Category → Reference - Education
Do You Know Yourself? Test
We all claim to know many things. We analyze our friends, our colleagues and other people. We try to find out how others act and behave. We act like a know all about others. How about ourselves? Do we know ourselves?
We react to many stimuli – both from outside and our mind. We go into different moods and act differently at different times. We can not predict our own behavior many times. We know something about our likes and dislikes about food, clothing, home and such thins. But what about our emotions? What of our mind? Do we know? Can we predict our own reaction at a given situation? It may be different at different times, depending on our own mood. We are not machines and therefore highly unpredictable.
How about knowing about our emotions and our mind better? How about analyzing our self? How about finding out more about ourselves? That would surely help us in improving our life. It may not give us more money, but certainly more peace and a sense of control on ourselves.
you will find tests and quizzes on Internet to test various traits of your personality.These fun tests are devised to make you think about yourself. Try these tests to find out about yourself in a fun way
Homeschooling Methods
For many people, homeschooling may call to mind the picture of two
or three children sitting at a table and writing feverishly in
their workbooks, while mom or dad stands nearby. This is the not
entirely true. There are different methods of homeschooling,
and the method you choose will decide the curriculum and your
style of teaching. Given below are some of the most influential
and popular homeschooling methods.
The Charlotte Mason method:
Charlotte Mason is known as the founder of the homeschooling
movement. A homeschooler herself, she was passionate in her zeal
to lay out the foundations for an effective a complete
homeschooling program that is fun and educational at the same
time. This method focuses on all the core subjects with emphasis
placed on classical literature, poetry, fine arts, classical music
and craft. Mason used a variety of books from classical
literature, which she called ‘Living Books’. Since this method
encourages a passionate awareness of literature, the child is read
to daily from the ‘Living Books’. After this, the child is asked
to narrate what she has heard. This process begins at the age of
six, and by ten the child is expected to write her narrations in
her book. Mason also advocated the use of ‘Nature Diaries’. After
each short and interesting lesson, the child is asked to go to
Nature and draw observations from Nature. Thus the child also
gains a sense of respect for her environment. Mason believed that
development of good character and behavior was essential to the
complete development of the child’s personality.
The Eclectic Homeschooling:
This is a mixture of various homeschooling techniques. Here, the
innovative parents trust their own judgment and pick out the
topics that make the best curriculum for their child. Such parents
continuously look out for the best products that will meet the
needs of their homeschoolers. Most Eclectic homeschooling
curriculums are improvised. This means that the basic curriculum
is ready-made. The parents then make changes in the curriculum to
accommodate the individual needs and interests of their children.
The child’s gifts, temperament, learning style and interests
dictate the curriculum. Eclectic programs include visits to the
museum, libraries and factories.
Unschooling:
A Boston public educator name John Holt laid the beginnings of the
unschooling method. He believed that children learned best when
they are free to learn at their own pace and when they are guided
by their own interests. His message was to ‘unschool’ the child.
This method is a hands-on approach to learning, where the parent
takes definite cues from the children. There is no definite
curriculum, schedules or materials. This method is the most
unstructured of the various homeschooling techniques.
The Montessori Method:
This method began in Italy, when it was observed that children
have acute sensitive periods, during which they undergo periods of
intense concentration. During such phases, a child will repeat an
activity till he gains a measure of self-satisfaction. The
Montessori method depends on a prepared environment to facilitate
learning. All the materials used in this method are designed to
satisfy the inner desire for spiritual development of the child.
The materials used progress from simple to complex, and are rather
expensive.
These are just a few of the methods of homeschooling. Whatever the
method, the underlying factor is flexibility and a keen interest
in the desires of the child. The secret is to use the child’s
desire for knowledge to further his education.
3 Tips For Becoming An Outstanding Online Instructor!
Distance Learning is a popular choice for many college students these days. After all, what could be more convenient than taking a college course from the comfort of your home (or dorm … or office …) computer?
While distance learning has grown tremendously over the last few years, it is still a relatively new means of instruction.
And teaching online requires different skills and expectations than teaching in a classroom. Many faculty members are hesitant to learn these skills. But simply putting a few notes and other materials from a classroom does not make for a very effective online experience.
What are the 3 most important skills that you need to be a truly outstanding online teacher?
