Education And Science

FAQs on Elementary Mathematics

2011-10-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

Kids and adults alike have had a lot of questions about Math. Here we will try to provide the answers to your most common questions to make Math learning fun, enjoyable and easy for both you and your child/children.

What is Mathematics or Math?

There are a lot of definitions about mathematics. The American Heritage Dictionary defines Mathematics as the study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities, using numbers and symbols. Webster's Dictionary defines mathematics as the science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations, and generalizations. Whatever or however they define Mathematics or Math, simply put, it is made up of rules or ideas that have been accepted as truth through tests and converted into formulas that can be simply followed with an expected end result.

Why do we have to learn Mathematics?

You have to learn Mathematics because it is used in many other areas, subjects or sciences such as biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, sociology, economics, business, engineering, computers, communications and almost all other fields and industries. Even all the things that we use at home or in school which involves computers uses mathematics! That alone will force you to learn Mathematics.

How should we study Mathematics?

Roger Bacon, a philosopher and scientist said that, "All science requires Mathematics. The knowledge of mathematical things is almost innate in us... This is the easiest of sciences, a fact which is obvious in that no one's brain rejects it; for laymen and people who are utterly illiterate know how to count and reckon."

Thus if as Roger Bacon said that the knowledge of mathematics being innate in all of us then there is no need for us to study Math but although there may be a semblance of truth to this there is still a need to enhance this innate knowledge. You should be actively involved in studying Math inside and outside the classroom or at home. Constant practice is a good way to study Math and using Math games or other fun Math activities are excellent ways of studying and learning Mathematics.

What concepts should preschoolers learn in Math?

Concepts such as counting numbers, number sequences and one-to-one association or matching are the most important concepts that preschoolers should learn in Math. Additional concepts like measurement and weights can also be taught to preschoolers but should not be forced on them.

What concepts should primary students learn in Math?

Primary students learn, aside from enhancing their counting numbers, number sequences and matching skills, they also need to learn the basic concepts of addition and subtraction, telling time, place values and initial skills in conversion to Roman Numerals.

What concepts should elementary students learn in Math?

Elementary students as a whole should be able to learn, aside from the basic addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, working with fractions, algebraic equations, problem solving and basic geometry.

Do I need a tutor to learn Math?

If you feel that even with the available tools both tangible and online you have not yet improved your Math skills then a tutor might be needed. But, a word of advice, you can download as much drills or practice sets from the internet and ask the questions you need to ask to be able to refine your Math skills through online websites like this that a tutor would not be needed in the long run. Practice and active participation is important in order to learn Math the fast, fun and easy way.

Why are we afraid of Mathematics?

One probable reason why you are afraid of Math is because you started learning Math on the wrong foot. Some children in the past were taught that they have to learn Math early because they will have a hard time once they started school. The misconception brought fears to children then. Nowadays, Math activities, tips and tricks are available online and on paper and lots of games and fun activities are already available to help stimulate and promote Math skills such as board games and puzzles.

As a parent, how can I help my kids in learning Math?

The best way to help your kids learn Math is to start at home with basic Math activities like teaching them how to divide or share food among themselves or with their playmates, having them run errands for you so that they will be able to compute change as against the amount you gave and the amount they paid for or have them help you in measuring ingredients for baking a cake or muffin. There are endless ways you can create that will help your kids to learn Math without them even knowing it.

As a teacher, how can I show my students that Math is not something to be feared?

Fear of Math usually start from past failures that your students have encountered and to show your students that Math is not something to be feared you will have to devise ways to explain to them the various concepts as simply as possible and as easy for them to understand. You can start by making them play Math games to take their fears away before you explain to them the principles behind the concepts you would like to discuss to them.

When I was in grade school we did not have Mathematics, we had Arithmetic. What is the difference between Arithmetic and Mathematics?

Arithmetic is a branch of mathematics dealing with the basics of computation such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and anything to do with positive numbers and calculations while Mathematics includes arithmetic, geometry, algebra, trigonometry and other branches that all deal with patterns and structures and the application of logic.

Now that you know the basics of math, you can begin making math fun for your child! Find plenty of easy math problems for different year levels by clicking on the blue links!

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Combinatorial Mathematics

2011-10-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

Mathematician Ivan Niven subtitled his 1965 book on combinatorial mathematics, Mathematics of Choice, with the phrase, How to Count without Counting. Determining the quantity can always be done by counting - increasing the total by one for each item or instance - but when the number is huge, counting takes a long time. Counting the number of substitution schemes in a monoalphabetic cipher, for example, is a prohibitively time-consuming task (and a boring one).

Combinatorial mathematics, or combinatorics, as it is often called, is a field of mathematics concerned with the arrangement or order of a set of objects. Consider the number of schemes in the monoalphabetic cipher. In the process of selecting a scheme, the cryptographer takes the first letter, say a, and chooses its substitution. In the English alphabet there are 26 letters, so there are 26 possible substitutions (including a). After this choice is made, the cryptographer moves to the second letter. Since one letter has already been selected, there are 25 remaining letters to choose from. After this selection, the next letter is chosen from 24 possibilities, and so forth, with the nth letter having 27 - n possibilities. Even if the cryptographer adopts a scheme such as a shift or some other simple operation, the concept and the result are the same - selections from a number of possibilities.

A basic principle of combinatorics is that the total number of something equals the product of the number of possibilities. For example, if a person has a choice of two different shirts - red (r) and blue (b) - and three different pairs of pants - gray (g), brown (w), and blue (b) - there are 2 x 3 = 6 total wardrobe combinations - r-g, r-w, r-b, b-g, b-w, and b-b. (Some of these combinations would fail to be fashionable!)

For a 26-letter cipher, the cryptographer has 26 possibilities for the first choice, 25 for the second, 24 for third, and so on. The product of these numbers is 26 x 25 x 24 x 23 x 3 x 2 x 1. The product of all positive integers below n is called n factorial, represented mathematically by an exclamation mark - n!. Factorials are huge for even small n. For example, 26! is approximately 4.0 x 1026. It includes all schemes, including the undesirable one (from a cryptographer's point of view) of choosing a for a, b for b, and so on for each letter of the alphabet. More advanced methods of combinatorics deal with problems of selection, but even without these poor choices, the number of ways of picking a monoalphabetic cipher is enormous.

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What Children Need to Succeed in Mathematics

2011-10-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

All children can succeed in mathematics. How do I know this? My empirical experience approaching thirty years tells me this is so. My intuition tells me this is so. You just need to know what to give your children, and more importantly, what not to give them.

Children are natural problem solvers. If you leave them alone, they will figure out the most amazing things. If you nurture them properly and give them the space to grow, they will become natural mathematicians. The trick is to let them believe---at least initially---that learning and education are fun and will lead them to have more fun in life. How simple that sounds! Yet this premise is that simple.

Unfortunately most parents get bogged down in their own problems and do not subscribe to this philosophy. Such parents become frustrated when their child shows a lack of interest in school work and school related tasks. These problems spiral and eventually become overwhelming. Rather than address the problem and correct the negative programming that has been instilled on the child, parents resort to criticism and reprimand.

No child can ever succeed in mathematics with criticism. The one thing that this world has way too much of is that one word---criticism. If you do not believe this statement, try this experiment for one week: refrain from all criticism. Do not criticize your coworkers, your friends, your relatives, yourself. Do not criticize the government, the world, the planet. Watch if your life does not somehow take on a whole new dimension of vibrancy, peace, and enthusiasm.

Pass this enthusiasm onto your child. Tell your son or daughter how creative he or she is. Instill in your children that they are leaders, capable of solving any problem that presents itself. Mathematics is a subject which is self-propelled by high self-esteem. Children who have high self-worth, high self-esteem tend to be better problem solvers. Why this is so is self-evident: a child who believes in himself will approach tasks and problems with a gusto that says he can lick the task. Consequently, this child approaches the problem with the attitude that he will win and the problem will lose. End result: more success in whatever task at hand.

In conclusion, every child can succeed in mathematics. Give your children a never-say-quit attitude. Give them encouragement. Give them love. Do not give them criticism. These three former give, this latter withhold. This is a secret for success in mathematics, in school, and indeed life. Use it.

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and is the creator and author of over a dozen books and ebooks which have been read throughout the world. He is a former teacher of high school and college mathematics and has recently returned as a professor of mathematics at a local community college in New Jersey.

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Mortgage Mathematics

2011-10-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

Recent news that the Federal Government will be backing away from insurance of high cost loans has created a high level of concern by many who own, sell, and finance high-end homes. The mathematics behind this decision and its implications will be felt throughout the economy.

The first thing to understand is that the Federal Government currently guarantees nine out of every ten home loans that are made. This means that the losses stemming from home value declines has ultimately landed on the government. As these losses continue to mount, it is becoming more and more apparent that the system of government guarantees for private market activity is economically unsustainable.

The implications of this insight are very far reaching, since the government guarantee of mortgages has resulted in much lower interest rates than would have been available if banks were taking all of the default risk themselves. This meant that many people were able to afford much larger houses than they otherwise would have the income pay for at higher rates. In turn, this meant that there was room for home prices to grow because of this influx of new borrowers who could afford to purchase more expansive homes. This effect created a 'bubble' where people bought homes they could not pay for based on the assumption that the prices would continue to escalate indefinitely. When the point was ultimately reached where prices stopped rising and people were unable to pay their mortgage obligations, the bubble collapsed.

This is not a particularly surprising event for those who have studied market bubbles in the past, since all bubbles inevitably crash. The thing that makes this bubble especially unique is that the government is only making token efforts to avoid the creation of another bubble that is similar to the last one. Simple mathematics says that if loans are guaranteed by the government, riskier loans will be made for higher amounts than would have resulted if prices were set by market forces instead of based on administrative fiat.

This has created a bit of a monster for politicians, since most are aware that the current mortgage model is unsustainable but none of them want to be the ones to remove mortgage subsidies for the large middle class voting block. Thus, the first step in this slow regression toward reality is removing loan subsidies for high-end homes. This action can be justified on populist grounds by saying that it will only affect those who are already affluent. And it will most certainly effect people with high-end homes. The lack of government guarantees will almost certainly raise the cost of borrowing through higher interest rates and decrease the amount of home that buyers can afford. This will ultimately result in less buyers bidding for properties and lower prices for people who are selling.

Most people will not feel a terrible degree of sympathy for people who purchased an $800,000 home that is now worth $500,000 since the government lacks the resources to subsidize these people's loan activities. However, there is a critical nugget of insight that this analysis begins to uncover. This insight is that the government lacks the financial resources to subsidize anybody's loan activities. It's just that the people in charge have been too cowardly to admit the mathematical reality. This reality is that the resources required to fulfill promises made by multiple generations of politicians simply do not exist.

Thus, it is very true that the government cannot afford to subsidize wealthy homeowners. But it is equally true that the government cannot afford to subsidize all of the other homeowners as well. The accumulated losses from the real estate bubble are placing a financial burden that is being financed with borrowing and inflationary money expansion. The stark reality is that current levels of government spending are unsustainable. This mathematical fact will eventually come to bear in one manner or another. Thus, while the context of a discussion may be about loan subsidies, tax credits, or whatever proposal is in the cross-hairs on a particular day, the real discussion needs to be about when the government will finally acknowledge mathematical reality.

In short, mortgage mathematics work out such that the cost of borrowing for high-end homes will become more expensive, and then be quickly followed by the cost of other borrowing becoming more expensive. The implicit subsidy to home prices that have been provided by the government has lulled many people into a belief that the economy is on a road to recovery. The truth is that this road stretches on for much farther than we have been led to believe, and still has many more bumps left in it.

What people must come to realize is that these adjustments are inevitable. They will either come sooner and be smaller or come later and be larger. One way or another, many of the promises, guarantees, and other explicit or implicit subsidies granted by the Federal Government will need to be pulled back. When this eventually happens, it will result in an economic shock as entities that have come to expect government aid struggle to survive on their own. However, this shock will result in the systematic allocation of capital by investors toward projects with a higher natural rate of return, instead of being steered based on the availability of subsidies.

The bottom line is that many people will be quite unhappy when the point of final capitulation is reached, and reality is finally accepted by the government. However, the marketplace that emerges after this inevitable period of difficulty will be more robust and resilient. Ultimately, this adjustment will prove to be a necessary step for continued economic growth. If is not a comfortable message to digest, but the sooner that we internalize this reality, the sooner we can reverse our course of chasing after market bubbles and return to a trajectory of long-term growth.

Sincere Thanks,
Douglas J Utberg, MBA

Founder - Business of Life LLC:
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How to Excel in Mathematics!

2011-10-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

Lots of students consider mathematics to be quite a difficult subject. For many, mathematics studies represent endless effort, time consuming and frustrating overhead.

But, those who are into mathematics, do know that once you are familiar with the details, mathematics provide satisfaction, and even joy. It is true that being good at mathematics is, to some extent, a skill you are born with, but not only.

One of the most important principles in being good at mathematics is to be up to date with the items taught at college. Since the items of mathematics are built one on top of the other, similar to building a wall, brick by brick, it is good practice for any student, no matter what his skills are, to keep up following closely the mathematics subjects being taught. Once a student ignores a single subject, it will be difficult to catch up the new subjects, which are built on top.

Secondly, although college studies include much of mathematics theory, definitions, theorems, and more, knowing the theory is not sufficient at all. Only by tackling and solving lots of problems, can one get real expertise and excel in mathematics. Practice, practice, practice: this is the name of the game. (Actually, mathematics will become a game eventually). These two important principles led me through my studies for my B.Sc. and my M.Sc. degrees. These principles do hold for all areas of mathematics and for all science subjects such as physics and others.

Having said that, still, there must be something else. Something that will really make the difference. That will make a student a great mathematician. Regardless of the born skills, regardless of the dedication, and commitment to mathematics studies, there should be some love, desire, or passion, to gently handle mathematics theorems and rules. If you have such passion, you are on the right way.

Bertrand Russell, the great philosopher and mathematician, did reflect the love to mathematics, as follows: "Mathematics posses not only truth, but also supreme beauty".

The author holds B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, M.Sc. degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering, and MBA degree.

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Learn Mathematics

2011-10-18T04:18:00.000-07:00

Education is one of the most important things here on earth; people are always searching for answers and education play an important role in this endeavor; education will help us discover and explore everything with the use of logic and reason. In this light, education should be prioritized by all individual and should be promoted by all states as well. Of course if the individual acquired certain education and knowledge, wider opportunities are in store for them right? Education is very crucial in the development and growth of every individual therefore the role of the state is to plan and implement programs to help and assist individual earn and have the education they deserve. As you may notice, the state is allotting budget every year for the education system to make improvements and make it better. In every sense of the word, education is defined as the process of the society that seeks to transmit every grain of knowledge to every generation; moreover it comprises acts that are geared toward molding the kid's physical, mental and social functions.

The education system is providing their students with reliable people, equipments and materials that will surely help in the success of this endeavor. Educating a child happens in the classroom but modern teaching strategies consider immersing the child outside to learn and see the real world. In almost every learning experience of a child, there are experienced teachers to guide their way which makes it effective. Aside from teachers, the institution should give importance to learning the fun and dynamic way through some technologies, equipment and other tools available. Most importantly, there are materials that can help you in the process. These materials can be considered in many subject matters that include music, science, children's literature, character education, puzzles, language arts, social studies and even mathematics.

It is important that the above mentioned subjects should be prioritized. For instance, mathematics. Mathematics transcend to more than traditional and simple counting for it encompasses analysis and critical thinking through the use of abstraction; it is a system that is widely used by almost every field such as natural science, engineering, social science, medicine and other crucial studies. There are people that consider math difficult but if you persist, everything will work out just fine. Learning mathematics is easy if you consider some help; there are quite a number of teacher supply. You can also provide your students with preschool furniture for their comfort.With the help of school supplies and furniture, learning math can be fun and interesting. Math will play an important part in our life so it should not be despised.

These materials are not that expensive so you can have many. Indeed education is more effective with the help of these materials. Remember that education is the most important thing in this world and as a parent and teacher, the least thing that you can do for your students is to provide them with a comfortable environment with equipment and materials necessary for the success.

Andre B. Reynolds is a leisure writer who enjoys sharing information about teacher supplies and preschool furniture as well as other interesting topics.

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Field Trips for Children Who Are Home Schooled

2011-10-18T04:15:00.001-07:00

Field trips for children who are home schooled can either be very cheap or very elaborate and costly. When deciding what type of trip a home schooled child will take the purpose of the trip should be considered along with the subject that it is for. Excursions are supposed to be experiences for the children that also educate them; they are supposed to be in locations other than the home.

A study trip for a home schooled child can be used to accomplish a variety of different tasks. One task that it could accomplish is that it can be used to provide everyone with a break from the environment of having school at home usually in one room. When children go to public schools or private schools they usually switch classes throughout the day so they are not confined to only one room for the entire day. An abstract example found in a textbook can also be brought to life by going on a field trip. Math lessons can easily be taught in a grocery store, supply store, or anywhere that has interesting things for a child to count that will keep their attention. Another thing that a field trip can accomplish is to bring a simple picture to life. Parents may choose to take their child to the zoo in order to let them see firsthand animals that they may be studying at the time. History can be brought to life sometimes by going on a trip. In some cases when a child sees the place that a historical event to place in it causes them to have a better understanding or even a greater interest in the event. Field trips can also provide hands on how-to expedition. A camping field trip can help teach a child how to read a compass or follow directions by gaining hands on experience.

If the subject being studied is art there are many different field trips that parents can choose to take. One idea is to visit an art museum or even attend a music performance live. Sometimes when you see something or hear something in person you gain a better understanding about it or just appreciate it a little bit more. The subject of physical education can lead to really fun field trips such as going bowling or skating. A study trip for physical education can be anything that will cause the children to be active, which is what they enjoy doing anyway. These field trips are a whole lot better than the alternative; if the child was attending a regular school their physical education would just simply be gym.

In recent years, home schooling has become very popular with many parents who prefer a pro-active approach towards their children's education and development. Home School offers many guides, hints and tips for parents and educators alike on this subject.

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Seven Tips to Help Home Schooled Students Fit Into Public Schools

2011-10-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

In many homeschooling families, there comes a time when the parents decide to enroll their children in the public school system. This can happen because the mother does not feel confident enough to teach high school classes, or because the public schools offer team sports or some other course that a home school would have a difficult time providing, or because a loss of income requires the homeschooling mother to return to the workplace. In some cases, there may have been a learning disability that the family could not handle on its own, or possibly a conflict of personalities. Whatever the reason, home schooled students may feel like they will not fit in with public school students. Here are seven tips to ease those worries

1. Listen to popular music on the radio. This goes against the grain of many conservative homeschooling families, but if home schooled students will begin to listen to Top 40 music stations and learn some of the lyrics, they will have something in common with their public school peers.

2. Watch current movies. This is not quite as essential as listening to current musical artists, but it helps students to pick up the attitudes of most American teens. Parents can watch the movies along with their children to help them with sensitive topics such as sex and values that are different from theirs.

