The Emotional Intelligence, its importance in the learning process

Within the learning process, cognitive aspects have been privileged over emotional aspects. For some experts, both aspects should be considered separately, however, it might not be suitable if we are to achieve overall development of the learner. In order to accommodate emotional aspects in the educational process, they should be categorized as what they consist on, how they help emotional education to take place and their role as components of the learning process.

Additionally, theachers roles as well as teacher and student emotional should be considered as they affect their own learning processes. Finally, the relationship between emotions and learning styles is to be considered.

Source: http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/440/44023984007.pdf

Magazine education 

Daiana Andrada - 4to A

Deaf education

Deaf education

Deaf education is designed specifically to meet the educational, linguistic, cultural, social and cognitive needs of the individual student.

Deaf and hard of hearing children have the right to a quality education, with the same content and to the same academic level as hearing children. Deaf education is the education of students with various hearing levels in a way that addresses the students´ individual differences and needs. However, there are different approaches and communication methods in the education of Deaf and hard of hearing students around the world. There are three main communication methods used in the education of Deaf children:

1.      Bilingual – This is a philosophy of teaching a sign language  as a native or first language of Deaf children plus the national written language. The spoken/written language (for example Finnish in Finland or Spanish in Mexico) is taught as a second language.

2.      Total communication – This refers to using a combination of signs and spoken language, which includes sign language, finger-spelling, gesture, visual imagery, writing, voice and lip-reading.

3.      Oral – This is an approach that emphasizes auditory training, articulation ability and lip-reading and assumes that all information can be transmitted by using spoken language. This approach usually excludes the use of a signed language.

Studies have shown that Deaf students who have higher levels of sign language proficiency also have better results in reading and writing tests (i.e. literacy), and perform better in cognitive tasks.

Language and communication are at the heart of everything we do as humans and without them any academic, cognitive, emotional or social development becomes difficult.  The WFD (World Federation of the Deaf) believes that sign language is central to a linguistically and culturally appropriate education for deaf children, be it the national sign language of a country or a local sign language. Some countries are multilingual; there may be more than one sign language and/or spoken language in a country, and the educational provision for deaf children should reflect this.

The goal of bilingual Deaf education is language proficiency in at least a sign language and a written/spoken language.   Teachers must have the knowledge and skills necessary to teach literacy and all academic subjects, and fluency in sign language is a critical skill for teachers who work with Deaf and hard of hearing students. National laws and educational policies in many countries do not yet promote the use of the national sign language in the education of Deaf and hard of hearing students. The International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) is perhaps the most recognized international conference for educators and researchers working with Deaf and hard of hearing students.

The use of sign language in education is supported by article 24,  paragraph 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which states that countries should “[ensure] that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, Deaf or DeafBlind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development”.

 World Federation of the Deaf

In: https://wfdeaf.org/our-work/focus-areas/deaf-education

Jessica Machiavello.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-all/single-view/news/refugee_children_are_five_times_more_likely_to_be_o

ut_of_school_than_others/

Bulliyng in Schools

School Bullying

Modified : December 22,2015

School Bullying is Nothing New 

Bullying has probably been around since the 18th century. It is a negative human condition that has evolved along with the mind and psyche. Bullying started with kids picking on each others or parents believing that they are teaching their kids “discipline” by beating them. Adults used to believe that kids fought only to be “best friends in the end”. Bullying also resulted from conforming to prejudiced social norms like gender stereotyping of men and women. The idea of “boys will be boys” and “girls are catty” have given way to accepting unacceptable negative social behavior. However, with awareness and strategies, bullying in school can be controlled.

 

What is Bullying?

 What distinguishes bullying from regular childhood teasing and taunting? The severity and duration of bullying can be used as its identifying markers. Kids are cruel by nature. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are mean but more in the sense of their brutal honesty. Young children don’t have the social and empathy skills that adults have. These are acquired traits. Children don’t inherit them but are influenced into becoming empathetic, kind individuals through positive role-modeling.

