Crestwood School – Education and Science

Do you want to enhance your job skills but have no time for higher studies?
Or, you want a career shift but have no time for earning required degrees from a regular college or university?

Both of these queries lead to one question, that is:

Are you familiar with the concept of Online Education?

If not, its time to understand the importance and advantages of online education. First it’s not true that only the technologically advanced and internet savvy can go for it. Just about everyone can go for an online degree. You only have to choose the degree you want to pursue and one of the top accredited online universities and colleges which are offering these degrees.

The latest developments in the area of information and technology have made the use of these advancements, for dispensing education possible beyond the stereotype system of classrooms. Since it’s a means to the end, this not only educates the students but also makes them current on what is latest in IT. Top accredited online universities and top accredited online colleges are doing a great service which is resulting in an economically sound society with better educated and skilled people.

These accredited online universities are using the potential of IT positively to contribute to the educational development as well as socio-economic benefit. They are offering various kinds of online degrees, diploma and certificate programs to a multitude of learners which include a growing number of teens, adults and advance education students.

Vocation education online degree programs, being offered at these top accredited online universities and top accredited online colleges, are facilitating and encouraging students to acquire a professional set of skills which will in the long run increase both technical and professional opportunities.

By opting for these online degree programs of top accredited online universities and colleges, the otherwise disadvantaged masses that can not attend regular colleges and universities, are becoming self-sufficient. Thus these online degree programs of various universities and colleges are producing a huge number of well-instructed and skilled hands that will play a vital role in competent management of both private and public sectors at all levels.

Insurance continuing education is a customary insurance training course which helps insurance brokers, agents, underwriters and sales force to upgrade their knowledge base about different insurance products and enhance their sales pitch to generate more sales. It is a formal training as well as certificate course which you can subscribe for online. There is no nationwide accreditation given to insurance agents as the laws and rules governing insurance policies vary from state to state for the entire gamut of insurance products. Insurance continuing education usually establish credit review requirements for a period of time usually after two or three years after which insurance professionals need to undergo a training course to polish their skills as well as learn about the latest regulations and policies governing insurance sector. This course can be done online as there are many companies and third party organizations that provide online insurance continuing education along with certification at cost effective prices. This proves very advantageous to insurance professionals who work full time as this would help save their valuable time and money which they can invest on meeting new clients and generating more sales. Alternatively insurance professionals may have to go to regular insurance training schools and spend good number of hours in learning concepts sacrificing their work time. The online insurance continuing program provides courses on all kinds of insurance policies namely, health , property, casualty, ethics, long term care as well as several other insurance products. All online insurance CE courses are devised on the basis of credit hours required as per the State’s Department of Insurance.

The online insurance CE courses offered today are transparent in the fee structures and course materials offered and there are absolutely no hidden surcharges involved. You pay only the quoted price and also get your online certification based on the online test that you write. Many insurance companies, brokerage houses, multinational companies, insurance agencies as well as individual insurance agents undergo insurance CE services to ensure better quality of sales through effective sales pitch training and knowledge enhancement. Life Insurance is a delicate subject to deal with and has many policies, terms and conditions regulating it with laws that are volatile and subject to change from state to state and time to time. Hence, selling this insurance product requires able and skilled professionals who can do justice to this product and drive sales effectively employing good sales and marketing techniques. The insurance staff should also be in a position to answer any questions related to life insurance, health, commodities, property and almost anything with utmost confidence and clarity to close a sale. Moreover even if you are a part time insurance agent or underwriter, you can grab some exciting career opportunities with this education program. Therefore it is of paramount importance for insurance professionals to undergo insurance continuing education online to equip themselves with the latest skills and thereby boost insurance sales in their sales which would eventually yield more revenue or commissions for them.

Back in the day; I mean some twelve years ago when my daughter was a toddler, I used to teach her personal hygiene while she was unable to comprehend anything. While most children do not even remember their early years of being 2 or 3 years old many can remember the things you did for them as a parent; when you remind them of what you use to do to help them mature and grow up over the years. Today, I see it has truly paid off. My mother often shared with my daughter personal hygiene when she began to smell under her arm pits and started the need to have to use deodorant. You have to teach your child the basic fundamentals about personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is something that definitely cannot be avoided.