3. Join clubs, organizations, and teams which are not affiliated with church or home education. This gives the home schooled student opportunities to meet people who are not "like-minded."

4. Read lots of "secular" books. While reading the Bible and character-building books are excellent, it is extremely important for home schooled students to have been exposed to as many different philosophies and literary themes as possible.

5. Go to the mall. Look at what young people are wearing. Go to the big name teen fashion stores and look at the display windows. Go into the stores and see what the store clerks are wearing. This will tell home schooled students what the current fashions and hairstyles are. Watch fashion, hair, and makeup videos on YouTube to discover how to wear these styles. Stay up to date, because the fashions and colors change every season.

6. Stay smart. Home schooled students are usually smarter than most public schooled students, and quickly rise to the top of the class. However, home schooled students will be in competition for the top places in class rank, and must be prepared to work very hard to get the best rankings and grade point averages. This is critical in landing big scholarship offers from prestigious universities.

7. Embrace your nerdiness. Most home schooled students come from conservative, white collar backgrounds. Automatically, the students will be labeled, but they will also be welcomed and "friended" by the other "nerds" at school.

Donna Pravel is a 25 year home school veteran and the author of Packaging Your Homeschooled Student For College, an e-book on the college admissions process. Download a free book list for high school from Donna Rae At Home.com, a blog site for homeschoolers with a college prep focus.

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The Costs And Procedure Of Home Schooling

2011-10-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe you're one of the many parents who are getting encourage to try home schooling for your children. Maybe you don't know where to start and how much this will cost you. Read on up because we'll help you how to do it.

Homeschooling is the alternative way to educate your children by yourself (the parent, guardian or a formal tutor) as the teacher. It provides you an opportunity to customize your teaching methods, approaches as well the topic for discussion. These factors attracts parents to adopt this process because they will be monitoring their children closely and help foster better relationship with them.

Kids are very receptive to fun activities and creative teaching methods. As kids tend to have a little attention span, the key is to keep them focused and offer them various activities to keep them busy.

When starting out a home school education, it is the best to review policies involving home school education from your city to state level. Communicate with your local board of education and ask for the notification form for homeschooling directives. Make sure that you understand and agree to the regulations set by the city or state. Fit all the regulations with your homeschooling program to prevent any untoward incident from happening. Complete and sign the Assurance of Consent form and include the date it was signed. 15 days are given to complete this form prior to starting your homeschooling programs. Reviewing home-based education law also helps.

Next step is conceptualizing the subjects, teaching methods and activities for your child. The best way to do this is to ask your child what his/her needs, expectations and his/her budding study habits. Make sure that your fit the classes by his/her preferences without having to compromise the quality of discussion. Keep in mind that your child is still a child and it is the best that he/she is still able to enjoy their childhood thus encourage sufficient play time with children of their age.

You don't really need a formally constructed classroom. Find a room in your house that you child is comfortable with. Make sure to make it conducive by setting up visual aids. You can also conduct classes in the kitchen if your subject is about basic food groups or the zoo if your subject is about animals.

There are many curriculum sources available in the internet, sometimes they are even free to. But check and review the document first before downloading because they might be outdated or worse, illegitimate to use. When availing for books and other materials, always browse for various sources as some sources provide discounts while some offers relatively lower price.

While everything sounds good already, the most important things to assess are yet to come - your financial sources. Most families spend over $300 - $ 1,000 to home - schooling. However, prioritizing what you need over what you want will help your reduce your spending. Looking for sales and discounts will help a lot. All the more, it is best to fit your homeschooling to your potential budget.

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Educational Toys in Home Schooling

2011-10-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling, also known as home education and home learning, is the education of children at home rather than in traditional schools. Parents sometimes hire tutors, but for the most part, parents play the primary role in teaching. The reasons for homeschooling are diverse, but often include religious or political beliefs, or simply a concern for the quality of learning in conventional schools. No matter the reason, it is imperative that home-schooled children have an enriched environment to nurture crucial developmental skills.

Enriching the Home Environment

Because traditional schooling is rich in environmental stimuli, parents wishing to home school their children strive to compensate for this deficit. Learning approaches that engage the child and keep learning interesting are often highly effective means of environmental enrichment. The play to learn approach, in which children teach themselves important developmental skills through play, is an excellent way to enrich the home environment and accelerate early childhood development and learning.

Educational Toys as Learning Tools

Parents also strive to keep their children motivated to learn, and to instill a strong sense of self-esteem in home schooled children. Children are also easily distracted, so it is imperative to keep them engaged in learning. Educational toys are very effective, as they are stimulating to children, and make learning enjoyable. They also help children to extend their imaginations, and can lead to more effective learning. Home school parents often find it very helpful to include them as a part of their children's curriculum to keep things fresh and to foster a good attitude.

What Home School Parents Should Look For

Not all educational toys are created equal. Some are more effective than others both in engaging children's attention and in building important skill sets. It is often helpful for these toys to present a style of learning that is structured and comprehensive, but that also keeps children motivated and having fun. Often those toys that are modular in design, and that can teach many different skill sets are particularly useful to home school parents.

What Educational Toys Should Teach Children

Educational toys should be enjoyable, but should also be designed with the intent to develop a particular skill set. It is important for the toy to be structured and geared around a target age group because children pass different developmental milestones as they progress through childhood. For children under 5, they should focus on building a foundation skill set that will be supportive of more advanced learning later on. Important skills are visual perception, shape and color recognition, concentration, memorization and basic linguistic skills. As children progress in their development, it is important to enrich for more advanced skill sets. Toys for children over age 5 should focus on more complex and advanced developmental skills. Important skills at this age are critical thinking, abstract thinking, logical thinking, math, geometry, linguistic, pattern recognition, associative and memorization skills.

Home schooling can be a wonderful gift that parents give their children. It allows for parents to nurture their children in the abilities and subject areas that they find to be the most important. Parents are also able to enrich their children's environment in order to strengthen important skill sets, and educational toys represent a powerful and effective means to do so.

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Home School Vs Public School

2011-10-18T04:08:00.000-07:00

Our country is slowly sliding down the scale of how our students rank on their SAT scores. As parents and educators we need to analyze and stop this decrease in our standings. Finding the resources to do this is increasingly hard in our economy. School funding is decreasing and parents are frustrated! Teachers must deal with less money, bigger classrooms, and fewer resources. But there are free resources to help us!

Students are continuously frustrated with the rate at which they are given information. This frustration is caused in two ways.

*Not understanding the previous lessons
*Being held back when the lessons are boring

Frustration with the systems that public school has to follow can cause students to become rebellious and seek other ways to release their inner anxiety. Which leads to lower test scores. The first step in stopping this is to check the students SAT scores. Where are they below the National Average and where are they above the National Average?

When a student is ranking high on the SAT scores then you have found a subject that is interesting to them. Encourage this by finding outside resources they can research on their own. A student that is high in reading skills and interested in animals can be guided to volunteer at a Veterinarians office or join 4-H and raise their own animal. Does the local Humane Society need volunteers? How about a Wildlife Rehabilitation group where they rescue the local native animals? Do they excel at a subject where they could mentor other students? Any of these resources will encourage the student to study further and learn by doing!

When a student is having problems with a subject and can not seem to catch up it usually means they have missed some of the basics. One of the best free resources I have found to help them is at Kahn Academy on YouTube. This awesome site is filled with hundreds of lessons that span an ever increasing knowledge base. Elementary subjects through college level lessons are easily accessed and explained in simple language. Many home school parents use this resource as a way to round out their daily lessons.

When a students succeeds at a task that they have previously failed at they will rightly feel a justifiable raising in their attitudes to learning! The subject will become easier as they advance in their skill levels and catch up and sometimes advance beyond their classmates. Their choices for their future will expand as they learn more!

Not every student will turn into a Doctor or Lawyer. We need to find where it is that the student wants to be and encourage them in that quest. It is hard, as a parent, to set aside our own wishes for our students, but if they are to succeed and thrive then we must find what it is that they desire!

In the home school environment the students efforts can be individualized to a greater extent than they can be when enrolled in public school. A curriculum can be designed around the students interests and still encompass all of the learning skills that public schools demand they know. A student who is interested in carpentry will learn math, design, science and reading. A student who is involved with environment will also be learning math, science, reading, writing, and reading. One of the advantages that the home school student has is that they are being trained in independent study which means they are well adapted to that environment if they choose to go on to college. Increasingly home school students are out ranking the public school students on the SAT scores.

Not all students will do well in public school. Not all students will do well in a total home school environment.We do not need to have an all or nothing attitude with this! It is up to us to find the balance for each student that will help them excel in the future!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_L_Shaw

Homeschooling High School - Getting the Big Scholarships

2011-10-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Seeking a rigorous curriculum is the first thing that you can do to position your children and your family into a merit based scholarship.

Most colleges want to see four years of English, three to four years of math, three to four years of social studies, three years of a science, two to three years of the same foreign language, two years of P.E., one year of fine art, and electives to add up to 24 credits.

That is well and good if your goal is to simply get in to college. However, we are talking about how to get big scholarships when you go to college. This is WILL NOT be your plan if you are going for the big scholarships. In order to get a big scholarship, you have to exceed that strategy.

Make sure that you meet the highest possible criteria in every single area, knowing that you will exceed some of them. In your student's area of interest, you might exceed it by far. I have helped clients that have four credits of music per year because that's their area of strength. Be certain that you meet the bottom lines in each of the requirements, but also that you have penetrated their strengths to get them the classes they want.

It's not uncommon for students of public, private, or those that are homeschooled to have 35 or more credits. The recommendation of 24 is your bare minimum if you need a big scholarship. Keep in mind that it's a win-win situation; what could possibly go wrong if you do more than enough? They might come out better educated and better prepared for adulthood, but nothing bad is going to happen if they have more than enough credits.

Need help homeschooling high school? Lee Binz, The HomeScholar is an expert in helping homeschool students achieve great college scholarships and maintains a website that discusses homeschool college admissions where you can get answers to all your questions. You can find Lee online at TheHomeScholar.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Binz

Tips To Keep a Home Schooling Home Orderly

2011-10-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Keeping an orderly home is not easy for anyone with a job or with children, and even more difficult for the home schooling family. The entire family, with the exception of the father, is home all day. While the mother tries to teach the older children, the preschoolers and toddlers are creating all kinds of messes in all parts of the house. The mother could clean the house all day long, every single day, and never feel like she can keep up with the mess. The house can look like a tornado went through it ten times a day, unless the mother has routines in place to keep most of it from happening.

Keep the House Orderly By Dividing the Day Up Into Small Parts and Creating a Routine For Each Part

The first thing a mother can do top help keep her home and family orderly is to divide the school day up into several small parts. These parts of the day may be called Before School, Morning School Time, Afternoon School Time, Evening, and Before Bed. Each part of the day may be roughly three hours long. In every segment, there may be a regular pattern, such as get dressed, meal chores, or school work, meal, chores. Mentally go through everything that needs to happen during that time period, and write it down.

For instance, if the school day starts at 8:00 A.M., it might start with a 30 minute Bible study while the mother feeds the baby, if there is one. At 8:30, the older children get started on their assignments while the mother turns her attention to the preschooler and toddler. When they are settled, the mother can teach a math concept or give a spelling test. The morning session can go for two hours, until 10 A.M. Then at 10:00, the family can break for a snack and straighten up the house.

Establishing Mini-Routines May Help Homeschooling Mothers Stay On Top of Things

At 11:00, the routine would repeat. The mother would feed the baby again, this time while reading to the children out loud or listening to the children give oral summaries of books they have read, as a suggestion. Once the baby is happy, the mother assigns more seat work for the older children, and attends to the younger children. When they are entertained, she again works with the older students. At 1:00 the family breaks for lunch, then does chores. At 2 PM, the afternoon schedule would start.

If homeschooling mothers can establish small mini-routines, and repeat them throughout the day, they may be able to stay on top of the housework and keep their homes orderly.

Donna Pravel is a 25 year home school veteran. She maintains a blog site for homeschooling women called Donna Rae at Home.com (http://www.donnaraeathome.com). She is the author of Packaging Your Homeschooled Student for College, an e-book detailing the college admissions process for home schools. Ms. Pravel is also a SEO copywriter and the owner of a professional freelance writing business, Donna Rae Online Writing Services (http://www.donnaraeonline.com).

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Beginning Home Schooling

2011-10-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

All of the Unites States' fifty states have legalized home schooling, but each state has their own unique guidelines and rules about the entire process of this form of education. Parents who are interested in their children starting homeschooling should first do research about the guidelines and laws that their resident state has. Parents should also do research about the proper steps that need to be followed in order to begin a curriculum.

Some research results have stated that children who are taught at home place in the 89 to 90th percent in the national standardized test. This is sometimes one of the reasons that parents choose to home school their children, they want to give them to have the best education possible. Another reason that some parents have said they choose to home school their children are that they can also include religion as a part of their studies and that this helps to strengthen their family bond. Some parents also feel that when their children are taught at home they are safer than they would be at school; this feeling probably intensifies after tragedies of school shootings are reported on the news. When families need a little more flexibility in their lives or just want to really have control over what their children learn may be attracted to the idea of home schooling. When flexibility is desired it is not only about being flexible in regard to time, but can also be about the methods that are used.

Parents who are considering schooling at home as an option should locate groups that are in their state. These groups give parents access to a lot of useful information and helps the transition go easier. Parents who are new to the world of homeschooling can help themselves from making the most common mistakes when going through this process by talking to others who are more experienced and have a greater amount of knowledge on the subject. Also, by talking to others and doing research a parent will be better equipped to identify important pieces of information that will help give their child or children the best educational experience possible.

There are many different methods of schooling that parents can choose so it is best if parents can make themselves aware of their children's learning mannerisms. When parents conform to their child's habits as far as learning goes the process will probably be easier and more effective.

Before jumping into the choice to home school all the information should be reviewed including any expenses that are associated with this choice, it might even be necessary to create a budget.

In recent years, home schooling has become very popular with many parents who prefer a pro-active approach towards their children's education and development. Home School offers many guides, hints and tips for parents and educators alike on this subject.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mirna_Khoury_

The History of Home Schooling

2011-10-18T03:58:00.000-07:00

Throughout the last twenty years more and more families have opted to school their children at home. The subject of schooling kids at home has been a part of controversial discussions and has made a lot of individuals curious about what it would all entail. Children being home schooled is not a new idea. Before 1852 when a law was passed that required school attendance it was common for children to be educated at home.

The qualities that were needed to manage a home where learned by children on a daily basis. Their main learning sources were daily chores like handling the livestock, making clothes, construction and other tasks. During earlier times reading and writing were not as important as knowing how to perform other skills that were needed in order to guarantee survival. In this time children were just taught how to read and write well enough to handle necessary tasks. The chores associated with farming and other jobs came first before school lessons. Today school subjects like reading and math come first before anything else like chores and playing outside. In the 18th and 19th centuries individuals were not concerned with how effective this type of education was. Some of our histories most popular writers and inventors were schooled at home. Some of our histories most well-known individuals that were home schooled include Thomas Edison, inventor Benjamin Franklin, John Wesley, Beatrix Potter, writer Charles Dickens, and Alexander Graham Bell.

Americans began to only use public and private schools as ways to educate their children when the laws regarding compulsory attendance were enforced. After this law was passed the only places that used home schooling were rural areas and the Amish people.

We have established that this type schooling is not a new idea and has been around for a while, but in today's society it is making a comeback and some consider it to be a movement that is pioneering the way for others. The amount of families that have turned to home schooling as a way to educate their children is such a large number that it has drawn a lot of attention to the subject.

The precise time that modern day schooling at home became an issue is not known, but before the year 1970 and all the educational concerns that came along with this time occurred the practice of home schooling a child was an underground concept. The most important event concerning the popularity of families participating in home schooling was when both educational reformers and educational authors started questioning public schools techniques and what the educational quality that they were producing really was.

In recent years, home schooling has become very popular with many parents who prefer a pro-active approach towards their children's education and development. Home School offers many guides, hints and tips for parents and educators alike on this subject.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mirna_Khoury_

Home School High School

2011-10-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Yes for someone who haven't tried home schooling high school, making their own child's home school records and transcripts sounds impossible. They have lots of doubts and uncertainties thinking they will ruin or jeopardize the college life of their child. Well, it's normal to feel that way if we have the reason to do so. But there are times we need to check twice if the way we judge our abilities is right. Maybe we are just lacking self-esteem. Of course we cannot be professional teachers but we can educate our children since we know them better than anyone else does.

First we like to know the reasons why we hesitate to home school our child.

Possible reasons below:

    * Ignorance
    * Intimidated by others who criticize you
    * Complicated
    * Takes a lot of your time
    * We would rather pay someone to do it.
    * We haven't heard of someone who made their own child's records and transcripts
    * We don't know where to find help

Now we try to weigh them up with these solutions:

    * To be an educator of your child requires having the right tools and information. As long as we know how to read, write and willing to learn, we can do it.
    * We must not to listen to misleading and intimidating words around us since they don't know how we feel about the importance of educating our child. Knowing that it is our responsibility as parents to provide quality education to your children will move us to go on.
    * We must avail the necessary tools such as videos, audio, books, e-books and coaching programs that cover all the difficult areas of accomplishing your task.
    * Making records and transcripts is easy, fun and simple. Just to give one example is to learn how to record our student's experience on our own Official Home School Transcript, by subject and by year. This can be delightful since we can do it anywhere, anyplace and at our own convenient time. It need not to be formal.
    * Working to earn money to pay for agency demands a lot of our time than the hours we will spend educating our child. Teaching our child will cost us very minimal amount while agencies will cost thousands of dollars.
    * Many parents have been successful in home schooling high school I'm sure we can too. And college love children who were homeschooled.
    * Today coaching program is available. We are not alone to carry the load. We just need to find out where to avail the assistance that we need.

Reading these solutions may still not convince us that we have the capacity to stand as an educator to our child. We may still have the fear and doubts that we will jeopardize our child's college chance. As I said, it is normal to feel that way. But knowing that thousands of parents had been successful and in homeschooling their child, so we can do it too.

I confidently said the above solutions because I learned the information about the total transcript solution. I discovered how to home school high school and stop worrying about how to make home school records and transcripts. I like to share with you what I learned and how I was helped if you visit my website below:

http://www.thehomeschooltranscripts.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milagros_Monette

Writing Science Fiction

2011-10-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

When writing science fiction, the writer has to go further than fiction to the plausibility of science. Science fiction (SF) is theoretically plausible and can be set in a world of the author's creation. The protagonist should struggle but have a fair chance to succeed and overpower the antagonist or antagonists, whether they are visitors from another planet or beings or humans in an alternate or future reality.

To win high accolades for the creative writing, the author should refrain from depicting man as a weakling who can be subjugated or taken as a pet by the aliens. When writing science fiction, the antagonist may be strong, but the story will falter without a worthy protagonist. The futuristic elements of sci-fi are an attractive choice for writing. It makes for great screenplays and novels.

