Ari Augustine's Blog

One of the sectors which fosters national development is education by ensuring the development of a functional human resource. The institution of strong educational structures leads to a society populated by enlightened people, who can cause positive economic progress and social transformation. A Positive social transformation and its associated economic growth are achieved as the people apply the skills they learned while they were in school. The acquisition of these skills is facilitated by one individual we all ‘teacher’. For this reason, nations seeking economic and social developments need not ignore teachers and their role in national development.

Teachers are the major factor that drives students’ achievements in learning. The performance of teachers generally determines, not only, the quality of education, but the general performance of the students they train. The teachers themselves therefore ought to get the best of education, so they can in turn help train students in the best of ways. It is known, that the quality of teachers and quality teaching are some of the most important factors that shape the learning and social and academic growth of students. Quality training will ensure, to a large extent, teachers are of very high quality, so as to be able to properly manage classrooms and facilitate learning. That is why teacher quality is still a matter of concern, even, in countries where students consistently obtain high scores in international exams, such as Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In such countries, teacher education of prime importance because of the potential it has to cause positive students’ achievements.

The structure of teacher education keeps changing in almost all countries in response to the quest of producing teachers who understand the current needs of students or just the demand for teachers. The changes are attempts to ensure that quality teachers are produced and sometimes just to ensure that classrooms are not free of teachers. In the U.S.A, how to promote high quality teachers has been an issue of contention and, for the past decade or so, has been motivated, basically, through the methods prescribed by the No Child Left Behind Act (Accomplished California Teachers, 2015). Even in Japan and other Eastern countries where there are more teachers than needed, and structures have been instituted to ensure high quality teachers are produced and employed, issues relating to the teacher and teaching quality are still of concern (Ogawa, Fujii & Ikuo, 2013). Teacher education is therefore no joke anywhere. This article is in two parts. It first discusses Ghana’s teacher education system and in the second part looks at some determinants of quality teaching.

2.0 TEACHER EDUCATION

Ghana has been making deliberate attempts to produce quality teachers for her basic school classrooms. As Benneh (2006) indicated, Ghana’s aim of teacher education is to provide a complete teacher education program through the provision of initial teacher training and in-service training programs, that will produce competent teachers, who will help improve the effectiveness of the teaching and learning that goes on in schools. The Initial teacher education program for Ghana’s basic school teachers was offered in Colleges of Education (CoE) only, until quite recently when, University of Education, University of Cape Coast, Central University College and other tertiary institutions joined in. The most striking difference between the programs offered by the other tertiary institution is that while the Universities teach, examine and award certificates to their students, the Colleges of Education offer tuition while the University of Cape Coast, through the Institute of Education, examines and award certificates. The training programs offered by these institutions are attempts at providing many qualified teachers to teach in the schools. The National Accreditation Board accredits teacher training programs in order to ensure quality.

 

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For those job seeking professionals that have been searching for a job for months or more, the whole job search process may seem a bit stale. Countless hours are often spent on job search websites and job search engines such as CareerBuilder.com, Dice.com, and Monster.com often resulting in minimal feedback. It is frustrating to go months without finding a job. Inevitability you begin to question career choices, your professional skills, experience, qualifications, or even your education. But you’re not alone. In times of high unemployment, a slow moving job market can create the appearance of a job search that becomes stagnated.

In this seven part series we will provide job search strategies and tips to revive your job hunt and reenergize your career confidence.

1) Part Time Job, a Temporary Job, or Volunteering

Seek out short term, part-time, or temporary work in your career field is a good way to get your foot in the door. Even if there does not seem to be any full time jobs opening any time soon, part time work and temp work is a way your employer can get to know you and your work ethic. If a job happens to open up or a new position is created, then you are at a higher advantage then others applicants who may be applying for that same job. You’ll have much more than a resume to show the company.

2) Work on your Personal Brand

If someone were to search for your name online, what, if anything would they see? In all likelihood, hiring you is a big investment to any company or organization. Especially in challenging economic times and an employer driven job market, companies are being more selective about their job applicants.

Take a few minuets and search for yourself online to determine what your digital footprint is. Do you share a name with someone that could create a career opportunity or a problem with your online image?