It is important that adults stop thinking of bullying as a normal part of childhood. They should not have believe that kids need to “toughen up”, especially when we are dealing with boys. Instead, adults should teach kids assertiveness, how to express their emotions in a healthy way and how to stand up for themselves. Bullies tend to target those with low self esteem. Fearfulness and helplessness greatly reinforce bullying.

 

What causes School Bullying?

The personality of a bully develops in childhood and is caused by hereditary factors, peer relations and in response to social situations in school and community. Lack of warmth at home, too much or too little discipline and physical punishment may contribute to bullying. An imbalance of power can occur if children are raised in non-accepting homes. Their peers would appear either superior or inferior to them in terms of how they look, their customs or socioeconomic statuses.

The child who bullies does so to gain attention and secure friends. It gives him/her a false sense of power. Negative company sometimes compels strong kids to exert power over the weak. The victim’s fear and submission reinforce the bullies’ sense of domination.

Bullies believe that bullying behavior will grant them acceptance. When they grow up, bullies are at a greater risk for embarking on criminal activity. Because bullying can escalate into violence, more often than not there will be crimes committed. A 2013 research by a group of scientists in the department of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina found out that 14 percent of kids who suffered repeated bullying will have a criminal record by the age of 18.

Some kids may bully because of their poor social skills. This could be traced to emotional or personality disorders. They may have latent sociopathic tendencies which would make them a danger to their families and societies.

 

What is Bullying in School? 

Bullying in school occurs when one student or a group of students intentionally hurt another student. This abuse may be physical, psychological, or emotional. The last type is one of the most common forms of bullying in schools, and one of the least recognized by parents. Reasons for bullying vary almost as much as its types.

§  The bully (or bullies) may have self-esteem issues and would only feel better about themselves by picking on someone who is weaker and less powerful.

§  Students may develop a herd mentality and pick on a child who does not conform to what they view asnormal.

§  Students bully other students so as to be seen as “cool” and avoid being bullied themselves.

§  In some cases, bullies are being abused at home and they take out their anger on one or more students they deem most likely to “take it” and not stand up for themselves. They might also bully students with healthy homes out of their envy for their normal and happy lives.

 

Different Kinds Of School Bullying

School Bullying is classified as follows:

§  Verbal: excessive and malicious teasing, insulting remarks, name calling, embarrassing jokes and revealing intimate information, cursing, crude and inappropriate sexual comments, threats and taunting.

§  Physical: hitting, tripping, kicking, pushing and shoving.

§  Social: ignoring a certain person, casting them out of a group, making them feel left out, spreading rumors about them and telling other kids not to be friends with them.

§  Cyber bullying: threats and inappropriate sexual comments via social media, texting, emailing and chat rooms.

§  Bullying can occur between peers at school, in the community, or in social groups. There are even cases ofteachers bullying students.

Source: https://nobullying.com/school-bullying/

      READING 2.0

Many educators are worried about how technology is affecting the amount of reading that students are doing. They notice that:

·         Students are struggling to read and comprehend longer texts.

·         Students are struggling to read deeply.

·         Many students report that they don’t read outside of school at all.

There are a few contributing factors to this, technology being one and high-stakes testing being another. We could also argue that kids aren't reading less, they're reading differently.

Non-Readers, Occasional Readers and Digital Readers

Just recently, over 100 children's authors, including the likes of Judy Blume, signed a letter to President Obama arguing that "Our public school students spend far too much time preparing for reading tests and too little time curling up with books that fire their imaginations." I can attest to the fact that many of my former students rarely read novels and equated "passages" with reading. For weeks on end, teachers were only allowed to present their students with texts that resembled those on the PSSA test. This can't help but have a lasting effect on students' desire to read for pleasure or read something longer than a test passage.

A 2013 Nielsen Book survey of 2,000 British families found that "among 11- to 17-year-olds, non-readers grew from 13 percent to 27 percent between 2012 and 2013." While the study did not define "non-readers," it defined "occasional readers" as those "who read 1-3 times a month." While these numbers are alarming, Nielsen found that 33 percent of children said they were reading digitally and 28 percent said that they would like to. In response to these numbers, Jo Henry from Nielsen Book stated, "There is something around we're not making it attractive enough to do it: there's not much aspirational stuff there. We all hoped the attraction of digital reading would bring lighter readers into the market. But they're still less likely than the heavier-reading teenagers to be reading e-books and apps." Still, according to the survey, 60 percent of children report that they are reading for pleasure on a weekly basis.