Today writing science fiction is both lucrative and personally satisfying. The readers of sci-fi span age groups young and old and come from diverse parts of the society. Whatever is dealt with in sci-fi should have sound backing in science and technology. Vampires, ghosts, demons and the like may be left out of sci-fi novels because no amount of rationalization is going to give these unearthly creatures an explainable form. They are more aptly suited to fantasy writing. The one thing that makes writing a SF screenplay compelling is the fact that it gives the audience the illusion that what they are viewing is real. Whether the setting is on another planet or the characters are non-human, science and technology can provide a plausible explanation for their existence.

The use of aliens resembling human beings is a commonplace penchant when writing science fiction. The genre is neither religious nor mythical or magical and must not seem absurd, however outlandish the idea may actually initially seem. The integral dependency of sci-fi on believable science sets it apart from other genres. Writing science fiction involves merging fiction and science in the right proportion with clear congruity between the two.

The open-ended universe and the what-if facets of SF draw imaginative crowds.

Anything that is accomplished by human beings is science and what they dream is fiction. In totality, human history was at one time deemed SF. Much of sci-fi writing penned long ago has come to fruition in today's technological world. When writing science fiction, writers have the option to work with or hire a ghostwriter to help create the story and provide feedback.

Contact professional SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS to help write or edit your horror screenplay, novel, or short story.

Just visit our website: http://screenwritersforhire.com/science-fiction-writers/, call / text message John at (716) 579-5984, or EMAIL: Ezine[AT]GhostwritersForHire.Com.

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Definition of Forensic Science

2011-10-13T23:49:00.002-07:00

Forensics is a field of science dedicated to the methodical gathering and analysis of evidence to establish facts that can be presented in a legal proceeding. Though crime scenes and laboratories are perhaps, most often associated with forensics, there is also computer or network forensics, forensic accounting, forensic engineering and forensic psychiatry, among other specialized fields that are today an integral part of forensics. In the United States of America, forensics was a fairly obscure topic for the general public until the double-murder trial of Orenthal James Simpson in 1995. In the historic case that gripped the entire nation, weeks of testimony were heard on DNA blood evidence, shoeprint evidence, fiber evidence and other forensics. Since then, a bevy of forensics-based television shows have regularly topped the ratings, making it a household word.

Those who collect forensic evidence must follow strict procedures to protect the evidence from getting contaminated or destroyed, and must preserve the chain of custody. Since science is unbiased and sound, forensics is considered a very critical part of any investigation. While witnesses may often be mistaken, have credibility issues, hold a stake in the outcome, have fading memories, or even pass away, forensics "tells the same story" no matter how many times it is tested, or how many years have passed.

The field of forensics is so vast that it requires specialists or criminalists at every point of investigation, from tire track analysis, to odontology, to the lands and grooves that make every gun barrel unique. From microscopic evidence and transfer evidence such as fibers and hair, to blood splatter and forensic entomology, there are many fields of specialization within forensic science.

Though forensics deals with circumstantial evidence, it is often widely considered as the best and the most compelling evidence that any prosecution or defense lawyer can have in his or her arsenal. Some people suggest that the public's awareness of forensic science might be potentially compromising to law enforcement, producing educated criminals who might be more apt to try and effect a clean crime scene. Experts generally tend to believe that it is nearly impossible to avoid leaving behind trace evidence at a crime scene, even when extraordinary efforts are made to the contrary.

Forensic Science [http://www.e-ForensicScience.com] provides detailed information on Forensic Science, Forensic Science Degrees, Forensic Science Colleges, Forensic Science Schools and more. Forensic Science is affiliated with Biotechnology Careers [http://www.i-Biotechnology.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Morgan

Writing Science Poetry

2011-10-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

Science poetry or scientific poetry is a specialized poetic genre that makes use of science as its subject. Written by scientists and nonscientists, science poets are generally avid readers and appreciators of science and "science matters." Science poetry may be found in anthologies, in collections, in science fiction magazines that sometimes include poetry, in other magazines and journals. Many science fiction magazines, including online magazines, such as Strange Horizons, often publish science fiction poetry, another form of science poetry. Of course science fiction poetry is a somewhat different genre. Online there is the Science Poetry Center for those interested in science poetry, and for those interested in science fiction poetry The Science Fiction Poetry Association. In addition, there's Science Fiction Poetry Handbook and Ultimate Science Fiction Poetry Guide, all found online. Strange Horizons has published the science fiction poetry of Joanne Merriam, Gary Lehmann and Mike Allen.

As for science poetry, science or scientific poets like science fiction poets may also publish collections of poetry in almost any stylistic format. Science or scientific poets, like other poets, must know the "art and craft" of poetry, and science or scientific poetry appears in all the poetic forms: free verse, blank verse, metrical, rhymed, unrhymed, abstract and concrete, ballad, dramatic monologue, narrative, lyrical, etc. All the poetic devices are in use also, from alliteration to apostrophe to pun to irony and understatement, to every poetic diction, figures of speech and rhythm, etc. Even metaphysical scientific poetry is possible. In his anthology, The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics, editor Timothy Ferris aptly includes a section entitled "The Poetry of Science." Says Ferris in the introduction to this section, "Science (or the 'natural philosophy' from which science evolved) has long provided poets with raw material, inspiring some to praise scientific ideas and others to react against them."

Such greats as Milton, Blake, Wordsworth, Goethe either praised or "excoriated" science and/or a combination of both. This continued into the twentieth century with such poets as Marianne Moore, T. S. Eliot, Robinson Jeffers, Robert Frost and Robert Hayden (e.g. "Full Moon"--"the brilliant challenger of rocket experts") not to mention many of the lesser known poets, who nevertheless maintain a poetic response to scientific matters. Says Ferris, "This is not to say that scientists should try to emulate poets, or that poets should turn proselytes for science....But they need each other, and the world needs both." Included in his anthology along with the best scientific prose/essays are the poets Walt Whitman ("When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"), Gerard Manley Hopkins "("I am Like a Slip of Comet..."), Emily Dickinson ("Arcturus"), Robinson Jeffers ("Star-Swirls"), Richard Ryan ("Galaxy"), James Clerk Maxwell ("Molecular Evolution"), John Updike ("Cosmic Gall"), Diane Ackerman ("Space Shuttle") and others.

Certainly those writing scientific poetry like those writing science fiction need not praise all of science, but science nevertheless the subject matter, and there is often a greater relationship between poetry and science than either poets and/or scientists admit. Creativity and romance can be in both, as can the intellectual and the mathematical. Both can be aesthetic and logical. Or both can be nonaesthetic and nonlogical, depending on the type of science and the type of poetry.

Science poetry takes it subject from scientific measurements to scientific symbols to time & space to biology to chemistry to physics to astronomy to earth science/geology to meteorology to environmental science to computer science to engineering/technical science. It may also take its subject from scientists themselves, from Brahmagypta to Einstein, from Galileo to Annie Cannon. It may speak to specific types of scientists in general as Goethe "True Enough: To the Physicist" in the Ferris anthology. (Subsequent poets mentioned are also from this anthology.)

Science poetry may make use of many forms or any form from lyrical to narrative to sonnet to dramatic monologue to free verse to light verse to haiku to villanelle, from poetry for children or adults or both, for the scientist for the nonscientist or both. John Frederick Nims has written for example, "The Observatory Ode." ("The Universe: We'd like to understand.") There are poems that rhyme, poems that don't rhythme. There's "concrete poetry" such as Annie Dillard's "The Windy Planet" in which the poem in in the shape of a planet, from "pole" to "pole," an inventive poem. "Chaos Theory" even becomes the subject of poetry as in Wallace Stevens' "The Connoisseur of Chaos."

And what of your science and/or scientific poem? Think of all the techniques of poetry and all the techniques of science. What point of view should you use? Third person? First person, a dramatic monologue? Does a star speak? Or the universe itself? Does a sound wave speak? Or a micrometer? Can you personify radio astronomy?

What are the main themes, the rhythms? What figures of speech, metaphors, similes, metaphor, can be derived from science. What is your attitude toward science and these scientific matters?

Read. Revise. Think. Proofread. Revise again. Shall you write of evolution, of the atom, of magnetism? Of quanta, of the galaxies, of the speed of sound, of the speed of light? Of Kepler's laws? Shall you write of the history of science? Of scientific news?

Read all the science you can.

Read all the poetry you can.

You are a poet.

You are a scientist.

What have you to say of the astronomer, the comet, of arcturus, of star-sirls, of galaxies, of molecular evolution, of atomic architecture, of "planck time" to allude to other poetic titles.

What does poetry say to science?

What does science say to poetry?

Susan Shaw is a freelance writer and web content writer. Her articles and web content appear online. Susan Shaw is an affiliate of The Book Store/The Science Library, [http://thebookstore.vstoremarket.com/index.htm] (For The Science Library, put "Science" in their search engine.)

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Top 10 Popular Science Books

2011-10-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

1. Annals of a Former World, by John McPhee

In patient, lyrical prose, McPhee takes the reader on a geologic journey through the United States. This volume was originally published as 4 books; each is centered on a road trip the author took with a geologist, observing the earth next to Eisenhower's great US highways for clues into its geologic past. Annals has this--no borders, idealistic, On the Road for geologists kind of feel (though a bit more grown-up.) I pick up Annals every once in a while when im in a relaxed mood, when im looking for a good example of literary science writing. Highly recommended as a companion for camping trips, if you can fit it into your pack.

2. Surely You're Joking, Mr, Feynman, by Richard Feynman

A string of excerpts from Feynman's life/career, Surely You're Joking is probably the popular science book I have read through the most times, not because it is short, but because it is at once compelling, understated, and full of indispensible scientific concepts. Richard Feynman has an uncanny ability to make physics easily digestible, his lectures are a testament to that and Surely You're Joking is no exception. Feynman's easy prose makes the reader feel like physics is understandable, as if he has laid out a diagram of the universe on his living room floor--no one is an outsider. It's delightful. Feynman's in my 'top 5 people I would give my right pinky finger to meet' category.

3. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

The second heavy volume on the list, A Short History is packed with nearly everything. It takes a look at the science behind a lot of things--beauty, cells, evolution, the universe. Bryson rejects the traditional notion of a 'textbook' with this book, making science seem relevant in our daily lives AND putting this knowledge in the context of the universe--in space and time. Capturing the detailed nooks where science is often concentrated AND eliciting the wonder of the wider perspective is an accomplishment--savor it wherever you can find it. Great in audio book format.

4. The Richness of Life, collection of essays by Stephen Jay Gould

The idiosyncratic Gould has written articles in Natural History and many other science magazines for decades and is one of the most widely read modern science writers. In this collection of articles, Gould's highly intellectual, witty, and pin-accurate prose explains evolutionary theory, racism or baseball with a scientist's eye, but in a way that engages the layman. Gould's dedication to science shows in every piece. Delightful.

5. The Canon, by Natalie Angier

Someone at the New York Times science desk once told me--"Natalie Angier is the queen of metaphor." I have to agree. The Canon is the best example of her witty prose winding the reader through simple scientific questions with difficult answers. In this book, Angier tackles what she has deemed the basic scientific concepts everyone should know: thinking scientifically, probabilities, calibration, physics, evolutionary biology, chemistry, molecular biology, astronomy and geology. Phew. I have to say--this could have been very text-book, but because of her writing style, is masterful. I actually have had many non-scientist friend recommend this to me, which is always a good sign.

6. Universe in a Teacup, by K.C. Cole

Where can you find a book that successfully intertwines the discipline of mathematics, with the concepts of truth and beauty? Universe is just such a book; K.C.'s most popular and in some ways seminal volume. Metaphors she uses pack a punch. Her prose style is somewhat poetic, and in Universe, she proves adept at explain things like chaos or phase transitions are illuminating--not just because you finally understand some science concept that always seem so obscure, but because Cole has also given the you a new way to think about mathematics and the world alongside your new understanding. (Full disclosure--Cole was my academic mentor)

7. The Code Book, by Simon Singh

Packed with information about the history of codes, how to break them, and who figured it all out, this book has a kind-of James Bond appeal. Various scientists and politicians have acted as code-makers and code-breakers from antiquity until modern day, and codes are increasingly important in computer technology and national security. The stories behind the codes are so fascinating i hardly even realized that i was learning about the mathematics of code theory in the process.

8. Enduring Love, by Ian McEwan

Ok, so not everyone would categorize this as a popular science book, but Ill include it anyway. Enduring Love is a fiction book, partially written from the perspective of a former scientist, but more importantly, it is a suspenseful story that lets the author's attitudes towards life bleed through each and every page. Ian McEwan is a well-know rationalist who believes that science is just as much a part of culture as anything else--a position with which I very much empathize. This is a literary tale, sure, but McEwan manages to mention scientific ideas all over the place, integrating science and its ways of thinking into the lives of his complex characters and slowly revealing situations. It's a page-turner.

9. The Double Helix, by James Watson

Though scientist James Watson doesn't have a Stephen Jay Gould command of language and metaphor, The Double Helix still stands as an absolutely riveting account of the series of events that lead up to the discovery of DNA's structure. In the book, scientists Watson, Crick, Maurice Wilkens, and Rosalind Franklin become fascinating characters in a race to figure out what DNA looks like at a molecular level. Each has their own motivations. Each has their own complications. All but Franklin eventually received a Nobel Prize for this work (she died before the award could include her.) A quick, easy read.

10. In the Shadow of Man, by Jane Goodall

A classic book--easy read, no jargon. Goodall's observations of chimpanzee's in the wild first brought to light one of man's most recent ancestors--the chimpanzee. This book chronicles some of Goodall's groundbreaking research through her own observations about chimp behavior. Once immersed in the book, I couldn't help but think--we are all just apes, evolved from or related to one another. Puts things in perspective.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Casey_Rentz

Biology, Science and Nature Books

2011-10-13T23:45:00.001-07:00

Astronomy and Cosmology

Cosmology is the name given to a range of natural sciences, including both physics and astronomy that intends to provide an explanation for how the universe works as an integrated entity. Over the centuries, since the Pythagoreans in Greece during the 6th century BC considered the possibility that Earth was spherical, cosmology has come a long way and has integrated a variety of different fields of science.

Cosmology evolved from the observation of these Greeks who interpreted the natural laws of the heavenly bodies from which, eventually, the Ptolemaic model developed during the second century AD. Centuries later, during the 16th century, the Copernican system further developed the theories surrounding astronomy and cosmology - followed, in the 20th century, by the theories of special relativity and Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Overall, however, the case for cosmology states that the laws of physics work the same everywhere and that there is homogeneity throughout the universe.

'The Holographic Universe', written by Michael Talbot, tells its story in two parts: the first part devotes 55 pages to discussing David Bohm's holographic model of the universe - simplified into everyday language by Talbot. The second part of the book delves into events of the paranormal while, at the same time, attempting to rationalise the holographic model. Talbot introduces the reader to Karl Pribram as well as the philosophies of David Bohm.

Chemistry

Chemistry and biochemistry often go hand-in-hand, existing in parallel with other scientific disciplines such as dietetics [the science of food]. McCance and Widdowson, who produce 'The Composition of Foods' summarises food composition tables and updates much in the way of nutrition as a science. The foreword to the 6th edition has been written by Sir John Krebs while the actual volume itself provides an invaluable source of reference to dieticians and nutritionists the world over.

Meanwhile,'Principles of Biochemistry' by Nelson D has been described as a 'modern approach to biochemistry'. Personally, one of the best biochemistry books I have ever encountered was that written by Patterson - now, sadly, long since out of print. I attribute my successful pass in the biochemistry exams to the presence of Patterson which, by the time I had finished with it, was particularly dog-eared! Nelson D's 'Principles of Biochemistry' really is the next best thing to Patterson and a worthy successor.

Earth Sciences and Geography

Earth sciences are a catch-all term covering a different range of natural sciences from those mentioned above. These relate to the study of the earth and how different parts of it are interlinked to produce that homogenous whole that is the classic feature of the scientific world. If you are interested in the world around you then you may be interested in a lovely book by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. This book 'The Cloud Collector's Handbook' is full of charming pictures, below which you will find a short description of each cloud and space for you to record your own sightings. It certainly gives a new connotation to having your head in the clouds!

Education

If you think about it, there is all the difference in the world between someone who loves school and somebody who loves to learn: it doesn't necessarily follow that, if you love to learn, then you must enjoy school. Education, however, is all about learning for the sheer pleasure of gaining new information. This learning may or may not be associated with school: it can even cover any subject. Evidence of this can be seen in Richard Dawkins' book 'The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution'.

Dawkins goes about educating his readers, explaining to them how fossils can be dated accurately, all about plate tectonics etc, before going into the details of how these may be linked with the global distribution of plants and animals and the effects changes in these physical elements can have on them. Dawkins, whilst making it clear that he is aware [and who could not be?] of the great debate on creation v evolution, doesn't get drawn into the minutiae surrounding this eternal dispute.

Engineering and Technology

One book that I simply have to recommend is a fantastic book written by Jo Marchant. You will find it in our Science and Nature section under the heading of Engineering and Technology. The first thing to say is that this is not some dry and boring technical tome. This book relates the story behind a particularly ancient Greek artefact and what it took to decode its hidden mysteries. The book is called 'Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer'. I wish Jo Marchant had found a more intriguing title for her book because this title really doesn't do this book justice.

The book relates the story of the Antikythera Mechanism which has been shown to have amazing capabilities as an astronomical calculator: scientists believe its complexity was at least 1500 years before its time. The Antikythera Mechanism artifact is a good 2,000 years old and was found during a dive in 1901. Scientists have been attempting to unravel its secrets ever since. So, if it's a true-life mystery you are interested, or a book that's a bit different I would strongly recommend this well-written and interesting book of Jo Marchant's.

There are innumerable other sub-genres to be found within our Science and Nature section, covering quite an array of subjects. If you are a fan of the border collie, Barbara Sykes writes a delightful treatise on 'Understanding Border Collies'. This is an excellent book written by somebody who really does understand the intricacies that go to make up this breed of dog and is an absolute 'must have' for all the lovers of border collies out there. Changing from dogs to elephants, I would certainly recommend 'The Elephant Whisperer: Learning about Life, Loyalty and Freedom from a Remarkable Herd of Elephants' - it will really pull on your heartstrings then have you howling with laughter! Check out all the other options within this section - you will probably amaze yourself at the treasure trove of titles hidden within our web pages!

Books on science and nature.

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Science That Is Fun for Kids

2011-10-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

Science is an exciting subject for kids. Things have died down in the last couple of years because of videos games, computers and the internet. But there is still a lot of fun experiments and activities kids will love to do. Some of these kits or experiments are cheap, affordable or don't cost any money at all. The best thing science will go is getting your kids away from the computers and out learning something new.

Chemistry

Chemistry is an interesting subject in science. It deals with chemical reactions and the study of changes it undergoes. Chemistry Kits are a great way to break the ice in this subject. They usually consist of safe to use chemicals, breakers, test tubes and even litmus paper. These small kits will also come with instruction of easy experiments your kids can do.