The only way for your child to learn it, is if you teach it. It’s something they will not learn on their own. Children do what they have been told to do, and they do what they see others do, meaning you as a parent or someone else they come into contact with; whether a relative, teacher, or friend. Once your children continue to grow older and understand the purpose and need for good personal hygiene it’s like a feeling of accomplishment for one aspect of parenting. I remember I used to brush and floss my teeth with my daughter; today I just friendly remind her of the dentist and she makes it her business to brush and floss on her own. I taught my daughter at an early age how to bathe properly and how to brush and floss her teeth; It’s alright to allow your child to eat candy; as long as you let them know they should brush and floss their teeth every day; “two-times” a day or more if necessary. I guess she was about 6 or 7 years old when I stopped physically bathing her myself.

Personal hygiene goes way beyond brushing and flossing teeth. A simple gesture such as washing your hands before opening the door of your refrigerator is good hygiene teaching; especially if your child has just come from outdoors playing. Believe it or not your children are a reflection of you as a parent. They’re in your image and likeness; so the more your children see you do the things beneficial for yourself, they will want to do likewise as long as it’s helpful and beneficial for their betterment. Personal hygiene is a “life-long” need and should be taught at a very early age once you see your child is coordinated and has good physical statue without any complications while taking care of themselves.

The whole body from head to toe needs personal attention regularly and should not be excluded on a daily basis. Remember, when your parents teased you about “toe-jam”, told you to come to them so they could clean your “nose” out; and clean your “ear-lopes.” to get that wax out of your ears. If so, chances are you were raised with good personal hygiene habits. Teach these good habits to your children, and be thankful you were taught them yourself at some time in your life span.

Your child or children are an asset to you and not a liability. Look, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of your womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3. If you are struggling with your parental rights and responsibilities sign-up to receive tips on life in general and I can help you with your parenting concerns.

Copyright © 2007 Clark A. Thomas

Becoming word savvy is what our children need in order to grow educationally. As parents and teachers, we strive to mold our children in certain ways that we desire them to be. Language and vocabulary building are two important areas for students must develop as they mature. These areas are the important foundations for students as they go on to higher learning and become part of the workforce.

There are many ways of teaching children at an early how to develop these skills. Children love to play fun games. These fun games can also help them build skills for preschool and beyond, and promote the desire to learn.

It is important to provide children with creative activities. We can use activities such as coloring pages, various art crafts, puzzle shapes, letter and word recognition activities, and list alphabetizing. Sentence building is another way of teaching to become familiar with areas such as math, science, English and social science.

Children learn easily and more aggressively, when they are taught through activities that promote their curiosity and are associated with things that are happening around them. Children become word savvy through Interactive resources such as anagrams. These are other ways to help children improve and enhance their skills in word definitions, word pronunciation, and creating longer and more difficult words.

Child need to be properly guided through these activities in order for them to become familiar with the learning process and the world around them. Learning at a younger age will always be reflected in their future abilities. Learn begins at home and is to be enhances through our education system.

At certain times of the year and dependent upon where you live, hopefully you can be outside to enjoy the beautiful days as well as glorious night sky. After the long winter months, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore our outside world in relative comfort. When we look to the skies, most of us are amazed at its splendor but don’t have a clue as to what we are looking for or at. So, when the weather permits, step outside and share in the expanse of the sky.

As parent and child begin their journey of the solar system, remember, it is suppose to be fun. There are so many stars in the sky that you might want to start simple and build your way. Astronomy for kids does not need to be confusing or intimidating. It can simply be fun and bonding!

Although the night sky is well mapped and extremely fascinating, it is also complex. To spark long-remembered conversations and moments to be shared, start with a few simple searches for planets that are visible to the naked-eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. The best opportunity to observe Mercury is when it is at its highest point in the sky. Sometimes Mercury is visible in the evening. In this case you can start observing Mercury shortly after sunset but you will have less than an hour until the planet sets below the horizon. At other times Mercury is visible in the morning. You will be able to see Mercury at most an hour or so before sunrise and can observe it until the light from the rising sun drowns it out.