1) You must communicate frequently with the students.
Frequent communication does NOT mean that you must be online every hour of every day. But it does mean that you need to be in contact with students frequently. How frequently? At least every other day. Rather than teaching in 2-4 hour blocks in a single day, like you would with many college classes, spend 15-45 minutes a day answering emails and monitoring your online course. At the end of the week, the time spent teaching online should be similar to the amount of time spent teaching in a classroom.
2) Be organized & be clear
Let students know from the beginning exactly what is expected of them. And set the ground rules for the course. Let students know how often you will be online, so they don’t expect an immediate response regardless of the time of day. Explain to students how they will be graded, how quickly they will receive feedback, how they should submit assignments, how they should contact you, etc. The more students know ahead of time, the less time you’ll spend responding to problems.
3) Engage the students in the learning
Lecturing and testing are standard in many campus classes (not they there necessarily promote effective learning, but that’s another story!). Teaching online offers the opportunity to reach students in many different ways – projects, discussions, comparing ideas, sharing knowledge with other students. Use as many different ways as possible to engage students, and promote active learning. Without the confines of time that are present in a campus course, and with the ability to share and discuss ideas online, not making good use of these opportunities leads to lost “learning moments”.
There is no better way to learn how to teach online than to learn online – so, before you decide to teach online, take an online course yourself.
You’ll understand what it is like to learn from a distance, without an instructor standing in front of you. You’ll understand what it is like to have to wait for answers to your questions. And you’ll learn more about how the technology can HELP you teach.
You certainly DO NOT need to be a technical expert to teach online. But you should be:
• comfortable with the Internet
• familiar with sending and receiving email
• ready to spend some time setting up your course for the first time
• aware that becoming an effective online teacher takes some time (often several courses)
• excited about learning a new skill that will help you!
Some will say there is no substitute for seeing the student’s faces. Others will realize that many students will flourish because they have more time to prepare thoughtful answers, and won’t be fearful of speaking up in front of a large group.
Teaching online can be very exciting, and very rewarding, as long as you are prepared!
The Roman Family
The father in the Roman family (paterfamilias) exercised absolute and lifelong power over all other family members (patria potestas): his wife, children, and slaves. If the father’s father was alive – then he was the supreme authority in the household. Fathers were even allowed to execute their grown sons for serious offenses like treason.
Each house maintained a cult of ancestors and hearth gods and the paterfamilias was its priest. The family was thought to posses a “genius” (gens) – an inner spirit – passed down the generations. The living and the dead members of the family shared the gens and were bound by it.
Legitimate offspring belonged to the father’s family. The father retained custody if the couple (rarely) divorced exclusively at the husband’s initiative. The father had the right to disown a newborn – usually deformed boys or girls. This led to a severe shortage of women in Rome.
The father of the bride had to pay a sizable dowry to the family of the groom, thus impoverishing the other members of the family. Moreover, daughters shared equally in the estate of a father who died without a will – thus transferring assets from their family of origin to their husband’s family. No wonder females were decried as an economic liability.
At the beginning, slaves were considered to be part of the family and were well-treated. They were allowed to save money (peculium) and to purchase their freedom. Freed slaves became full-fledged Roman citizens and usually stayed on with the family as hired help or paid laborers. Only much later, in the vast plantations amassed by wealthy Romans, were slaves abused and regarded as inanimate property.
Handwriting Analysis
Graphology is the name given to the general subject of personality analysis based on handwriting analysis. Just as in Psychology there are various schools of Psychology – Behaviorist, Psychoanalytical, and so on – so too in Graphology.
Graphoanalysis is one such school and, from my experience, the most scientifically oriented reliable field of Graphology. Graphoanalysis is personality analysis based on handwriting analysis of the slant, size, measurement, pressure, spacing, and arrangement of letters and words on the page.
Graphoanalysis is used to analyze Latin lettering languages usually written in cursive handwriting (letters joined together). Printing can also provide information as to the writer’s personality. To a certain extent, an expert Graphoanalyist can analyze handwriting in languages written in letter forms other than Latin lettering.
Graphoanalyists are experts in handwriting analysis. The International Graphoanalysis Society (IGAS) is the full name of the school of Graphology to which the Graphoanalyist belongs.
