How the Educational System Will Look in Ten Years?

Yesterday we could say that distance learning was something strange for us and it was better to give your child to an ordinary school with teachers and break bells. But we are developing and new ways of studying appear. Today distance learning is the best way to get education and to plan your time. But what do we know about distance learning? Let us compare an old school and a new school system and see what way to choose for yourself and for your children.
We will start from old traditions and habits:
1. Students should go to school building without any choice
2. The schedule is always the same and you do not have much possibility to change it.
3. If you did not do your homework on the next day you are getting bad marks. School or university will not make any exceptions for students who are getting bored on classes because everyone should receive the same information at the same time.
4. Sometimes schools are segregated according to nationalities, races and other principals. Thus sometimes the system does not allow students to decide with whom they will study.
5. Students can have their free time only after school over the time of their winter and summer holidays.
6. Schools prefer to work according to the old school system without bringing in some interesting changes which can urge students on new interest to study.
But then what is new due to the new model of education?
New schools:
1. In this case school comes to student.
2. Personal approach for each student.
3. Every student can study successfully here.
4. This kind of schools can attend students who do not have a possibility to go to an ordinary school.
5. Students can create their own schedule and find a part-time job.
6. Children can take part in activities and clubs all over the world.
7. Such schools give certain computer skills.
8. The education can be given everywhere.
Now it is your turn to decide.
Yesterday we could say that distance learning was something strange for us and it was better to give your child to an ordinary school with teachers and break bells. But we are developing and new ways of studying appear. Today distance learning is the best way to get education and to plan your time. But what do we know about distance learning? Let us compare an old school and a new school system and see what way to choose for yourself and for your children.
We will start from old traditions and habits:
1. Students should go to school building without any choice
2. The schedule is always the same and you do not have much possibility to change it.
3. If you did not do your homework on the next day you are getting bad marks. School or university will not make any exceptions for students who are getting bored on classes because everyone should receive the same information at the same time.
4. Sometimes schools are segregated according to nationalities, races and other principals. Thus sometimes the system does not allow students to decide with whom they will study.
5. Students can have their free time only after school over the time of their winter and summer holidays.
6. Schools prefer to work according to the old school system without bringing in some interesting changes which can urge students on new interest to study.
But then what is new due to the new model of education?
New schools:
1. In this case school comes to student.
2. Personal approach for each student.
3. Every student can study successfully here.
4. This kind of schools can attend students who do not have a possibility to go to an ordinary school.
5. Students can create their own schedule and find a part-time job.
6. Children can take part in activities and clubs all over the world.
7. Such schools give certain computer skills.
8. The education can be given everywhere.

Art as I see it..

Definition of Visual Arts:

 The aspect of fine arts education in regards to curriculum is visual arts. "The visual arts are an essential form of communication, indispensable to inquiry and expression”. Visual arts include many different mediums.  “This category may include the traditional fine arts such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture; communication and design arts such as film, television, graphics, and product design; architecture and environmental arts such as urban, interior, and landscape; folk arts; and works of art such as ceramics, fibers, jewelry as well as works in wood, paper, and other materials”.
Visual art is in fact one of the most important aspects of fine arts education.  It involves physical and mental skill, both learned and utilized.  Visual arts can be used in all areas of education.

 Importance of Art for children

  When a child creates a work of art, they are not just drawing a picture; they are also creating aspects of self-importance, individuality and engaging in self-expression.  By assisting and encouraging a child's creativity, you set the stage for endless opportunities for that child's imagination. A healthy imagination not only creates a resourceful and productive individual, but it also builds self-esteem, which is an important tool that will be used for the rest of that child's life.

Give freedom of expression to children

   It is through these creative studies that they learn to think independently and solve unexpected problems instead of just robot like repetitive reciting of book facts. Freedom of expression lets them learn to think outside of the mainstream way of seeing things and that is how new inventions and innovative ways are developed and discovered

Importance of art in schools

 Many teachers and educators may disagree about which method is best to teach our children how to read and write, or learn history, science, and even math, but there are no really serious questions about whether these subjects should be taught to all children. They are the core of our academic programs in schools today. In most schools, the other subjects, including the arts, are squeezed in, or they are not even included at all in the education of our children.
When budgets are trimmed these subjects are threatened as if they are not as important in the education of our children. But they are such an important element of life that they must be included among core academic subjects or we will risk losing the opportunity for our children to develop their creativity and express their own unique aspects of themselves.
Most of educators and people in the federal education legislation may agree that the arts are an important part of life, but this does not make them part of the essential core of education and they should be. The arts are everywhere in our lives from graphic arts to music and are essential to adding the necessary dimension and depth to our children's thought process. The earlier that children experience arts included in their education the better off they will be. There is a direct connection to dramatic play and cognitive thinking that many studies have concluded including Howard Gardner's project called Project Zero. The purpose of the study is to understand the process of learning at the individual level when it directly includes the arts. This study is being compiled at Harvard where Gardner is a cognitive psychologist. Project Zero was founded at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1967 by a philosopher by the name of Nelson Goodman to study and improve education in the arts because he felt that learning the arts should be studied as a serious cognitive activity, but that "zero" had been firmly established about the field which is why the project was given its name.
The importance of this study is immeasurable and the impact of its findings immense. It studies how children develop as a whole person not just in the area of traditional studies. The mission states it all. It is to "understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels."
There are so many studies that are being conducted within this study, such as Artful Thinking. This is a program designed to explore how works of art can help students empower their thinking in ways that cover the entire curriculum, including critical thinking in math and science. Its focus is to look at art rather then create it. It is a part of Visible Thinking Network with in Project Zero. Its focus is to study and develop the thinking process of students by cultivating curiosity, open-mindedness as well as reasoning.
These are key areas in need of development at a young age in order to fully understand other subjects such as math, history and science. Thinking routines and deposits are developed in the students to create a deeper understanding of any subject that they may study throughout life. Currently the Artful Thinking project is in use by teachers in grades K-8 and has been noted of its great success in helping students develop those important critical thinking skills that are necessary in all aspects of education and life in general.