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. Whenever Venus is visible, it is much brighter than anything in the sky, with the exception of the sun and moon.

Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun. When Mars is bright, it is bright red; when it is dim, it is a pale pink (at such times it may be difficult to see any color at all). Mars goes from bright to dim back to bright every two years.

Jupiter is the fifth closest planet to the sun. Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. Jupiter is lost in the Sun’s glare. Nevertheless, it is out there, on the other side of the Sun from Earth and 580 million miles away from our planet. It returns to view in mid-January, low in the morning sky.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. Saturn appears pale yellow to the naked eye. Although never appearing quite as bright as the other planets, it is still obvious when the position is found.

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are brighter than anything other than Venus, the sun or moon, Sirius and Canopus.

Once you have found, identified and possibly mapped the obvious, search deeper. You may find that you are enjoying the night sky as much as your child!

No body wants to remain uneducated in today’s world as education is considered a very important part of their lives. Education can either rise you to a certain height or cause u a downfall in the future depending on the careers you choose. Education is greatly different today in comparison to the 1950s because of advancements in teaching and other great inventions that provide easier techniques of teaching. With advancements in the today’s world a major development with education has also taken place and that is distance learning or online education.

Online education has become a widely accepted alternative to learning in the classroom. Distance education has helped students to educate themselves in a world where technology rules and fast paced lifestyles are a part of life. As the Internet is becoming increasingly popular, so does the online education gaining popularity.

There are many formats through which distant learning could be made available such as online Power Point Presentations, Videos on tapes, CD’s, DVDs, or other internet courses format that is put online. This easiest way of learning has been legalized since 1993 and is considered a new way of teaching students of all ages. Online education has been gaining popularity through out the years because of the ease of the internet. The internet has made it easier for people to stay connected and has provided people with unlimited resources on the World Wide Web. Many educators have mixed feelings about online educating because there are so many pros and cons to the issue.

Mary Kassop, an author and educationalist, gives general overview of online education and support it. He writes, Can students learn as much and as well online as they do in face to face courses? The answer to these questions is not just ‘yes,’ but one can there are many ways that online courses may actually surpass traditional face to face classes in quality and rigor”. Mrs. Kassop, as an online education supporter, is correct on the issue because it can provide a good education to many people. The convenience of online courses provide busy individuals a chance to get the equal amount of education as a student going to class and all that is needed to get started is a computer with internet access. One computer can open the gates to a whole new world of learning and excitement.

Online education now is either offered by private entities or there are many city and university colleges that offer these programs. Some Colleges and schools offer programs such as Psychology and Sociology which are equal to or even better then face to face classes. One example of a class that is better online rather than face to face is Sociology because they let the students observe human communication at public spaces without the teacher being there.

Online education could be the tool of the future to provide the young and the old with schooling and instruction. It provides a cheaper way of teaching while still giving the student the material necessary for the class. Students learn responsibility through online education and will give them a reason to work hard during the class. In general online classes will help provide many students with the education they require.

There are two kinds of people in life: those who continue learning well past the last ringing of the school bell, and those who are trudging through life praying for retirement.

In my own life, 40 has finally arrived. Am I old? No. Should I feel old? Why?

School is twenty years in the past for myself, and yet, everyday is a learning experience for me. I am still learning astronomy and engineering from The Science Channel, and I am engaged in a daily pursuit of learning to be a better computer programmer.

I was one of those unlucky soles in that I graduated from high school in 1983. My choice career since 1979 was that of a computer programmer. In 1983, when I entered college, I was stoked. I was going after my dream to be a computer programmer.

Unfortunately, I was relegated to gaining my education from a two-year college, whose computer science teacher chose to live in the past. The college that was close to my home was my starting point in my college career, and they were stuck in the technologies of the 1960′s and 1970′s.

While in high school, I had been privileged enough to be able to have Personal Computers in the classroom. I was able to be schooled in computer programming on TRS-80′s (fondly called Trash 80′s by those who used them) and on the first Apple Computers to enter the marketplace.