Use your personal brand to let the employer know your strengths, why they should hire you, and that you are a worthy candidate to investment in. If you remember, the personal brand is your life and professional skills as they appear online. You want your personal brand to be accurate and truthful, but you also want to it to make you look great to an employer. Your brand should reflect your overall qualifications, education, and indicate your career goals.

See what shows up in a Google search and a Yahoo search. Having a LinkedIn profile and profiles on other professional social networking sites can help to create a positive digital footprint. Your profile should be professional and consistent. Keep your information consistent with similar career goals and career objectives in each profile. Avoid blending social media and your online professional image. It is important to keep your private life PRIVATE. That is a mistake many people make with personal branding which may cost them being selected for that next job or opportunity.

3) Changing Careers or Branching Out to New Industries

Diversify you job search and branch out into new job markets you may not have considered in your previous job hunting strategies. Pick a career field, any career field and determine if your skills and qualifications would translate into new job opportunities.

That is not to say that you should just apply for the first job opening that presents itself. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. Choose a career field that may benefit from your professional knowledge. Your best opti

The post Energize a Stagnant Job Search – 7 Career Tips for Job Hunting first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

Perhaps the largest and most pervasive issue in special education, as well as my own journey in education, is special education’s relationship to general education. History has shown that this has never been an easy clear cut relationship between the two. There has been a lot of giving and taking or maybe I should say pulling and pushing when it comes to educational policy, and the educational practices and services of education and special education by the human educators who deliver those services on both sides of the isle, like me.

Over the last 20+ years I have been on both sides of education. I have seen and felt what it was like to be a regular main stream educator dealing with special education policy, special education students and their specialized teachers. I have also been on the special education side trying to get regular education teachers to work more effectively with my special education students through modifying their instruction and materials and having a little more patience and empathy.

Furthermore, I have been a mainstream regular education teacher who taught regular education inclusion classes trying to figure out how to best work with some new special education teacher in my class and his or her special education students as well. And, in contrast, I have been a special education inclusion teacher intruding on the territory of some regular education teachers with my special education students and the modifications I thought these teachers should implement. I can tell you first-hand that none of this give and take between special education and regular education has been easy. Nor do I see this pushing and pulling becoming easy anytime soon.

So, what is special education? And what makes it so special and yet so complex and controversial sometimes? Well, special education, as its name suggests, is a specialized branch of education. It claims its lineage to such people as Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard (1775-1838), the physician who “tamed” the “wild boy of Aveyron,” and Anne Sullivan Macy (1866-1936), the teacher who “worked miracles” with Helen Keller.

Special educators teach students who have physical, cognitive, language, learning, sensory, and/or emotional abilities that deviate from those of the general population. Special educators provide instruction specifically tailored to meet individualized needs. These teachers basically make education more available and accessible to students who otherwise would have limited access to education due to whatever disability they are struggling with.

It’s not just the teachers though who play a role in the history of special education in this country. Physicians and clergy, including Itard- mentioned above, Edouard O. Seguin (1812-1880), Samuel Gridley Howe (1801-1876), and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), wanted to ameliorate the neglectful, often abusive treatment of individuals with disabilities. Sadly, education in this country was, more often than not, very neglectful and abusive when dealing with students that are different somehow.

The post A Brief History of Special Education first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

Overview and Features of Elementary/ Middle School Career Development Models

Counselors and teachers know that the elementary/ middle school development is important. Schooling is a time of transition, a threshold to the student’s future, and a bridge into the student’s destiny. In elementary/ middle school, career development is a time to build career awareness, not a time for premature career choices or career preparations. Career development is an ongoing lifelong process. During the career development process, students remain open to new career ideas and possibilities. Counselors and teachers build readiness for future career planning. Students build visions of what they desire to do in their lives as they contribute to the society.

Need for Elementary/ Middle school Career Development

Since most elementary and middle school students have limited understanding of how school relates to work, students use career development curriculum to build a foundation and the connection between career development, Twenty-First Century Skills, school academic subjects, potential careers, and future training options. As a result, students build self – awareness, possess intrinsic motivation, build a positive self-concept, and begin problem solving about career choices.

