Is there a best age to begin kindergarten Research Paper

Is there a best age to begin kindergarten - Research Paper Example Every child is brilliant and intelligent. That is a fact. There is no doubt that he will perform well in school. Nevertheless, the real concern is not related as to whether the child has the talent or not but is related to the child's emotional and social preparedness. Basically, these things affect or manipulate each other. Some of the most common child modifications are contingent to the teacher’s manner of teaching and some other factors that influence how a child may perform in the classroom - factors like the attitude and the personality of the teacher as well as the method in which the class is being managed. If the child is more inclined to social interactions and on his personal volition would be willing to submit to the instructions of his or her teacher, then he may easily conform and adapt to this new test by the age of five. [Student’s Last Name] 2 Psychologists, sociologists, researchers and policy makers have poured in an overwhelming effort in order to de termine whether there is a best age for children to start school. In the United States alone, the usual age of kindergarten children is around five years old and obligatory attendance age plays between the ages of five and eight years old. Many policymakers in the United States expressed their dissenting opinions regarding the acceptable age for school admission and many schools based their decisions on the child’s birthdate. ... Due to the intricacy and the difficulty of the educational system that we have today, most of us, especially educational institutions for pre-schoolers place a strong substantial significance on the child’s competence in reading and mathematical sciences. Is the determination of the ideal age to begin kindergarten important? Does it really matter? The significance of early and repeated standardized tests for young children in order for them to meet the academic challenges in school is being accentuated and supported by education reforms and more so by The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. While this was ratified in order to ensure the academic success in high school as well as in college, the testing begins early in order to guarantee that the children are headed in the right direction when it comes to â€Å"grade-level requirements†. A comparatively easy approach to enhance the performance in earlier years of education is to increment the average age of children enroll ing for kindergarten classes. Accordingly, this can be done by setting a â€Å"cut-off date† for kindergarten admission or by [Student’s Last Name] 3 advising parents to delay kindergarten admission for an additional one year (1 year). Mostly, school administrators and pre-school teachers are positive that the more mature the child is once he is admitted in kindergarten classes, the more potential there is for academic success. A lot of parents have faith in the idea of delaying the kindergarten entry of their children because they concede that it will contribute to their children’s edge in terms of academic performance. This is what they call as â€Å"redshirting†. In most cases, children who were admitted to kindergarten classes develop boredom and disinterest in school activities than those

REDUCING HIV RISK AMONG YOUNG MINORITY WOMEN & A HEALTH CARE TEAM Research Paper

REDUCING HIV RISK AMONG YOUNG MINORITY WOMEN & A HEALTH CARE TEAM HELPS REDUCE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG INNER-CITY BLACK MEN - Research Paper Example Dr. Martha developed a program that provided free health facilities to black men diagnosed with High Blood Pressure in the inner-city. In his analysis, a group of 300 black men recruited for the experiment indicated that one out of five had accomplished adequate blood pressure control. Human immune deficiency virus is another deadly disease that can be controlled through a change in attitude. The virus is spread through heterosexual activity. The theory to the control of a spread in the virus is, ‘The key to defeating HIV lies with protection’ (Jemmott 1998). The black youth women are the most targeted group as they are prone to the contraction of HIV activities due to their activities and interaction among each other. Education has been identified as a method to prove this theory. This is because it fosters awareness by implicating the dangers of negligence towards the use of protection as the key to defeating HIV spread and its resultant effects (Kendall 2012). Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott has carried out an experiment on the theory by developing an educational intervention that delivers eight modules on safe sex practices and abstinence to inner-city black middle school student (Jemmott 1998). The program was successful as it helped in the reduction o f risky sexual behaviour. As a result sexual education was introduced in the education curriculum of the United States of America as well as internationally. The conceptual basis of the two cases of study is to present the logical argument that prevention is better than cure thus there is need to control the spread and effect of various dangerous diseases in order to enhance health practices and population growth of Africa Americans in the United States. Jemmott L, S. (1998). Journal of the American Media Association: Abstinence and safe sex HIV risk-reduction intervention for African American Adolescents: A random controlled trial. New York. National Institution of Public

Hardware Infrastructure in Any Big Business or Federal Organization Research Paper