School Implementation

Visual arts are essential element of fine arts in application to other academics.  It helps with perception, production, knowledge, communication, evaluation, and connection.  “Visual arts education is a multifaceted creative process. It includes the development of perceptual awareness and the ability to use materials expressively. In addition, creative and critical thinking are taught and identified as: generative, imaginative, metaphorical, analytical, synthetic, and collaborative”
Visual arts  include the artistic domains of dance, theater, music, and visual arts.  Each of these disciplines is uniquely different, helping students grasp techniques and knowledge, which can be applied in all areas of life and education.  “All four fine arts curricula do provide opportunities for growth in three common areas of learning [for students]: personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts; knowledge, skills, and techniques; and creating, expressing, perceiving, and responding”.
            As presented in this artical, there are many positive effects, which stem from fine arts education.  Talents and aptitude learned by the students who participate in fine arts classes become better-rounded students in comparison to those who do not.  Learning techniques in the areas of dance, theater/drama, music, and visual arts have proven to be useful in all other academic curriculums.  There are limited reasons why schools hold back from promoting fine arts in education and curriculum.  The only reason some schools hold back from implementation of the fine arts is cost.  Fine arts classes can be pricey, with the need to purchase special equipment such as VCRs, instruments, books, radios/sound systems, computers, etc.  One Maryland school knows just how expensive fine arts education can be, specifically in the music department. The programs in the fine arts curriculum are some of the most expensive courses in education.

Art as I see it is a concept:

It's a language of emotion, it's similar to a written document in that it expresses a subject but it also goes further, to depict someone's moods and feelings. The greatest writers could not express in words the pain expressed in Picasso's Guernica or a photo of starving children in the Sudan. This is the purpose of art. Art is a visual memory and humans are always most emotionally responsive to visual expressions. This is why I think art should be taught differently in schools.
Art should be appreciated. There are amazingly talented artists and you can only benefit from learning from them. However, art appreciation is different to art. Art is creative: it's about expressing your own views, not abstracting or alienating yourself from your own emotions.
It's what the picture means to you and that's what engages young kids. Art does not take on an objective nature when you're 14 or 15 years old. It's subjective and ascetic. It's not what some man sitting in a museum thinks it's what you feel! Have you expressed yourself? Do you get gratification from your creation?
It's like football, yes you appreciate it and analyze it, but it's the doing, the act of playing, which gets you going. That's why I feel that the teaching of art should be changed from a focus on extrapolation to a focus on creation. Everyone has something to say, let him or her say it without the badgering or comparing to other artists.
Ok, you could say this won't help them develop their skills if they aren't compared or rated. If you give a child the drive to achieve they will develop, guidance is essential, teaching them techniques is essential but giving them a 1000 word essay to write on any personality they will get bored You can only truly appreciate if you create.
So when I got my class of disaffected year 9 they saw a new way of teaching because I didn't have a lesson plan (out of choice) and I was using alternative methods to produce a small army of talented individuals who worked only to better themselves.
This sounds idealistic I know, but that was one of my goals. The second was to show them art wasn't a subject they were taught: it must not be for if we allow this to happen the classes will be overrun with students with no passion and who decide to come only because it's perceived as an easy GCSE. This would in fact be pointless and I will not allow it.
The third aim was simple: the students I had were considered troublemakers and were removed from their timetabled classes because they were not engaging in the lessons and thus misbehaving.
I felt that if I could grab their interest and interact with them positively giving guidance on an individual basis they would start enjoying art more.
I feel that because I treated them as mature students and as equals rather than as students they started appreciating school as a tool for their own use and not as some kind of prison. They quickly started turning up to every lesson rather then bunking off.

Conclusion

    It is an observable fact that art makes people happier, and also that happiness is one of the most important factors in life, even if you only look at bare survival. Just for instance, only unhappy people commit suicide, so it should be clear that being happy is great if you want to live long! Not to mention that happy people are more productive, and production is basic for survival. 
 Overall, fine arts education is extremely essential to the education of our students.  The areas of dance, theater/drama, music, and visual arts promote alternative learning and teaching methods.  Students gain knowledge and experience that can be a fundamental mechanism today’s teachers use.  In conclusion, fine arts are ultimately used in school curriculum to encourage creativity and motivation.

Play Schools a Demand for Kids Education

One of the biggest worries of the parents of the current time is the education of their children. In the current global scenario, education is very much important for each and every child of the country. Without education, it would be very hard for them to survive in the world and to get a desired position in the society. To be successful in life, one must educated enough so that he can attain a set level in his life. If we follow the current scenario, kids are starting schooling at a very early age. As compared to the starting age of education in older time that is 6-7 years to the present starting age of education as 2-3 years, the latter is very less them former.

Play schools which are sometime back is considered that type of school which is killing the innocence of the kids and ruining their childhood. Now these play schools are considered as a vital part of every child education. Numbers of play schools in India have been opened in the last few years which are providing play school education to the students of the country. These play schools had made a trend of play group education in the country and tend parents to follow the latest trend in the field of education. If you are living in any metro city of the country, then it is more compulsory that your child must have play school education.

