John Dewey-The Modern Father of Experiential Education

John Dewey was known as "The Modern Father of Experiential Education". He is known as one of the greatest philosopher's and educational thinkers of the 20th century. "In the 1920's / 1930's, John Dewey became famous for pointing out that the authoritarian, strict, pre-ordained knowledge approach of modern traditional education was too concerned with delivering knowledge, and not enough with understanding students' actual experiences". He became the champion of progressive education. He was critical of completely, "free, student-driven", education because he believed that student's didn't know how to structure their learning experiences.

Dewey believed that an educator had to take into account the differences between the student's. He believed that each student was different in their own way. "Even when a standard curricula is presented using established pedagogical methods, each students will have a different quality of experience. Thus, teaching and curriculum must be designed in ways that allow for such individual differences". For Dewey, education was also a social purpose where it helped people become more effective member's in their democratic society. "Dewey argued that the one-way delivery style of authoritarian schooling does not provide a good model for life in democratic society. Instead, students need educational experiences which enable them to become valued, equal, and responsible members of society".

Dewey supported progressive education in which progressive education was a wild swing in in the philosophical pendulum against traditional education methods. In progressive education, freedom was the rule, but the problem with is that Dewey said that freedom is no solution. I agree, learning needs structure and so do the student's.

"John Dewey (1859-1952) believed that learning was active and schooling unnecessarily long and restrictive. His idea was that children came to school to do things and live in a community which gave them real, guided experiences which fostered their capacity to contribute to society. For example, Dewey believed that students should be involved in real-life tasks and challenges". These tasks included,

• maths could be learnt via learning proportions in cooking or figuring out how long it would take to get from one place to another by mule

• history could be learnt by experiencing how people lived, geography, what the climate was like, and how plants and animals grew, were important subjects

Dewey had a gift for coming up with activities and people listening to them. His ideas are still at heart today. He had a profound impact on many people and I agree with his philosophy, which was using first hand with the student's so that they could learn easier and better. It's a good idea because it is still in effect today. I know this, because I use it still, everyday because it helps me to learn better.

Autism Speaks

I have chosen this topic because working with my kids at my job, I have learned that Autism is huge. There is this one boy in my group who has it and he is the most happy little man ever. He doesn't care what people think, he does his own thing and will enjoy anything. He is so full of life and I love being around him. We have a game between us, I will go up to him and say "BOO", and he will scream in a joking matter and run away, after like 5 minutes he comes to me and says "BOO I scared you"! As you can see, he's so full of like and loves to have fun. He's the reason why I want to learn more about this disorder. This is a picture with the boy I was talking about, we go on field trips with my group and he enjoys them so much, I love taking him places. I picked this picture only to not show his face.


Autism is defined as a developmental disorder which appears in the first 3 years of a childs life and also affects the brains normal developmental to social and communication skills. The most common person to get Autism is more found in boys. As you can Autism affects the temporal lobe as well other parts of the brain. This is what makes it hard for a child to interact with other children and to learn communication and social skills.


Symptoms can be hard to recognize but with early detection it can be treated the right way. Children with Autism usually have symptoms including they don't know how to use pretend play, they have trouble interacting in social settings, and their verbal and communication skills are delayed. Parent's usually notice this at 18 months old and seek help when the child is 2. With early treatment the child can usually grow with somewhat a "normal" life.

In February of 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their report on ADDM autism report. They concluded that 8 year olds in 2000-2002 that autism had risen from 1 to 150 in children and 1 in 94 boys had it. About 1.5 million people are living with autism. Although there are treatments for autism, there is no single cure for it. Children with it don't outgrow it, but with early treatment, their outcomes are good. With the right sources people with autism can lead healthy and meaningful lives. I know a teacher who is going to the state house to speak for autism. She has a son who has it, but her son, the way she talks about him sounds amazing. She tells, "you wouldn't think he has autism", and it's true, a lot of boys with autism don't seem like it because they had treatment early. "Government statistics suggest the prevalence rate of autism is increasing 10-17 percent annually. There is not established explanation for this increase, although improved diagnosis and environmental influences are two reasons often considered. Studies suggest boys are more likely than girls to develop autism and receive the diagnosis three to four times more frequently. Current estimates are that in the United States alone, one out of 94 boys is diagnosed with autism" (www.autismspeaks.com). I've always wondered, why it was always common more in boys. It's a puzzling question, and no one really knows why. There isn't a clue to what causes Autism. There are such different levels and combinations of symptoms of Autism making multiple cases.


Autism has risen in America, and kids with it, I'm always left thinking, "I wonder goes through their minds". I think they are amazing and their parents are awesome in helping their children through it. There is this little girl who I also work with who has autism, she's the cutest little 5-6 year old. I'm not quite sure how serious hers is, but she can do sign language! When you do it back she understands. She's the type that shows smartness, she knows exactly what to do on the computer! It's amazing to watch her on the computer because she's fast at learning at what to do. The little boy I know has aspergers, and he uses a lincoln log to keep himself amused and content. He will spin it around and just use it for hours, and it's so interesting to watch him. He always has a smile on his face. Working with kids with autism or any form of it is such a good experience because for teachers, they have to know how autism works and all that stuff, they need to be prepared if they get a child with autism. I'm glad that I have been exposed to it early because I know what to expect, and the kids without it, I will teach them that they are different but they are still human and still learn, they just learn differently.

We can't ignore it because it has such a high percentage among our children and with right treatments our children can grow up with a healthy and stable environment.


www.google.com/health
www.autismspeaks.org
www.autismsocietyofamerica.org

Should student's start later?

