A Reflective Journal Entry

A Reflective Journal Entry In the majority educational situations, there is substantial energy expended as learners use critical-thinking skills to explore complex concepts central to their discipline. When learners systematically engage in significant thinking, they tend to expand insights not just into the concepts but in addition the learning process as well. Educators use various strategies in seeking the one best technique to engage learners actively in their learning. Abegglen, J. ONeill Conger, C. (1997) recognizes the significant contribution of critical reflection in the development of specialized knowledge and clinical expertise. Educators in education and nursing employ reflective learning journals to enhance creative and critical thinking among learners in the classroom (e.g., Allen Enz, 1986-1987; Hahnemann, 1986; Meyers, 1986; Meyers Jones, 1993; McCrindle Christensen, 1995) and in the practice setting (e.g., Alm, 1996; Sedlak, 1997). A few writers offer hold up for educators themselves to become inquiring teachers (e.g., Scho ¨n, 1987; Henderson, 1992) and other writers create models to enhance the teaching-learning process (e.g., McCaugherty, 1991; Hutchinson Allen, 1997; Riley-Doucet Wilson, 1997; Scanlon Chernomas, 1997; Wong et al., 1997; Kember et al., 1999). It is significant to note that this strategy of reflective learning journals promotes learners to turn out to be active learners. Definition: Although the frequent use of reflection and reflective learning journals in the literature, there is no consensus regarding how to define these terms. This lack of clarity creates tremendous difficulty in terms of operationalizing the ideas and in addition in comparing research findings Boychuk, (1999). Boyd and Fales (1983) define reflection as the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which consequences in a transformed theoretical perspective (p. 100). This definition is widely used and appropriate to this research exploring the application of the Scanlon and Chernomas (1997) model. For purposes of this research, reflective learning journals refer to written documents that learners create as they think about different concepts, events, or interactions over a period of time for the purposes of gaining insights into self-awareness and learning. Regarding reflection as together compound and indefinable, Pierson (1998) suggests that reflection is a purposeful inter-subjective process that requires the employment of both calculative and contemplative thinking (p. 169). She expresses concern that calculative thinking (e.g., listing daily activities) instead of contemplative thinking (e.g., employing an interactive, conversational style of writing to expand self-awareness and understanding) may be more the norm in practice. Reflective thinking requires a trusting relationship if one is to write about individual thoughts, feelings, and experiences honestly; sufficient time to consider ideas significantly; active involvement; participation of self; and assurance. Assess, the root word of assessment, comes as of the Latin word assidere, which means to sit beside, to observe, talk by means of, and learn as of one another (Conrad, 1995). Traditionally, the word assessment has referred to the way teachers assign letter grades on tests and quizzes. Assessment has in addition been used as a way to discuss teaching effectiveness (Garfield, 1994). However, assessment is now taking on a new meaning. It should be a dynamic process that continuously yields information about learner progress toward the achievement of learning goals (Garfield, 1994). In order for assessment to be considered authentic, it must focus on whether or not learners can apply their learning to the suitable situations (Conrad, 1995). Methods used to measure learner learning range as of traditional standardized testing to a more organic, authentic approach to assessment. The current dispute in educational assessment stems as of the debate flanked by behaviourist and constructivist educators. Behaviourist theory originated as of the work of Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner and focuses on changes in behaviour that result as of stimulus-response associations made by the learner (Standridge, 2002). The learners are active respondents in the learning process and should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning through observable and measurable behaviours (Ormrod, 1999). Standardized testing is one of the most obvious ways to observe and measure changes in behaviour. Although they are easy to score and interpret, these tests imply that there is a separation flanked by knowledge and the learner (Worley, 2001). This method of assessment simply offers a way for assigning numerical scores to observa ble behaviours but does not reveal how the learner learned or how they will be able to use their learning to solve problems (Garfield, 1994). On the opposing side of the debate, constructivists argue that learners cannot continue to merely acquire knowledge and demonstrate it through observable and measurable changes in behaviour. Instead, learners must construct the meaning of knowledge as they learn it. Constructivist theory is based mainly on the work of Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky and stresses that learning involves an active process in which learners construct meaning by linking new ideas by means of their existing knowledge (Jones Brader-Araje, 2002). Knowledge does not exist outside of the learner. According to Kant, the mind offers the categories of knowing, while the real world offers the content. Knowledge is thus always a construction of the minds interaction by means of the world and cannot be reduced to one or the other (Elkind, 1998, p. 113) In reality, learners come to the classroom by means of a wide variety of prior experiences, knowledge and beliefs that may be cultivated to