Benefits of Elementary/ Middle School Career Development

Elementary/ middle school career awareness lays the groundwork for future career exploration by helping students achieve the following goals:

Knowledge of personal characteristics, interests, aptitudes, and skillsAwareness of and respect for the diversity of the world of workUnderstanding of the relationship between school performance and future choicesDevelopment of a positive attitude toward work

Students who complete career development activities have the following positive outcomes:

Expanded understanding of the world of work leading to an openness to an increased number potential careersImproved skills to make informed decisions and complex career information problem solvingEnhanced academic, personal, and teamwork skill developmentAmplified career awareness, self-esteem, sense of direction, motivation to persist, clearly defined goals

Eventually, as students participate in career curriculum programs, the number of dropouts is minimized.

Elementary/ Middle School Career Education Models

There are 4 major career development models:

National Career Development Guidelines21st Century SkillsNew Jersey Core Curriculum Content StandardsMissouri Comprehensive Guidance Program

The post Challenging Resources For Your Students That Will Aid Career Development first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

Title: Under the Lavender Moon
Series: Nightingale Songs #1
Author: Christina Mai Fong
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Oak Tree Press, Acorn Publishing
Format: ebook
ISBN: B08VHK36RJ

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Rilla Marseas believes she has a calling to become a healer. Her soul yearns to help people and save lives. Why else would Heaven grant her a singing voice that can heal any ailment? But if the palace discovers her power, she’ll be selected for the annual Showcase, where the most beautiful and magically gifted girls in Seracedar Kingdom compete for the chance to enter the emperor’s harem. That’s the last thing Rilla wants.

To avoid such a fate, she hides her power. No matter how the other villagers ridicule her for being worthless and talentless, she suppresses the urge to reveal her powerful voice and prove them wrong. When a palace scout poisons Rilla’s auntie and coerces her into revealing her power, she’s thrown into the competition. The scout threatens to harm her family if she doesn’t win. But Rilla learns there really is no winning. The emperor and empress keep girls with magical powers as pets. In cages. With some help from a handsome, but brooding prince and his mysterious bodyguard, Rilla must outsmart the palace and escape.

If she fails, she’ll spend the rest of her life as the royal couple’s puppet, using her voice to grant them eternal youth. 

ABOUT the AUTHOR

I was a Bio major, pre-med in college, but I couldn’t stand the sight of blood. I used to write poems and stories in the margins of my science notebooks. Well, after a reality check, I decided to pursue a career in Food Science because I like food, and everyone needs to eat. Meanwhile, I continued to write. My absolute FAVORITE books are YA Fantasy, so it’s no surprise that I chose to write it, too. 

Having been raised in Southern California, where there’s a healthy blend of cultures, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t put an Asian American spin in my stories. And having always been the “quiet, shy girl,” who often felt like a wallflower even though I wanted desperately to be the heroine, I’m so glad I now get the opportunity to make the underestimated good girls my heroines.  But of course, I’m forcing them out of their comfort zones so they have to embrace their dark side and kick some villainous butt. 

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Hey Valkyries, welcome back to Bookish Valhalla! We are pleased as peaches to be part of this epic tour for Under the Lavender Moon by Christina Mai Fong. Massive thanks to her and Xpresso Book Tours for the honor of reading this story and sharing our thoughts on it with all of you.

Please click the tour banner below to visit/follow all the stops and show Christina Mai Fong’s debut a little love!

Thoughts On Under The Lavender Moon

Content Warnings: Violence, gore, suicide, miscarriage, body mutilation and other highly sensitive mental health topics.

UNDER THE LAVENDER MOON is the first book of the Nightingale Series, set in a world in which magic is the norm & prized by the emperor above all else. I really liked how a diversity of perspective on the use of magic was included, and how those who chose not to use or couldn’t use magic were looked upon differently in society. This drew me in, namely, because we have Rilla, our main character, who possesses magic, but chooses not to use it. She does not want to be part of the emperor’s shenanigans.

If I’m being honest, Under the Lavender Moon addresses feminism through the world without being too obvious about it. For me, it’s hard to get into any feminist book that lacks subtly, but this is not an issue here. Yes, there is a hint of sexual autonomy, especially since one of the main plot threads is Rilla’s hope to avoid being forced into the Emperor’s Harem, but I think the story finds a way to focus on the struggle for identity through ownership of one’s body and mind.

