of limitations or time period sensitive data. c Authority: This factor looks at the quality and level of the information, for example what the source credentials are and whether it is primary, secondary or tertiary. d Audience: This has to do with the type, any specific characteristics, of people or groups of people â€Å"for whom the source was created† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). e Format: This has to do with the way the data is presented â€Å"and the degree of ease of locating specific information within the source† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). 2. Define the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a secondary search. A primary source is one that uses a valid original work such as raw data and is the most valid type of data. Secondary sources interpret the data and research from a primary source, an example of this would be a textbook or news article. A tertiary source is one that presents and interprets data that has been found from secondary sources. 3. What problems of secondary data quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them? One of the biggest problems with secondary data is the fact that the information being citied is an interpretation of the original data. The best way to avoid a misinterpretation of the data is to look for the original or primary source that is referenced in the secondary source and directly quote or use the data from that. This will eliminate the chance of having misinterpreted data put into an important project and it will lend you an additional source. Researchers should evaluate and select information sources based on the 5 factors. Read the case study, State Farm: Dangerous Intersections. Answer discussion questions 1 through 5. 1. Identify the various constructs and concepts involved in the study. To answer this question we must define what a concept and construct is, â€Å"an image or idea specifically invented for a given research and/or theory-building purpose† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). A concept is â€Å"a bundle of meanings or characteristics associated with certain events, objects, conditions, situations, or behaviors† (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). A construct of this study is that if State Farm gives money to the states of dangerous intersections to fix them this will decrease the amount of claims in that area due to the intersection becoming safer due to alternate construct. A concept would be that State Farm cares about their customers. Another construct would be that the amount of claims in a given intersection is due to poor construct. Another concept would be that State Farm wants to help states to improve their intersections. 2. What hypothesis might drive the research of one of the cities on the top 10 †¨dangerous intersection list? An example of a hypothesis that may influence the research of one of the top 10 dangerous intersection list would be â€Å"This intersection is one of the top ten most dangerous intersections in the United States† or â€Å"This intersection is where 50% of the states accident claims occur.† 3. Evaluate the methodology for State Farm’s research. I would say that State Farm’s methodology is concrete because it specifies exactly what the variables are and how the study is constructed. They also implemented a measurement system for classifying accidents. 4. If you were State Farm, how would you address the concerns of transportation engineers? I would provide suggestions of what the constructs of the safest intersections in a comparable size city are and help the engineers come up with a solid and safe plan to reconstruct the intersection. I would need to make sure the engineers understood the idea of future studies as well as how the grant could assist them. 5. If you were State Farm, would you use traffic volume counts as part of the †¨2003 study? What concerns, other than those expressed by Nepomuceno, do you have? My concerns would be out of date data. That data would be almost ten years old and may not be the most accurate at this point. I would want to complete more relevant data for say the last 5 years. I would think it as prudent to include traffic volume counts and compare them to different areas because if there is less traffic at a given site there is more then likely going to be fewer accidents. I would propose to use different studies that compare different volume counts in different geographic areas to make the statistics more complete.

Personal Statement On Personal Religion - 1522 Words

Personal Religion I would describe my own personal faith to be Christian- Catholic, the same as my parent’s faith. I grew up being catholic. I was baptized, did my first communion and even did my confirmation. I believe in one God; but I also believe in God as a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe in Angels, Saints, and the old and new testament. I believe in Mary, God’s mother, and I also believe in all of Jesus’s apostles. We Catholics also believe in the devil, and that he is real, but we in no way possible worship him. I also believe that we have a heaven and a hell, and a purgatory. Heaven, I believe is the Garden of Eden, a beautiful place where there is no sadness, only love and where you get to reunite with all of your lost loved ones. Hell is a bad place where I would never want to go, people suffer there. According to the Bible, the purgatory is where the people that are destined to go to heaven go, to become free of their sins; it’s a place we call â€Å"temporary punishment†, but only for those who are in God’s grace but are not completely free of their sins. For us Catholics, heaven is a very beautiful and peaceful place. It is also a place where you live an eternity with happiness, and endless love. In heaven it’s a worry free zone. My dad always says it’s a place where there’s no homework, no bills, no worries. Just living in a beautiful place, for all eternity. Hell is a place where no one wants to be, it’s a place where there is a lot of suffering,Show MoreRelatedTeacher Handbook Essays1546 Words   |  7 Pagesin the classroom or in the grocery store. Teachers are granted the same personal freedoms as private citizen, but need to make sure their personal choices do not affect their ability to perform in the classroom as a school board employee. 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