offer meaningful life-long le arning (Jones Brader-Araje, 2002). Therefore, alternative assessment methods such as recordings, checklists, diaries, portfolios, learner debriefings, peer conferences and reflective journal writing are necessary inside a constructivist classroom (Worley, 2001). Journal writing is the recording of daily events, personal reflections, questions about the environment, and reactions to experiences (Dyment OConnell, 2003). According to Chapman, it should reflect various types of writing as well as levels of complexity related to the task assigned in the prompt (Chapman, 1990). Instances of authentic writing in the journal include open-ended entries, where the learner constructs an entry using background knowledge, or short answer entries that demonstrate understanding of the content taught (Chapman, 1990). Journal writing can become one of the most significant components of the assessment process because it has the potential to promote critical thinking. It in addition reinforces the significance of writing across the curriculum by means of an emphasis on process rather than product, allows for personal expression, and serves as a record of thought. Journal writing helps learners understand how they learn and it gives a voice to those who are not good at expressing themselves orally. Finally, because reflective journal writing requires active participation, the learners take ownership of their learning Brookfield, (1998). According to Atkins, (1993), reflective journal writing serves four purposes for the learner and three for the teacher. The authors studied the journals, observation notes, conference notes and course-related projects of 34 learners in their first course of the teacher education graduate program at South-eastern University. For learners, journal writing serves as a permanent record of thoughts and experiences; establishes and maintains a relationship by means of the instructor; offers a safe outlet for frustrations and concerns; and aids internal dialogue. For the teacher, reflective journal writing serves as a window into learner thinking and learning; establishes and maintains a relationship by means of the learner; and serves as a dialogical tool. Finally, reflective journal writing offers an opportunity for both the teacher and the learner to assess learning. As Atkins, (1993) discovered in his research on more than 20 learners in his advanced mathematics course, reflective journal writing offers learners by means of the opportunity to express connections flanked by previous knowledge and new knowledge. Although one of his Iranian learners struggled by means of English vocabulary, he was able to describe a mathematic word problem in his own words by using connections to his culture Atkins, (1993). Reflective learning journals are recognized as a significant tool in promoting active learning among nursing learners. Essentially, nurse educators strive to encourage learners to think about past experiences, current situations, and expected outcomes of their actions so that they can explain what they do in the clinical setting and why. In other words, nurse educators seek to promote professional practice that is reflective rather than routine. The purposes in this paper are to discuss the application of two models of reflection to a set of reflective learning journals and to offer some recommendations for educators, researchers, and learners. Using a three stage model of reflection Alm, (1996), 52 nursing learners explored managerial concepts. The major findings indicated that learners may be categorized, according to Alm, (1996), as no reflectors (i.e., lack proof of purposeful appraisal), reflectors (i.e., demonstrate insight through analysis, discrimination, and evaluation), and critical reflectors (i.e., indicate a transformation as of initial viewpoint). The foundations for professional practice begin inside the educational system. Educators begin the process of assisting aspiring professionals to learn how to learn. Reflective learning journals have become a significant tool in nursing education to promote active learning among learners. Fundamentally, nurse educators strive to encourage learners to think about past experiences, current situations, and expected consequences of their actions so that they can explain what they do in various professional settings and why. Put another way, nurse educators seek to promote professional practice that is reflective rather than routine. The purposes of this paper are to discuss the application of two models of reflection to a set of reflective learning journals and to offer some recommendations for educators, researchers, and learners. The two models include the three stages of reflection Cavanagh, (1995) and the three levels of reflection Cavanagh, (1995). Conclusion: In conclusion, according to Conger, (1996), It is now widely accepted that successful professionals have to to reproduce upon their actions as mainly tasks they execute involve novel elements to which there are no described solutions (p. 18). The responsibility rests by means of educators to arrange professionals for reflective practice. Inherent in this accountability is the need to determine the extent to which learning actually occurs. Utilizing a model, as described in this presentation, offers strong evidence of learner learning. However, whereas the facilitation of learning stays by means of the educator, the final liability for learning resides by means of the learner. If we believe the words of Conger, (1996), we will all embrace the accountability plus joy of learning: Real knowledge gets to the heart of what it means to be individual. During learning we turn out to be able to do something we certainly not were able to do. Through learning we extend our capability to produce, to be part of the generative procedure of life. There is inside each of us a deep hunger for this kind of learning.