Under the Lavender Moon manages to bring you into that conversation without it taking over the entire story. This allowed me the space to experience the world with Rilla, who I admired for trying to steer clear of a fate everyone else seemed bent on having. Even when her plan fails, she is resilient and steadfast to her convictions. She’s not the kind of character you get constant warm and fuzzy feelings over, but her rough edges were actually kind of endearing. I especially loved how she came to own her darkness, no matter how deep it ran.

I don’t want to get too detailed about the world-building. However, I  will say I found it to be intriguing and well-thought out. The prevalence of magic, which is called Tin-Chai, is almost the opposite of what you currently get in YA (which is usually the majority don’t have magic & the minorities who do are treated differently). So I love this twist on a world trope.

Lastly, the inclusion of mental health in Under the Lavender Moon really hit home for me. The story is dark, twisted in ways I’m sure some people found uncomfortable, but for me…it was reassuring to see similar struggles to mine put to paper. It’s hard to find stories that don’t hold back or down play the impact our experiences in life have on mental health. So I especially loved this inclusion and how it was woven into the story.

My only gripe, overall, would be how devastatingly short the story is. I wished it was longer. There were times I wanted more of Rilla, of Carrick and Friend, and of the world itself. Certain details, I think, could have been elaborated on, but overall, I enjoyed Under the Lavender Moon. Sure, the ending was a cliff-hanger, which sent me cussing my head off, but I love to be teased and taunted. You can bet on your shiny Valkyrie wings I’ll be back to read book two.

Before you fly off....Enter to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway Is Under A Lavender Moon on your TBR?

The post Tour & Giveaway: Under the Lavender Moon by Christina Mai Fong appeared first on Bookish Valhalla.

Your students come to class or log onto an online platform and complete required tasks, which must mean to some degree they are interested in learning. Somehow, through class lectures or informative posts an educator has taken time to develop, these students will acquire knowledge they need, and through the activities designed to ensure they take the time to read and apply what has been read, they will meet the required outcomes. That’s the plan when a course is designed and implemented.

But the reality is many students are going through the motions of repetitive, reactively responding to the course materials and activities they are required to complete. If it is a class discussion, their response may be based upon a world view held now, which is closely protected and rarely challenged. Few will take the information received and apply in such a manner they can demonstrate critical analysis and original thought, unless this is a doctoral-level course, and even then, there is no guarantee responses will reach beyond rote reactions.

Written papers offer the same form of response, and if there is poor academic writing, this will interfere with the thought process students are attempting to establish. While this may seem as if it is a negative view of higher education, it is not meant to be a comment on the state of the industry itself. Rather my experience within the for-profit online school industry has taught me students often come to the classroom unprepared to be fully engaged in the learning process and even if they are willing to participate, they may not know what it means to be an active participant, or have the skills necessary to do so. This puts the responsibility on me, as the educator, to make the extra effort, not wait for “the system” to change, or become upset because I want students to come to class better prepared.

What I’ve learned is students take the first step when they decide to begin a new degree program. There is some measure of interest and willingness to become involved in their studies. However, they often do not understand what the requirements will be until they begin taking their first class, and this is a time when they will decide if they have the motivation necessary to continue. It is during those moments when an instructor can have a significant impact on their continued progress. If students find they are in a class with minimal instructor involvement, and the class materials do not seem relevant or may be difficult to comprehend, it is a time when interest in the class may wane. This is the reason why active involvement on the part of the instructor is necessary, to engage the mind of their students in the learning process, which will in turn encourage them to become interested in the course.

The Role of Cognition and Memory

There is a very specific manner in which the mind controls the receipt and flow of information. When the mind of a student begins to receive information, it is stored initially in working memory. There it is processed and within working memory is a minimal capacity to hold information, which means the more coming in, the more information is either processed or discarded. The overall process of cognition is not only about processing information, it includes making sense of the information received. This is important to understand as an instructor for several reasons. First, the mindset of a student will determine whether or not there is a willingness to learn, or at least be open to receiving new ideas, knowledge, and alternative perspectives. Often class conditions, and the interactions with instructors, establish a frame of mind and this can influence or determine a willingness to be open-minded. If interactions are negative, this may establish a resistant mindset and one less likely to accept new information.

