Student-Teacher Relationships

  

    Successful teachers are those that have the ability to maximize the learning potential of all students in their class. Developing positive relationships between a teacher and student is a fundamental aspect of quality teaching and student learning. The relationship between student and teacher plays a large role in the trajectory of child’s academic success and social development. Establishing a positive relationship with their teacher helps students feel more comfortable in their classroom environments and encourage students to participate cooperatively. Students develop confidence to experiment and succeed in an environment where they are not restricted by the fear of failure. Teachers are able to assist students with motivation and goal setting, and students can turn to them for advice and guidance.

    As a result, students are more likely to participate actively in class and challenge themselves academically. Teachers who fell engaged by passionate students who proactively work at their relationships with them grade a full grade higher than others. It pays to pursue a strong relationship with a teacher from the first day at school. The student/teacher relationship is a cornerstone in a student’s social maturation process. Cultivating a positive rapport with teacher allows students to define themselves, adapt to their environment and grow their emotional and social intelligence. So changing your child’s attitude and beliefs about their relation with their teachers is the most important thing you can do to improve your child’s education.

   The positive student-teacher relationship is a way to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom, that enhances the student learning and make it more valuable.

Reference: 

https://www.thoughtco.com/develop-positive-relationships-with-students-3194339

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is categorized as a devastating neurodegenerative disease that irreversibly and progressively destroys memory, language abilities and thinking skills; inevitably leading to confusion and language breakdown [1]. “AD affects 35 million people worldwide and is the most common form of dementia among people aged 65 and older, progressing slowly from mild forgetfulness to the need for total care… Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that oxidative stress generated by various mechanisms maybe among the major intermediary risk factors that initiate and promote neurodegradation, leading to AD” [2]. Moreover, the observation of elevated concentrations of Iron as well as other metals and their imbalance in the central nervous system (CNS) modulate amyloid β (Aβ) formation and extracellular deposition, ultimately causing neurooxidative damage.

Soluble Aβ peptide is normally secreted by brain cells, and any excess is cleared. However, in abnormal conditions, Aβ self-aggregates, forming oligomers and amyloid fibrils. Oligomers exhibit neurotoxicity, and fibrils together with chaperone proteins form plaques that not only damage neurons but attract reactive astrocytes and microglia, resulting in further damage to the brain [3].

The common pathological feature associated with AD; cerebrovascular Amyloid β accumulation and formation of plaques in the cerebral vasculature; i.e. the arteries supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain tissue, according to the amyloid hypothesis, is the key event leading to development of the pathology. Aβ peptides range from 39 to 42 amino acid residues and have a molecular weight of 4 kDa, with the most abundant being  Aβ40 peptide, which is responsible for generating between 80 and 90% of the total Aβ produced. In vitro studies have shown that the incubation of this peptide with cells in culture actually induces a significant neurotoxic effect exemplified by oxidative stress, apoptosis, and damage to membrane and cytoplasmic proteins, mitochondrial DNA and lipids. Also amyloid proteins can cause lipid peroxidation by inserting itself into the lipid bilayer; which causes a massive influx of Ca²⁺   and ultimately causing mitochondrial dysfunction, synapse loss, and, finally, neuronal death [4].

References

1. Devadhasan J, Kim S and An J (2011) Fish-on-a-chip: a sensitive detection microfluidic system for Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Biomedical Science. 18(33).
2. Liu G, Men P, Perry G, and Smith M (2010) Nanoparticle and Iron Chelators as a Potential Novel Alzheimer Therapy. NIH Public Access. 610, 123-144.
3. Cheng K, Yeung C, Ho S, Chow S, Chow A and Baum L (2013) Highly Stabilized Curcumin Nanoparticles Tested in an In Vitro Blood–Brain Barrier Model and in Alzheimer’s Disease Tg2576 Mice. AAPS Journal. 15(2), 324-336.
4. Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease in Vitro. ASC Chemical Neuroscience. 2,500-505.

Educational Technology Makes Learning Easier

      

Modern educational technology is the best way that suits every student’s unique learning ability rather than the normal and boring system used in the most developing countries system. According to Ilker Koksal contributor, there are 8 ways that modern technology improves the educational methodology and help students to get the information of certain concepts easier and in short time.

• Virtual Simulations: Virtual models and simulations help teachers to explain difficult concepts in science, engineering and math in very easy way. Also the students can get and understand these concepts smoothly.