Personal Reflections on the Self Essay

I  certify that  the attached  paper is my original work and has not previously been submitted by me or anyone else for any class. I further declare I have cited all sources from which I used  language, ideas, and information,  whether quoted  verbatim or paraphrased, and that any assistance of any kind, which I received while producing this paper, has been acknowledged in the References section. I have obtained written permission from the copyright holder for any trademarked material, logos, or images from the Internet or other sources. I further agree that my name typed  on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student’s  signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature):   Marjorie Neal When we talk about self, it is generally meant to be a reflection of an individual’s identity and separate from others and the environment (Huitt, 2009). The most widely used concepts when it comes to self are the self-concept and self-esteem. Self-esteem is the sense of self worth and dictates how we feel about ourselves where self-concept is dictated by how an individual answers the question â€Å"who am I? †(Myers, 2008). Research has shown that self-concept is the basis for all motivated behavior because self-concept that provides individuals with possible selves and those possible selves create the motivation for behavior (Huitt, 2009). Self-concept is built through the process of taking action and reflecting on the action one has taken as well as what others tell him about what he has done (Huitt, 2009). We are not born with a self-concept. Self-concept is developed through interaction with the environment and one’s reflection of that interaction. Self-concept has four parts: self-image, self-esteem, ideal-self and self-efficacy My sister had all the friends that my parents approved of, she got the good grades, she was not in special education classes and at home report cards and progress reports were constantly compared. I never heard that I was doing a great job or that I had improved on this subject or that it was always how wonderful my sisters grades were compared to my C’s that I worked very hard for in the early years. By the third grade I was behind in reading and math so I had to go to special classes to get help on those subjects. I not only felt inadequate at home but the other students in school made me feel very stupid and not good enough. I was picked on at school and called all sorts of names from stupid to Margarine to Rhino. Looking back it was kids being kids and picking on me because they could see that it bothered me. I used to come home in tears and all my parents said was to ignore them and they would stop but they did not stop. I was in the â€Å"loser† group and there was no getting out of it. By third grade I believed them. When I entered Junior High School, I started off in the lowest group for my classes, the one that all the troublemakers were in and all the â€Å"stupid† kids. I got tired of being lumped with those kids and decided I could do better so I decided I was going to work hard and talk to my teachers about moving up a group. In sixth grade I went from group four to group three at the half way point in the year. This gave me a bit of a boost but I still was not happy. I wanted to be one of the smart kids like my sister was so that my parents would be proud. So in seventh grade I worked harder and talk to my teachers and I was moved from group three into group two. I was feeling better about myself and continued to push harder until I was finally in group one by the end of the eighth grade. Being in group one meant I could take the college level classes I wanted to take in High School, it also meant that I was just as good as my sister was but that did nothing for me at home because I was struggling to pull C’s and my sister was still pulling A’s. Nonetheless, I was proud of my accomplishment and myself so I tried college level classes in High School. I did fine in college English but not so good in Math. I found that high school was very difficult for me and after all those years of trying to be as good as my sister I still could not pull the same grades no matter how hard I worked at it. I gave up and stopped taking college level classes with the hope that the other classes would be easier for me and I could pull the A’s and B’s that my parents were so proud of my sister for getting. When I continued to struggle my freshman and sophomore year I gave up and decided that I was going to do what it took to get those C’s and nothing more. I became very discouraged. Then my parents separated and we moved from my hometown to the Cape with my aunt so I had to change schools half way through my sophomore year. I was happy with that, a new group of kids to meet and different expectations by the kids I already knew in that school so this was going to be easy and that was my easiest semester ever. I finally got the good grades that I was looking for and my mother stopped criticizing me for my choice in friends. She actually approved of most of my friends. My sister at that point became the problem child. Then it all fell apart. My mother decided that she was going to take a job in Boise, Idaho and my sister and I had to move with her across the country. I had finally adjusted to the idea of my parents getting a divorce and now she was going to take me away from all of my life long friends and everything I knew. My attitude, self-esteem and everything went right down the toilet. When we got to Idaho I didn’t care anymore. I was going to do what I had to do to graduate and get out of my mother’s house so I could go back to Massachusetts where I knew people and I was home. I made poor choices in friends, poor choices in behavior, and poor choices in my schoolwork all because the only thing I could see was anger. I was so angry with both of my parents, my mother for making me move to Idaho and my father for not fighting to keep us in Massachusetts. It was like my opinion did not matter and once again my sister was the queen. All the good I had done in junior high and down the Cape did not matter anymore. I graduated from high school, turned down a military career and moved back to Massachusetts where I met my first husband. It was a marriage destined to fail. My first husband was very abusive verbally and emotionally. He constantly made me feel like I was not worth the dirt I walked on. I was diagnosed bipolar two years after we got married and he never took the time to learn about it, said he didn’t believe in mental illness and did not help me find the help I needed so it was a very rocky ten-year marriage. I did get two wonderful children out of the marriage though, of that I was thankful and challenged. After my first husband and I divorced, I met my current husband. He is the exact opposite of my first husband. We have a very good relationship. It was the relationship with my first husband and all the abuse that I went through in the ten years we were married and my childhood experiences that made me who I am today.