If you and your family are living in the capital of the country, then you will face another issue. The nursery schools of the city prefer to take students which are play school educated in their schools. They believe that play school educated students know how to behave, sit and study in the school. There are numerous play schools in Delhi which are dedicated to provide quality education to the kids of the city. To get the best education for their child, parents have to collect the detailed information about various schools of the city. After this, hey have to select a play school in Delhi which fulfills all your hopes from the school. Give your child the best education and secure his future.

Should We And Can We Develop An African Philosophy Of Education?: Pedagogy Of Sagacity

Should we and can we develop an African philosophy of education?: Pedagogy of Sagacity

In 1986, Njoroge and Bennaars, published Philosophy and education in Africa; an introductory text for students of education. Since the publication of this textbook there has been an intellectual aridity in this area of educational philosophizing in Kenya. This is in spite of the said textbook being merely introductory or prolegomenon. More importantly is the model proposed and formulated in this textbook intended as a conceptual framework for developing an African philosophy of education (1986; 92). This model has remained un-attempted. 

My paper will argue in the affirmative while distinguishing should as a non-moral normative imperative and can as a question of ability. While indeed we should develop African philosophy of education this imperative remains unachievable until we have experts with requisite scholarly abilities.

Problem of shortage of educational philosophers

Experts in philosophy of education are called educational philosophers. They should be trained in technical philosophy and educational sciences. The two disciplines must meet in one. To 'meet in one,' means that an educational philosopher should integrate both technical philosophy and educational sciences as an integral area of academic specialization. Educational philosopher is the middle term between technical philosophy and educational sciences. In other words one should have academic qualification as a technical philosopher and as a trained professional teacher.

Lack of this 'meeting in one' of the two areas is to blame for lack of resources in this area. It means persons who are lesser than the ideal are teaching this discipline. There are two types of categories of teachers of philosophy of education in Africa who are lesser than the ideal.

The generalists and the specialists, the former are professional educators without philosophical footing. The latter are academic philosophers without educational training. Both as Plato would say must be debarred and be made to give way for educational philosopher.

Generalists make philosophy of education be about general principles, aims and goals of education. The technical philosopher makes philosophy of education too abstract and unrelated to everyday concerns of professional teacher in schooling. The latter stand accused of arm chair speculation, the latter stands accused of generality.

  

The model of African philosophy of education: Pedagogy of sagacity

  

Pedagogy of Sagacity stands on two feet - one foot is planted in Sage philosophy and the other in Pedagogy of Oppressed - both feet are rooted in the conceptual model for developing African philosophy of education as articulated by Njoroge and Bennaars (1986, 88-89).

  

  

  

Pedagogy of Sagacity or Sagacious Pedagogy is developed as an attempt to transcend the original impetus of the project of Sage philosophy of Nairobi School. As Gail Presbey states,

I suggest that the original impetus for starting the sage philosophy project - the defense against Euro-American skeptics who thought Africans incapable of philosophizing - has been outgrown. The present need for studies of African sages is to benefit from their wisdom, both in Africa and around the world. I also suggest that the title 'sage' has to be problematized. While there were good reasons to focus earlier on rural elders as overlooked wise philosophers, the emphasis now should be on admiring philosophical thought wherever it may be found-in women, youth, and urban Africans as well. In such a way, philosophy will be further relevant to people's lives, and further light will be shed and shared regarding the lived experience in Africa.

Gail concludes by pointing out that

Whether, and in what way, sage philosophy continues and grows will be determined in part by the ideas of those who have the will to continue it; their works will help define the terms "sage" and "sage philosophy" in the future.

Pedagogy of Sagacity is contemplated here as a possible contribution to the development of Sage philosophy in terms of African philosophy of education. Njoroge and Bennaars (1986, 98) have formulated

...a basic framework within which philosophical thinking about African education must be located. Within this model we identified four distinct areas of concern each reflecting a specific function of Technical Philosophy, a specific approach in educational Philosophy and a specific trend in African Philosophy. These areas of concern are: the Ethnophilosophy of Education, the Phenomenology of African Education, the Critique of African Education and the Philosophical analysis of African Education.

The authors (1986, 88) intend this to be a normative 'framework within which to locate educational philosophy in Africa.' Thus they state that (1986, 89),

...we can now establish what ought to be the major features or concerns of an African Philosophy of Education; thus we may arrive at a MODEL that brings out the specific features of a truly African Philosophy of Education.

For this model to be realized two criteria or conditions must be fulfilled, namely technical and African. As regards the former criterion 'an African Philosophy of Education, to be recognized as truly technical, (it) must display similar functions and approaches as the Technical Philosophy of Education' (1986, 89). There are four functions of technical philosophy namely, critical, rational, phenomenological and speculative (1986, 23-24). Corresponding to these four functions respectively are four approaches to philosophy of education namely, implicational, existential, critical and analytical approaches (1986, 89).

With regard to the second criterion or condition African philosophy must be African that is 'it must reflect the trends characteristic of philosophical thinking in Africa' (1986, 89). Njoroge and Bennaars (1986, 83-89) have delineated four trends in African philosophy namely, ethno-philosophy, cultural philosophy, political philosophy and formal philosophy. Each of these trends is paired with a corresponding function from the four technical functions of philosophy. The resulting combinations are four distinct approaches to African philosophy of education these are; ethno-philosophy paired with speculative function results in implications approach in African philosophy of education; cultural philosophy paired with phenomenological function results in existential approach; political philosophy paired with critical function results in critical approach; and lastly formal philosophy paired with analytical function results in analytical approach (1986, 89).