Biology

Biology is the study of life and the slow but interesting process it goes through. With some butterfly nets, microscopes and hydroponics lab you can start exploring the wonders of Biology. The most exciting part of Biology is getting a microscope and seeing what different specimens look like up close. There are things you will see that you would never think of. Even planting a plant and watching it change through the weeks can give your kid an idea on what type of work goes into every living thing.

Physics

Physics is a study of the motion of objects. There are some really interesting things your kid can do with physics. Radiometers, static electricity and solar energy are some of the starting places in this science category. These kits come ready to go equipment and all come with instructions to demonstrate how all of these functions work.

Laboratory Supplies

Maybe you want to create or explore your own science experiments. You can just jump in and start building your own science project. Grab some batteries, test tubes, beakers anything you can think of and start putting them together. Your kid will have a fun time creating something they want to build. Maybe they want to make a volcano erupt or just create an electrical circuit. Anything they want to do can be done using various science supplies.

These are just some of the science categories that kids are studying in school. A great way for kids to learn is to study and experiment the different areas of science. Getting your kid excited for science now will only help them in the future.

Genesis Scientific is a locally owned Science Equipment Store located in Orem, Utah. It has been supplying Utah Country's Education for over 5 years.

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The Science of Podcasting

2011-10-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

Creating a podcast might seem like smoke and mirrors or some form of mystic art. But there is a great deal of science involved. A basic process that anyone can follow to be successful. A repeatable process with a guaranteed result.

So what is the science of podcasting?

Well, actually there are four separate elements that form the science portion of podcasting.

1. The tools you require.

You could if you wish, trick out a complete audio recording studio in which to record your podcast. Or rent one if you prefer that alternative. But it really isn't necessary. All you require is a headset, a computer and audio editing software. The former can be obtained for less than $10. And Audacity is one of the best versions of the latter -- and it's free. As for the computer literally anything will do from a basic netbook to an ultra powerful desktop gaming system.

2. The process you need to follow.

One of the cornerstones of science is a repeatable process. Producing a quality podcast also requires a repeatable process. Generally there is a four step process involved in producing podcasts. This is just a subset of the standard learning content process. Since podcasts are marketing products, we will use the same target audience, solution and system as every other product in the product line. As a result the process begins with the planning of the podcasts (part of the product line planning).

3. How to record a podcast.

While the performance of the podcast content is part of the art of podcasting, the actual recording is part of the science. You could record it using high quality microphones and a mixing board. But really all you require is the headset and software mentioned above. Making the actual recording is simply a matter of putting on the headset, setting the recording levels and making the recording. However, you should record the level settings and how you adjusted your microphone. Why? Because by doing so you can ensure that the recording level of your podcast is uniform for all your podcasts.

4. How to edit a podcast.

The editing process consists of using Audacity or a similar audio editing tool. Errors should be removed -- within reason -- and the entire podcast brought within the required time length. Once the errors and dead air have been removed, you can begin to correct any sound quality issues. The frequency can be adjusted for example to provide depth to the individual's voice. Once the podcast content is acceptable, you need to add the packaging. This is the added musical content during the opening and closing credits and between columns.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

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Fun Exploding Science Experiments

2011-10-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to attract your child's attention and get them interested in science is to demonstrate some fun exploding science experiments! Showing them a great explosion and then explaining to them why it happened, and how it can be recreated will create a curiosity for learning, and will show your child that science experiments can be a lot of fun! Do any of these fun exploding science experiments in your home, and let the learning begin!

Pseudo Explosion

To get started with your fun exploding science experiments, try one that doesn't really explode, as the sound may scare your child at first. Putting dry ice into some warm water produces gas and water vapor so rapidly that it is visible. It gives an eerie smoky effect. You can usually buy dry ice at an ice cream store. Teach your child not to hold the dry ice, as it is usually cold enough to hurt them. Demonstrate how this kind of ice is different from regular ice because it doesn't melt into a liquid, it just evaporates into the air. That is because it isn't made out of water, but of carbon dioxide.

Pretend to concoct secret potions with your dry ice, and watch it bubble over water. This experiment is best to teach right before Halloween so you and your child can come up with color ideas for water. Place differently colored jars of water around your lawn or front porch and drop in some dry ice. This will create a spooky effect around your home, perfect for the scary holiday!

Soda Fountain

One of the most famous fun exploding science experiments is the soda fountain. Explain to your child how soda is filled with carbon dioxide gas that is connected to the liquid of the soda. When you drop in a whole roll of Mentos candy into the soda, the tiny holes in the candy reacts with the carbon dioxide in the soda, forcing the gas up and out of the bottle. Place a liter of soda in the middle of your garden and have your kids get ready to dance around the fountain. Drop in the roll of Mentos candies and watch it work! While it isn't a huge explosion, it's a lot of fun!

Bag Burst

This fun exploding science experiment uses the same principles used by the classic erupting volcano science fair project. Take a two tablespoons of baking soda and wrap it up in some tissue paper. Then grab a zip lock bag and put in half a cup of warm water followed by a cup of vinegar. Zip the bag up partially then put it in the center of your garden, put in the tissue with baking soda and zip the bag up the rest of the way. Stand back, because the bag will expand till it explodes!

The bag explodes because once the baking soda an vinegar interact, they produce carbon dioxide gas which fills the bag until the only way out is for it to explode! As we can see, carbon dioxide was used in all these fun exploding science experiments. To make this a true day of learning, try to figure out what it is about carbon dioxide that allows it to do any of the three experiments just discussed!

If your child sees science as boring and difficult, spark their interest and imagination by making science fun! There are tons of easy experiments you can do at home to help your child understand and love the amazing world of science! Check it out now at Amazing Science Discovery!

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Best Science Fiction Novels in Modern Times

2011-10-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Science fiction is a genre of movie making and novels that is surely alive and well. Few people walking around have not watched an episode of Star Trek, read or watched Harry Potter, or headed to the movie theater to watch Terminator or one of The Matrix movies. While the movies are great, nothing beats settling back with a book and letting the mind create the visuals we imagine instead of someone else's vision.

Harry Potter - Yes, the movies are fantastic, but the books are where the true pleasures lie with this series. There are plenty of sci-fi series novels, but few of them are as well constructed as the Harry Potter books. Rowling has often stated she knew exactly where this series was going from the moment she took pen to paper, and anyone who has read the entire series would be hard pressed to argue that very fact.

Oryx and Crake - A great tale about how the corporate world's greed could lead to an apocalypse. Anyone who has ever wondered what goes on those laboratories will enjoy this book. It taps into modern times and tells a tale that could be all too real. Few readers have put this book down without asking themselves quite a few questions about where our world is headed.

Rainbows End - Anyone having wondered what the future holds in terms of medical marvels will love this book. Imagine being regarded as a brilliant mind only to suffer from a debilitating disease. Now imagine the world finds a cure but that once brilliant mind is now regarded as average. Instead of having everyone marvel at your intelligence, you merely struggle to keep up with everyone else. The book makes a lot of assumptions about where today's technology is going but definitely evokes plenty of questions by the time the last page is turned.

Time Traveler's Wife - An incredible concept that was taken to incredible levels in the book. The movie was very good, the novel was great. Imagine having a condition that literally has you jumping from decade to decade, year to year, or century to century at any given time. On the other side is the person who has given you their heart, never knowing when you will disappear or how and if you will come back to them. If you enjoyed the movie, the book will take you to places only touched upon by the film. A truly great read.

As kids, many of our nightstands had the latest science fiction novel sitting on it dog-eared and ready for us to enjoy every night. While there are just a few of our favorite science fiction novels, you can see a complete selection at DigitalScienceFiction.com.

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Wonders of Modern Science

2011-10-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

We live in the age of science. The role of science cannot be described in a word. We can see the wonders of science around us. It has made our life easy and comfortable. We cannot think of our modern life without science.

Such an example of modern science is Internet Modem (Modulator Demodulator). It's a great wonders of modern science. It's a special device which connects to a computer and allows the device to connect to the internet. Being the inhabitant of this remote area it's a dream for most of the people to get the broadband internet. But modem has made it possible to get connected with the whole world!

Due to the blessing of modern science various mobile phone companies are now providing this wireless internet service at a specific rate all over our country. Thus they have already made 80% people connected with each other. People are running to the cyber cafe with this mobile internet or Modem. Now students from any remote area can get their examination result from internet as well as can share their joys and sorrows all over the world. Now we can talk free with the help of Skype, Google talk etc to the other countries with the help of internet. Modem becomes very popular among all the people.

Again WiMAX (Worldwide Inter Operability for Microwave Access) is a technology of 4th generation which is conducted by 300 operators in 110 countries. If WiMAX becomes available in developing countries then farmers from any remote area to service holders, students will be connected with the whole country as well as whole world also. If we add a special device with our computer and there is a WiMAX BTS tower then any one can get connected with WiMAX. Monthly charge is 10 US $ for 12 hours. Its speed will be 128 kbps. We will also get other advantages from WiMAX such as- IP phone service( for unlimited call), Vehicle's situation detecting system, IP multimedia sub-system, IP TV, WiMAX radio, Cable TV channel, Live TV, Time shifted TV, Corporate IP PBX, ATM connection, POS etc.

So, life and science are interconnected with each other. Due to the blessing of science our life become more easy, beautiful and also dynamic. New discoveries of science gave a new dimension in our life. It is impossible to pass a single moment without science in this changing world.

But now-a-days we can see that modern scientific inventions are confined to a specific region or country. For this reason poor countries are becoming poorer and rich countries are becoming richer. Developing countries are always depriving of using the modern scientific equipments and technology. It can never make a better world. When science will reach to the door to door of all kinds of people, it would be more equitable and sustainable for them.

Dhiman Gain

Uses And Importance Of Computers

2011-10-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Things are changing rapidly as the world is progressing. In this modern world people are using machines to do their work. Computer is the most important and advanced machine in the world that is efficient, fast to use and a multitask machine .Computers are used in all the aspect of life, in research, teaching, accounting and as a tool of entertainment.

In the ancient years one machine was used to perform only one that slowly down the companies' production that's generating low income which contributes to unemployment. In the modern world computer is an importance tool especially in the business world. Huge amount of business time is saved due to the multitasking and the efficiency of the computer. In the business term time is money, so by saving time you are contributing to the growth of the company.

A computer can be used in the aspects of the world. In the medical field computers is used to diagnoses dangerous diseases and provide a solution in its prevention and its cure. In the manufacturing world advanced techniques are used with the help of a computer in manufacturing products whereas in the teaching world a computer is used by both the teachers and students in solving complex problem in their studies and as useful tool for research purposes. Most people become very dependent on the computer on which their work cannot survive the today's world without the use computer. Unlike all the other fields, the musical industry relies on this machine very much as almost all the musical track is made and released with the help of a computer.

Because of all the conveniences and comforts that the computer has given to the humans, almost all of their tasks have been simplified to a great extent. It's easy and faster to communication with people overseas as the computers with the help of internet has broken the barriers of communication, shorten the distances and lowered the cost as its easy through the help of internet installed in computer.

In this growing world a lot of people want their work to be done accurately and quickly. Computers have a source of employment to many individuals as most of the companies departments are dedicated to information technology. Many people fear that through the invention of computers manual work for example typing,posting of letters and manufacturing of files have led to unemployment has all this work has been taken over by one machine. This is not the case because new technology needs the continuous advance of new machines, data feeding equipment and electronic instruments, with this advancement and production its requires more and more people to carry out the job. In conclusion, computers have proved to be a good source of employment in both the commercial and the business world.

Mercy Kazira is a renowned article writer,blog commenter and a creative ghost writer. she has been working in this professionalism for about three years.In her work she has been able to place a mark of excellence in various article projects she has been able to execute.

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Fourth Generation of Computers

2011-10-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

The fourth generation of computers began around 1975 and lasted until around 1985. It recognizes that period of computer history when the integrated circuit chip evolved into the microprocessor, a "computer on a chip." As a result, the first functional desktop computers came into being, beginning with the hobbyist DIY experimental models, such as the Altair 8800 mail-order kit, and progressing to the early commercial models such as the Commodore and the Tandy TRS-80. The period marks the successful introduction and mass production of the early desktop models of the IBM PC, its several clones, and the Apple Macintosh.

A star of the previous generation of computers had been the 1960s Control Data CD 1604 computer. In order to process data it had some 25,000 transistors and 100,000 diodes among thousands of resistors and capacitors, all individually wired together.

The microprocessor was in route to do all the things the CD 1604 did on one chip. It had its birth when researchers at Intel integrated all the processing functions of arithmetic, logic, and control together onto one chip through a process of photolithography.

The CPU read the data and instructions that came in as bytes of 8-bit code. The reading involved performing arithmetic and logic calculations on the code. The resulting data and instructions further allowed control functions to order the code into various streams of data that were written or received as graphics output on a monitor.

The integrated microprocessor chip became known as the central processing unit -- the CPU -- or the "brains" of the model computer. Its entrance heightened the earlier 1958-1959 inventions of the integrated circuit chip by Jack Kilby, at Texas Instruments, and Robert Noyce, then at Fairchild Semiconductor. These two engineers had independently miniaturized the transistor and created the IC chip as a solid-state piece of silicon (or germanium). Their discoveries had essentially brought in the new age of solid-state electronics.

Kilby received the Nobel Prize for the IC chip while Noyce continued its development as founder of the Intel Corporation. Meanwhile, the solid state miniaturization of electronic components immediately pushed technology into new bounds of advances in space, defense and consumer projects. By the 1970s, large-scale integration (LSI) of tens of thousands of transistors on one chip would eventually lead to very-large-scale integration (VLSI) with millions and, then, billions of transistors per chip after the turn of the century.

Under Noyce, Intel released the first CPU-status microprocessor, the 4004, November 15, 1971. The company also developed the first random access memory chip, the RAM chip, to provide temporary storage for the CPU. The 4004 could process 60,000 (60K) instructions per second. It was not until Intel produced the 8-bit 8080 microprocessor, April 1974, that the desktop revolution really began to bloom.

The 8080 had some 6,000 transistors miniaturized by photolithography onto one microprocessor chip. It had a clock speed of 2 MHz, and it could process several hundred thousand instructions per second.

Soon, hobbyists were ordering the MITS Altair 8800, a bare-knuckles computer using the 8080 microprocessor, after it was advertised on the 1975 cover of Popular Electronics. An interpreter unit of the BASIC programming language to boot and instruct the computer had been designed by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

In 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer, Inc to begin experiments with their first computer models. They used the Z80 microprocessor as a CPU. The two founders began to mass produce their Apple II microcomputer in 1977.

Xerox, Inc. was an important experimenter in the early desktop technologies. By the mid-1970s, Xerox had put together a desktop version of a minicomputer system called the Alto, at their Palo Alto Research Center. Xerox had done much research in using graphics. All the early desktop models used command line controls where the user would type in a line of instruction at the command prompt. Early desktop makers such as Steve Jobs visited Xerox PARC and received ideas on graphics user interfaces and the mouse.

Other third generation of computer milestones include the advent of the IBM PC, with an operating system from Microsoft, and the 1984 introduction of the Apple Macintosh. IBM released the first version of its IBM PC August 1981. By 1982, it was shipping with MS-DOS as the operating system. The next advance model was the IBM PC/AT released August 1984, based on the Intel 16-bit 80286 CPU, with 134,000 transistors. This CPU could reach a speed of 8Mhz. Many clones were produced based on the IBM-PC models, notably from Compac.

With distinctive flair, during a Super Bowl XVIII commercial, January 22, 1984, Apple released the Macintosh desktop computer. Setting the Apple trademark, the Macintosh became known for its engaging graphics capabilities. The system, with a Motorola 16-bit 68k CPU, was proprietary and could not be cloned.

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Teaching Tips - Fun Science Experiments

2011-10-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Science teachers know that children believe there to be no fun science experiments. This of course is not true, but children continue believing so anyway. Perhaps it is because teachers have a difficult time getting through to their students, and showing them how fun and fascinating science can be. As a teacher, you have to understand that children have a certain attention span, and you have to catch them in that time or they can be lost to you for the rest of the period. Here are some teaching tips on how to get your students convinced that there are fun science experiments out there!

1. Research

The very first tip towards fun science experiments, of course is to find some fun science experiments! The Internet is an amazing resource, and you can find many easy and low cost experiment ideas which can be really fun for you and your class to do. Find an experiment that is fun, relevant to what you're teaching, and pretty simple. The simpler you can demonstrate a concept, the more likely your students are going to understand it.

2. Give a Class Overview Before the Lecture

Before beginning each lecture class, whether or not there will be a laboratory activity involved, tell your students what you are going to discuss for the day. Include in your class overview the fun science experiments you have lined up to help them learn the day's science lesson. Telling your students beforehand that there will be a fun part in the day's lesson will keep them attentive with anticipation. If you tell them that after explaining a concept, you will produce lightning in a jar, they are likely to stay tuned to what you have to say.

3. Appeal to Their Interests

Find a way to bridge what you need to discuss with something they will want to discuss or do. For example, declare on day as "tattoo" day. Give them a discussion on photosynthesis, how plants get color, change color, and how dye can be extracted from plant flowers and leaves. Then, open with one of the fun science projects related to plants. You can say that you will be making your own henna, and they are welcome to take the last fifteen minutes of class to create tattoos on their hands and arms. Henna tattoos are hip, and most young kids enjoy them. In this manner you were able to show your students a fun science experiment that is directly related to their lesson.

4. Call on Someone Popular

This is an age old trick, but it always works. As a teacher, you probably more or less know who the popular or well liked kids are. When you have one of your fun science experiments lined up for the class activity, call on one of the popular students to help you demonstrate or do the experiment. This will catch the attention of the rest of the class because they will want to see how well the popular kid will be able to do.

5. Learn to Be Goofy and Messy

This is something that works no matter what your subject is. If you can goof off in front of your students and learn to laugh at yourself, they are likely to enjoy your classes, and pay attention. Adding humor into your fun science experiments or not minding how big a mess you create can appeal to some students. Even if they think you're a total goof ball, at the end of the day you would have achieved you goal of teaching them a science concept, and making sure that they understand it well!

Need more tips? Or maybe specific experiments that can be done quickly in class? Check out Amazing Science Discovery for some great ideas and step by step information!

By Gabrielle_Hunter

Teaching and Learning Modern Foreign Languages in the United Kingdom - Statutory and Non - Statutory

2011-10-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

The National Curriculum for Modern foreign languages was updated in 1999, and aims towards giving "teachers, pupils, parents, employers and the wider community a clear and shared understanding of the skills and knowledge that young people will gain at school" (National curriculum, 2003:3).

The structure of the National Curriculum enables teachers to use this working document in order to inform their long-term, mid-term and short term planning. Amongst general guidelines, it contains a Programme of Study defined in the 1996 Education Act as "the matters, skills and processes that should be taught to pupils of different abilities and maturities during the key stage."(National Curriculum, 2003:6) Modern Languages Departments have the responsibility to decide on how they want this programme to be implemented, and this has to be detailed in their schemes of work for the various year groups.