Another reason why cognition is important for instructors to know about is the manner in which students engage with course materials. These materials are typically assigned as part of the class, and students will decide whether or not to read and process this material prior to completing the required learning activities. If students do engage in the assigned materials, the goal is no

The post Discover How to Engage Your Students in an Active Learning Process first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

The Importance of E- Learning in Today’s Corporate World

The concept of e-learning is not new to corporate organizations and individuals albeit the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the need for organizations to leverage technology platforms to drive learning initiatives. In simple terms, e- Learning (Electronic Learning) is the act of learning (educating or training) through the use of digital resources such as computers, the internet, software programmes and mobile devices.

Now more than ever before, there is a heightened need for organizations to provide learning solutions to employees using digital platforms as the benefits far outweigh the demerits. With digital learning solutions, organizations are able to achieve much more than was possible in times past. This article brings to light the benefits of digital learning and reasons why organizations must rethink their learning strategies.

Why it is imperative for organizations to leverage digital platforms for learning

The use of digital platforms for learning is dramatically changing our education system and the corporate world should be willing to adopt this new reality. The days of classroom training are gradually coming to an end due to hi-speed internet and other advancements in technology. It is becoming more difficult for employees to stay engaged and attentive during lengthy classroom training sessions, the attention span of learners has declined significantly over the years. Research shows that e- Learning requires about 60% less time than learning the same information in a classroom setting. Training providers must look for ways to provide training programmes that ensure learners are properly engaged- leveraging technology makes this possible.

Advancement in technology has made access to information a lot easier and faster, individuals now have easy access to news articles, videos, podcasts and other forms of digital content. The benefits of e-learning are numerous, we have listed some of them below

1. E-Learning gives room for more flexibility in terms of training delivery method and timing.
2. Through digital learning, information can be accessed easily anywhere and at any time.
3. E-Learning courses are typically less expensive thus saving employers additional costs.
4. There is practically no limit to the number of learners that can take a course at the same time unlike a typical classroom training.
5. Digital learning allows learners learn at their own pace thereby increasing engagement and retention.

The future of corporate learning

For organizations to survive, they must constantly evolve to meet the needs of our ever-changing world and e-Learning is a key enabler for the success and growth of any organization. According to Forbes, “Companies like IBM, Sears, and Visa are starting to turn off their old systems and build a new generation of learning infrastructure that looks more like a ‘learning network’ and less like a single integrated platform.” Forward thinking organizations acknowledge the fact that employees are more receptive t

The post The Importance of E – Learning in Today’s Corporate World first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

Title: The Shape Of Stars Unknown
Series: The Aldarfall Saga #1
Author: Sybille Pyrmont
Genre: Adult, urban fantasy
Publisher: Self-Pub
Format: eArc
ISBN: 9783948801014

Summary: World domination is the least of their problems.

A STRANDED DEMIGOD. Lau of the House of Feofar, troubled and headstrong, screwed up. Royally. Now he lives out his days in exile on Earth – the very planet he once tried to exterminate.

A RUDDERLESS MORTAL WOMAN. Silver Laing leads the ordinary life of a white-collar worker. Lonely and desperately in search of purpose and new horizons, she gets more than she bargained for when she is offered a mysterious job.

A CATACLYSMIC PLAN BILLIONS OF YEARS IN THE MAKING. When a deadly visitor from Lau’s shrouded past threatens to lay the world in ashes, Silver and Lau must form an unlikely alliance against ancient and far superior forces.

An alliance with the potential to shake the very foundation of the Universe.

It's Excerpt Time!

Hey Valkyries! Today, we’re sharing a sneak peek of The Shape Of Stars Unknown by Sybil Le Pyrmont. This is an adult urban fantasy filled with snark, wandering gods, and unlikely alliances. Though we haven’t read this little gem ourselves, the cover is GORGEOUS, the summary is BOMB, and this excerpt a taste of things to come. Happy reading and HAPPY FRIDAY!

He lifted a brow. ‘United? What do you do for them?’