We can therefore identify 'four major areas of concern, which may be called the basis ... of a truly African Philosophy of Education.' These are ethno-philosophy of education; phenomenology of African education; critique of African education; and philosophical analysis of African education.[1] In Aristotelian causality technical functions of philosophy are the formal causes while trends in African philosophy are the material causes. Formal and material causes are co-constitutive principles of substantial being, the substance of African philosophy of education is possible within the framework of Njoroge and Bennaars. As Wittgenstein states (1981;2.14) 'what constitutes a picture is that its elements are related to one another in a determinate way,' this is 'the pictorial form' of reality (2.15). In a pictorial form of reality 'a picture ... attached ... to reality ... reaches right out to it' so that the picture is the measure of what reality should be. (2.1521). The framework of Njoroge and Bennars is the measure of what is to be regarded as African philosophy of education.

Platonic middle term

The model proposed by Njoroge and Bennaars has not yet been worked out in practice. This could be due to lack of experts who are 'extremely rare' (1986;78) with the right combinations namely, training in technical philosophy and training as professional educators (B.Ed). Further still development of African educational philosophy requires experts with knowledge and skill in African philosophy. The requirement that African philosophers of educators be doubled edged experts in technical philosophy and professional educators (1986; 77-80) is akin to Plato's (Republic Book, V. 473d) observation that

Cities will have no respite from evil ... unless philosophers rule as kings in the cities, or those whom we now call kings and rulers genuinely and adequately study philosophy, until, that is, political power and philosophy coalesce, and the various natures of those who now pursue the one to the exclusion of the other are forcibly debarred from doing so. Otherwise the city we have been describing will never grow into a possibility or see the light of day.

  

To paraphrase Plato in the framework of Njoroge - Bennaars we can state that: Kenya will have no African philosophy of education unless philosophers teach and research in educational foundations, or those who teach philosophy of education genuinely and adequately study philosophy; until, that is, technical philosophy and educational sciences coalesce in African educational philosophers and the various scholars who now pursue one to the exclusion of the other are forcibly debarred from meddling in this area. Otherwise the proposed model of African philosophy of education will never develop into a possibility or see the light of day. Plato in the cited place provides a middle term which logically links technical philosophy and educational sciences in philosophy of education in Africa. The middle term is a technical African philosopher who is also a professional philosopher i.e. a scholar who integrates both technical philosophy and educational profession. It is from such a one that hope lies for possibility of developing an African philosophy of education. With such rare experts we can develop African philosophy of education.

Pedagogy of Sagacity: Thought Experiment on African Philosophy of education

Of the four trends in African philosophy identified by Njoroge and Bennars Sage Philosophy is not included, yet Odera Oruka (1990;16-17) includes it as a distinct trend in African philosophy. There are four trends in African philosophy identified by Oruka (1990, 13 - 20) namely, ethno-philosophy, philosophic sagacity, nationalist-ideological philosophy and professional philosophy. For Oruka (1991,43) 'sage philosophy comes as a third alternative' it lies between folk philosophy or (ethno-philosophy) and 'the written critical discourse' or  (professional trend); sage philosophy 'demonstrates the fact that traditional Africa had both folk wisdom and critical personalized philosophical discourse.' Sage philosophy is here subjected to phenomenological analysis within the model of Njoroge - Bennaars in attempt to develop African philosophy of education. As the model of Njoroge - Bennaars requires African philosophy of education should be worked out on two-fold points, firstly, technical method of philosophy and secondly a trend in African philosophy. To develop pedagogy of sagacity, phenomenology is the opted technical function of philosophy while philosophic sagacity or sage philosophy is the trend in African philosophy; from these two a new area in African educational philosophy arises namely, pedagogy of sagacity.

Banking versus problem-posing education

Pedagogy of sagacity is influenced by pedagogy of the oppressed. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educationist developed a trend in philosophy of education called pedagogy of the oppressed (1972). Pedagogy of the oppressed 'is an instrument for ... critical discovery ... of dehumanization'. 'The central problem' of pedagogy of the oppressed 'is this: How can the oppressed, as divided, unauthentic beings, participate in developing the pedagogy of their liberation?' 'This pedagogy makes oppression and its causes objects of reflection by the oppressed, and from that reflection will come their necessary engagement in the struggle for their liberation. And in the struggle this pedagogy will be made and remade' (1972, 25). Pedagogy of the oppressed is a critique of traditional pedagogy that is teacher-centered; the teacher assumes the dominant role while the learners are passive. In traditional pedagogy Freire identified two dialectically opposed poles, the oppressors - who happen to be teachers, and the oppressed - who happen to be learners. The teacher is in a dialectical opposition to the learner in which case the teacher has-knowledge but the learner has-not knowledge, he is assumed to be tabula rasa. Freire employs analogy of the banking industry to expose ten contradictory pedagogical 'attitudes and practices, which mirror oppressive society as a whole' (1972, 46-47). The teacher acts as the 'bank-clerk' by use of 'banking methods of domination'. Freire institutes a pedagogical paradigm shift where he replaces 'the educational goal of deposit-making ...with the posing of problems of men in their relations with the world' (1972,52). This is also called liberating education which 'consists in acts of cognition, not transferrals of information' (1972,53). The 'practice of problem-posing education first of all demands a resolution of the teacher-student contradiction. Dialogical relations - indispensable to the capacity of cognitive actors to cooperate in perceiving the same cognizable object - are otherwise impossible' (1972, 53). Iconoclasm of banking education allows freedom for 'the critical reflection of both teacher and students' this leads to 'emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality.' (1972, 53-54).To contrast 'banking education ... and ... problem-posing education' Freire (1972;56-57states