The writing was on the wall. The future of computer programming was in the personal computer market. Yet, our instructor would only teach us Fortran, an already dying language. (By the mid- to late-1980′s, nearly every major business had done away with those massive mainframe computers that relied upon the Fortran operating system.)

It was a very frustrating time in my life. I left college, disillusioned in the fact that I could not learn the kind of programming that I wanted to do in my life.

Move forward eleven years into the future. It was 1994 and Windows 3.11 was the computer operating system of choice. Now, that was a long time ago.

In 1994, I hooked myself up with my first personal computer, and then began the self-teaching process. In 2001, I began teaching computer programming to students who were paying for Adult Continuing Education courses as our local vo-tech.

For me, programming is an everyday learning experience. This past weekend, I was finally able to break through in my understanding of a concept that I had previously had a lot of problems in comprehending.

It was two days past my 40th birthday, and I had a major learning breakthrough. Even at 40, I am still young in heart and mind.

If I were to contribute only one thing to my youthful feelings that would be the fact that even at 40, I find time in my day to learn new things.

Are you continuing your education, or are you among the poor folks who are praying for time to race by so that you may enter into retirement? (the average person lives only 3 years past retirement. why should you be racing to the grave? instead, contemplate the possibility of racing to a life worth living…)

Adult Continuing Education is a worthwhile endeavor, whether you are 25, 40 or 85. Please endeavor yourself to learn something new today. You will feel much better once you have done so.

I am sure many of you have been exposed to a child who simply does not respect adults through their actions or words. Children learn these behaviors when they are toddlers. The first thing any parent needs to do is to teach the child to respect their parents. “No” is one of the first words a child learns, because a parent is usually telling them “no”. They are mimicking your words, no rebelling against you at this age. There is a big difference. I’m not suggesting you stop telling your child “no”, what I am suggesting is how you tell your child “no”. When we are raising our children we need to choose our words carefully, it will effect they way they see themselves and others around them. Children need boundaries as we all do, teaching these boundaries through love, will help develop a healthy sense of respect for themselves and others.

As your baby starts to crawl and walk they discover many things that are interesting to pick up and touch. Not all of these things are appropriate for them handle. For example, if your child is reaching for a breakable item, most people will shout, yell or firmly say “NO”. This tone of voice and volume is what stops the child from picking up or touching this item. Sometimes, it will cause the child to cry, bringing guilt to the parent for using such harsh tones and volume of voice, therefore, comforting the child and bringing confusion to the child’s mind. First to shout “NO”, then you give comfort. Another way to handle this situation is, say to the child “this is not for baby (or use child’s name), in a calm voice. While removing the item for the reach of the child or removing the child from the dangerous area. Distract the child with another toy or object that is appropriate for him/her to have at this time. Now life would be so perfect if it was that easy, most children will return to the object in question and continue to touch the object in question. At this time, a firm “no” is appropriate. Do not feel guilty as the child begins to cry, as you are only looking out for his/her safety and setting boundaries of your parental wisdom. Remember a child left unattended for a few seconds or minutes will usually find something interesting to catch their attention.

If your child is past this stage and already in the toddler stage of saying “no” to mommy and daddy, you will need to change this habit quickly. It’s not so cute when your high school child tells you “no” when you ask them to do something. Whenever your child does something you think is cute and you laugh at them, they will continue this behavior knowing they got a positive response from you. Picture this same action from a 10 year old or older, it may not be so cute. At that time you punish them for a behavior they were once receiving positive feedback. This is confusing and hurtful to a child. Be consistent with praise and discipline on their behavior. When a child says “no” out of rebellion, this is not acceptable behavior. You will need to nip it in the bud. Start by speaking lovingly to the child explaining they may not say “no” to you. You will need to decide with your spouse an appropriate discipline for this action. At this time, you will explain to your child if they say “no”, this discipline will take place. Mind you, you will need to communicate this so that they understand. Always ask your child to repeat to you what you just informed them. This is to verify they understood what you are asking of them and it also reinforces it in their mind. Most children at this time will test the boundaries and see if you will follow through with your actions. You need to be consistent on your discipline. Teaching your child is THE most important job you have, being consistent is the key to this. If you are busy washing dishes, making the bed or cleaning house, you will need to stop what you are doing and take care of this issue. Your words, tone of voice and actions are all under a microscope with this child. They will mimic your voice, tone, words and actions.