‘I’m in sales.’

‘I deduce from the slight hesitation that you aren’t entirely happy with your job.’

‘Who is?’ Silver countered. She was grateful to have the job in the first place, but that did not stop her from wondering whether she was cut out to endure another thirty-plus years of corporate treadmill – not that she had a choice, what with staggering debts to repay and a deplorable lack of billionaire husbands or relatives.

‘What do you do for a living?’

Julian Watkins dropped back into his seat and gave her a challenging glance. ‘Any guesses?’

Despite the humour in his voice, Silver could not help but feel that she was being tested. She had no idea what it took to pass the test; all she knew was that for some funky reason, she wanted to pass. Which was when she usually failed.

Crossing her legs, she decided to simply say the first thing that sprang to mind.

‘Spy.’

She had expected him to smirk and ask whether she had watched The Night Manager one time too many – which she had – but he remained unperturbed.

‘Exhibits to support your allegation?’

‘The way you observe,’ she said after a moment of consideration. ‘Nothing seems to escape you. Let’s see … What colour shirt is the passenger in 1A wearing?’

‘A nauseating shade of orange,’ he offered without looking at the man in question.

‘What did the flight attendant do after she closed the door?’

‘She dropped her earring.’

With a triumphant beam, Silver gave a nod. ‘I stick to my guns. Spy.’

‘You seem to be rather perceptive yourself, Miss Laing.’ His expression became thoughtful. ‘And your guess isn’t completely off, although I’m not a spy in the classic sense of the word. Picture an organisation that appreciates a certain level of vigilance.’

‘Sounds cryptic. Industrial espionage?’

He chuckled. ‘Let’s call it complicated.’

There you have it, Valkyries! Are you intrigued?! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this excerpt Scroll ahead to learn more about the author and enter the giveaway for the chance to win a copy of The Shape Of Stars Unknown!

Author Bio:

Sybil Le Pyrmont was born in Germany and was raised on the Canary Islands (that Gallic name is a pseudonym – her actual name has as much flair as a tax return). Although she now resides in Frankfurt, Germany, her heart has been beating for Tokyo ever since she spent a year in that city and discovered her epic love for all things Japan. That includes, to her acute embarrassment, the Shinagawa train station jingle she has installed as her ringtone. When Sybilisn’t writing, or dreaming of the anonymous donor who will some day gift her a house in Japan, she splits her time between her airline day job and long rants about the sunshine and the always-too-hot weather.

Sybil writes urban fantasy adventure to whisk her readers away to realms of imagination that have a distinct possibility of existing somewhere in the depths of the Universe.

Visit spyrmont.com for more on Sybil and her writing.

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The post Book Tour: Excerpt of The Shape Of Stars Unknown appeared first on Bookish Valhalla.

The field of distance learning continues to evolve, not just from a technological perspective, but also by the mode of delivery for online classes. When this field was first developing in the early 2000s for higher education, one of the primary concerns was related to the ability of this form of teaching to replicate traditional classroom learning.

Over time most online schools included some form of instructor-to-student interaction as part of the curriculum, typically through asynchronous discussions, thereby making it possible for students to still experience many similar elements of a traditional classroom. If there were still any lingering doubts left today about an ability to learn effectively in a virtual environment, the pandemic has helped to eliminate them.

Now the most recent evolution within the field of distance learning has been the development of competency-based education, or learning specific skills and competencies rather than course-specific objectives. This has changed the field of higher education as there have been new online schools formed, for-profit and non-profit, which are strictly competency-based and require no instructor-to-student contact.

One of the largest non-profit online schools does not assign students to classes or instructors, changing what used to be the traditional model of online learning. While there are going to be some students who are well-suited for this mode of learning, the human element of learning can still be transformative for all students who are able to interact with an instructor on a regular basis, especially when an instructor is highly engaged in the learning process.

The traditional online classroom, with mandatory instructor-to-student interactions, requires an instructor to be present, available, and responsive to the needs of his or her students. It is possible for an instructor to be minimally present and only when contractually obligated to do so; however, schools and students expect much more from instructors, and minimal engagement is rarely tolerated. This puts the onus on instructors to learn to become highly effective within a virtual environment, interacting with students they cannot see, while communicating primarily through non-verbal classroom messages and posts.

