Ch9: Experiences With Educators

--Original published at Rickster's Psychology Blog

I went to private school since preschool so maybe I could a different opinion on interactions with educators. The classes were always small so the teacher always knew your name. I never had a elementary school or middle class with over 20 students.

I always noticed the teachers who were always best in terms of having a well behaved class and a decent learning experience were always the ones who knew they had to earn your respect and showed empathy. The teachers who were down to earth and didn’t act like dictators always had the best results. They didn’t have a ton of homework or busy work just to show their superior they had a ton of stuff in their lesson plan.

These teachers had tests which seemed easier. I feel like they would take the pressure off you for tests because they had you prepared for tests. When the pressure is off, I feel like the material is easier to learn because you either want to learn it or its just easy to pick up the concepts because the teacher took into account for more learning styles. When they used powerpoint and had entertaining videos, it was always easier to learn.

My best way of learning is when I can do activities with my hands. I like being able to take something apart and put it back together to see how everything works. I think I learn best this way because every male on my father’s side was the same way. We are all mechanics.

Visual learning was my second best way of learning so videos always helped me best. I could sit through six months of lectures and not learn anything but I could watch a History Channel or Discovery Channel marathon on a subject and be an expert in it.

The worst teachers were the ones who acted like your boss. They always seemed structured and always taught one way. They were usually older and didn’t care. They just needed to show up so they get their pension. The worst teacher I ever had was probably taking algebra with my principle as the teacher. She did whatever she wanted because she was untouchable. She always had a lot of homework and it seemed so overwhelming to the point where I wouldn’t want to do it because it was more than enough work.

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at Noah'sPSY105blog

Although Governor Miller may have had some very good intentions with the introduction of the program to supply parents of newborn children with CD’s or cassette tapes housing classical music, I do not believe that this was a very good decision on his part.

There may have been some evidence to support the Mozart effect at the time, but I do not believe that there was enough evidence given for Governor Miller to spend some of his budget on a theory that did not have a very large amount of evidence supporting it. Not only was this an issue, but even if there was fairly significant evidence supporting this theory, it did not mean that the parents would utilize the tapes or CD’s that they were sent. Therefor, may of the tapes and CD’s would go unused and the money spent on this project would most likely be more effective if it were spent elsewhere.

Chapter 9 First Impression Post

--Original published at Courtney's College Blog

Throughout my education experience, I have had both positive and negative experiences with educators. My high school biology teacher sticks out to me. She is an amazing teacher and does everything she can to support her students, whether it be academically or emotionally. She would always tell me how much she believed in me and thought that I would make a great physician. This encouraged me to study hard to obtain a high grade in the class. Her positive energy made me look forward to going to class each day. I was enthusiastic about biology, and was really eager to succeed. My teacher’s enthusiasm and my hard work allowed me to earn a high A in the class.

That same year, I also had a teacher who was constantly miserable. She belittled all of her students and fostered a negative environment. I never felt that I was good enough. I had her class during a time when my anxiety was at a high point, and I had a couple anxiety attacks in her class. Even while discussing my anxiety with her, she was very insensitive about it, which made me feel ashamed. Her negative energy made it hard to focus, because I was constantly worried that she would call on me, then embarrass me if I got the wrong answer. My mind was always hyperactive and anxious during class, which led me to obtain a grade lower than what I had hoped.

My experiences have shaped my opinion about what education should be like. Educators should develop relationships with their students, because everyone learns differently. The educator can understand the student’s goals, strengths, and weaknesses. This individualized approach lets the educator be like a mentor to students, not just someone who throws information at them. Educators should be passionate about their work. If a person is not caring, enthusiastic, and have a strong inclination to share the beauty of a certain subject, then that person should not be an educator. Students spend much time with their teachers/professors, so they should feel comfortable and cared for, but also pushed to succeed.

Sherika's Psych Blog 2019-06-28 16:37:49

--Original published at Sherika's Psych Blog

In 1998, the Georgia Governor, Zell Miller, spent thousands of dollars of the states budget in order to purchase several hundred copies of classical music CDs to distribute to parents as he believed in the Mozart effect. Or the effect that classical music could be influential in increasing the intelligence of a young child or infant’s developmental stages.