• Online Degrees: Online courses are helpful because attending college or university is a problem for people who work during the day, for those who have physically problems and so many cases. So, online education can open the opportunities for people to achieve their goals in life.

• Better Communication: Sometimes teachers delay to complete coursework before exam, so technology can change classroom into an information network like posting assignments. Also online communication is better for those students who have problems with speaking up in class and allows for better student to student discussion.

• Continuous Assessments: Teachers can use educational technology to set practice exercises or exam easier, as well as see their students’ progress. Also, it takes less time grading and evaluating each student and teachers can see where individual students have problems. 

• eBooks and Advanced Information: Nowadays, students like to access information using smart search engine than poring through reference books in a library. Just using a reference or quotation and all manner of information is immediately available. Therefore, students can research and consolidate many more information because they save considerable time accessing information 

•  Self-guided Learning: Technology allows students to learn at their own pace. Students who have lack of comprehensions can carry on with practicing the concepts after school, at home. Brighter students can use technology to move to the next stage or adjust to new concepts while others need more time to assimilate the  information. 

• Learning should be fun: Each student will find the best way to suit their own learning preference such as: tutorials, online videos, live streaming or virtual reality. So, making learning process fun leads to retention of information and more enthusiasm to learn.

•  Access to information: Technology is an amazing educational resource because there are many different free sites available online. This technology helps teachers as well as students to realize their true potential. Even if you don’t join to an organized course there is nothing to stop the interested person from learning on their own.

Reference: 

https://elearningindustry.com/technology-improves-education-8-ways

Simple STEAM for Teachers

In real World, jobs are interdisciplinary; rarely do they require a single skill. Because some jobs no longer exist, teachers should prepare children for the future job and successful careers by enhancing four critical points in early childhood which are: creativity, communication, teamwork/collaboration and critical thinking. They should develop the identified skills and give children the best opportunity to be prepared by STEAM.

STEAM means: S for science, T for technology, E for engineer, A for arts and M for math. The key of optimizing learning is to integrate activities instead of teaching as individual subjects. STEAM learning help children to investigate questions, solve problems and think potential improvements. 

One of the best way to show integration and how we approach a STEAM lesson is with a sample activity. For example, "Straw Rockets" activity can be done by any students if he/she follow step by step. The child should understand the goal then identify what he/she needs. Then the child should talk like an expert by using enriching vocabulary and speak the language. But one of the most important aspects of STEAM activity is asking open-ended question that develop curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and course communication skills. After doing the activity, the child starts to predict a hypothesis and ask more questions. Then he/she integrates the hypothesis and records what he/she discovers. STEAM learning can open new jobs in future such as aerospace engineering, astrophysics astronomy, biomechanics nanotechnology and many others.

Everyday language supports STEAM thinking by asking to many question : "what do you see, what do you hear, what are your prediction, what do you notice, what is changing ... and so many questions" that encourage child's curiosity to discover  more and more.Also STEAM learning improves when different senses are engaged “50% of what we hear and see,70% of what we discuss with others, 80% of what we experience, and 95% of what we teach others”.

From my point of view, children love to discover and experiment new things that encourage his/her curiosity. Also STEAM learning will enhance children’s interest to find their passion and build confidence to try different things. So STEAM happens naturally in young children as the explore and investigate the world around them in which they are exercising other skills: focusing attention, motivation and problem solving with a higher level of thinking.

Presented by: Marnie Forestieri, CEO and founder of Young Innovators; and Dr. Debby Mitchell, EdD is a curriculum writer for Young Innovators.

Sponsored by:  Kaplan  Early Learning Company, www.kaplanco.com

EDUC561 Reflection

EDUC561 is an amazing course, it helps us provide the credibility of being a teacher. It reflects many ways for making learning and teaching fun and build a valuable relationship between the teacher and the student.

In this course, we learned how to create a professional  exams and use this form for any surveys and so many other things.  Also it helps us arrange the references from books and articles in a very easy and professional way not the manual one. Even though I didn't like the webinar because the topics are really far from my science major but learning how to create and work on it makes me feel more professional by learning how to create new and updated ways of teaching.

When I first registered this course I was worried because it uses a lot of technology techniques and I'm not the technology type of person, but then I learned that using the application cited is actually fun and entertaining; it made me see technology from a whole other side of view.