Hardware Infrastructure in Any Big Business or Federal Organization - Research Paper Example Project Objective: The project’s objective involves the identification of several needs and difficulties encountered during the process of managing information and Technology infrastructure basing on several factors. This involves the scope of the project together with the assigned deliverables. Factors to consider include technology comparison, financial budgeting, inventory assessment, and associated costs. Deliverables: 1. Determine efficiency of an organization’s resources 2. Determination of the reliability of an organization’s current assists 3. Determine the cost of infrastructure upgrade Milestones: The completion of the project has to take place before 2016. According to Chambers (2015), the instantaneous events associated with the IT project include; 1. Permits Approved- 20th October 2015 2. Assets inventory Taking – 20th October 2015 3. Determination of costs involved in supporting and maintaining hardware – 20th November 2015 4. Evaluation of probably available technology – 30th November 2015 5. Making of the financial budget – 5th December 2015 6. Final Inspection – 30th December 2015 Technical Requirements: The project considers many technical issues so as t successfully attain the desired objectives. The technical aspects touch on the availability, reliability, and the performance of the project (Ambler, 2004). 1. Determine the challenges of changing old/Obsolete Information Technology hardware infrastructure 2. Renew the IT infrastructure with an organizations budget

Article synopsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article synopsis - Essay Example One among the most important concern is the way in which the characters are depicted in the video games. The next concern is the relationship and communication between a male character and female character. This changes the mind of the people and it creates a belief that sexism is common. Another major concern is the appearance of female characters in the video games. (Dill & Kathryn, 2007). Though it is an animated picture, the way in which a female character is depicted and gender depiction does not have any reservation. These are the major concerns of the author. The authors have explored the appearance of both the male and female characters. They have also explained how magazines and other forms of media represent these games and the concept of gaming. The content of such video games leave behind a negative effect on the people’s mind, but hardly any magazine or media realizes it. The central concepts of their study are to explore how gender communication and gender portrayal plays a major role in defining the characters. The authors have defined these concepts with the help of surveys and researches which indicate the young people’s perception of video games. The authors conclude that female characters in such games are often underrepresented and male characters are shown to be more aggressive. This article describes the way in which video games influences the people, mostly kids and young adults. I would say that the authors have come up with a realistic representation and they have clearly explained how a women and men are differentiated and represented in these video games. When considering the author’s concern of how a woman is depicted in these games, it is acceptable that women are often represented as sexual characters. (Dill & Kathryn, 2007). The way in which they are characterized seems to be stereotypical and they are none of these games provide a remarkable knowledge. I would definitely say that magazines and media have also

Funding application for homeless people Coursework

Funding application for homeless people - Coursework Example Not having a permanent roof over their heads, which is a fundamental right of all citizens, goes hand in hand with other problems associated with lack of proper food and clothing. This then causes detrimental effects on their health. And, they are further disadvantaged by not having access to any guidance or information to improve their condition. Compared to other youth who live in families in houses, they are at a disadvantage by not being able to educate themselves for immediate as well as long term benefits and future prospects. It is a deep rut of despair and a vicious cycle of no hope to be in such circumstances. One only needs to look at those who do have homes to live in to see how much of a disadvantage these homeless youth have, not being able to leave normal lives like the rest of us. The health problems that inevitably afflict homeless people cannot be understated. "Homeless people are more likely to suffer injuries and medical problems from their lifestyle on the street, which includes poor nutrition, substance abuse, exposure to the severe elements of weather, and a higher exposure to violence." (http://www.ipedia.net/information/homeless) The youth and children are particularly vulnerable groups of people in this regard. Our projects aims to cater to these disadvantaged people by providing them with what they desperately need; to feed and clothe them; to protect them from the weather, getting involved in wrong types of activities; to protect them from being taken advantage of by criminals, gangs, drug traffickers, organ snatchers, pedophiles, prostitutes etc. Instead we will provide them with decent sheltering facilities, and provision of food to stave off hunger. And, we will help resolve their personal problems through the provision of counseling and information services, then relocate them to a safe permanent abode