The Life and Work of Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan, in all of his 81 years, is a key figure among public officials, not only because of the responsibility he holds over the country’s money but also because of his other endeavors in philosophy, business and writing. This paper provides an overview of Alan Greenspan’s life, work and contribution as an economist.Greenspan was born on March 6, 1926, the time of the Great Depression in a Jewish immigrant community. His early interest was in music, a love he inherited from his mother. In fact, he enrolled in the Juilliard music school after high school and later became a member of a jazz band as a saxophone and clarinet player and also as the group’s bookkeeper (Tuccille 23).However, this other interest in math and statistics compelled him to finally enter the university. His father was a Wall Street stockbroker and encouraged him to follow in his footsteps.He enrolled in economics at the New York University, earning his bachelor degree there, summa cum laude. When he graduated, he wanted to continue on to masteral studies but because of financial difficulties, he had to look for work at the same time. He got employed as a staff economist in the National Industrial Conference Board and stayed there for 5 years.The NICB was considered â€Å"the premier economic research institution in the world†, providing vital data for economic forecasting and industry solutions to problems and Greenspan’s experience there, he said â€Å"proved invaluable in later life† (Tuccille 39).Economic forecasting is interpreting information with regards to the spending habits of families in the country into the index of consumer optimism which will forecast how many of the main products available in the market would be bought in the succeeding times and how this future spending will affect the economy (Answers.com). Other statistical data on unemployment and employment, individual income, production and others are also used to determin e the direction of the economic cycle.In his early 20’s and single, his full time job in the office and his studies at night did not give him the time to go out with friends, much less date women, but his passion be a successful economist was his sole motivation, a characteristic that defined the manner in which he dealt with the positions he would hold later on.After his masteral, he again enrolled for his doctorate this time at Columbia University under Dr. Arthur Burns, who was well known as a business cycle economist, consultant to the government and chair of the Federal Reserve Board. He served as one of Greenspan’s greatest influences in the shaping of his career and his economic philosophy. Burns believed in extreme laissez-faire economics or the absence of government regulation on economic matters but later tried to find middle ground between laissez-faire and Keynesianism (Tuccille 94). The latter states that the both the government and business should have ro les in the economy.Before this, Greenspan had also collaborated with William Townsend in setting up an economic forecasting firm, the Townsend-Greenspan Company. His hectic schedule finally bore down on him physically so he dropped out of Columbia University to focus on his job instead. By then, Greenspan had married Joan Mitchell, an artist still in the process of making a niche of her own. However, they divorced a few months later because of irreconcilable differences (Objectivism Reference Center).Through his former wife, Greenspan was introduced to the philosophy of objectivism, developed by Ayn Rand and propagated by an objectivism movement. Objectivism is the thought that puts individual or corporate/private interest above all others, a commendation for capitalism and the free market (Objectivism Reference Center).Involvement in this movement inspired him to write several articles and to foster a long-term friendship with Rand herself. Rand’s influence is said to be the reason why Greenspan denounced his beliefs in Keynesianism.His political stint as economic adviser began when he worked for then Vice-Pres. Nixon’s presidential campaign and later as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, a position he also held under Pres. Ford and because, gaining a PhD was essential for career movement in Washington, he enrolled again at the New York University and graduated around the same time that Pres. Carter was sworn to office (Objectivism Reference Center).

College Tuition Rising I m Currently A Sophomore /...

TaiAnn Williams Adam Cleary Eng 102 11.16.2015 College Tuition Rising I’m currently a sophomore/junior at SIUE and there’s thing that I just don’t understand why we take unnecessary classes or all this fees are a part of our tuition. Now my school is the lost in the state and schools like University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana or Illinois State University there tuition is sky high and these are people choices of where people want to share their college experiences at but how when they can’t afford it? There’s a lot of prospective that will be visiting schools that they want to be at and like any other teenager coming from high school you don’t think of what the cost is going to be. Your goal is too aim really good to get the ACT/SAT score for the college to get accepted. I wanted to go University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, and Murry State University all schools that aren’t in state and did you think that I was aware of how much it would cost a year. NO! My mother informed me on a lot of things and it made me considered SIUE but the main concern about these schools are how do you want us to get into all these schools. Send us emails, mail us packets of about the school, or however else they get to us with all this information but expect us to pay all this money or all this fees on certain dates when we don’t have it. We’re coming from high school and who knows how out parents income is, how would we know if they can even afford our tuition or fees. In the