I don’t agree with Governor Miller’s approach here, especially to spend such a significant amount of the state budget to purchase classical music CDs when such money could have been redistributed to an area of more significant need. Not too mention that there’s been plenty of research that’s been conducted on the Mozart theory to prove that there’s no negative or positive correlation between listening to classical music and intelligence. Instead, I felt that Miller was wasting taxpayer money on a theory that has been discredited with proof time and time again. Instead of trying to fund this theory, Miller should have put the funding towards improving Georgia’s school systems, curriculum, or provide these schools with more funding.

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at JVershinski's Blog

Governor Miller made quite a bold statement with his idea of the Mozart effect and distributing a cassette or CD of classical music to the parents of each new born child. I personally do not believe in the Mozart effect, and think that this was a foolish idea to do this.

First, this idea that listening to Mozart will increase intelligence is only a theory. This just means it is an educated guess that is used to attempt to explain something. While it would be interesting to explore this theory some more and actually test it, I don’t think that a personal belief of this theory justifies spending $105,000 to do it. Additionally, the money spent was spent based on the idea that he theory holds true. If the money was spent to experiment if the theory was true or not, I think then it could be justified some more, but the fact that the governor just spent the money because he thought it would work is not a good decision.

Also, who is to say that the parents will even play the music in the household to even try to increase the intelligence of their child? There is no reinforcement to ensure that the music will be played. In addition, how long is the music to be played for? Is there a certain amount of time that states the music should be played for x minutes during a certain time of the day? Is it better to play the music while the child is asleep or awake? Up to what age should the music be played? Does the theory explain why it only contributes to the intelligence of young children? With all of these questions unanswered, I think spending $105,000 to give out free Mozart was not the best idea.

Intelligence

--Original published at Bogo's Blog

Growing up in Ghana, West Africa, school was very different for me. The relationship between teacher and student was a lot more intimate and close knitted. Our teachers were basically our second parents and they were treated as such. This actually made education very competitive for us since we did not want to disappoint our teachers by getting bad grades. I remember studying weeks before a every big exam or test just so I could get a good grade and impress my teacher. This relationship was lost when I moved to the United States in September of 2012. The relationship was much more formal with the teachers and you would never really tell your teachers how life was going back home. I felt like in Ghana our instructors knew their students personally so they knew how to approach teaching a class so everyone was on the same page. Some even went as far as coming to their students homes to give them extra hours of school time.

It would be hard for Americas system to be like this because of the difference in culture. It works in Ghana because we’re a very open society and children are raised by the community not just their family. One thing that could be done that is similar to this is having one teacher teach the same group of individuals from first grade to maybe sixth grade. I feel like it will be very beneficial to the students development, both in intelligence and knowledge, if they grow alongside a teacher they have a good relationship with.

Chapter 9 first impression

--Original published at AlexisPattersonBlog

Throughout my school career I have met a lot of educators who have made an impact on my education. From professors I just met five months ago, to teachers I had even when I was in the 8th grade. Educators are a huge asset to the school system and their role cannot be matched.

There are some teachers that you just connect with. You talk to them outside of class, you see them in the hall and go over and ask how their day was, small things like that. One teacher I had when I was a freshman made an impact on me. Her name was Mrs. Pugh and it was her first year teaching when I was a freshman, so we both were new to the high school. She was my American government teacher, and while I didn’t like any form of history classes at all (never have, never will), she made the hour and a half worth it. She made classes interesting and fun, while still being able to understand the context. One thing that I would suggest the school system changing is to stop putting as much restrictions on everything. A lot of teachers have to take some of the “fun” ways to learn away so that students have to learn to understand it themselves.

Mrs. Pugh became my advisor for our class when I was a senior so I was able to connect with her even more now as we always met to talk about prom and graduation, etc. One thing that was always “looked down on” was interaction with students outside of school or schooling events. I believe that if someone was old enough, like I was for instance, then the interaction would be ok. I was a senior in high school, so I was 18 years old. I don’t understand why if someone wants to be face book friends with someone for instance, how that’s a problem.

Despite those little problems, Mrs. Pugh was someone I could go to for advice on schoolwork, ask how her day was for just small conversations, or even just to tell her about my lacrosse game I had the previous night. Teachers impacts on students are a big role when it comes to not only knowing how smart you are or how confident you may be, but also knowing they are also human, and one of your new friends.