... the two educational concepts and practices under analysis come into conflict. Banking education attempts, by mythicizing reality, to conceal certain facts which explain the way men exist in the world; problem-posing education sets itself the task of de-mythologizing. Banking education resists dialogue; problem-posing education regards dialogue as indispensable to the acts of cognition which unveils reality. Banking education treats students as objects of assistance; problem-posing education makes them critical thinkers. Banking education inhibits creativity and domesticates the intentionality of consciousness by isolating consciousness from the world, thereby denying men their ontological and historical vocation of becoming more fully human.

Freire is in total rejection of banking education the means for emancipation from 'authoritarianism and an alienating intellectualism' is to begin with people 'in the 'here and now', which constitutes the situation in which they are submerged, from which they emerge.... To do this authentically they must perceive their state not as fated and unalterable, but merely as limiting - and therefore challenging.' (1972;57-58)

Pedagogy of sagacity is an attempt to develop African philosophy of education.  It is a critical reflection on possibility of African pedagogy, as Freire notes 'critical reflection is also action' in the sense that 'action and reflection occur simultaneously' (1972, 99).

Two Typologies of Sages

Odera Oruka (1991; 34) identifies two types of sages in Africa, namely, folk sage and philosophic sage.

Findings in Kenya show that there are two main divisions of sage philosophy. One is that of the sage whose thought, though well informed and educative, fails to go beyond the celebrated folk-wisdom. Such a sage may not have the ability or inclination to apply his own independent critical objection to folk beliefs. He is, therefore, a folk sage in contrast to the second type of the sage, the philosophic sage. The former is a master of popular wisdom while the latter is an expert in didactic wisdom.

The philosophic sage may know, as the folk sage does, what the cardinal beliefs and wisdoms of his community are, but he makes an independent, critical assessment to what the people take for granted. Thus, while the sagacity of the folk sage remains at the first order level of philosophy, that of the philosophic sage is a second-order philosophy, that is a reflection on and a rationalized evaluation of what is given in the first order. What is given in the first order is a mixture of conventional-cum-customary beliefs and practices.

Oruka (1991, 37) believes that 'There are and there will be sages even among Africans with modern education' for instance Nyerere. To be a sage one needs 'to be wise and able to utilize that wisdom for the benefit of one's community.' 'The concern in the sage research is not to claim that sagacity is, by definition, philosophy but to look for philosophy within sagacity, that is, to get to their overlap.  'Within this overlap, both the philosopher and the wise man have the same function: they employ abstract reasoning for the understanding and solution of the basic questions of human life' (1991, 41). Odera Oruka (1991, 34) carried out his research project in Kenya. 'One major aim is to look for philosophy or traces of philosophy in traditional Africa....by talking to the living sages.... Exposing the value of such thoughts is again one other important aim of the sage research' (1991, 41). However, most importantly the sage project was meant 'to help substantiate or disapprove the well-known claim that 'real philosophical thought' had no place in traditional Africa.' This claim implied that 'existence of philosophy in modern Africa is due wholly to the introduction of western thought to Africa' (1991, 34). The invalidation of this claim could only be established if traditional Africa was found to host philosophic sages. The project was successful for it identified philosophic sages (individuals with didactic wisdom) in Kenya while distinguishing them from folk sages (individuals with popular wisdom) (1991, 33-34).

This European prejudice is reflected in the work of Mullin J (1965) which was meant to be an attempt 'to lay down guide-lines for the ... Christian apostolate in modern Africa' (1965, 3). Mullin (1965, 32-33) contrasts African mentality with European mentality he states:

The African's reasoning methods are not discursive; he knows nothing of the syllogism, he thinks inductively rather than deductively; nor is his thinking analytic: it is intuitive and synthetic .... This is a mentality different from the European, and to be respected as such .... One consequence of it is a circular manner of thinking, a collecting of impressions, a feeling of the way before coming to the kernel of a problem .... A more important consequence is the primacy in his thought of the concrete over the abstract; and the human over the institutional .... European teachers, trained in deductive thought, pass on ideas in a way impossible for the African to assimilate. They do not square with his reasoning'.

While the philosophic sage engages in sagacious didactics, the folk sage engages in narration. Philosophic sagacity is often 'a product and a reflective re-evaluation of the culture philosophy. The few sages who possess the philosophic inclination make a critical assessment of their culture and its underlying beliefs.' They use power of reason to produce 'a system within a system, and order within an order' (1991, 49). Folk sagacity is first order culture philosophy. 'It is absolute in its ideas and truth claims and has an ideological war with anything to the contrary.' Folk sages 'are specialists in explaining and maintaining this order.... Their explanations or thought do not go beyond the premises and conclusions given by the prevailing culture' (1991, 49). Philosophic sage is critical reflection on the first order philosophy of culture. It is 'a critical rebellion against the first order conformity and anachronism'. While the first order glorifies the communal conformity, philosophic sagacity is skeptical...it employs reason to assess it. The first order is purely absolutist and ideological, the second order is generally open-minded and rationalistic. Its truths are given as tentative and ratiocinative, not as God-sent message (1991, 49). Further contrast between the two sage includes (1991, 36)

