Student-Centered Learning Essay -- Education Students Educational Pape

Student-Centered Learning Student-centered learning is a broad teaching approach that encompasses replacing lectures with active learning, integrating self-paced learning programs and/or cooperative group situations, ultimately holding the student responsible for his own advances in education. Student-centered learning environments have a heightened advantage over the traditional teacher-centered, subject-centered environment in that they provide complimentary activities, interactive in nature, enabling individuals to address their own learning interests and needs and move forward into increasingly complex levels of content to further their understanding and appreciate subject matter. The student-centered learning environment has the student need satisfaction as its primary focus whereas the subject-centered environment has the transmission of a body of knowledge as the primary focus (Clasen & Bowman, 1974, p. 9). Student-centered learning, when used properly, can change the face of education into a life- long learning process in which the student seeks solutions to problems without complete dependency upon an instructor. The student learns to reason on his own to find a foundation for venturing out with successful experiences under his belt. The learning environment concept has been around for some time. Its roots can be traced back to "early apprenticeship, Socratic, and similar movements that have sought to immerse individuals in authentic learning experiences, where the meaning of knowledge and skills are realistically embedded" (Land & Hannafin, 1996, p. 396). As immigrants flooded the United States, educators sought methods of education for the masses and the creation of a universal, or national system. The fa... ..., Hill, J. R., & Land, S. M. (Winter 1997). Student-centered learning and interactive multimedia: status, issues, and implications. Contemporary Education, 68, 2, 94-97. Land, S. M., & Hannafin, M. J. (1996). Student-centered learning environments: foundations, assumptions, and implications. Proceedings of selected research and development presentations at the 1996 national convention of the association for educational communications and technology. (pp. 396-402). Indianapolis: Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Land, S. M., & Hannafin, M. J. (May 1997). The foundations and assumptions of technology-enhanced student-centered learning environments. Instructional Science, 25, 3, 167-202. Warmkessel, M. M., & McCade, J. M. (Spring 1997). Integrating information literacy into the curriculum. Research Strategies, 15, 2, 80-88.

Matilda: Want and Book Essay

The story is about parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwoods who do not think there is anything special about their children, Michael and Matilda. Matilda’s brother is just like another normal boy, but Matilda is different. Even she is just four years and three months, she had a mind like a grown-ups. Poor her, her parents are not realizing that their daughter is really special and less attention to her, but they think she is freak. When she was three, she teaches herself to read and wants to read more, even though her parents just want to watch TV. On weekdays her parents leave her alone for a while, even though she is just a little, so she up and goes to the library on her own. The librarian, Mrs. Phelps, helps her pick out books. First, Matilda reads all the kids’ books. Then she asks Mrs. Phelps to pick out something else for her. From there Mrs. Phelps realizes that Matilda is special. So while the librarian treats Matilda like she is normal, she gives her highly advanced books to read. Matilda reads her first Dickens book Great Expectations and she asks for more of Dickens’ books. Along the way, Mrs. Phelps realizes that Matilda’s parents are just the worst, but she doesn’t really do anything to interfere in Matilda’s family life. After Matilda has read several books, Mrs. Phelps gets her a library card. That means she does not have to visits to the library oftentimes, but she can borrow the books for two weeks. She takes the books home, makes herself cozy, warm drinks, and reads every afternoon in peace. Books make her imagination. After I read this, I imagine if Matilda does exist in this world. Why? Because there are just rarely children do things like Matilda does, and so the adults. Moreover the technology becomes more sophisticated nowadays, make the dependence on technology. For example, â€Å"Daddy,† she said, â€Å"do you think you could buy me a book? † â€Å"A book? † he said. â€Å"What d’you want a flaming book for? † â€Å"To read, Daddy. † â€Å"What’s wrong with the telly, for heaven’s sake? We’ve got a lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now you come asking for a book! You’re getting spoiled, my girl! † (Page 12) The dialog is when Matilda wants to buy a book but her father refuses and tells her to watch television. This is one of an example in our daily life, people prefer to watch than read (not all parents do such a thing like that to their children). I wish I were like Matilda when I was five. She is really good at reading and teaches herself to do complicated problems in her head, as well as how to read. In fact, Matilda is the smartest character I have ever met, and that makes me like her. That is why I want to discuss her character. Yes, she is special. She is just a four years old but she is so genius. Even she get less attention from her parents, with her open minded, she can solve her problem â€Å"to read books† by going to the library by herself near her house. As we know that a child who still under seven years old still being accompany by their parents, but for me Matilda is amazing and tough for a child in her age. At the library, she reads several books which chosen by the librarian, Mrs. Phelps. Thanks to Mrs. Phelps, she the only one who understand and realizes how genius Matilda is. She helps Matilda find the books and sharing the books. What makes me feel surprise, Matilda wants to read a grown-ups book. I cannot imagine how smart she is. â€Å"What sort of a book would you like to read next? † she asked. Matilda said,† I would like a really good one that grown-ups read. A famous one. I don’t know any names. † (Page 15) I highly recommend reading this book. The author wants to express that it is important to read the book. Read the book knows no age. The book is more expansive because of details, while other from the book is just a glimpse. Therefore, we need to follow Matilda as what the author wants to tell to the readers. Last, especially for parents. Children need attention, whatever the conditions. Children are just like a flower that we should give it attention by providing fertilizer and water to make it continue to grow. This book gives a lot of messages that we can take on in daily life.

The Art of Drafting Master Your Writing

Have you ever wondered how some writers are capable of producing hundreds of pages in a matter of weeks, while you are struggling for days with a measly two-page essay that isn’t even going to be published? Is it talent? Or, perhaps, some magic trick that miraculously increases their productivity a hundredfold? While it is unlikely to be true of all writers in general, there is a trick – or, rather, a method – that is used by the majority of authors that actually manage to get something done. The trick is incredibly simple – you just have to separate your writing process into two stages: drafting and editing, and be very, very particular about keeping them apart. Why is it so important? Anybody who tends to try writing an essay in one go (especially perfectionists who try to make every line and word look just right) know this situation: you write an essay, you have a general idea of what it is going to be about, you have a plan of what to mention and where. You write a sentence, start another – yet something seems to be a little bit off with that first sentence, so you come back and correct it. You go on writing, then think of a way to write this first sentence even better, get back, rewrite it – and now you have to correct the entire paragraph because it doesn’t fit the new, better variant of the first sentence. This may go on for hours – for a perfectionist it may turn the process of writing into living hell, because nothing is ever good enough. When you separate creative process into drafting and editing, you approach things differently. At the drafting stage your task is not to write a beautiful and minutely calibrated essay, but to put your thoughts on paper arranged more or less in the way you want them to. You needn’t worry about style, transitions between sentences or, for that matter, even grammar. You simply make sure you mention everything you wanted where you wanted. It will allow you to write quickly, without interrupting the flow of thoughts and inspiration, which is extremely important – if you stop every now and then and go back, your thought process will be disrupted, you will lose your own line of reasoning and get confused. And only after this, after your first rough draft is finished, you may go back and start essay editing: add all the missing logical transitions between paragraphs, prettify the language, correct grammar mistakes, work on style. The good thing about it? You will often discover that there is no need to alter this rough draft all that much – at least, you will spend much less time editing it than you would’ve spent endlessly rewriting its parts. The reason is simple – when you try to write the final draft from the get-go, you try to compose the whole that doesn’t exist yet out of fragments you create on the spot, without having a complete picture before your eyes. When you separate writing into two stages, you create a cohesive whole that already works together, and then make it work even better.