Which is most effective for learning? Perhaps you’ll find out as you learn from my experience in the field of higher education and distance learning. I’ll also share some strategies for helping you, as an online instructor, enhance your interactions with students.

Why the Need for an Instructor?

Consider the student who can memorize information long enough to pass a test, or grasp information well-enough to write a paper sufficient enough to be evaluated by a grader. From a cognitive perspective, you can ask: has there been enough interactivity involved to cause information to become knowledge, and more importantly, has there been enough interactivity involved to cause knowledge to be transferred from short-term to long-term memory? These are the questions I ask of the competency-based online schools that offer no direct instructor-to-student interactions.

When students are involved in a classroom environment, be it online or a traditional on-ground campus, they are provided with an opportunity to discuss course concepts or interact with the information studied in greater depth. This makes the learning process transformative, as it helps to build the neural pathways necessary for long-term retention of the knowledge. The reason why is the added context provided through discourse, which transforms information into useable and relevant knowledge, to be used now, stored in long-term memory, and called upon later. The most essential element of class discussions, the person guiding the ongoing discourse, is the instructor.

Developing a Competency versus Learning and Acquiring Knowledge

 

The post Discover Why Learning Requires Interactions, and an Instructor first appeared on Ravenous For Reads.

Happy New Year, Valkyries! With 2020 firmly behind us, we shift our focus to what lies ahead in this story-starved world. Though you can’t see it yet, Bookish Valhalla is evolving. Behind the scenes, a friend of ours–KJ– has been re-designing the website, giving it the unique look it (and all of you) deserve.

When I approached her in the summer of 2020, I stressed one goal: I wanted Bookish Valhalla to be a place of true engagement, one where readers can be honest about their experiences with stories. To do this, I wanted to bring the blog back to why we love to read. What is it about a story that captures our attention? How does it evoke such emotions from us? Why do we read stories the way we do, which is so different from how our closes companions read them? What important lessons do stories impart, if they contain lessons at all? I guess you could say I miss exploring the relationship between stories and readers. In 2021, we’re getting back to those roots, digging in. Gods, I hope we’re ready for this. Are you?

Vague peek at things to come: A Valkyrie VIP Club, Reader Appreciation, Giveaways, A Super Secret Place You Have to FIND Full of Fun Things. Talks Of Things That Might Piss A Few Bookish Peeps Off. Indie, baby. Free sh*t.

I don’t want to elaborate too much because I want you all to explore the site on your own–make it a little adventure into this strange and unknown Bookish Valhalla. However, I do want to highlight two new discussion sections you’re likely to stumble across, which are our boldest attempts yet at having truly open and honest discussions about stories: The Folklore Files and Forbidden Fruit.

We attempted to launch The Folklore Files in 2019, but we found the scope of it (to focus on writers researching and re-imagining the lore behind their stories) just didn’t work for the blog. It was about the creators when, deep down, we wanted to dig into the stories more. So this year, The Folklore Files is being revamped to be exclusively about the hunt for modern meaning in old stories. This doesn’t necessarily mean classics, though. When we say “old stories”, we mean mythology, legends, and folklore. We mean to explore creation stories, superstitions, ghostly accounts–all in the hopes to find some kernel of meaning hidden there. What will these stories reveal about the people who lived then? What can it tell us about ourselves now? And why, after all these years, are those stories still with us, still important and embedded in the back of our minds? Let’s explore this, shall we?

The second discussion category is Forbidden Fruit, and as the name suggests, we aim to talk about all the hush-hush, taboo, or generally frowned on perspectives connected to reading. We believe it’s important to have thoughtful and honest discussions, even if those talks are unpopular, go against the grain, or make us uncomfortable.

Bookish Valhalla is a place for READERS. While we do interview authors or participate in blog tours, this realm is ultimately for you. These discussion categories are for you. This is where unpopular opinions are respected, where raw and transparent experiences with stories are embraced and examined.

It’s where the unkempt path is OKAY to wander. Come right in. Get a little lost. Question everything. Don’t hesitate to wonder, dream, and dare to share.

Welcome to Bookish Valhalla.

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