The folk sage is versed in the common-place culture, customs and beliefs of his people. He can recite or describe them with much competence.  However, he is unable to raise any critical question about them, nor is he able to observe the inherent contradictions. The philosophic sage, like the folk sage, may equally be versed in the beliefs and values of his society. His main task is to make critical assessment of them and recommend, as far as the communal pressure allows, only those beliefs and values that pass his rational scrutiny. The folk-sage is identifiable by his consistent inability to isolate his own opinion from the beliefs of the community and his ready inclination to take refuge behind the popular unexamined wisdom wherever he is intellectually challenged. The philosophic sage, on the other hand, is clearly able to isolate the given beliefs of the community from his own evaluation, rationalization and even criticism of those beliefs. He is also able to enjoy a dialectical or intellectual game with the interviewer.

Mullin's characterization of African mentality is a fallacious generalization which collapses African thought to folk sagacity. There are philosophic sages capable of syllogistic reasoning in Africa both in literate and pre-literate societies. 'There is possibility for sagacity both in pre-literate and literate societies' (Oruka 1991, 37). To be a sage is not necessarily to be philosophic

Pedagogy of sagacity

Pedagogy of sagacity uses phenomenological method of philosophy to anayze two typologies of teachers based on the paradigms of Oruka's two sages, philosophic and folk sages. This is in attempt to fructify Njoroge - Bennaars (1986) model or conceptual framework for developing African Philosophy of education.

Folkish teacher versus philosophic teacher

By use of phenomenological analysis we can draw implications from the two sages. Philosophic-sage points to a teacher who is critical and empowers learners to think for themselves. He uses student-centered pedagogy. His classroom is community of researchers; his role is to midwife students in their search for solution to problems. Classroom is related to real life problems. Folkish-sage points to folkish-teachers who merely recycle old lecture notes. They do not update themselves they dictate notes to learners who are expected to be passive recipients. Such teachers fail to criticize educational theories and practices. They are authoritarian and aim at making learners memorize notes in order to pass examinations. Such a teacher fears questions and fails in self-criticism. The folkish-teacher uses banking pedagogy, while philosophic-teacher uses problem-solving pedagogy.

In the movie Sarafina Mrs. Masumbuka exemplifies philosophic-teacher who is gadfly that stings learners to dare to think, that is to critically question the received traditions. She midwifes regeneration of learners as enlightened and emancipated active learners who demystifies the stratified sanitized syllabus. The teacher who replaces her is an example of folkish teacher. He can at best impose and popularize authorized apartheid pedagogical narrative which  is oppressive to the African students. That teacher mechanically transmits fossilized pre-packaged ideas without critical reflection. This is a dogmatic teacher who fails to emancipate himself from dominant oppressive pedagogy of white supremacist in apartheid South Africa.

Conclusion

Model by Njoroge - Bennaars is useful in developing African philosophy of education. Pedagogical Sagacity is a product of that model and proves that it is pragmatic and relevant to African philosophy of education. There remains more areas in education in Africa where sage Philosophy needs to be explored and logical conclusions be drawn to improve teaching/learning in philosophy of education in Africa, Kenya in particular. Sage Philosophy furnishes a productive conceptual framework for educational philosophizing not only in Africa but also anywhere else where critical analysis of pedagogical theory and practice is to be carried out. This is a proposal of one possible direction among others where Sage Philosophy can be relevant beyond Oruka's original concern. It points at possible contributions of Sage Philosophy (in department of Philosophy) to educational philosophy (in department of Educational Foundations).

College essays writing essentials that you can't find anywhere else

There have been conversations and debates about essay writing procedures everywhere but everyone has a different opinion about how the college essays have to be written. Essay writing is not only about writing something that you want to write but it's about what you write after reading the related material and then analyze it to come up with conclusions. Essay writing requires those skills that grab the reader's attention while driving them to your desired way by using your persuasive approach. A persuasive approach is something that you use to convince your readers to believe on a certain point and that you do by giving different examples and evidences. Of course in order to persuade somebody you will need to conduct a very sharp research so you can gather the data that is required in order to convince your readers.
Persuasion is just like you are debating with someone on a certain topic and you both are trying to convince each other that one of you is on the right point and other is not. However, in persuasive essay writing you don't have anyone to respond to your arguments and all those points that you ultimately raise. so you need to make sure that you don't use such hard language that can offense the readers. Instead you have to make sure that you utilize your words in such way that you don't push the readers to agree with you but at the end of the essay you finally get successful in making them believe that your raised points are valid and verifiable.
In order to learn how to write persuasive college essays you need to read a lot. In fact you need to read all those persuasive college essays that you can possibly find anywhere. Reading is the key that can take you to the ultimate stage of essay writing success. The more you will read, the more your writing skills will become better as you will get familiar with the terms, grammatical structures, analytical and persuasive writing skills and more. There's a good thing about essay writing that we can easily write it if we realize how much capable we are of it. We all have been writing something our entire lives, school college essays, stories, letters, applications, e-mails etc. so you should think like  you are connecting all the things you have been writing together to form a big written piece of material. Yes, it's as easy as that. Everything that you perceive as a difficult task, it becomes a difficult one. But if you think you can do it then there's nothing that can stop you from doing it. All you need to do is to realize that you are capable of writing your college essays, once you realize, you are good to go.
Lastly, you need to practice writing. If you don't practice the writing by writing loads of material you won't be able to make any progress. No matter what you write, you have to write. Make it a daily habit and pick topics and start writing on it, very soon you will become a good essay writer.