A Quick Handwriting Analysis can be fun at a party or a get together. The Graphoanalyst will usually convey to the people whose handwriting is being analyzed the most outstanding features of their handwriting.
A Free Analysis is sometimes given to wet your appetite for more knowledge on the subject of graphology in general and graphoanalysis in particular.
In depth handwriting analysis requires many hours of measurement of letters and analysis of the combination of traits appearing in the handwriting and is used for more serious purposes such as determining a person’s job qualifications. Graphoanalysts are professionals who do this type of work.
Handwriting recognition by courts of law is a well known fact today. In court cases handwriting analysis is used to determine whether or not a signature on a document is valid. Graphoanalysts who have specialized in recognizing forgeries are called upon to give evidence in such cases and may have crucial influence on the final decision.
Making Genius
In his excellent book: “Scientific Genius, Dean Keith Simonton of the USC-Davis, suggests that genuises are forming more novel combinations than the merely talented. His theory has etymology behind it: Cogito- “I think”- orginally connoted “shake together”. Intelligo, the root of intelligence, means to “select among”. This is a clear early indication about the utility of permitting ideas and thoughts to randomly combine with each other and selecting from the many the few to retain.
Like the highly intelligent child with a case of Legos, the genius is constantly combining and re-combining ideas, images, thoughts into different combinations on both the conscious and unconscious levels.
When asked how he was able to come to E=MC2, Einstein called it “combinatory play”. He hadn’t, after all, invented energy, mass or speed but he was able to look at the same world as everybody else and come up with something different. In fact, he considerd this combinatory play to be essential to his thinking.
In my book: “The Secret Creator Within”- 23 Ways To Awaken Your Creative Genius, I actually start my treatise with this important idea by presenting my first ‘Creative Pop’ after a much quoted line from Linus Pauling, the great chemist:
“The best way to get a good idea
is to get lots of ideas.”
To illustrate this concept let’s take Tony Bennet. It has been said of him: “Tony Bennet never sings the same song—once.”
When he was asked if he ever got tired of singing “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” his answer was revealing.
“Do you ever get tired of making love?”
When I heard him say this I wondered how could a man who has performed the same song thousands of times, surely on every occassion he’s had to do a concert in a very long career, still find it so new , so fresh, so exciting that he could compare it to making love?
It’s because he has found the magic in our ‘Creative Pop’— each time he goes on stage he’s looking for ALL the ways this song can be expressed. And after these many years, the countless perfomances of this, his biggest hit, he’s still searching for the next best answer.
It’s amazing when you think about it—he hasn’t exhausted the possibilities—after some fifty years.
The lyrics never changed, “the city by the bay” never went anywhere new, the “cable cars still flew half-way to the stars” each time. The basic melody never changed. But this mastersinger could vary the nuance, the phrasing, the tempo, or the scale each time into a myriad of exciting new combinations.
It’s true Tony Bennet never sings the same song—once!
Did TV producer Lorne Michaels stay with the same cast of Saturday Night Live? No, he constantly looked for new talent, skits, and ways to present humor. He too, always on the quest for the next answer.
Did writer/producer Norman Lear stop creating TV sitcoms when All In The Family was a blow out success? No, he went ‘Uptown’ and everywhere else in his creative search because he kept generating the next idea.
Did Bill Gates stop growing his tiny company in 1975 or stop with his first successful idea, a prototype software package, and halt with the name Microsoft? No.
Mr. Gates went on to the next ideas, and still hasn’t finished finding all of them. He eventually became the richest man in the world.
One way of looking at a problem just doens’t cut it and certainly doesn’t generate genius.
So, how is this done? How can we start to ‘awaken’ creative genius? To explore this I lean heavily on a theory I’ve developed based on a comment by Charles DuBois. He said:
“The important thing is this:
to be able
at any moment to scarifice
that which we are for
that which we could become.”
If we ponder these words carefully, and then ask ourselves: what stops us from creating more ideas and solutions, what makes us so satisfied with the one answer we usually can find? We discover a key in the above quotation from Dubois.
Very often its because we cherish our current state, that immidiate solution, so much that we become too afraid or too timid in changing or discarding it. We’ve been taught, through education and experience, to be afraid of change.