The Programme of study features five mains strands to address in Key stage 3 and 4: students should acquire knowledge and understanding of the target language, develop languages skills, develop language-learning skills, develop cultural awareness and have a breadth of study. These strands are sub-divided in more specific points, which are no longer topic based, such as "pupils should be taught the principle of interrelationship of sounds and writing in the target language" ( National Curriculum, 2003:16).

The National Curriculum also includes attainment targets and level descriptors which should help to assess the performance of students uniformly across the country. The 1996 Education Act, section 353a, defines the attainment target for Modern Foreign Languages as the "knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils of different abilities and maturities are expected to have by the end of each key stage". Attainment targets across the curriculum consist of eight level descriptors, which describe the range of abilities and knowledge that students should have when they reach that level. For all the core subjects started in primary school, students have already been assessed using these levels; therefore, secondary schools are provided with prior data for each student new to a school. However, as languages are not statutory in primary school, secondary Modern Foreign Languages teachers are not provided with any information concerning students' prior learning. This implies that in Year 7 students are in mixed ability groups, amongst which some students have already practised languages, and some other have had no connection with a foreign language. Planning the lessons to suit the needs and skills of each individual student within the group is extremely difficult to achieve.

The National Curriculum promotes cross- curricular teaching and learning in various areas such as spiritual, moral and social and cultural development, key skills and thinking skills. It stresses the importance of the National Literacy strategy, a statutory strategy across the curriculum since 2000, as "Pupils should be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and appropriately and to read accurately and with understanding" (Literacy Strategy, 37:2000). Literacy has to be part of a whole school approach, and roles and responsibilities are clearly dispatched throughout the staff. The task of the director of learning is to monitor that the policy is implemented, in each department, and he gives guidance to all the staff as how to teach literacy. Each department is expected to identify literacy skills to focus on, in their department and include suitable strategies in the schemes of work. Indeed, Modern Foreign Languages are directly linked with literacy skills, as pupils are taught a foreign language, mainly through their knowledge of their native language. Besides, Hawkins suggests (1996: 21) that "one of the most effective ways of understanding the structure of a language is to compare it with the structure of another language".

Schools have the obligation to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all their students. This is one of the key general teaching requirements in England. All students must have equal learning opportunities. There are three main principles for inclusion that teachers need to remember when planning their lessons: setting suitable learning challenge, responding to pupils' varied learning needs, and providing manageable assessments. Every child has to be treated as an individual, with his pace, needs and desire.

Researches have shown that "subject choice differs in single sex schools from that in mixed schools, and this may relate to boys' perceived susceptibility to peer pressure... in single sex setting, boys were more keen on languages than in their counterparts in mixed-sex schools" (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 133). If the boys are often achieving well in Year 7 and 8 in languages, it seems that they become disaffected in favour of subjects seen as more masculine, like sciences, from Year 9 onwards. Boys are usually more participating orally, during a lesson. The National Curriculum states that "to ensure that they meet the full range of pupils' needs, teachers should be aware of the requirements of the equal opportunities legislation, that covers race, gender, and disability" (National Curriculum, 2003: 21). The laws states that teachers should know about are The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975, The Race Relation Act, 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995.

On the web site "Teacher Net" regarding equal opportunities and education it is said that "Schools must broaden the opportunities for all pupils to reach their individual potential. The objective is not equality in the absolute sense of everybody achieving the same, but the removal of what are often referred to as "barriers" to educational success."

II. 2. The National Strategy for England; Languages for all: Languages for life

II.2.a. Rationale

"In the knowledge society of the 21st century, language competence and intercultural understanding are not optional extras; they are an essential part of being a citizen. For too long we have lagged behind as a nation in our capability to contribute fully as multi-lingual and culturally aware citizens. Likewise, in the global economy too few employees have the necessary skills to be able to engage fully in international business, and too few employers support their employees in gaining additional language skills as part of their jobs" (Dfes, 2002:5). This statement made by the Department for Education and Skills certifies their knowledge and understanding of their countries rocky relationship with Modern Foreign Languages. Their answer to this issue is "The National Strategy for England; Languages for All: languages for life" was published on the 18th of December 2002. This document sets out the Government's plans to transform the countries abilities and views about languages.

The Nuffield Languages Inquiry, ordered by the Government in 1999, has established, as explained earlier, that the Government did not have a coherent approach to languages, and that there was no continuity in the initiatives concerning Modern Foreign Languages from primary school to university.

It is to address this issue and several others raised in the Nuffield Inquiry Final Report that the Government published primarily a Green Paper 14-19 entitled "Languages Learning: Extending opportunity, raising standards" in February 2002. This Green Paper lays the foundations to the National Languages Strategy published later that year. The proposals in this text focus on various concerns that the Government proposes to work upon; entitle students in primary school to study a language by 2012, increase the number of Languages Colleges, augment the number of people studying languages in further and higher education, increase the number of persons teaching languages, and work towards recognition of languages by society in England.

II.2.b Aims and strategies

The audit that the Government made in December 2002 embraces many issues and is extremely straightforward. They are fully aware of the crisis that languages have undergone in the previous 30 years. Their purpose is to change the perception that the nation has about languages and they are conscious that this will not be an easy challenge.
They decided to focus on creating an entitlement to languages for all pupils at Key Stage 2. "Every child should have the opportunity throughout Key Stage 2 to study a language and develop their interest in culture of other nations. They should have access to high quality teaching and learning opportunities, making use of native speakers and e-learning. By age 11 they should have the opportunity to reach a recognised level of competence in the Common European Framework and for that achievement to be recognised through a national scheme." (Dfes, 2002:15). This involves many constraints which are already listed in the National Strategy, but the Government also suggests pathways to achieve this long term project, which should be operational nationally by 2012. To deliver these lessons, primary school teachers who show interest in Modern Foreign Languages will be trained.

Furthermore, incentives will be given for language specialists to train for the primary level. Schools could also share a specialist teacher within a catchment's area. Furthermore, the Government advises to use members of the wider community demonstrating abilities in languages, and train them to teach at Key Stage 2 level. Specialist Languages Colleges should share best practice with their primary school colleagues, by doing outreach work. As the results obtained for National examination by students' attending Specialist Languages School prove to have improved tremendously, the National Strategy advocates increasing the number of schools having this Specialist status from 157 in 2002 to 200 by 2005. This also means that these schools, as they offer a varied range of languages have more staff within their Modern Foreign Languages department. One of the consequences which, is directly linked to the Strategy is that these schools are able to offer their competences to the local community. This can improve the perspective that a whole area has about languages.

Likewise, Advanced Skills Teachers are teachers who have been identified by Local Education Authorities, as outstanding professional within their specialist subjects will be involved in helping primary schools colleagues. Their role consists already in providing support to schools where either the exam results are very low, or in departments undergoing structural difficulties.

In order to increase the number of students taking up languages after 16, the Government insists on improving teaching and learning at KS3 and KS4. Students need to develop better abilities, and achieve better in order to be willing to carry on studying a language at a higher level. The curriculum needs to be increasingly flexible and the range of routes for learning language during the 14-19 phase should expand. The decrease in the number of pupils studying one language or more at A level has obviously had an impact on the provision for languages at universities. However, the National Strategy puts on emphasis on new courses offered which are joined degrees in a language and a more practical skill. Sixty new degrees which embed a language and business, management or tourism have been developed in the past few years. The objective of this specific part of the National Strategy tailors to the needs expressed by industries. Indeed, professionals admit that they lack of competent linguists on their rolls. Often, the proficiency that employees have, does not allow them to carry out a business conversation with a potential European partner. Some companies even admitted that they lost some business opportunities due to the incompetence of their staff in languages.

To motivate adults and to give credit to people for their languages skills, the Government wants to develop a national, voluntary recognition system, to supplement existing qualifications. They plan for the general public to be able to self-assess and record their achievements by using ICT. The Nuffield Feasibility Study commissioned in 2001 suggested the development of "Learning Ladder for Languages" which could be used to recognise and define language proficiency. However, there would be a possibility to take a test for people who would like to gain a certification.

II.2.c. Languages at Key Stage 4

The Green Paper "Languages Learning: Extending opportunity, raising standards" takes also a route that seems to be contradicting all the other educational reforms proposed to improve the status of languages in the United Kingdom within this specific document. "We do intend to amend the statutory requirements at Key Stage 4 so that schools will no longer be required to teach Modern Foreign Languages to all pupils. All schools will be required to ensure as a minimum that they are available to any pupil wishing to study them" (Dfes, 2002: 26).

This statement was the first step in which the Government revealed its intention. It was followed by the creation of a Working Group for 14-19 Reform, chaired by Sir Mike Tomlison. A final report was published in October 2004. The Working Group set out a whole new vision for the future of languages learning in Britain, starting the learning process early, by teaching Modern Foreign Languages at Key Stage 2 and entitling students to more flexibility and choice, especially for the 14 to 19 years old.

This decision implies that Modern Foreign Languages becomes a requirement as schools have to cater for each individual student, but also an option. All students in the United Kingdom are given the opportunity to decide in Year 9 whether they want to carry on studying a language. It is not longer a core subject alongside Maths, Science, and English. The status that Modern Foreign Languages had since the 1996 reform "Languages for All" has been completely transformed. This governmental decision has had a huge impact on the Modern Foreign Languages teachers' community.

The Government is prone to develop the vocational strand of education, and for students to undertake work related learning during Key Stage 4. Modern Foreign Languages are also part of this process, as some new qualifications are developed and currently tested in pilot school. An alternative to the traditional GCSE French is worked upon by the examining body Edexcel. This new generation exam is called GCSE in applied French. The objective of this qualification is to enable students to develop skills which can be applied to professional context such as business, tourism, media and communication. Students are assessed by sitting external examination, which are mainly ICT based. There are 60 pilot schools across the United Kingdom testing this revolutionary exam, and the first formal examination will take place in 2006.

II.2.d. Implementation

Most of the aspects of the National Strategy for Languages are an on-going process that should have reached its climax by 2012, when all primary schools will be expected to provide languages lessons to their pupils. However, in order to launch this Strategy the Government invested £1.2 million to start a Modern Foreign Languages pilot. This was to provide a Framework of teaching objectives and guidance, training and network meeting. An additional investment of £10 million was planned by 2005/2006 to sustain the Strategy. The funding is to be allocated to introduce the primary school entitlement, to increase of the number of Modern Foreign Languages teachers, to provide staff training and development, to promote best practice and to develop international partnerships.

A National Director for Languages was appointed to overview, expand and deliver the Strategy. The Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research lead by Dr Lid King plays also a major role in the implementation of the Strategy. Their knowledge of the evolution of the educational system and also their link with professional makes them a valuable source of information and advice. Local Education Authorities should support the Government in the application of the Strategy. They are closer to schools and communities and are able to obtain more easily feedback about how the decisions are perceived and implemented.

The success of the "Languages for All: Languages for Life; a Strategy for England" is to be measured against a set of outcomes amongst which, whether the needs of businesses are met, and whether the standards of teaching are better at all Key Stages. Other factors that will validate the fulfillment of the scheme are the increase of the demands for adults' language learning, the flexibility of the routes into learning a Modern Foreign Language, and more importantly the quality of the entitlement provided at Key Stage 2.

II. 3. Framework for Teaching Modern Foreign Languages: Years 7, 8 and 9

The Framework for Teaching Modern Foreign Languages is designed to support most languages taught at Key Stage 3. It is built on a similar pattern to the framework for Primary Schools, which is a recent scheme to enhance the level of achievement of students in English at Primary School level by creating a Literacy hour. This Hour consists in teaching the whole class for 75% of the time, and is shared in 10 minutes of reviewing, consolidating and introducing new objectives, 15 minutes of work on the word level, and 15 minutes on reading and writing. The remaining 25% of the time is dedicated to group work on guided tasks or independent work. The lesson ends up by a plenary session which is included in the time dedicated to the whole class work. This way of managing time appears to set a routine and makes it easier for pupils to make the transition from one year group to the next. A similar framework exists for English at Key Stage 3, which means that the government wishes to bridge the gap between primary and secondary school education.
The National Framework for Modern Foreign Languages is a non statutory document published in spring 2003 and was available nationally from September 2003. The Government provided training for all Modern Foreign Languages colleagues from autumn 2003. In order to achieve this necessity to train all teachers the government provided money to supply cover teachers.

II.3.a. Aims and objectives

"The framework and its objectives are designed to give teachers a mental map of languages learning over Key Stage 3. The framework should not be seen as a dry menu of linguistics. The grammar is not a separate heading but is to support work at various levels. A key function of the Modern Foreign Languages Framework is to encourage a rethink of where the emphasis should be in languages teaching and learning." (Dfes, 2003:16). The purpose of this framework is to raise standards by improving the quality of teaching and learning.

The teaching has to be focused by planning lessons according to objectives and ensure pupils are fully aware of those. Students need to be challenged and teachers therefore have to set high expectations so that students try to surpass their current level of achievement. The learning needs are to be structured with lessons beginning with a starter activity to catch students' attention as soon as they enter the classroom. Then, they should be a variety of activities delivered with pace. The lesson should end up with a plenary to ascertain whether the objectives have been met and provide formative assessment in order to inform the planning of subsequent lessons. The learning needs to be motivating and engaging by integrating fun activities where appropriate. Teachers should seek students' ability to do independent learning by providing frames and learning strategies. It is also necessary to build pupils' reflection by teaching them to think about what they learn and how they do so. They have to be involved in setting themselves targets whilst they expand their learning. Pupils have to be more aware of the curriculum. It needs to be more accessible so that students are engaged in their learning, and become independent in doing so.

There are five main strands within this Framework which are a focus on the word level, the sentence level, reading and writing, listening and speaking and cultural knowledge and contact. It moves away from topic dependence to concentrate on the skills students need to develop in order to apprehend a language and to master it.

The Framework systematically builds progression and is designed to give the teaching and learning focus for each year; Year 7: foundation, Year 8: acceleration and Year 9: independence. The training programme provides guidance to teachers and Heads of Modern Foreign Languages departments on planning schemes of work, which should be amended and strengthened but not necessarily rewritten.

In the United Kingdom, teachers at different stages of their career are involved in writing schemes of work. This enables them to have a better knowledge of the curriculum. Using the Schemes of Work published as a guidance by the Department for Education and Skills, and merging them with the ones produced by publishers, teachers manage to create a working document that is suitable to their department needs, but which is also respecting the governmental guidelines concerning the Key Stage 3 Strategy and Programme of Study.

II.3.c. Cross curricular themes

The framework strongly recommends a link between school subjects in order to provide students with transferable skills and effective learning strategies. Numeracy, Literacy, Citizenship, and a coherent assessment policy are to be developed in the various subjects in order to increase each student's potential.

"Numeracy is a proficiency which is developed mainly in Mathematics but also in other subjects. It is more than an ability to do simple arithmetic. It involves developing confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires understanding of the number system, a repertoire of mathematical techniques and an inclination and ability to solve quantitative or spatial system in a range of contexts. Numeracy also demands understanding of the way in which data is gathered by counting and measuring, and presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables." (DfEE 2001a: 1.9)
Teaching a Modern Foreign Language includes teaching the culture of the countries where the language is spoken. There are various ways in which Numeracy and cultural dimension are merging, as for instance, asking students to read the 24-hour clock, which is the tradition in continental Europe. Often, in role plays, pupils are asked to tell their phone number, which works in pairs in France, and this implies a lot of concentration, as naturally they would be tempted to read the numbers one by one. The postcodes as well are built up differently. Talking about the weather can become an opportunity to use maths, as you can ask the pupils to change from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

"All secondary school teachers have a responsibility to teach key skills in addition to their own subject" (Tanner, Jones and Davies, 2002: 189). If the bridge to be made between Numeracy and Modern Foreign Languages does not appear obvious at first, a thorough knowledge of the curriculum and schemes of work prove the link that Modern Foreign Languages departments managed to build in their teaching. Therefore they respect the government guidelines, but also fulfill their responsibilities as teacher, that is not only teaching a subject but also teaching learning tools.

Literacy is integral to all learning. Every school in the United Kingdom is supposed to have its own Literacy policy. It has to be part of a whole school approach, and roles and responsibilities are clearly dispatched throughout the staff. The task of the director of learning is to monitor that the policy is implemented, in each department, and he gives guidance to all the staff as how to teach literacy. Each department is expected to identify literacy skills to focus on in their department and include suitable strategies in the schemes of work.

Most school policies group four main skills, that is to say speaking, listening, reading and writing, which form the foundation to elaborate principles and precise targets in working upon literacy. For example, pupils should be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and to read accurately and with understanding.

Indeed, Modern Foreign Languages are in direct link with literacy skills, as pupils are taught a foreign language mainly throughout their knowledge of their native language. Besides Hawkins suggests (1996: 21) that "one of the most effective ways of understanding the structure of a language is to compare it with the structure of another language". Examples of elements studied in a language classroom should highlight this idea: basic and advanced grammar skills, grammatical terminology, parts of speech, sentence construction, listening for gist and detail, guess the meaning of a word thanks to the context, ability to use a dictionary and glossaries. In addition pupils are encouraged to read for their own pleasure from KS3 onwards.

Most of these activities are included in the Programme of Study for Modern Foreign Languages. Furthermore, the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages says simply and clearly that "Since standard English, spoken and written, is the predominant language in which knowledge and skills are taught and learned, pupils be taught to recognise and use standard English", even if on another hand, target language should be used as often as possible. Also, in the same source, there are specific references to the English programme of study in the areas of grammar, drafting written work and knowing the technical vocabulary of a language (DfEE / QCA, 1999: 16 17).

"Citizenship gives pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an effective role in society, at local, national and international levels. It helps them to become informed, thoughtful and responsible citizens, who are aware of their duties and their rights... it also teaches them about our economy and democratic institutions and values; encourages respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities; develops pupil's ability to reflect on issues and take part in discussions." (DfEE / QCA, 1999:183)

The Programme of Study for Citizenship divides in three strands, which are:
- Knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens.
- Developing skills of enquiry and communication
- Developing skills of participation and responsible actions.

Each school decides to deliver the statutory and/or non-statutory guidelines for Citizenship, Careers Education and PSHCE in a way that suits them best. In Modern Foreign Languages, several topics can lead to conversations about citizenship. In Year 7, it is already possible to include the concept of "citizen of the world", when pupils are taught Nationalities. In Year 9, pupils learn about the environment. It can lead to a debate about what they should do to "save the planet". In Year 13, pupils talk about global matters like politics and racism. They are about to be allowed to vote, and preparing them to the topic "Crime and Punishment" for instance, is a good opportunity to make them think about their own country, through comparing it to France or Germany.

"Assessment is a crucial part of the teaching process... it enables the teacher to gauge whether what has been taught has in fact been learnt by the students. It provides information for the student on his/ her progress. It provides information for the parents". (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 107).