So far I have discussed a child learning to talk with disrespect. I also want to focus on children interrupting. As I pointed out earlier your child and his/her upbringing is the most important job you have. I also need to emphasize that there are times your child will need to learn not to interrupt you and other adults. This is a social skill they will need later in life. No one likes to be interrupted. Teaching your child they have to wait until it is their turn to speak is a valuable lesson. How you teach your child to behave will make the difference for them later in life. A rude and misbehaving child is not one other people will want to be around. If you have friends avoiding playmate times with you or your child is having difficulty making friends you may need to reevaluate how you have taught your child to behave. It is never too late to teach your child respectful behavior. Remember you cannot be a hypocrite you must respect to get respect.

Outdoor Education Centers are created to provide arts and recreation programs for students. Outdoor education aims at improving student performance, and to build co-relation between the community and the school. It should bring the children’s imagination and creations to life.
Outdoor education will be a wonderful experience for the students. The students get experience in nature and group activities. Spending time in nature through outdoor education improves standardized test scores, grade-point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making.

Outdoor Education classes include long hikes, hands on natural science, wall climbing, archery, fishing, swimming, canoeing and playing in the bog, etc. It also includes cooperative games to encourage team building. Between the hikes the students gain outdoor experiences. Wall climbing ensures to build determination and individual challenges. The archery and fishing will be challenging and interesting. Canoeing may be your favorite.

Summer camps and workshops also provide some sort of outdoor education. Nowadays, parents realize to find ways to pack their children for summer camps to learn art, craft, dance, drama and outdoor-survival programmes. Organizations and outdoor education centers offer to teach children rock climbing, astronomy, horse riding, painting, musical instruments, kathak, story creation, theatre and basket weaving, yoga, cooking, mask-making, drawing cartoons/caricature, landscape painting and drawing, interactive games, storytelling, role plays, bonfires, tent-pitching, conversational skills, film-making module, soft skills enhancements, martial arts, modern contemporary dance, jazz, funk, rock, hip-hop, and salsa.

These camps inculcate outdoor skills like route-finding and navigation, map and compass use, rescue techniques, injury prevention and treatment and hazard evaluation. It helps children find words to label and recognize feelings like anger, sadness, fear, jealousy, etc. The creative activities in the camps assist children to play, create, think and learn.

Outdoor camp activities including challenging and absorbing activities make your children explore and enjoy and bring them closer to the natural world. These are also powerful team-building experiences. Children also gain active listening, organizing thoughts and ideas, and pronunciation skills. The involvement of professionals in summer camps ensures that the children not just have fun, but learn skills, invoke creativeness, build confidence, interact with peers and at the end have value added to their lives. The activities are packed and designed to challenge a child’s physical, mental and artistic abilities.

Qualified nutritionist would teach healthy eating habits through non-fire cooking recipes and there’s also yoga and dance to squeeze in some health and fitness.

The outdoor education, summer camps and workshops are open to students of all age group. But certain outdoor activities are only for students above 16 years old.

Though the outdoor education centers, summer camps and workshops demand high fee, the skills, value and benefits it inculcates in children needs to be appreciated. Parents always welcome outdoor education and camps to crown their dear ones with value added life.

Because of such parents, Nanuet Outdoor Education Center in US is proud to celebrate its 100th anniversary, recently. And the Bluewater District School Board in US honored and handed out their 2008 Awards of Excellence to 11 school volunteers who have made a significant contribution to the education system and outdoor education.

Each year teachers are faced with the daunting task of teaching
to a classroom of 20-30 individual students, each with their own
learning styles, interests, and abilities. Providing optimal
learning for such a diverse group can seem overwhelming. But,
there is a simple approach that can be used which will enable
all students to succeed, and that approach is simply using
variety and choice. Not only does this approach address the
multiple learning styles of students, but it also aides in making
them independent learners.