Hiring the Right People for Technical JobsHiring the right people for the many positions they have available is one of the main concerns of most companies. Employees who are properly qualified for their jobs can significantly increase productivity and reduce the occurrence of output errors that can cost the company money. Getting people with the right work attitude may also result in greater harmony within the workplace, especially when these new workers jive with the more tenured employees. However, hiring qualified people for specific jobs within a company is not an easy feat to achieve. This is especially true for jobs involving technical knowledge. Companies in the semiconductor industry, for example, should hire qualified individuals with the know-how and experience in physics and engineering. This means companies should evaluate job applicants very carefully, which consumes valuable time and manpower, considering the long recruitment process required. Hiring for technical positions is, indeed, an expensive proposition. This is the exact reason why semiconductor firms are now tapping the services of recruitment agencies to do the job for them. Doing so saves them a lot of time, manpower, and money. What recruitment agencies do to get the right people for semiconductor jobs is almost similar to the typical recruitment process, except for the more thorough evaluation of an applicant's technical know-how. Recruiters would administer examinations and tests based on their clients' instructions. The only thing client companies have to do is pay for the recruitment services that these headhunters would render. Many companies are able to hire the right people for semiconductor jobs, as recommended by the recruitment agencies. The new employees are able to contribute to the company's productivity almost immediately, although additional in-house training may still be needed. Still, recruitment agencies allowed firms to save up on time, manpower, and funds that may be allocated to other purposes. By having the right people manning semiconductor jobs, companies are assured of greater productivity and lower risk of errors and wastage. Thanks to recruitment agencies, the process of hiring is quicker, easier, and more efficient. All companies have to do now is to look forward to success and profit, with qualified employees working for them. Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/hiring-the-right-people-for-technical-jobs-4105316.html#ixzz1CFzdKker Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Hiring the right people for the many positions they have available is one of the main concerns of most companies. Employees who are properly qualified for their jobs can significantly increase productivity and reduce the occurrence of output errors that can cost the company money. Getting people with the right work attitude may also result in greater harmony within the workplace, especially when these new workers jive with the more tenured employees.

However, hiring qualified people for specific jobs within a company is not an easy feat to achieve. This is especially true for jobs involving technical knowledge. Companies in the semiconductor industry, for example, should hire qualified individuals with the know-how and experience in physics and engineering. This means companies should evaluate job applicants very carefully, which consumes valuable time and manpower, considering the long recruitment process required.

Hiring for technical positions is, indeed, an expensive proposition. This is the exact reason why semiconductor firms are now tapping the services of recruitment agencies to do the job for them. Doing so saves them a lot of time, manpower, and money.

What recruitment agencies do to get the right people for semiconductor jobs is almost similar to the typical recruitment process, except for the more thorough evaluation of an applicant's technical know-how. Recruiters would administer examinations and tests based on their clients' instructions. The only thing client companies have to do is pay for the recruitment services that these headhunters would render.

Many companies are able to hire the right people for semiconductor jobs, as recommended by the recruitment agencies. The new employees are able to contribute to the company's productivity almost immediately, although additional in-house training may still be needed. Still, recruitment agencies allowed firms to save up on time, manpower, and funds that may be allocated to other purposes.

By having the right people manning semiconductor jobs, companies are assured of greater productivity and lower risk of errors and wastage. Thanks to recruitment agencies, the process of hiring is quicker, easier, and more efficient. All companies have to do now is to look forward to success and profit, with qualified employees working for them.

HOW TO WRITE GOOD CVS

This article describes how to write a good CV, regarding the philosophy of how to approach creating the CV and tips on what to include and how to communicate it.

A CV is a sales document; it conveys succinctly the information of what you are looking for and why. Why you are qualified for such work and a story as to how you got to this point, covering your previous work experience, education, qualifications and interests.

I believe a CV should be a succinct story backing up a tag line about yourself. Often in interviews the main asked of the candidate is:

"Tell me about yourself"

This answer and the CV to back it up should be made as succinct, clear and relevant as possible to the position sought.

Obviously life is not as clear and simple as this and many of us have a complicated and confusing history in regards to work experience, education and life story, but effort should be made to make this as clear as possible in interview and on the CV. To present only the relevant facts to sell you most effectively for the post in which you are applying.

Profile

The profile should be a short sentence stating clearly:

• What work you are looking for
• What you have to offer (why you are qualified)

I believe in starting the CV with a profile. This explains to the employer or recruiter what you are looking for and summarises all of the attributes that can be found in detail on the rest of your CV.

The recruiter will know what they are looking for and if your profile states this in summary then you are making their job a lot easier and they are more likely to put you in the "yes" pile, as they quickly check a large volume of CVs.

Remember the recruiter is human too, think how frustrating it is when you look at a website that is not clear and it is hard to find the information you need quickly. Now think of the recruiter who has to look through a large volume of CVs for any advertised positions, if they have to look at a large number and it takes too long for them to find the information they need from your CV they may not take the time to do so.

Work Experience

Work experience should come directly after the profile in reverse chronological order.

The first thing a recruiter or prospective employer will look at is the last job you have had and if you had the relevant experience or achieved something relevant to the job you are applying for in previous roles.

Do them and yourself a favour and put this experience where they can find it easily. I.e. your most recent job at the top and your previous roles below this.