BHS 420 Quantitative Reasoning (Module 5-SLP) Essay

BHS 420 Quantitative Reasoning (Module 5-SLP) - Essay Example Introducing imagery has novel implications for bipolar treatment innovation - an area where CBT improvements are much-needed. Santosa, C.M., Strong, C.M, Nowakowska, C., Wang, P.W., Rennicke, C.M., & Ketter, T.A. (2007). Enhanced creativity in bipolar disorder patients: A controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 100, (1-3), pp. 31-39. Research Procedure: Direct study of 49 BP, 25 MDD, 32 CC, and 47 HC (all euthymic) completed four creativity measures yielding six parameters: the Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS-Total, and two subscales, BWAS-Dislike and BWAS-Like), the Adjective Check List Creative Personality Scale (ACL-CPS), and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking--Figural (TTCT-F) and Verbal (TTCT-V) versions. Mean scores on these instruments were compared across groups. Where and How Sample Obtained: Researchers assessed non-eminent creativity in euthymic bipolar (BP) and unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, creative discipline controls (CC), and healthy controls (HC). Description of Results: Researchers found BP and CC (but not MDD) had similarly enhanced creativity on the BWAS-Total (driven by an increase on the BWAS-Dislike) compared to HC. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of enhanced creativity and how it relates to clinical (e.g. temperament, mood, and medication status) and preclinical (e.g. visual and affective processing substrates) parameters. Research Procedure: Researchers compared creativity in bipolar parents and their offspring with BD and bipolar offspring with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with healthy control adults and their children, using 40 adults with BD, 20 bipolar offspring with BD, 20 bipolar offspring with ADHD, and 18 healthy control parents and their healthy control children who completed the Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS), an objective measure of creativity. Description of Results: The results of this study support an