At the start of a lesson, pupils need to be set clear objectives, in order to know and understand the purpose of their learning. At the end of the lesson, teachers have to check whether these objectives have been met. Plenary activities are useful in this matter, as it is often a way of reinforcing the learning but also evaluating pupils.
The teacher training provided in The United Kingdom advises teachers to set differentiated learning outcomes in three different strands. There are to be expectations for "some students", which represent more or less the top third of the pupils in a class, and the goals are higher. The group labelled "most students" are the average pupils in term of achievement. Teachers should be more lenient for some pupils experiencing difficulties in learning a new language, or pupil having special educational needs. They belong to the last group entitled "all students" on a lesson plan. "Formative assessment is an ongoing assessment, conducted at regular intervals by the classroom teacher. It enables the teacher to take stock of what the students have learned". (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 107).

Four main ways of assessing have been listed in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages, Morgan and Neil, 2001: 108 "diagnostic assessment...used usually to identify particular areas requiring work....evaluative assessment is based on feelings and experience rather than objective criteria... motivational assessment is designed to provide learners with short-term achievable goals...summative assessment is the final stage assessment and the term is usually applied to end of key stage tests or GCSE."

Assessment is vital to ensure an effective learning for pupils. Formal written assessment seems the easiest to handle as it leaves to the teacher more time to think about the performance as he marks the paper. Listening and speaking appear to be more difficult to assess. Every school has its own marking policy and tries to be consistent across the subjects. In school X, students' book have to be marked every 2 weeks, giving a grade for effort which can be excellent, very good, good, unsatisfactory or weak; and awarding a mark for the content between 1 and 5, 1 representing 90% or more of the task completed accurately. This way of assessing students' work is used to grade their homework or class work. This enables teachers, alongside with end of unit assessment, to give students a level of achievement, and to set for them long and short term targets.

Teachers are provided with loads of prior data concerning each student in their groups. Students in the United Kingdom take various formal assessments, and schools are provided with Software which manages to infer predicted grades for examination such as GCSE thanks to the results students obtained at these tests done in Year 7. These predictions are said to be rather accurate and students are aware of them.

Cynthia Frey, Masters in English Language, Literature and Culture, and PGCE educational adviser in Egypt, Head of French Department, Teacher of French and German.

By Cynthia_Frey

Teaching Children Appreciation

2011-10-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

How do you teach children to appreciate life's everyday things? Teaching your sons and daughters to merely say "Thank you" in response to gifts and acts of kindness does not teach them to fully appreciate something they have received. It does teach them to say those two aforementioned words, but without knowing the true meaning behind them. When you give your children the the verbal prod of "What do you say?" when your goal is for them to thank someone, that further diminishes their understanding of true appreciation.

Appreciation comes from the heart. Appreciation is kind and generous and involves the feelings of the party that extended the gift or kindness. Appreciation is unselfish. Appreciation makes the giver and receiver feel great -- and that is practicing good manners.

When you say "Thank you", you acknowledge that you are not alone in the world and that all you have comes from your connection to other people. Saying "Please" affirms that you need a connection to others in order to get what you want. The only person you never say please or thank you to is yourself.

As an instructor of adult and children"s etiquette and self-presentation skills, I know first-hand that parents can often appear a little too proud after prodding their child to say an often empty "Thank you". Generally speaking, a child from age 4.5+ years should be able to make and maintain eye contact, say "Thank you" and state why they are grateful and thankful. If a child is old enough to participate in kindergarten classroom activities and play groups, she/he can express gratitude.

A child who communicates well in every way, yet refuses to express thanks and gratitude should not be allowed to keep a gift or accept the kindness that has been directed toward them. Ponder this for a moment. Being kind and considerate are the basic tenets of a polite society. Why would you allow your child to dismiss the efforts another person has made on their behalf? Each time a parent allows a child to fail in properly expressing appreciation a negative and undesirable behaviour is both learned and reinforced.

So how do you teach children to fully understand and express appreciation? You introduce it in a manner that is both fun and a challenge. Let's face it, kids love games. They love to have achievable goals that they can measure independently. These lessons are no longer a daunting or exasperating task when you play the Appreciation Game.

I play The Appreciation Game with my students who receive private etiquette and self-presentation training and I also pass along this game to parents who are amazed at how their children's skills in expressing gratitude seems to flourish as a result of playing it.

The Appreciation Game starts with the word "Thank you". Make the prize for the first round something the child loves. I will use cupcakes as an example. Every time within a given day or set period of time that your child says "Thank you" without your prompting or prodding them they receive one point (or cupcake). There are endless opportunities to say "Thank you" in the course of the day. "Thank you Dad for making pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes are my favorite." or "Thank you Grandma. I love the coloring book!"

If cupcakes are the selected prize and your child says "Thank you" eighteen times in one day, they will receive eighteen cupcakes. The great thing about using cupcakes or cookies for a prize is that your child will then be charged with sharing them with siblings, classmates and on play dates -- preferably with people in their own age range. The catch is that whomever they give the cupcakes to must of course say "Thank you." Through this exercise your child will see and value the importance of uttering a very simple phrase and how it feels when they do not receive a thank you in return.

Prizes may also include a penny, nickel or quarter for every time they say "Please", "Excuse me" or play nicely with their friends within a pre-determined period of time, and deducting pennies, nickels or quarters for each time an adult conversation is interrupted. Interpret and adjust the game to include the biggest challenges you are facing with your children.

It is a great pleasure for me to witness the effectiveness of this game. Involve all adults in the child's everyday life so your child knows that everyone is in on it and helping them reach their goal.

Learning to appreciate life, kind gestures, gifts and all that we receive as a result of our connection to others is a gift in itself. It opens your eyes to all that is beautiful and kind and helps you to determine whose company you want to keep. Kind, appreciative people are attracted to people with similar traits. It is without question the positive and fruitful path to positive, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships in childhood and throughout life.

http://www.ohmygaucheinc.com/
http://www.ohmygaucheinc.com/blog/

By Susan_Joy_Callender

Teaching Taekwondo

2011-10-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

When I first began training in Taekwondo I could not really imagine reaching a level where I would be trusted to teach others the different elements of this Korean martial art. But I soon learnt that anyone who does Tae Kwon Do can teach anyone else something about it. If they are a lower grade then you, then you can teach them even more.

As you progress through the grades and reach black belt status it is not unusual for the class instructor to give his or her black belt students more responsibility in regards to looking after the rest of the class and the colour grades. This is when you can really test a student's ability with his or her martial art skills. If you want to teach and demonstrate to other students you must know and be able to perform the technique yourself. This is why many of the best students of Taekwondo are also those who teach it to other people. Teaching takes you to a new level.

I never dreamt of teaching other people Tae Kwon Do, but I did enjoy my martial art, so when I was asked by my instructor to teach others at my club I thought I would give it a go. And to my surprise I really did enjoy the responsibility of teaching Taekwondo to other students who were as eager and enjoyed it as much as I did.

I took my responsibility seriously. I prepared the night before my sessions and knew exactly what I would be teaching my group of students. One of my favourite parts was teaching the group patterns and to have them ask questions as they tried to understand the different elements and how it all came together.

I found teaching Taekwondo so much more fulfilling then I had expected. But despite this I decided that I would not be opening up my own club, which surprised some people. I enjoyed teaching and passing on my knowledge. However, opening up your own club comes with a lot of extra responsibility. There is much to do behind the scenes. I am sure that I would have learnt how to do the administration side. The main issue for me though was the time involved. To run a club you need to commit to attend and teach at all the weekly sessions. Due to the nature of my job I could not guarantee that I would be available for these. So instead I thrived at being an assistant instructor, aiding and giving back to the Taekwondo students this way.

Nicola's website, Taekwondo Kicks, provides a comprehensive guide to all things Taekwondo. Nikki has developed the website based on her own personal experiences from studying and practising Taekwondo and wanted to share her knowledge with the world.

With information on a variety of different areas including patterns, terminology, stances and the history of Taekwondo, why not visit Taekwondo Kicks to see how it can help you and your knowledge of Taekwondo.

By Nicola_Hunt

Teaching Soft Skills

2011-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

There are a number of companies that have been started to facilitate training programs and workshops in the area of Soft Skills, People Management and Self Management. While the subject matter is at the core of every trainer's objectives, every trainer aims at bringing about a shift in the behavioral mechanisms of every participant, thereby enabling them to perform better - at work and in their personal lives. The aim of teaching soft skills is to enrich lives as it facilitates training across various verticals in an organization.

A trainer is required to closely work with an organization, with the objective to develop focused and comprehensive learning modules that attend to the learning requirements of the concerned business house, by implanting the following process:

Attitude Change: Top performers possess the right attitude and skills.

Knowledge: Information, tools and strategies for success, laying a strong foundation for development.

Practice: Provide real-world challenges. Participants should be made to stretch beyond their comfort zones to include result-producing skills, activities and tasks.

Development: The trainer is required to observe and adapt to the way participants change and improve.

The Soft Skills Training Process Objective: The participants will be prepared to stretch beyond their comfort zones in order to become leaders in the industry. The facilitators will help participants develop new management skills, express themselves with confidence and clarity, contribute more productively, and above all become effective leaders and pro-active team members! Their acquired skills will make a significant impact on their working environment maximizing their contribution to the organization.

The following is an exhaustive list of Soft Skills in which training is being facilitated in various companies...

Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Rapport Building and Networking
Innovation and Creativity
Leadership
Emotional Intelligence
Management Skills
Motivation
Stress Management
Business Communication Skills
English Language Skills
Team Building
Assertive Skills
Time Management
Self Management
Conflict Resolution
Negotiating Skills
People Skills
Decision Making
Personality Development
Business Etiquette and Grooming
Attitude and Skill Building
Art of Delegating
Change Management
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Train the Trainer
Interviewing Skills
Art of Influencing
Presentation Skills
Meditation
Coping Skills
Anger Management
Goal Setting
Memory Enhancement
Creative Thinking

You can improve your communication skills by joining any coaching classes [http://www.coachingclasses.co.in] that help you in developing your overall personality.

By Jennie_Kakkad

10 Tips For Teaching Middle School Math

2011-10-12T08:43:00.001-07:00

As a teacher for 11 years and middle-school math teaching consultant, I've seen a wide array of different math programs and classes. I'm sharing here the 10 best teaching tips I've compiled over the years.

1. Provide compelling content to study.

Years ago, a colleague I was working with said, "Maybe class can be fun, but I can't make class compelling. I have to teach math!" It's an assumption worth exploring.

Take Ron Berger's middle-school math project to study levels radon in their own homes. Studying radon is boring. But Berger's class project has got to be one of the most compelling projects in math class history. What if his students discovered dangerous levels of radon in the homes of one geographic area and published the results as they had intended? What would happen to real estate values in that area? What he found is that students were highly engaged in mapping, taking averages, looking at standard deviations- students that heretofore didn't care one bit about radon or the other concepts.

So what's the trick? The trick is that there isn't one. You can't trick students into finding something compelling if it isn't. Take a little bit of time to develop a few topics of study throughout the year that you find compelling- the Economy, the Presidential Campaigns, the Human Body, etc. Find an authentic way to present your result- the paper, the web, a magazine. Keep the project small, authentic and do-able.

Students of teachers that do take this kind of time have better outcomes on state tests than students of teachers who only stick to the text. Almost any social studies context provides a backdrop for learning that adds depth.

Even teachers who hold a math "topics" class only once a month see real benefits, so you don't have to abandon your regular class. And, you'll find that students are more engaged when regular class is held.

If you want to go really deep and have solid administrator support, look into the school reform movement of Expeditionary Learning Schools who have an excellent approach to thematic teaching.

2. Don't use extraneous rewards such as candy, purchase points, stickers, etc.

There is nothing more certain than seeing the culture of a math class decline over a period of years when a teacher bribes them. The intent of the teacher, of course, is good. A teacher cares about his or her students and wants the very best for them. "I don't care how they learn math," one teacher said to me. "I just want them to learn it so that they are prepared." The teacher cared enough to purchase candy out of her own pocket, but the real message to students is this: the "positive reinforcement" of candy means "math isn't worth doing on its own." The research is clear on the matter too, and shows us that extrinsic, non-relevant rewards hurt learning.

Even if the effects aren't immediate, over time so called "positive reinforcements" like these mentioned above erode an otherwise high-quality math program. As a teacher, you are much better off trying to create inherently compelling curriculum than buying candy.

3. Build a culture where students teach each other.

For many teachers, one student helping another is called cheating. But I actually found that the better middle-school math programs all encouraged students to team together at certain times throughout the week. The activities were usually graded as complete or not-complete, and when tied to meaningful tasks, such as building a survey together and collecting original data, student comprehension was greater than on individual tasks.

Building the kind of culture that works for student pairs or groups takes years and lots of practice. But before you give up and decide it doesn't work, determine if you are following tips #1 and #2 first.

4. Give less, but more meaningful work, including homework.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study labels the curriculum in the United States as "a mile wide and an inch deep." Their review of math texts in middle-school found that some were almost 700 pages long. With heavy pressure to teach to the standards, as a teacher you might be tempted to skip and jump to many topics throughout the text. Don't. It achieves little learning.

Choose the most important pieces before the beginning of the year, and keep it simple. Teach the concepts you do teach with depth.

The national advisory counsel formed from the study recommended "put first things first" and suggested that indeed, less is more. Take the time to cull the curriculum to a manageable size for your students, and present them with only that. If you have to "cover" standards, find out what standards and document when you indeed teach them in class. You'll find that teaching with depth often reaches to a broad array of standards.

It's helpful to know what's driving the breadth. As the national study panel concurs, publishers are trying to meet demands of hundreds of different districts by including everything that any school might want. And while publishers have been attempting custom publishing, it is just as difficult to create a math curriculum for a small district as a large one. Thus, the challenges of book publishing lead to a single, uniformly created overarching textbook. Often this is a very large text or an entire series.

In the classroom, teachers and students become overwhelmed and unable to handle the scope or breadth of learning in this form. As teachers, we have to recognize that predominantly negative emotions surround math in middle-school, and that anything we can reduce those emotions will go a long way toward gains in learning learning. Placing a 500 page text in front of a 7th grade student is unlikely to help, so use it sparingly and build little, home-made notebooks for daily use.

5. Model thinking, not solutions or answers.

Don't show a student how to solve something. Instead "think aloud". For example, you might have a whiteboard with a problem up, and start by saying, "o.k., I notice that the 4 numbers I am to sum are all in the thousands category, and that the first is near 3,000, the second near 5,000, and the third... I am confused about..." Model exactly what you thinking including confusion, emotions, skills, strategies and more.

When you do this, also let your students know how mathematicians think. One piece of research that is helpful to know is that mathematicians spend a long time thinking about how to set up a problem, a little bit of time doing the problem, and a long time "looking back" by asking the question, "Does this make sense?' Model that for your students, by putting up a complex problem on the board and spending time not just jumping into a solution, but just talking about what strategies you might use to solve the problem.

6. Provide feedback that is immediate, relevant to the task, non-comparative, and leads the way to next steps.

Many teachers believe that grading is a form of feedback. It isn't. Grading, when done well, can be a form of assessment of learning, but the distinction should be clear. Grades are not an effective tool as assessment for learning. Grades are the end of the road, when you assess what has been learned, but they should not be intended to inform a student where to go next.

Take, for example, three groups of students who received different kinds of "feedback" on math papers they had "turned in." The first group received only narrative feedback (no score) informing them where and how they made mistakes. The second group received a grade (or score) and narrative feedback. The third group received just a grade. Not surprisingly, the students who received narrative feedback improved when re-tested. Those who had received only a grade did not have the information to improve, and performed the same when re-tested. But here is the surprising part. There was no difference between "grade-only" group and the group that received the grade and narrative feedback. Why? The students who received both a grade and narrative feedback completely ignored the written suggestions and only looked at the score. "I got a blah, blah, blah... what did you get?"

Because we live in a world where grades and formalized assessments are so important, work with the system by differentiating assessment for learning and assessment of learning.

When you are grading, one guide is to reference Rick Stiggins strategies of assessment for learning. That way, when you are conducting an assessment of learning (i.e. grading), you'll notice that you are momentarily stepping out of the role of improving a student's learning and won't have the conflict of trying to do two things at once.

7. Change mimeographed sheets to problems you and your students personally develop.

A pervasive aspect of our culture is to give out page after page of information. In faculty meetings, business meetings and conferences, hundreds of pages of documents are handed out. It makes us look organized and prepared. It's also a way to "cover" content. But for a middle-school math student, it also makes it hard to determine what is important. Was it the fractions part? Was it the decimals section? Was it the number line? Was it the triangle puzzle problem? Was it the cartoon?

Instead of another mimeographed page, have your student write their own story problems. Tell them to add artwork for comprehension. Give them the latitude to make them fun. Celebrate them by posting them in class. Give them 5 home-made story problems they create for homework instead of a mimeographed sheet with 30 problems, and really dive into improving them through revision.

8. Use story to teach math.

Write a story, a real story with characters and plot, and add the math problem set. Write about wizards that need to use angles for their sorcery. Write about spice trading ships on the deep seas. Write a story that lasts a whole page before even getting to the math portion. You've engaged the right-side, or less analytical, part of the brain and you'll see a powerful effect of enhanced engagement.

9. Get math tutor volunteers once a week for two-months before state testing.

As a teacher or administrator, spend time during the fall months by planning for and scheduling a single day each week during the months of February and March (right before testing) to have volunteers come in to teach math in small groups. But what's nice is that if developed correctly, these volunteers don't need to have any special training in math.

Start with a simple plan. Each student has 10 skills they have chosen to work on during the whole class tutoring session and have written down their practice problems in class. The phone calls are made, the specific planning with an administrator is done, and volunteers come in and help the students answer the 10 questions during class with support. Schedule tutoring once every week for two months before testing and see your scores greatly improve.

10. Work with the emotions your students have for math.

10a. Ask your students how they feel about math. Use a bit of class time periodically to gain a better sense of where they are. And, just let them feel how they feel. If they like math, they like it. If they are bored, empathize. If your students can't stand math, you will gain far more ground by seeing their perspective than trying to prove they are wrong. As a teacher this is hard because we are so accustomed to trying to "fix" the situation, and of course, our ego is tied to student emotion. If our students are bored, we feel like we aren't doing the right thing. But the larger truth is that there is an ebb and flow in all of us for the topics we are learning. When the boredom, frustration and negativity does emerge, try understanding it. Perhaps class does feel a little boring. That's o.k. Sometimes it will. And then slowly, over a period of years, build those compelling pieces into your classes so that you punctuate boring times with excitement and joy.

10b. Go slowly. Changing the direction of your math class is like trying to change the direction of a large ship, especially when dealing with emotions. Even once everything is place for the changes to occur, you will notice the "ship's" momentum going in the same old direction before you sense any real shifts. This is part of the process. It took me three years to develop a coherent math program at my middle-school and even then, we occasionally slipped in to old patterns. Good luck!