While the classroom still needs to have structure (routines,
rules, procedures), providing variety within that structured
environment can aide in providing optimal learning for all
students. Using a variety of instructional approaches such as
lectures, PowerPoint presentations, inquiry-based instruction,
hands-on experiments, project/problem-based learning, or
computer aided instruction, not only addresses the various
learning styles of the students in the classroom, but it can help
learners become more flexible in their learning. Most learners
do have a preferred learning style, however this does not mean
they are strictly dependent on that style to learn. They are
also comfortable with and able to learn from several other styles
as well. Exposing students to a wide variety of learning styles
will enable them to become more flexible learners.

It is also beneficial to vary the input devices used and the
resources made available in the classroom. Children have a wide
variety of preferred learning devices, therefore making as many
available as possible provides for this diversity. For example,
when presenting information use audio (songs, speeches,
interviews, etc.), video, books, posters, hands-on
manipulatives, food, and smells. Technology has made available
a wide range of resources, such as PowerPoint presentations,
live video feeds, chats, and communication. PowerPoint
presentations are a great way to present information using a
mixture of audio, video, animations (movement), and text. These
presentations can also be made available to the students via the
computer for them to review at their own pace. The internet/
computers also offer interactive learning activities that combine
movement, visuals, and sounds, such as virtual science
experiments. These allow students to conduct experiments
never before thought possible due to danger or lack of equipment.
Virtual experiments can be found at http://www.explorelearning.com .

Pre-exposure to material also aides in learning. The more
familiar students are with a subject the easier it is for new
learning to occur. Therefore, providing students with a
variety of pre-exposure materials can better prepare them for
new learning units. For example, monthly calendars that list
the upcoming themes, a classroom website with links to various
websites related to upcoming themes, books, magazines, maps,
posters, computer software, and manipulatives can be provided
for students to browse at their leisure. Providing a variety of
materials takes into consideration the learning preferences of
all students.

Novelty can be used to gain and keep students’ attention.
People usually only pay attention to things that are of value or
things that are personally meaningful. Therefore, relating
learning to your students’ real life experiences or interests
can catch and keep their attention. “Shock” them with an unusual
noise, experiment, video, song, etc. You can also present them
with a problem or project that relates to their real world in
order to gain their attention and interest at the beginning of
a unit. Issues such as environmental problems, problems with
long lines in the cafeteria, designing the perfect playground,
planning a field trip within the budget, local traffic issues,
etc. can all be considered. Making learning meaningful,
relevant, and interesting to your students not only gains their
initial attention, but keeps it throughout the lesson.

When planning your lessons it is beneficial to try to include as
many of the senses and/or Gardner’s multiple intelligences
(verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, kinesthetic, visual-
spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist)
as possible. You can do this by using a variety of activities
in your plans such as songs, games, experiments, field trips,
real world experiences, interviews, guest speakers, physical
movement/exercise, small group activities, individual activities,
partner activities, cooking/food/snacks, hands-on experiences,
etc. Providing a variety of activities will enable students of
all ability levels to succeed.

Not only do students have diverse learning styles but varying
bio-cognitive cycles as well. Some students learn best in the
morning, some in the afternoon. Therefore, having a flexible
classroom schedule can provide for these differences. Also,
varying the times and types of assessments can give all students
a fair chance of showing their true abilities.

When applicable, it is beneficial to give students choice in
activities and assessments. This provides students
opportunities to showcase their individual talents and can aide
in classroom management as well. If students are constantly
dictated to and not given a voice or choice they can grow
resentful and “act out”. Provide a variety of classroom
activities for students to choose from during structured and
unstructured times, give them several projects such as posters,
PowerPoint presentations, reports, interviews, videos, brochures,
etc. to choose from when assessing their knowledge. Giving
students choice provides them with a sense of empowerment over
their learning and can aide them in deciding what learning styles
and assessments work best for them, thus helping them become
more responsible for their own learning.

It would be a pretty boring world if all learners were the same.
Diversity makes the classroom more interesting and exciting.
Teachers should honor and respect the uniqueness of each
student by offering variety and choice in their classrooms. Not
only will this address the diverse needs of the students, but it
will also help them to become independent learners as well.
After all, is that not the goal of education?