So what does it all mean?

For one, many children report that they would like to read digitally, but the current digital market is not attracting new readers or making children read more. That said, a large percentage of children are still saying that they read for pleasure. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at the technologies we currently employ for young readers. There are children who love to read and want to read digitally.

Lastly, research has shown that people read differently when they are reading on the web. A reader's eyes move differently around a webpage than the page of a book. Does this change how we read, and does it affect how young people read books or e-books? Do young people now have to code-switch each time they switch from reading a screen to reading a book? This could be an added hurdle.

Recognizing the Options

So how do we engage kids as readers?

A few ideas come to mind. Many young people have taken on writing fan fiction based on their favorite books. The website Harry Potter Fan Fiction has over 80,000 stories written by Harry Potter fans. These young people are not just reading stories, but writing them, too.

Along that same thread, self-publishing through e-books or a blog can engage readers. A well-maintained and cared-for blog can easily become a book. Also, if a blogger wants more people to read his or her blog, he or she must actively read other blogs. Personal blogs tend to get their inspiration from personal interests. This can be a great way to introduce books into a young blogger's repertoire.

Many young people use social media to connect with their friends and stay on top of what's going on in the world. Teaching them how to follow articles and news events on social media can lead to deeper conversations about global and local issues. If a student has a personal interest in a particular topic or issue, there is most likely a book they could read about the topic.

Of course, the simplest way to get kids reading more is by giving them exposure to a variety of topics and genres, and by giving them time to explore their passions. Inquiry leads to research, and research leads to reading. If we're forcing students to read boring test passages over and over, and teaching them that the only purpose behind reading is to perform on a test, then we have only ourselves to blame if students aren't reading for pleasure. We also need to begin to accept new forms of reading as what they are . . . reading. Young people have more reading options today than ever before, and these forms of reading require them to read differently. The biggest, most important question is, "Are kids reading for pleasure?" If the answer is yes, then we are on the right path.

Extracted from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reading-2.0-mary-beth-hertz

Define codes for coexistence throughout all the spaces in the school, codes agreed on according to educational criteria[1]

These are normally called rules. Often these are seen in a negative light, as we associate them with the habitual authoritarian discipline normal in traditional schools, or because, even now, it can be difficult to elaborate them with democratic criteria or they tend to form negative formulas (many come about in a reactive way while trying to respond to situations of tension). We understand rules as those agreed markers that facilitate the organization of coexistence. To facilitate democratic coexistence, they should be few, clear, agreed upon, compared, feasible, subject to change and designed in a calm and measured way, according to educational criteria. Shared rules, like any common code, give us a margin of reference and safety that facilitates people’s involvement and participation. They are a pact that has to be maintained, so there can be no impunity if someone breaks them, but nor can punishment be the response, as this is not based on educational criteria but instead used to humiliate the person, mixing them up with the problem. Mechanisms need to be sought to promote healing of the damage done, through searching for solutions to the problem while respecting the people affected. To heal, it is first necessary to recognize the damage done and take responsibility for it. The more that people who broke the rules and caused the damage are involved in this process, the easier it is for sanctioning measures to move away from punishment and towards healing, as they will be more aware of everyone’s needs and the reasons behind their actions. They will also be more motivated to search for an alternative solution to punishment. Thus, promoting negotiation and mediation processes between the affected parties are priorities during conflict transformation. To establish shared rules we have to:

• Rethink internal regulations as a consensual, practical and familiar tool for the entire school community

• Understand classroom rules as something in the service of the whole group, so they need to be effective – if they are not, they should be modified

• Stipulate participatory mechanisms that allow for the continuous monitoring of problems that may arise, relating to coexistence: classroom assemblies and student councils, coexistence committees, suggestion boxes, etc

• Establish non-violent mechanisms to solve cases of violation of the rules for coexistence through restorative practices.

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[1] http://escolapau.uab.cat/img/programas/educacion/informe.pdf  (p.47)