Scott Laidlaw, Ed.D. has been teaching for 11 years and served as consultant for best practices in mathematics under a federal grant. The company Imagine Education has been building story-based games to teach mathematics for the past 7 years. This February, Ko's Journey will be its first on-line nationwide release. Built with a design called story-playing, students learn math in context authentic to the story-line. Find out more at http://kosjourney.com

By Scott_Laidlaw

Challenges of Teaching Kids Yoga

2011-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

There are a number of challenges inherent in teaching kids Yoga. Quite frankly, the challenges could be endless! These challenges could range from protests about stomachaches and sore arms to not having the correct clothing. There may also be a lack of Yoga mats or the room may be too hot or too cold. The challenges will be similar to the same kind of issues a teacher would run into trying to teach kids chemistry or how to avoid dangling modifiers, with a P.E. twist of course.

Some of these challenges may be averted with proper preparation. You may want to arrive ten minutes early in order to set the room up and adjust the temperature. You may also want to make sure there are enough Yoga mats for all the students. Additionally, it may be helpful to let the kids know that they will be practicing Yoga on a specific day and to bring their workout clothes to school with them.

As you commence a Yoga class with a group of kids you may hear, "This is dumb. This is boring. This is too hard. This is girls' stuff." One of the primary ways of overcoming the kids' resistance to participating in a Yoga class is to make it fun and to earn their respect, both for the practice and for you as a teacher. Depending on the age of the children you are instructing, a brief introduction about Yoga's many benefits may be in order. Teenagers' curiosity will be piqued if you give them some background on how beneficial Yoga has proven to be over several thousand years. Teenagers will also be particularly impressed by the challenges of Ashtanga, Power, and Vinyasa Yoga. Once they succeed at successfully completing a challenging power Yoga routine, their resistance may come down a notch.

Spiritual Precautions

If you are teaching Yoga in a public school setting, it is important to keep in mind that there is a very strict division between church and state. The values and virtuous qualities that are espoused in Pantajali's Yoga Sutras may still be taught to the children, just not in a spiritually demonstrative context. In other words, putting a statue of Ganesh in the front of the room may create more obstacles with the school administration than Ganesh is able to remove! If you are teaching Yoga in a private school or health facility, you may want to check with the administrators or the facility manager to find out what level of spiritual discussion is appropriate for that venue.

© Copyright 2011 - Aura Wellness Center - Publications Division

Faye Martins, is a Yoga teacher and a graduate of the Yoga teacher training program at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

By Faye_Martins

Teaching Mathematics

2011-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Overall, math teachers must attempt to achieve a variety of different objectives. These objectives have included teaching basic numeric reasoning skills, as well as the teaching of practical math and abstract mathematics concepts. Unbeknownst to many, there are currently no national standards for teaching mathematics in the United States. From kindergarten through high school, the mathematics education in public schools in the US varies a great deal in each state, and often even varies significantly within individual states.

Typically, in the first years of elementary school, students are taught addition and subtraction. After that, elementary students are usually taught multiplication, followed by division. In elementary school, most states follow an integrated mathematics curriculum. However, the time at which students are taught most other math subjects, such as fractions, probability, rational numbers, and statistics, varies considerably depending on the school district. While the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has published recommendations in mathematics education for America, these teaching standards are not enforced.

In the United States, unlike most countries, students are taught separate math topics in high school. Two years are devoted entirely to algebra, although many students are now expected to take the first year of algebra in middle school. These algebra courses are typically separated by one year entirely devoted to geometry. The algebra-geometry-algebra sequence is usually followed by a pre-calculus course for college-bound students. Pre-calculus usually combines advanced algebra and geometry with trigonometry and other topics as preparation for a course in calculus, which may be taken during the final year of high school or the first year of university studies. Just a few years ago, many students were only required to take three years of mathematics in high school. Today, states typically require that students take four math courses to graduate high school and go on to college.

With the largely sequential nature of teaching mathematics in the United States, it is important that students not fall behind in their math education, or they will face increasing difficulty in subsequent years. Since most high growth jobs in the United States require math skills, an advanced mathematics education is especially important for students who wish to follow careers in science, technology, engineering, and medical fields.

Dennis McLynn is the Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Business Development for High Points Learning. HighPoints Learning (HPL) is a leader in Web-based math education and instruction. HPL offers an online math tutoring program that helps raise participants' math scores an average of 15 points in pre and post testing. HighPoints Learning services the 3-12 grade market with products and services that include AchieveMath, Achieve HighPoints, and AYP Math.

For more information visit: http://www.ehighpoints.com

By Dennis_McLynn

Dyslexia - Implications for Teaching

2011-10-12T08:34:00.001-07:00

Multisensory:
All teaching programs for children with dyslexia should be mulitsensory. This means they should incorporate elements of all the modalities; visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. This is important because quite often children with dyslexia have weaknesses in the auditory modality and need to utilise the other modalities to compensate for these weaknesses.

Sequential:
Teaching needs to follow a sequence and this should be structured into small steps so that a progression can be noted. The children should also be able to note this progress.

Overlearning:
Children with dyslexia constantly require the learning of new skills to be reinforced. Over learning is the most appropriate way to do this. This should not take the form of repetition, but rather should be carried out by using a range of materials and tasks to highlight the new material or skill that is learnt. This will help the new skill to be transferred from short term to long term memory, thereby retaining the skills for future use. Examples of materials and activities that can develop overlearning include; games where children have to think of the most words ending in that particular letter sound, recognition of key words, vowel discrimination games that help to increase auditory awareness and improve word attack skills, memory games, sequencing activities, mnemonics, free writing games and rhyme songs.

Metacognitive:
This means that the child should be able to transfer the new information to other learning. There is some research to indicate that children with dyslexia make poor use of metacognitive strategies. Therefore, learning is not very efficient and students may take a long time to learn new material because they are not able to effectively access previous knowledge. It is important to help children bridge new information with previously learnt information. Metacognition means thinking about thinking and how the learner questions her/himself on how a particular response was arrived at. This self questioning can help the learner develop strategies for future learning.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT):
Teachers need to have, or be able to access; a range of knowledge sources about technology and have some knowledge of the hardware and software that is available to support dyslexic children's individual needs. Technology can be extremely useful for children with dyslexia. Computers can therefore be dyslexic friendly. Technology can be useful with; reading (such as talking books, examples of which include "Find Out and Write About" and "Spin Out Stories"), creative writing (such as onscreen word banks, the use of a digital camera to support writing, word processing to remove the laborious task of copying out written drafts and portable writing aids such as "Dreamwriter 500").

Additionally, "Inspiration" is a software program designed to help students develop ideas and organise their thinking. Through the use of diagrams it helps students comprehend concepts and information. "Inspiration" can be used for brainstorming, organising, pre-writing, concept mapping, planning and outlining. "Inspiration" is especially useful for children with dyslexia as they tend to think in pictures rather than in words.

By Giselle_Gavagna

Teaching Children to Meditate

2011-10-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

In 2009, The American Psychological Association surveyed stress levels among parents and children between the ages of 8 and 17. Statistics showed that parents underestimated the severity of their children's anxiety and the effect it had on their health and general wellbeing. There may be little we can do to create world peace and or a stable economy right now, but there are ways to help children cope with constant tension. After all, stress comes from the way we react to events, not the circumstances themselves.

Many children are learning to meditate as a means of controlling their reactions to peer pressure, performance anxiety, and the general angst of being a kid. Although there are many different kinds of meditation that work well for children and adolescents, mindfulness techniques have been getting a lot of attention. In spite of its roots in the Buddhist tradition, the term now covers a broad spectrum of modalities, and programs are even being introduced in some school systems.

One of these programs is Mindful Schools, an organization that teaches meditation to children and trains adult volunteers. Another well-documented, organized approach is the simple but effective coherence training produced by the Heart Math Institute. Both of these groups do extensive research showing the effectiveness of their techniques. Even mantra meditation can be learned at the age of 10 or older.

No matter what the method, all styles of teaching children to meditate have a few things in common:

• The language should fit the age and knowledge of the child.

• The style may be informal but should be geared to the level of the group.

• Progressive relaxation meditations or visualizations are often quite effective.

• Breathing techniques are beneficial but must be age-appropriate.

Teaching mindfulness to children involves three basic steps:

• Learning to actively focus

• Being in the present moment

• Not judging

Although children have active minds, they are often less inhibited and less resistant to change than adults. As a result, it may actually be easier for them to learn to meditate. When they are taught simple techniques that can be performed at any time, they learn the lifetime skills of centering, breathing, and visualizing. Their performance improves, they deal more easily with conflict, and they are more creative.

Teaching children to meditate is one way of changing our world at the ground level. Imagine a generation of adults who already know how to handle their emotions.

© Copyright 2011 - Aura Wellness Center - Publications Division

Faye Martins, is a Yoga teacher and a graduate of the Yoga teacher training program at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

By Faye_Martins

Teaching Creativity

2011-10-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

I started a heated debate among my co-workers last week by asking what they would do in this scenario:

You are driving on a two-lane stretch of Interstate 95 in rural southern Virginia, on your way from the Northeast to Florida, when you round a curve and see a seemingly endless line of illuminated taillights in front of you. There is just enough time to get to an exit ramp that will put you on a small country highway. You don't have GPS or a navigation system; at best, you have an old-fashioned paper road atlas somewhere in the car. Will you take the exit ramp, get on the rural road and try to find your way around the traffic jam, or will you stay on the freeway and wait for traffic to clear?

The group split almost 50-50. Most of the women, and a couple of the men, said they would stay on the interstate. The majority of the men said they would take their chances on the country road. My wife said she would take the country road if I was in the car with her, but she would stay in the traffic if she was alone.

Those who chose to stay on the interstate said they were worried about all that could go wrong if they ventured down the unknown road. They might go the wrong way, or get lost, or run out of gas, or fall victim to foul play. The traffic on the interstate might clear right away, making an alternate route the more time-consuming alternative.

Those who would turn onto the unknown byway cited the downside of sitting unproductively in traffic, and the possible upsides of the adventure in saving time, finding a new route, discovering some worthwhile roadside attraction or seeing something more interesting than the standard interstate.

We all had the same limited information, and we all went through the same process of balancing risks and rewards, yet we came to opposite conclusions. The women, in particular, saw greater danger in traveling an unknown road than did the men. It is not hard to understand why.

The question arose during a training session I led for our firm's managers on entrepreneurship and creativity in business. It is part of a series of classes we have developed at Palisades Hudson to make ourselves better at managing and growing our business. Our managers are already experts at the service parts of their jobs - helping clients deal with topics such as taxes, investments, estate planning and insurance. But being an excellent financial advisor does not necessarily make you an excellent business manager; they are different skill sets. We strive to be as good at running our own enterprise as we are at helping clients run their financial affairs.

When we talk about creativity, most people tend to think of the arts. Painters, sculptors, musicians and authors are seen as creative people. Accountants, investment managers and estate planners, not so much. In fact, the phrase "creative accountant" probably conjures images of someone in a suit and a pair of handcuffs being perp-walked into federal court.

Yet, if accountants, policy makers and Wall Street's "quants" had been more creative in imagining how the housing markets and various financial instruments could behave, the global financial meltdown a few years ago might not have happened.

Any successful entrepreneur or chief executive will tell you that business is a highly creative exercise. Every day brings unlimited opportunities and challenges, which we must meet with limited resources. A painter can't cover every square inch of her canvas with every color on her palette. She has to pick and choose which colors to use where, and sometimes which places to leave untouched.

Even crises create opportunities if we are prepared to seize them. Nobody liked it when the stock market lost more than half its value in a little more than a year. Yet, by early 2009, the combination of extremely low values and extremely low interest rates created fantastic financial planning opportunities. We could reduce immediate gift and income taxes, avoid future estate taxes, and make investments that offered exceptionally high potential returns.

In one case, we turned conventional estate planning upside-down. When a wealthy, elderly client died, we chose to pay millions of dollars in immediate estate taxes rather than defer the taxes until the death of her husband, who was also of very advanced years. We took a chance, knowing that if the husband died in 2010 we might have been able to avoid estate taxes completely. But he did not die in 2010. Even with today's lower estate tax rates - which were unforeseeable at the time - we are better off having paid estate taxes at the lower values that prevailed a few years ago than at today's much-improved asset prices.

Entrepreneurship and creativity may not be identical twins, but they are at least close cousins. Entrepreneurship is, essentially, opportunism - identifying a need, and an opportunity to satisfy that need, to create something for which someone else is willing, even eager, to pay. Creativity is a process of structured idea generation. It is not an inborn trait; as one expert put it, everyone in kindergarten is given a box of crayons. It is a skill that can be taught, learned and strengthened through practice.

Creativity requires looking at a situation from different angles. Before it introduced the iPod, Apple was a computer company. Portable music players existed, but they were marketed by consumer electronics companies. Music stores existed, but they sold physical discs. Music publishers existed, but they did not make hardware, with the obvious exception of Sony.

To create the iPod, Apple did not merely have to re-imagine the portable music player. It had to re-imagine itself as a business, becoming both a consumer electronics manufacturer and a music retailer. It had to see itself from a different angle. The iPod represented a risk, but that risk could be quantified; it was the cost of developing and marketing the device and the iTunes store. The upside was unquantifiable but far greater than the downside. The results speak for themselves.

If we want to encourage our employees to be creative, we have to help them practice the skills of applied problem-solving, and we have to lower the perceived risks of doing so. If you view taking the off-ramp on I-95 as a creative exercise (and we are still arguing about that), then the way to encourage this creativity is to appreciate the possibilities and to keep the dangers in perspective.

It is not especially useful to have our summer interns tell us that we are running our business completely the wrong way. The intern's knowledge and skills are too limited for the opinion to be useful. But we don't want to shut out suggestions from the intern, and we don't want to reject an intern's suggestions in a way that makes her reluctant to offer more mature ideas years later, when she is a manager who understands the realities of our work.

Southern Virginia is not full of serial killers. It is full of woods and fields and delicious hams and nice people with a soft, lovely accent. I was in the group that turned toward the exit ramp. That doesn't mean I am necessarily more creative than the people who stayed on the highway. But it means I saw a chance worth taking, and I was willing to take it.

For more articles, please visit the Palisades Hudson Financial Group LLC newsletter or subscribe to the blog.

Newsletter http://palisadeshudson.com/sentinel/

Blog: http://palisadeshudson.com/current-commentary/

By Larry_M._Elkin

Teaching Private Yoga Sessions

2011-10-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

The need for Yoga instructors, who teach private lessons, has grown significantly over the past ten years. Some Yoga teachers manage to fill their schedule with private lessons throughout the day, while others may focus primarily on teaching classes to larger groups. Either way, interns taking Yoga teacher training courses, should be aware of the opportunities available to teach privately.

As Yoga has become a part of mainstream culture, people are turning to the practice, as a way of coping with long-term ailments and preventing complications in the future. While Yoga sessions, in a classroom setting, improve one's general health and promote good habits, it is not easy to address a student's individual issues and needs.

Private Sessions allow Yoga teachers to meet with their students and develop programs, that not only improve their conditions, but also prevent further injuries. While this may be a little more expensive for students initially, benefits usually pay off over the long term: Clients feel better and spend less on expensive medical care.

Advantages of Private Yoga Sessions for Students

• Development of an individualized program

• Lower risk of injury

• Increased confidence and less fear

• Greater awareness of condition and ways of coping

• Moral support

Advantages of Private Yoga Sessions for Instructors

• Unique niche

• Satisfaction of helping people

• Flexible schedule

• Better ability to oversee student's progress

• Low overhead

• Possibility of referrals

• Higher pay for specialized knowledge

• Loyal clientele

In spite of the demand for Yoga teachers, who specialize in specific areas of therapy, most people still rely on general studio and classroom teachers for help. Yoga instructors, who specialize in different areas of human anatomy, and in particular ailments or illnesses, will likely have an edge in promoting themselves, as well as attracting more students and commanding higher pay.

In addition to tailoring a lesson plan to suit particular needs, private Yoga lessons help students to understand and address the energy fields in their own bodies. Negative thinking, unhealthy emotions, and old traumas, that are stored in the body can be released, opening obstructed passageways and releasing tension in muscles and connective tissue.

Although private Yoga sessions may include many techniques, the following are common:

• Pranayama, or healthy breathing techniques

• Poses that address structural and functional concerns

• Meditation styles, such as a guided imagery or mindfulness

A few private Yoga sessions may be all it takes to give a student the confidence and knowledge needed for a successful and safe practice at home or in a Yoga class setting.

© Copyright 2011 - Aura Wellness Center - Publications Division

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

By Paul_Jerard

Teaching Autistic Children

2011-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Any article with the title, "Teaching Children With Autism", is going to be a very, very long one! Even if I shorten the title to, "Teaching Children" you would be expecting a fairly lengthy read. The point is, with or without autism teaching a child follows the same parameters. All children learn what we teach them and this is true both in and out of the classroom. Unfortunately, many parents (and I should hasten to add) teachers do not always recognise when this learning process is happening! I pride myself on building close relationships with the parents of the children in my class but even though my door says, "Head of Autism" the look of disbelief on their faces when I try to convince them that the fact that their child will only eat chocolate biscuits is not due to autism but that they have taught him that every time he has a tantrum this is what he gets. The resulting challenging behaviour when, hopefully, the parent decides that a diet of chocolate biscuits for a 5-year-old is not healthy, is nothing compared to the challenging behaviour that will occur when he is 15 years old! Then, the realisation, that the child has complete control is heart breaking.

The good news is that tackling challenging behaviour early is the first step towards teaching a child with autism. Before learning in the classroom can begin the child has to be ready to learn. By this I mean that certain behaviours have to be in place. Simple things like sitting, attention, keeping clothes on, handling toys or equipment appropriately etc are pre-requisites to "teaching" in an educational setting. I work with children who have no language, no social skills or inhibitions and are autistic with learning difficulties. Challenging behaviours come in all shapes and forms but, we approach all of them in the same way. We work on the, "First do this!" then "You can do that!". It begins from day one when we identify something that the child likes then we take it away! Yes, I do know how that sounds and I have tried to think of a better way to write it but I want there to be no misunderstanding so "Honesty is the best policy" and it stands as is! Believe me, for my children sometimes finding what they like outside their sensory world can be difficult so finding this "motivator" is a crucial first step in the process of teaching a child with autism.

The process and implementation sounds simple and it is with the one proviso..."You must be consistent!" For example if we want a child to sit on a chair to do a puzzle, or look at a book, or eat with a spoon, we let them understand that when they have completed the task they will be able to play with their "spinner", "twiddley" or bounce on the trampoline (whatever their motivator is) Now the length of time we expect them to comply may be short, 1-2 minutes even, but the learning outcome is that the child knows that they will get what they want when we get what we want. I should point out that getting them to "understand" the system depends on the child. For some it may be language for others it may be gestures whilst for others it will be symbols (but that's another article!)