Brontie’ Swanston Essay Example for Free

Brontie’ Swanston Essay Sometimes early intervention for struggling learners is ideal. Most learning problems can be prevented if students are in positive school and classroom contexts that accommodate individual differences (Madden, 1991). However, even in the most positive environments, some students still experience difficulties. For these students, early intervention strategies must be implemented as soon as learning problems are noted. Early intervention means that â€Å"supplementary instructional services are provided early in students’ schooling, and that they are intense enough to bring at-risk students quickly to a level at which they can profit from high-quality classroom instruction† (Madden Wasik, 1991). The intent of early intervention is to create general education support systems for struggling learners as a way to improve academic performance and to reduce inappropriate special education referrals (Madden, 1991). Examples of early intervention include clinical teaching, peer and expert consultation, teacher assistance teams, and alternative programs such as those that offer tutorial or remedial instruction in the context of general education. A critical concept for ELL students is comprehensible input. This concept expresses that in order to acquire a second language the learner must understand what is said to him. Learners should receive input that is appropriate to their age and language level. This language should be just beyond the learner’s current proficiency but easy enough for them to understand. Teachers need to develop background knowledge, deliver content that is contextualized, and use gestures, pictures and real objects to make input comprehensible (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). When newcomers are assigned to a mainstream classroom and spend most of their day in this environment it is especially critical for them to receive comprehensible input from their teachers and classmates (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). In other words, if the teacher prefers lectures, it leaves the English language learner will not be receiving this input. All teachers are aware of the need to â€Å"explicitly link past learning and new concepts† but some teachers fail to consider students’ backgrounds and experiences when planning lessons (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). One way to avoid making unwarranted assumptions about our students’ past learning, background or experiences is to create a common classroom experience as the basis for instruction (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). Another strategy is to help students make conscious links between their experiences and the text as described in the sample lesson below. Two good concepts to implement would be literature logs and instructional conversations. Before and after reading, students respond to prompts that help them link their experiences to those of the main character or main theme (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). The instructional conversations that follow these prompts provide oral language practice for Ell’s, and help deepen students’ conceptual frameworks for comprehension (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). Researchers found that using either the literature log or the instructional conversation increased comprehension for Ell’s but using both produced deeper understanding (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991). Teachers should apply the following steps to be successful in previous two concepts: Step 1 Create pre-reading and post- reading questions or prompts Pre-reading question or prompt: a generic probe about students’ experiences that might be similar to those of the main character/s. Step 2 Briefly review the story again building on student responses in a think-aloud format. Review the procedure for tracking story events and noting when these events are similar to or different from experiences discussed by the class. Examples: two-column notes, post its, adapted story sequence chart Students read or listen to the text: pairs, small groups, tape, and buddy reading Step 3 Present the second literature log question or prompt; model a response. Allow time for students to write about or discuss the prompt. Facilitate the second instructional conversation in which students discuss similarities and differences between and among their experiences and those of the characters. Variations: use picture books with limited text for non-readers or beginning Ell’s of any age. Allow students to respond in their first language. Older or more proficient students can respond to prompts that focus on the setting instead of, or in addition to, events, characters and theme or compare experiences across texts. (Saunders, Goldberg, 1991) It is also vitally important to emphasize key vocabulary. Lack adequate vocabulary is one barrier to reading for Ell’s. Research on vocabulary acquisition indicates that a successful vocabulary development program should have a least the following five components: 1) Intentional word selection (words that represent new concepts, are important outside of the specific activity, or cross content areas) 2) Direct instruction in word meaning and in strategies used to learn new words 3) Modeling of strategies and processes for learning new words 4) Multiple exposures to new words and opportunities to use new words (wide reading, intentional word-focused activities, and ongoing review) 5) A system to help students track new vocabulary (Beck, McKeon, 2002) Here is a five-step vocabulary activity to implement with your ELL students: 1) Teacher provides a definition (tell, read, demonstrate) 2) Teacher creates a non-linguistic representation of the word while engaging in a â€Å"think aloud† that helps students identify key components of the visual and their relationship to the new word 3) Students write or say their own definition of the word 4) Students create their own linguistic representation of the word 5) Return to visual to add or revise elements as students deepen their understanding of the concept Adapted from Marzano, Pickering, 2001 It is important that the teacher shares a knowledge base relative to the education of students learning English (Thomas, Collier, 1997). Efficient teachers should be familiar with second language acquisition, the relationship of native language proficiency to the development of English, socio-cultural influences on learning, effective first and second language instruction, informal assessment strategies that can be used to monitor progress (particularly in language and literacy development), and effective strategies for working with culturally and linguistically diverse families and communities (Thomas, Collier, 1997). It is also imperative that there is recognition of the students’ native language. Language programs must have support of principals, teachers, parents, and the community (Thomas Collier, 1997). School staff should understand that native language instruction provides the foundation for achieving high levels of English proficiency (Cummins, 1994). For regular education teachers and ESL/bilingual teachers, when it comes to language development, there should be a share responsibility. There also must be collaborative school-community relationships. Parents of students learning English must be viewed as capable advocates for their children and as valuable resources in school improvement efforts (Cummins, 1994). By being involved with families and communities of English learners, educators come to understand the social, linguistic, and cultural contexts in which the children are being raised (Ortiz, 1997). Thus, educators learn to respect cultural differences in child-rearing practices and in how parents choose to be involved in their children’s education (Garcia Dominguez, 1997). It is vital to implement academically rich programs for ELL students. Students learning English must have opportunities to learn advanced skills in comprehension, reasoning, and composition and have access to curricula and instruction that integrate basic skill development with higher order thinking and problem solving (Ortiz, Wilkinson, 1991). Students must have access to high-quality instruction designed to help them meet high expectations (Cummins, 1994). Teachers should employ strategies known to be effective with English learners, such as: 1) Drawing on their prior knowledge 2) Providing opportunities to review previously learned concepts and teaching them to employ those concepts 3) Organizing themes or strands that connect the curriculum across subject areas 4) Providing individual guidance, assistance, and support to fill gaps in background knowledge Although it is evident that students fail in school for a variety of reasons, in some cases, their academic difficulties can be directly attributed to deficiencies in the teaching a learning environment. These difficulties may become more serious over time if instruction is not modified to address the students’ specific needs. Unless these students’ specific needs. Unless the deficit in learning is caught early and the appropriate intervention is accessed, they will continue to struggle, and the gap between their achievement and that of their peers will widen over time. References Cummins (1994). Knowledge, power, and identity in teaching English as a second language. â€Å"Educating second language children: The whole child, the whole curriculum, the whole community† Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Garcia, S. B. , Dominguez, L. (1997). Cultural contexts that influence learning and academic performance. In Silver, L. B. , â€Å"Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic Of North America: Academic Difficulties†. Philadelphia: Saunders Co. Madden, N. A. , Slavin, R. E. , Wasik, B. A. (1991). Success for all, â€Å"Phi Delta Kappan. † Thomas, W, P. , Collier, V. (1997). School effectiveness for language language miniority students (Resource Collection Series No. 9). Washington: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Beck, I. , McKeon, M. Kucan, L. (2002) Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. Guilford Press. Ortiz, A. A. Wilkinson, C. Y. (1991). Assessment and intervention model for the bilingual exceptional student. â€Å"Teacher Education and Special Education, 14 Saunders, W. and Goldenberg, C. (1999) The Effects of Instructional Conversations and Literature Logs on the Story Comprehension and Thematic Understanding of English Proficient and Limited English Proficient Students. http://www. cal. org/crede/pubs/research/RR6. pdf Marzano, R. , Pickering, D. J. , Pollock, J. E. (2001) Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: MCREL, ASCD.