Crestwood School – Education and Science

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?

If you have ever thought about an online education to further your current career, or to get training for a new career, now is a great time to get started. In the past, some people may have thought that an online education was not of the same quality as a “traditional” education, and that it was similar to one of those “mail order” degrees. This is no longer the case. In fact, many public and private universities offer online education courses and degree programs in addition to the many other strictly online universities. You can get anything from an associate’s degree to a doctorate online and you can also get technical college degrees. For those who are not looking for an online education degree program, but just to update their professional knowledge there are many opportunities there as well.

It stands to reason that one of the more popular online education offerings is computer training. You can get a degree in computer programming, or many other different computer related degrees which will put you into one of the fastest growing career fields. As you will discover many employers and businesses are coming to respect and seek out graduates who participate in these types of degree programs.

But, for those who are not interested in computers as a career, you can find online education degree programs for everything from education to marketing. No matter what level you are starting at-high school graduate to doctoral candidate, you can find courses that will meet your needs.

If you already have a degree and are not looking for another one, you can always update your knowledge and skills with an online education course that is geared specifically for continuing education. You can update your computer skills; get recertification training for teachers, and so on and so on. The possibilities are nearly endless.

There are several advantages to pursuing a degree or training online. You can do it at your own speed in your own time. While a degree at a traditional university or college may take 2 to 4 years, you can cut that time short or stretch it out as needed. You can get loans, financial aid and flexible financing just as you would at any other school. Just be sure that the online university is accredited and that your online credits will be recognized in your chosen industry or career field. Get online and get ahead!

“I’m so glad that we’re just about to finish our education,” a friend of mine, John, told me the other day, beaming with the funny smile of a prisoner who is counting on his fingers the remaining days of his sentence. Instead of saying “me too”, however, I said seriously, “No, John, I don’t think so. You see, education is supposed to be a lifelong process.” John stared at me in disbelief. Why, is there more to education than going to schools or colleges and landing a good job?

Yes, of course, especially in today’s China. Take college teachers for example. In the past, college teachers taught the same textbooks year in, year out. Tests also remained the same. The questions or problems may be different, but they were simply variations on the same old themes. There was little need for teachers to pursue further education. Nowadays, however, there is no such thing as a clear line between teachers and students. Faced with fierce competition for academic achievements, teachers have to pursue doctorate or even post-doctorate degrees. Even tenured professors are under the constant pressure to update their knowledge so as to keep up with the latest academic development. In fact, such a state of affairs is currently shared by all walks of life.

This, however, does not mean that education plays no more than a utilitarian role in our life. Apart from scholarly titles and better chances of promotion, education also has great effects on one’s character. when we say someone is well educated, we do not simply mean that he or she has amassed a great amount of knowledge, but that he or she has high moral standards and high EQ, is capable of critical, rational thinking, and is able to face up to all the pressure in modern society. all this, however, calls for lifelong learning and practicing education cut short early in life, therefore, may lead to an under-developed character.

Education as a lifelong process is important for one’s job, character and family. The old saying: “one is never too old to learn” remains a truth in the present society.

Of course there are pros and cons to earning your college degree online. It is important for you to know what that means to you. This article will cover several of those points. If it appears that online education is right for you there are many websites that will help you find the online college degree education program that is the best for you.

Accreditation: Not all schools are created equal. Make sure that the online college you are considering has the appropriate accreditation. Find out what accreditation is required for the particular career you are seeking. This will vary amongst occupations and professions. (of course this is true of traditional campus based schools as well)
Financial aid: Recently legislation was passed that forbid the withholding of financial aid to a student at an online school based on that fact alone. However, this may still be an issue.
Learning style: Online education is not for everyone. Some people are more social and less technologically inclined and find that a campus based school meets their abilities and personalities better. If you are self-driven, have a basic knowledge of computers, and do not need a campus to meet your social needs, then online education may be better for your style.
Transferability: If you start an online program and then decide to transfer to another campus-based college, you will want to make sure your online credits will transfer. This is a question you need to ask the advisor before you select a school. On the other hand, choosing an online school will allow you to continue your education program even if you have to move, change jobs, or undergo some other new obligation.
Creditability: Despite the fact that online degrees are increasing by 20% each year, as opposed to campus-based colleges which are increasing only 2% each year, some potential employers may not give an online degree the came credibility as a traditional campus based college degree. You need to do your homework here too. Ask potential employers what the general feeling is about online degrees, this can vary greatly related to occupation and the level of the degree you are seeking.
Earning a college degree takes planning and perseverance. You need to make sure that you do your “homework” and select the program and the method of education that will best suit you and give you the “bank for your buck”. Make sure you ask the right questions of both campus-based traditional college education programs and online or distance college degree education programs. Talk to the advisor at whichever type of school you choose and make sure you understand the pros and cons.