"According to recent reports by the National Sleep Foundation and several university research centers, teenagers are wired to be sleepier in the morning -- their levels of melatonin (a sleep-promoting hormone) don't fall until at least 8 A.M. As a result, some high schools have begun delaying the morning bell in order to make the school day more manageable for sleep-deprived teens. Some argue, however, that most of the evidence for teenage sleep patterns remains anecdotal, starting school later would cut into after-school activities, and other factors should take priority when it comes to student achievement" (http://www.edutopia.org/would-starting-school-later-morning-improve-teenagers-academic-performance).

As you can see, students are more tired in the morning than they are in the afternoon. Researcher's are only researching High School student's because they have to wake up really early to get ready and catch the bus. Student's level of melatonin doesn't go into effect until 8 A.M. research has shown. If student's go to bed earlier, would that be okay to wake up early and go to school? I think that if a student has a bed time of 9 or 9:30, they are getting at least 9-10 hours of sleep. Isn't that to much sleep? Isn't sleeping longer the cause of students being more tired? In my opinion I believe so. This is only because, I do it. Whenever I sleep in, I tend to get tired more fast, but, when I fall asleep at 12 midnight and wake up at 6 or 7, I am wide awake. What is the cause of this? Is it the melatonin? There really hasn't been that many research on this and to why students are so tired in the morning. The only solution is the melatonin in the students body.

The real question is, "Would starting school later, improve a teenagers academic performance"?

The survey found that, this is from a High School in Pennsylvania.

-- 78% of students said it was difficult to get up in the morning
-- Only 16% said they regularly had enough sleep
-- 70% thought their grades would improve if they had more sleep
-- 90% thought their academic performance would improve if school were to start later

As you can see the picture's depict students falling asleep because there not spending their 9 hours of sleep like they are supposed to. Although I am against later school days, I agree that starting it about 8, the students would do well academically and their energy level would increase. Their melatonin I should say. "School systems should be thinking about changing their start times. It would not be easy—the

y would have to change the busing system—but it would increase their student's sleep time and likely improve their school performance" (American Thoracic Society). Research has shown that with schools starting later teens will improve their work.

In doing so, that would mean, as above stated, the busing hours would have to be changed, the hours of the elementary schools would need to be changed also. As you can see, there are consequences in changing the time of high school. It would be impossible, although very helpful for the students.The sleep study at Brown University shows that teens tend not to get sleepy until around midnight. Going to sleep that late and getting up for classes starting at 7:30 a.m. leaves students well short of the nine and a half hours of sleep that teens need, researchers say. Studies have shown that missing out on sleep can cause people to lose their ability to think clearly and learn well.Later start times, supporters say, allow students to follow their natural sleep patterns. That way, they argue, students are more alert in school. Students need their sleep so that they can perform better in their academics.

Students tend to better in school when they have enough energy to take tests, do homework, etc. It is shown that they do better academically and are willing to participate in school functions and activities. So I think, schools should start later, so that way, the students are getting enough sleep for the brain as well as themselves. Students are more eager to learn and raise their hands!

Parent's should be involved in their childs education

I believe that is very, very important for parent's to be involved in their child's life as well as their education. With parents being involved the child knows education is important, and when parents help, their kids do well academically as well as socially and emotionally. These are key for children to develop. With them, they can learn easily rather than harder. The knowledge the parents have, they can pass them down to their kids, and with that the kids can do a lot better. It's better for parents to be involved in their kids education because it shows they want to be included in their children's lives and it shows they are very much so interested in the education of their child. Also, children can communicate better with their parents if they are involved.

It's also the teacher's job to have the parents involved in the child's education. They need to have the parents become involved at an early age so that through the years the kids are in school, the parents can be more effective that way. Also students perform better when their parents are involved in their education and they maintain their grades. "Close communications with parents and strong leadership skills from the teacher can significantly improve the school climate, educational experience, and follow the students throughout their lives" (www.maine.gov/.../communication.htm).

Another good outcome in having them be involved in their childs education, is it can improve the child's behavior. "The latest report from Government behaviour adviser Sir Alan Steer suggests schools need to work with parents if they are to regain control" (www.chroniclelive.co.uk/.../). With parent involvement, the students are improving their behavioral skills because they now that there parents care what they do. If parents didn't care, the pupils would do whatever they pleased, but with involvement, they do better.

Some parents don't want to get involved because they say they don't have time or energy, or they just don't feel like it because they don't care what there kids do in or out of school. It's a good thing this isn't the case with the kids in the education system today. Even if they don't have time, there are programs that help the parents be able to have a flexibility in their schedules so that they can get better involved in their child's education.With these programs parents can become supportive of their kids. I believe that communication is key between parents and children, children and teachers, and teachers and parents. With communication, shows effort that parents want to get involved and that they want to communicate with the teachers about their childs education. It is so important and I can't stressed that enough. Also instead of always relying on parent-teacher conferences, the teacher can contact the parents via e-mail or phone calls. This way is a good sense of communication. With the right communication, parents, teachers, and children are much happier.

Another thing that is good, is for parents to volunteer and do teamwork with other parents around them. If they volunteer, their children will in some way volunteer and do teamwork with other students around them too. Parents are the biggest influence in a childs life, because the kids look up to them. When the parent does something, it reflects on them as well as their children. It shows who they are as parents, and with this, the kids can learn and grow. They can grow through education with parent involvement as well.

Parent involvement in their childrens lives is such an important aspect as a parent because it shows how good of a parent they can be. With the involvement children can do so much better and they have the ability to believe that they can do well and also believe in themselves.