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at Ally'sCollegeBlog

I have lived in Lancaster County my entire life, and subsequently, have attended Hempfield schools for my primary and secondary education. Throughout that time, I have encountered a variety of different teachers. Some have been very helpful, kind, and understanding while others are the complete opposite. The older educators, had a much different style of teaching then someone who is in their twenties or thirties. I was an average student that was motivated but, my grades became poor due to my test anxiety. Some teachers were very helpful and tried to aid me while others just emailed my parents and gave up on me. I definitely had my fair share of both types of teachers.

To improve the education system, I would change the way we base knowledge. I believe that the foundation of school, is the definition of knowledge. Public schools use multiple choice questions on standardized tests to determine our worth as students. They use tests and memorization to tell themselves how well they teach. In hindsight, it is not for the students, it is for the administration and state to give themselves a pat on the back. That is what they consider knowledge- memorizing vocab words or equations. I would want to change that. We should base school on things we actually need. I do not think memorizing the quadratic formula is very important to me becoming a well adjusted adult. Classes on personal finance are much more important than a required calculus class. Why not base your grade on you understanding of the content not memorization. That is learning. I memorized all the forms of deductive reasoning for a test a few weeks ago. I do not even remember them anymore and I never really understood them either.

Chapter 9- Intelligence

--Original published at NataliesCollegeBlog

When first responding to this prompt, there were many things that came to my mind about current and past teachers. For starters, when thinking about intelligence, it made me think of a scenario that almost everyone has experienced before. We all had that time where we get back a bad test grade, when we worked so hard to do well, and compared it to the person sitting next to us who got an A. Sometimes we try to feel better about getting a bad grade, by automatically trying to make the excuse that the person next to us is just “naturally smart”. Although there are some people that can pick up information quicker than you, does not mean that they are smarter than you are. Intelligence is not based on genetics, it is based on the work ethic that person has. Personally for me, I know that I need to work really hard in my classes in order to get good grades. People need to realize that work ethic is what determines how well you do in school; whether your instructors are there to support you or not.

My interactions with my educators through college have all been positive; however, I do remember teachers in high school that have made me think of ways that school systems could improve. I think that teachers at college should enforce doing homework more, by checking it for completion. This would not only help the student, but even make life easier for the teacher. I sadly have been one of those students that slacks on doing homework problems, especially math, if they are not graded or checked. If more teachers checked homework it would force kids to learn the material the right way and would help improve students grades too.

On the Mozart Effect

--Original published at Alex's Thoughts

The Mozart Effect is an interesting topic, but I firmly believe that Governor Miller’s actions were no more than a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. In theory, the Mozart Effect is sound, but I do not believe it has any real effect in practice. I would like to cite my own life and the lives of my siblings as examples.

When I was growing up, my parents did not force anything upon me besides encouraging me to do well in school and go on to further my education. It did not matter whether the education was trade school or college, but they wanted me to get a certification beyond high school. The expectations were all the same for my siblings as well, and all of us have gone on to college and found successful employment in our respective fields afterwards. One of my siblings is in the process of getting their doctorate, while the other two either have or are on track to get their graduate degrees. I am in school for a dual concentration major in Engineering, so I believe that all of us can be categorized as relatively intelligent. However, none of us were exposed to the music of Mozart as children. Our parents did not put us in special programs beyond a typical preschool, we were not taught subjects like calculus when we were little, and nothing was expected of us but to learn in school, read when possible, and have a healthy and happy childhood. I am extremely glad that my parents raised us this way, as I still have many fond memories of growing up and firmly believe that further pressure besides succeeding in school (like forcing us to listen to Mozart) would have had an adverse effect. My siblings and I now have wildly different tastes in music, but that seems to be the only effect of not having a confining standard of music enforced on us when we were little. Mozart is beautiful in its own way, but I personally believe that forcing a small child to listen to his compositions when they are growing up would have about the same effect on their intelligence that putting a drop of water in a barrel would have on filling it. It may or may not help, probably has little to no effect, and your child is most likely not better off by doing so.

In science, you can never really prove anything to be completely and exhaustively correct. You can only disprove something or add to the evidence and refine the original theory. Cases like my siblings and I, along with countless other intelligent people that never bothered with Mozart when they were small, are the evidence that listening to Mozart as a small child has no noticeable effect on future intelligence or success.