Make no mistake about it, generating the next answer requires a change in your thinking and motivation. It takes courage, too. You must sacrifice what you’ve already found as soon as you find it. Who would want to do that? No one does. No one except ‘original thinkers’ and creative geniuses.
To them this is second nature. They are so content in combining ideas and shuffling together one position against another that they hardly find much sacrifice in losing a single solution shortly after its discovery. There is a sort of inner converstation that is constantly pulsing— which they heed— because it leads to real breakthrough, what I call ‘original’ thinking.
France and the American Revolution
In March of 2003, after France opposed a UN invasion of Iraq, two US Republicans
removed all references to French fries from menus affiliated with the US House of
Representatives. In the House cafeteria, potatoes became “freedom fries”. In a time of
such Francophobia, some Americans might be surprised by the history of positive
French-American relations. In fact, it’s likely that the American colonies would not have
defeated the British without French support.
In the 1770s, French enthusiasm for the American Revolution was high. Intellectually,
French Enlightenment intellectuals were agitating against their own feudal land systems
and class privilege. Emotionally, French leaders had been eager to defeat arch-rival
Britain since their Seven Years War. King Louis XVI had been privately supporting the
colonists for some time. But now, formal support appeared more advantageous. France
saw this as a strategic opportunity to secure North American landholdings and officially
befriend a rising power. Ben Franklin also played a significant role in winning tangible
French support; traveling with his wit and charm, Franklin visited Paris in 1776 to rally
support for the colonists’ cause. France first assisted the rogue colonies in May of 1776
by sending 14 ships loaded with gunpowder and other war supplies.
In February of 1778, the colonists and the French signed a Treaty of Amity and
Commerce. This was significant because France not only offered trade concessions, but
also legally recognized the colonies as the United States. Most importantly, Ben Franklin
also secured a Treaty of Alliance with King Louis XVI. This stipulated that if France
entered the war against Britain: 1) neither France nor the US would surrender; 2) neither
would agree to peace with Britain without the other’s consent; and 3) each guaranteed the
other’s landholdings in America. Within a few months, British ships fired upon the
French, and the two countries were at war. France sent about 12,000 soldiers and 30,000
sailors to support the colonists.
Many Frenchmen were truly committed to the cause of liberty. A former French Navy
captain, Marquis de Lafayette, had such zeal that the French suggested he enlist in the US
forces! He volunteered to become a major general for no pay. Lafayette became an
effective military leader and a lifelong friend of General George Washington. He was
eventually given honorary US citizenship.
When France officially entered the war, Spanish interest was piqued. Motivated by the
possibility of a land grab, Spain entered the war as a French ally against Britain. Holland
followed suit. This combination of European powers was a much greater threat to Britain
than the colonies could produce alone, and the crucial 1781 victory at Yorktown could
not have been won without the French alliance.
Unfortunately for France, following the Battle at Yorktown, Ben Franklin engaged in
secret negotiations with Britain. This was particularly insulting considering the French-
American treaties and France’s considerable wartime expenditures. Their hopes of
becoming the main US trade partner were dashed when most American trade was
contracted within the British Empire. Also, expectations of regaining French North
American territories were mostly unmet.
Still, defeating the British brought France a definite taste of revenge. It also restored a
sense of French confidence and esteem alongside other European powers. Furthermore,
in spirit France was now ready for a revolution of its own.
Is Homeschooling legal?
Without a doubt, homeschooling is legal in all the 50 States of
the U.s. But, that is just about where the similarity ends. Laws
and regulations regarding homeschooling vary from state to state.
Interpretations of these laws can vary from scholl district to
school district. Additionally, these laws may change every year.
The National Home Education network is a wonderful resource when
it comes to the legalities of homeschooling. It has a listing of
the actual state laws for each state in the U.S. Reading the laws
that pertain to your state is perhaps the best way to get accurate
information about these laws. But, most people need to get the
laws interpreted by a qualified attorney. You can get valuable
information from the support group at your locality. Additionally,
many state education departments have online resources that will
help you in interpreting the state requirements for homeschooling.
The internet is also a good source of information.
It is a good idea to check out your state laws regarding
homeschooling before you start educating your child at home. This
will prevent any nasty surprises on the way. If you have to move,
you will need to be aware of any tests or exams that your child
may need to take.