For many, this behavioral approach seems rigid and soul less but without boundaries the world for the child with autism will become increasingly narrow and confined. Teaching a child with autism does not only take place in the classroom with trained and understanding staff. The child with autism needs to experience life just as the child without autism does. To do this they need behavioural boundaries that do not come to them through developing peer pressure, a desire to please, acquire skills or follow role models. Because my students are non-verbal and do not understand language I need to take them out on a bus to the supermarket if I want them to understand "money exchange" at even the most rudimentary level. However, once outside the school, the wider community is less understanding of behaviours that to them come under the umbrella of "bad behaviour".

As you can see, my article on "Teaching Children with Autism" is not a long one. My focus has been on finding a way to start the process and, as we all know, every journey begins with that first step!

Phonics and Phonics Teaching

2011-10-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

What are phonics?

The reading system of English words from an Anglo-Norse heritage is fairly systemised and follows distinct rules. Most of these words are monosyllabic (one syllable) e.g. dark, come, fish, great. More complex words of a Latin origin are harder for the reader to decipher, often containing neutral vowel sounds such as effect, affect, accountant.

Blends and digraphs

Phonics teaching is divided into three main levels - Phase 3, Phase 4 and Phase 5. In each of these Phases the pupil is introduced to groups of letters which represent a sound in English. The two consonants put together for example in "bl" is called a blend. Other phonics blends include "ch", "th", "gr", "gl". When two vowels are combined, for example "ea", they are called vowel digraphs.

Phase 3

Phase 3 includes all single letters of the alphabet commonly known as CVC ( consonant -vowel- consonant) for example "cat" and CVCC (consonant- vowel-consonant -consonant) for example "back" or "grin". Phase 3 is approximately what an average child would cover and be able to read at reception level. Phase 3 also includes some vowel digraphs (two vowels together) e.g. "ee", "oo" both as in "fool" and "good" and "ai" as in "main". In addition pupils are introduced to a list of tricky words and although they are relatively simple, they do not necessarily follow the spelling rules pupils have learnt previously. Pupils are first encouraged to be able to read these words without being able to spell them.

Phase 4

Phase 4 introduces the following phonic vowel digraphs "lake", " like", "stone", "cube", "or", "air", "igh", "old", "wind", "wild", "ay", "ea", "bow", "saw", "blew", "her", "car", "fir", "oa", "oi", "oy", "ou", "er" at the end of a word e.g. "hammer" and double letters e.g. "address" and "bible". As for Phase 3 there is a list of irregular words to recognise and learn. This is the level of achievement for for a 5 to 6 year old.

Phase 5

By now at phase 5 pupils should be quite competent at deciphering phonics and should show that they are able to build on what they have learnt previously and be able to read new combinations of letters. This level of recognition is what would be expected of a 6 to 7 year old, again with the emphasis on reading and not on spelling the words. The list of irregular words is greater and includes longer words with more syllables. Unexpected spellings such as "treasure", "television", "bacon", "tuba" "who", "when", "wash" are introduced and the remaining vowel digraphs of "blue", "tie" and "hoe" appear.

Flash cards

Flash cards are a good tool to have when teaching phonics. You can make your own flash cards or download ones you can find online and print them off. Flashcards that show the different blends and vowel digraphs in different colours help the learner to separate different sounds and groups of letters. Use these cards to play games like snap or dominoes.

Interactive games

With the advent of computers and other technology learning has become more interactive. There are a lot of interactive phonics games online which include drag and drop games and other arcade style games.

Learners who are not visual learners

Readers who really struggle with recognising letters visually could use more kinaesthetic means. This could be by using pipe cleaners or fingers to shape letters. In a sand tray learners can trace letters in the sand. Sometimes a sensory activity helps dispel frustration, for example flashcards can be buried in the sand and the learner find them again. Letters can be modelled in playdough and plastercine or cut out with cake style cutters in the shape of letters.

Teaching Tarot To Kids

2011-10-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Teaching tarot to kids is one of the best ways to get them involved with this ancient spiritual art. Years ago tarot was seen as something that we should stay away from, however these days it has been greatly demystified and people have started to let go of their fear and negativity towards tarot.

More and more people are learning to read tarot cards to help themselves and others around them. These days tarot is not only a tool for divination, but also one for self-learning, self-development and spiritual development.

The big question though is: how soon should one teach tarot to kids? How old should they be before they get to learn the basics of reading tarot cards?

One popular point of view on this subject is that children should be mature enough to understand some basic concepts and some basic symbolism. This is why the age of 7-9 is a good age for learning it. Before this age kids tend to not yet grasp some essential things that card combinations can show. This is why it is difficult to explain to them the meanings of card spreads at such a tender age.

On the other hand, children of young age only use the cards for very mundane and common tasks that require the most basic knowledge about the world around us. Especially with the many tarot decks made for children, this is easier than it used to be before.

There are some great decks of cards that depict story heroes, fairies, manga and cartoon characters that will not only enchant the kids, but also make them interested in the story line developing throughout the laid out cards.

None of the images on these cards are threatening, obscene or violent, so children are safe and protected from anything that is above their age level.

I have a friend who learned tarot at the age of 9. She told me that her life has become much fuller and much more enriched because of that. She could easier grasp mythology, the art of story telling and many things that helped her in school and she could easily make connections which were not so visible to many of her classmates.

One way to teach children tarot is by using the cards to play as opposed to read. Put some cards together and let them tell a story based on how they are aligned next to each other. This will enhance their creativity and imagination and will later on help them learn to read the cards intuitively (as opposed to reading them based on a fixed traditional meaning).

Foreign Languages

2011-10-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Before I begin talking about the importance of this article let me tell you that I speak four languages, and I have learned two of them almost without any help from any other person.

Straight to the point... I assume almost everyone has came across situations during day by day life when you had to say something in a different language, regardless you were on a vacation in Paris or on a plane to Tokyo, life puts us all in the need to communicate with people of different nationalities, different cultures and even different races. Nearly all these factors include a main hidden side that's very helpful to know about. That factor is the language. No matter how much you will try to speak to an English man in Russian, let's say, if the English person doesn't know Russian you strive in vain. So what's to be done here? Well you would say the only language you have to know is your own language and of course English, as it's the top language when it comes to usage percentage. However, a French will see you with different eyes if you address him in his own language, a Russian or a Japanese would do just the same. However I'm not saying you have to learn all these languages, I'm trying to explain the importance of knowing them, when it comes to both business and traveling.

As I've explained in the summary, the purpose of this article is to let you all know just how easy is to learn a foreign language by interacting with the culture you want to learn from. For instance, I've been watching English movies, and cartoons ever since I was five years old. Through time they proved quite useful. Although I can't pride myself on speaking a perfect English or having a mistake free grammar, I am talented enough to write a short article, read a webpage or even have a conversation with someone in English. The same applies for French, although personally I am more advanced when it comes to English, my French is improving as well. Most of the improvements I've made to my vocabulary and grammar are due to the various cultural factors I've mentioned. Movies, theatre plays, music and many more. Virtually everything that is related to the culture you are trying to learn from.

Another good method to learn a language without a teacher's help, is by using a guide. A good guide can go up to 300$ but if you truly know what you're doing, and you know what you wish for, that's a little price to pay for the personal success of having another language added to your knowledge. Such guides include everything, from audios with questions and answers to pronunciation and grammar exercises. You can as well use a free online version, however those include very little information and are usually made by people who have nothing to do with learning about that language, therefore making them very superficial. And the final method, the best to be more specific is to blend in with the culture itself. You can do this on a vacation, or on a field trip or on any other occasion, as long as you get to speak, listen and interact with people from the country you wish to learn from, again it's not important which, this pattern applies to anyone and any place.

As a conclusion I would like to let you all know that as more languages you speak, as better. Because the more you know on any domain, the more helpful you will be to yourself and to those around you. So keep on learning from everyone in any way you may see fit because you will benefit from such things. If you have any further questions or you would like to find out more visit Online Product Reviews: Languages.

Astronomy for Children

2011-10-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Sparking your child's interest in astronomy may be one of the best decisions you make this year. Children love to learn especially if the subject is visually exciting to them. You can find out if astronomy holds an interest for your child simply, easily and without great expense using something they already have a fondness for, (your TV). There are only a hand full of good astronomy related DVD's out there, In general they are all very useful in sparking that interest in astronomy. Or they may show you that your child has no interest at this time. The History Channel (Universe) and A&E (The Planets) are very good choices.
If your child responds to the videos favorably, you may try an astronomy book appropriate for your child's reading level.

Learning about the universe and stargazing can be a very cost-effective family activity. There are group events and recreation services that offer a chance for families to learn about the universe together. These events often allow families the ability to use telescopes to view the skies, while having a knowledgeable guide to answer any questions the kids or parents may have.

If your child is showing an interest you would like to further, a telescope is obviously the next step. Telescopes range from $25.00 to $600.00. A focal length of 70mm or greater is recommended for beginners. Telescopes with a focal length under 70mm do not provide the detail needed to hold your child's interest.

Spending time with your child observing the skies is quality time your child will always remember. With luck, your child will grow up understanding the world does not revolve around them.

The Science of Astronomy For Kids

2011-10-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

The science of Astronomy is interesting and varied. There are a lot of resources for it for kids who are interested in the planets, the solar system, the universe and everything else that's part of this exciting science. For children, many parts of it are magical and thus they are drawn towards the moon, the stars and far distant galaxies.

The moon is Earth's only satellite. It takes about 27 days to orbit the Earth. Being so near, it has hosted the only human footsteps on a space object other than the Earth. Gravity between the moon and Earth causes the tides. It's brightness in the night sky attracts many children to learn more about it.

Then there's our sun. Earth is quite far from the sun. The distance fluctuates between about 91 million miles and about 94 million miles. That's because Earth's orbit around the sun isn't a circle, it's an ellipse. If there were no sun, we wouldn't be alive. Our light and heat comes from the sun. Over 98% of the total stuff in our solar system is in the sun. Think about how small a person is compared to that.

We live in the Milky Way Galaxy. It's full of space stuff. Even with all this stuff to fill it, it's mostly empty. At over 100,000 light years wide and 3,000 light years high, that means the galaxy contains a whole lot of nothing. The center of our galaxy is about 30,000 light years from Earth. Even with all that space there are about 100 billion stars in the Milky Way. In fact the galaxy was named for the thick group of stars in the main portion of it. People thought it looked like a stream of milk, so called it the Milky Way. There are four types of galaxies - elliptical, lenticular, irregular and like the Milky Way, spiral.

There is a lot of information about astronomy for kids on the Internet. Kids could spend hours wrapped in detailed 3D representations of the universe around us.

Astronomy Using Binoculars

2011-10-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Although they are not as appealing as a telescope, a good pair of binoculars are an excellent alternative, and will enable you to establish whether or not astronomy is for you without needing to go through the expense of buying a telescope. Binoculars are easy to use, they are light, and they are versatile.

As with telescopes, binoculars come in different sizes. As with telescopes, the bigger the aperture (the diameter of the objective lens), the more light can be captured and therefore the brighter objects will appear. But, again as with telescopes, the bigger binoculars are, the heavier and more difficult they are to handle.

10 x 50s are generally accepted as being an ideal size for day-to-day astronomy. 10 x 50 means that the binoculars have a magnification of 10x and an objective lens diameter of 50mm. A pair of 10 x 50s provide a field of view of about 6 degrees, which would allow you to see enough sky to span 12 moons (the moon covers about 0.5 degrees of the sky). A pair of 7 x 50s will provide a slightly larger field of view than a pair of 10 x 50s, but the magnification is not so good.

For larger binoculars it is advisable to use a tripod as this will prevent your arms from becoming tired, and will also avoid the image from jumping about. In fact, I have a pair of 8 x 30s, and it is pretty much impossible to hold them steady enough to be able to view an object such as a planet without the image bouncing around all over the place.

Binoculars provide a great addition to your astronomy tool kit, and are great when you want to quickly span the sky, darting from one object to another. I have three pairs (10 x 25s, 8 x 30s, and 10 x 50s), and I find a use for all three.

Amateur Astronomy

2011-10-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Let us not confuse Astrology with astronomy; "Astrology" is not the same thing as current day astronomy. It is the oldest skill. ("Astronomy" From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). But at all levels, it is the survey of the heavens. It is an endeavor to understand the make-up and the story of the cosmos. It is our tool for unlocking that learning. Amateur astronomy is very popular in most cities and small towns. It is one of those hobbies in which I would like to have participated. It is a superb hobby that is enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the greatest and oldest hobby of all time. Amateur astronomy is exposed to more people, as an individual is less likely to be discouraged by the need to learn how to locate objects in the night sky before being able to see them. Some magazines and periodicals are printed forums of the activities relating to Amateur Astronomers around the world. They are user supported publications. Amateur astronomy is practiced as a hobby.

It is often a pleasure as it may be a way to act scientifically. It is, as it turns out, a pastime to be shared. It is changing and we need to broaden our understanding variations so that we can make the improvements as they become available and fit our needs. Astronomy is gaining importance from a scientific point of view. Amateur astrology is a lot more than just looking at extraterrestrial matter with telescopes and binoculars, although this is the main heart of those most active. It is an exciting hobby because amateur astronomers can and do actually make scientific discoveries and contribute to the field of It is. Advanced amateur astronomy books are now within the reach of anyone, and these are the ideal books to get you started.

To get really into it, you probably will want to get a telescope either for yourself or perhaps for your children who are showing an interest in the wonders of the universe. It is a hobby and can be an introduction to several practical and useful technologies. It is alive and well in the West, as evidenced by the many special interest groups and clubs that meet regularly. It is a rapidly growing activity that appeals in many ways to all ages. It is a hobby that many people pursue who are interested. It is, yet not working in the field.

You are sure to meet numerous new friends who will share your passion and curiosity. It is rich with activities, lab exercises, and high-tech education. It is the study of the planets and other objects in the universe and their compositions, motions, and origins. It is different from most sciences in that we can't directly interact with the object of study. It is a science that seeks to explain everything that we observe in the Universe. It is the study of the Universe and its contents: planets, stars, black holes, galaxies, and quasars. It is one of the oldest sciences. It is the study of planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe as a whole, including how these originate and how they evolve in time. It is an observational, not an experimental skill. It is the most primeval of the sciences, having existed since the beginning of recorded civilization.

It is not a totally serious specialty. It is the last science to which many non-professional scientists can make factual and important contributions. It is a great example of how fascinating physics can be. Radio astronomy is also partly responsible for the idea that dark matter is an important factor of our universe. Indeed, It is both the nearby and the most outlying science from common experience. That is why it is both the oldest and the youngest science of them all. And yet radio astronomy itself is a young science, too. The study of our universe is not new, it is the oldest science. Though, you could say that it is the study of everything, because everything is a part of the Universe.

Astronomy For Kids Training Tips

2011-10-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

Nearly every child has an interest in exploring the stars. Being able to learn astronomy online is something special that a mere ten years ago was not even offered. Let's take a look at the many benefits of having the ability to learn astronomy on the web and at some astronomy for kids instructing suggestions.

Every child desires to stay up late and astronomy is the ideal justification. Let's be realistic, they want to be outdoors plus they desire to remain up until the early hrs of the morning. Why not utilize that to your great advantage and teach them something that they are keen to learn?

Kids are clean slates with regards to astronomy. They are hungry to learn and do so with great passion since it is a topic they delight in. It is extremely important to pick appropriate instructional resources which are also interesting to the child if you wish to learn astronomy online. Astronomy for kids is amongst the most enjoyable subjects you can attempt to teach. Teaching about space by simply reading through a textbook is not nearly as exciting as going outside or observing the stars through a computer program.

When buying astronomy software, the very first thing to check is if the program can run on your computer. Be sure that the software not only runs on your variety of computer (PC or Mac), but additionally that your computer is powerful enough to render the 3 dimensional images. The system specs for software programs are commonly boldly shown on their website.

Excellent astronomical software allows you to learn astronomy online by observing the sky not merely from your local position, but often from out in space itself. One huge advantage of astronomy software packages are that your youngster can easily do a search for precisely what they wish to view and instantly observe it. Finding objects in the night sky is a difficult activity and many brand new astronomers become discouraged by their lack of ability to find objects like Venus or Mars.

One more enormous benefit of having the capacity to learn astronomy online is that it does not demand clear skies or pleasant weather conditions to enjoy. Nothing can spoil a well planned astronomy trip quicker than clouds or rain. Teaching astronomy for kids can be done just about anywhere that you can carry a laptop.

As you gain experience instructing astronomy for kids you will see that there are several important features to look for in astronomy software: The ability to view events in past times (or future), simple to use interface, and most of all guarantee that the info is provided by a dependable source such as NASA. Make sure that you are providing information is that correct.

Books About Education

2011-10-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

There are a vast number of books about education available. However, these can vary greatly in the type of content that is available in them. There will be books that cover a range of topics and information, all depending on what you are looking for. These may be reference books, as well as commentary and political books as well. However, they can be extremely useful when it comes to learning more about education and how the system works within the schools, including colleges too. The amount of information and resources contained within the books can give you a broader understanding of the education system today, as well as make you a better teacher or professor if that is the field you are entering into. Making sure to read a range of these books about education is important and should be done.

Many of the books about education can be broken down into categories or types of books so to speak. These can be arranged into books on:

Reading and the problems within the school system with reading today. As well as, how to handle problem reading issues, why there are problems with kids and how they are taught to read and how to come up with programs and ways to teach reading that is better than what is currently performed. Reading is one of the main subjects anyone has to know to learn anything else, without reading there is no way to understand or even communicate. These books take all this into account and deal with the issues at hand. There are also books on education that go over why books have been banned and the terrible injustice doing this does to children and young adults when learning.

The public education system and the problems that are inherently a part of it. The public education system, though good to provide education to all, has many problems within the system that limits learning and exploration within subjects. Books in this category cover these issues, why they are a serious problem and what needs to be done to change the system and provide a better over all education for all.

Math and how math is being taught today. These are great reference books to use, especially as parents, since children are no longer taught math the same way and not knowing it can become a problem when trying to help complete homework with a child. Not to mention too that knowing this when going into the education system as a teacher or other education provider is important as well, to be well versed in the new ways that math is handled.

Politics in the education system, why this is a problem and how this is destroying public education also. Politics have found there way into education for many reasons and usually due to something a particular group, politician or organization wants for their own benefit. Understanding how politics has entered eduction and what it is doing to the education today is very important as a way to combat this meddling that takes place.

How to teach as well. Though going to school and learning how to teach and is important too, reading up on some of these additional books can be useful as well. Especially since they offers additional ways of connecting with students, understanding how they are learning and better ways to teach them and help them learn too.

The reading list can become large when it comes to books about education. There are many to choose from and consider looking into to have a more well rounded perspective on education today and even in past years. As well as understanding what has led up to this point today in education, so that the same mistakes are not made twice.

For further information regarding reference and educational books, please visit MyReviewsNow Online Shopping.

By Cookie_Maxwell