Earning Your Degree Online
It is not at all surprising that numerous business schools and universities have established online degree programs. Acquiring your first degree or advancing your education has become very popular for a diverse group of people.
Studying for your degree online has numerous advantages. Some of these advantages are:
1. The classes can be scheduled as you like. Studying can be scheduled at a convenient time for you. If you are a daytime worker, you can take classes at night or on the weekend .
If you have a family in addition to a hectic work schedule, it is tough to combine a working life with a learning life-especially if you have to commute to campus for scheduled classes and meetings.
Online degree programs let you study on your own terms, develop your presentations, or take exams when you have the time and energy to do so.
2. Over enrollment of students in classes is a common problem encountered at universities and colleges. Over enrollment in classes is usually not a problem when you pursue an online degree.
3. Students enrolled in an online degree program do not worry about being bumped out of classes.
4. Since you can take all your classes at home, there is no need for a costly commute to campus. The student never has to sit in traffic, wait at a bus stop, or contend with foul weather.
5. An online degree program is adjusted to your needs, as opposed to campus-based programs, in which classes are organized around the schedules of staff and faculty.
One of the best ways to enhance your career opportunities is to enroll in an online degree program. Online degree programs offer great flexibility; they combine online lectures from qualified business leaders with routine class meetings.
More than ever, companies are paying part or all of tuitions for employees who pursue graduate degrees in their field. From a cost-benefit perspective, online learning looks like a wise choice.
Discover the Secrets of Personality Type
Have you ever wondered why your spouse, coworkers, or children seem to think so differently from you? You may not understand why they make the decisions they do, or why they place such importance on things that seem inconsequential to you. It is possible to understand the answers to all these questions. The secret lies in the theory of Myers-Briggs personality type.
In the 1960’s a psychological theorist named Katharine Briggs had many of the same questions you do. She wondered why some of her family members had such logical, linear thinking processes, when she herself was more likely to take values and feelings into account when considering an issue. In her research with her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, she looked into this question and others, and discovered four central aspects of personality. Each one of us can be classified as either:
• Extroverted/Introverted—Do you get your energy from being with people, or being alone?
• Sensing/Intuitive—Do you see what’s actual, or what’s possible?
• Thinking/Feeling—Do you make decisions with your head or your heart?
• Judging/Perceiving—Do you like to make decisions, or keep your options open?
Our classifications on each of the scales is combined to make a four-letter type, for instance, ENTP, or ISFJ. There are sixteen types in all, encompassing all possible combinations.
With so many possibilities, you can imagine how much potential for misunderstanding there is with those around us! If we marry, or parent, or even work with someone who is very different from us, we can become increasingly baffled as to how their minds work. The key to unlocking the mystery and understanding those around us is to first understand yourself.
Where do you think you fall on the scales listed above? It can be difficult to decide, but fortunately the creators of this theory have also created a scientifically validated assessment that can tell you where you fall. This personality test is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and is the most accurate and efficient way to identify your own type. Most recently it has become available in an online format, which allows convenient access to anyone wishing to discover more about themselves. The official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can be used to produce several different types of reports, from basic to detailed, all of which you can refer to as you learn more about your own Type.
Once you have discovered your Type, you can begin to think about how others may differ. If you are an extrovert, you may be surprised when others want to leave a social gathering or end a conversation before you do. It doesn’t mean they’re unfriendly or not having a good time; it’s just that introverts rely on their alone time to recharge. As another example, if you’re a Thinker, you may mistrust people who seem to make decisions based on their “gut” or their feelings rather than logic. But turn this around and you’ll realize that your own decisions may seem cold and uncaring to someone who is a Feeling type. There is no right or wrong; only individual preferences.
The world is made up of many types, and this is for the best! We need people who are gregarious, and those that are content to live much of their lives independently. We need visionaries with their heads in the clouds, and people who will take care of all the details. We need planners, and people who fly by the seat of their pants; when making decisions we need both someone to remind us of the logic of the situation and someone to help us do a “gut check.” Learning more about personality types can help you appreciate all the variation you’ll see around you. Most importantly, it will help you use your differences to everyone’s benefit.