There will always be gaps and times when you worked for a short time, temping, travelling etc. It is your call as to how to include these but remember your story needs to be made as clear as possible, so if you worked somewhere for a short time then make the story relevant as to why or consider omitting some jobs altogether. Maybe include one line with the dates and mention what happened, e.g. temping role, or went travelling between these dates etc. This answers the question quicker than leaving gaps and having to explain them in interview.

Education

Education should be also in reverse chronological order.

Other Qualifications

If you have attended any training courses or have industrial qualifications they should be entered here. Remember this is a sales document – list everything you have done here – sell yourself!

Interests

Qualify your hobbies and interests. Do not mention generic things such as ‘I like to go running' without qualifying it as to what has been achieved. For example, it would be better to say: "I am part of the Harriers running club" - or "I recently completed the Great North Run"

Good luck!

Educational Courses in Restaurant Management

The multifaceted atmosphere of a restaurant requires skilled individuals to efficiently handle all management related issues. Numerous vocational schools provide educational programs for restaurant management. Students work through various educational courses in restaurant management that teach them to manage both the employees and food aspects of a restaurant.

When working through a restaurant management degree program students work through a curriculum that centers on developing their managerial skills. Working inside the culinary arts world as a manager requires industry knowledge to successfully manage a restaurant and its team of workers. The goal of education is to teach students to run a restaurant or run their own restaurant. Program coursework covers the essentials of being a manager as well as different aspects of the food industry.

Some courses that may be completed inside a program may include:

*Accounting

The accounting tools needed to make managerial decisions are gained through a course that breaks down a restaurant's monetary information. Financial statements, budget, and cost behavior are some topics discussed in regards to a restaurants operation. Accounting information is explored to understand the overall affect of budgets on decision-making.

*Food Preparation

Students learn the preparation procedures of food served inside a restaurant. This usually includes studying subjects that include knife work, food measurement, and food selection. Along with the classroom aspect of this course students are also required in most programs to fulfill a practical segment of the course. This segment has students utilizing the skills learned inside a professional restaurant. Students walk away understanding how the kitchen side of a restaurant works. Through complimentary management courses students can begin to develop a system to work with kitchen employees like chefs.

*Hospitality Management

Presented subjects have students focusing on three main areas of hospitality management training. The business, employment, and social responsibilities are contrasted against industry ethics. The focal points of these three areas help students prepare to work inside the confines of management duties and how they affect their role inside the workplace.

*Menu Planning

The menu is explored through its design and the importance of a theme, which is used to help the customer and create good advertising. Menu styles, writing menus, costs, and more are explored inside the process of producing a menu for a restaurant.

*Sanitation and Safety

Food safety and the sanitation of the food preparation areas are vital to the success of a restaurant. A course will provide students with the creation and implementation of regulation standards and practices. Providing safe food service is a factor of the career that all managers need to understand.

The multifaceted atmosphere of a restaurant requires skilled individuals to efficiently handle all management related issues. Numerous vocational schools provide educational programs for restaurant management. Students work through various educational courses in restaurant management that teach them to manage both the employees and food aspects of a restaurant.

When working through a restaurant management degree program students work through a curriculum that centers on developing their managerial skills. Working inside the culinary arts world as a manager requires industry knowledge to successfully manage a restaurant and its team of workers. The goal of education is to teach students to run a restaurant or run their own restaurant. Program coursework covers the essentials of being a manager as well as different aspects of the food industry.

Some courses that may be completed inside a program may include:

*Accounting

The accounting tools needed to make managerial decisions are gained through a course that breaks down a restaurant's monetary information. Financial statements, budget, and cost behavior are some topics discussed in regards to a restaurants operation. Accounting information is explored to understand the overall affect of budgets on decision-making.

*Food Preparation

Students learn the preparation procedures of food served inside a restaurant. This usually includes studying subjects that include knife work, food measurement, and food selection. Along with the classroom aspect of this course students are also required in most programs to fulfill a practical segment of the course. This segment has students utilizing the skills learned inside a professional restaurant. Students walk away understanding how the kitchen side of a restaurant works. Through complimentary management courses students can begin to develop a system to work with kitchen employees like chefs.

*Hospitality Management

Presented subjects have students focusing on three main areas of hospitality management training. The business, employment, and social responsibilities are contrasted against industry ethics. The focal points of these three areas help students prepare to work inside the confines of management duties and how they affect their role inside the workplace.

*Menu Planning

The menu is explored through its design and the importance of a theme, which is used to help the customer and create good advertising. Menu styles, writing menus, costs, and more are explored inside the process of producing a menu for a restaurant.

*Sanitation and Safety

Food safety and the sanitation of the food preparation areas are vital to the success of a restaurant. A course will provide students with the creation and implementation of regulation standards and practices. Providing safe food service is a factor of the career that all managers need to understand.

Algebra for Dummies: How to Start

The most important factor about algebra and mathematics is that you really need to practice an order to understand the concepts. There are a lot of algebra books, tutorials, interactive lessons, online tutors and courses that can help you a lot, but without some homework and practice you are bound to fail.

You cannot remember the thousands of algebra concepts and equations without truly understand what each equation really means. What is the reason behind every algebra concept.

A key factor is to take small steps. For example learn one algebra equation, practice for a couple of days, then move on to the next. Move on only if you feel comfortable with what you've learned. Every time you move on to the next algebra concept increase the difficulty of the equations or the exercises you're trying to solve.

Follow this procedure and soon you'll notice that your brain will be able to absorb mathematics and algebra quicker and easier. You will start to like it.

Another thing is that algebra requires you to apply specific rules. You will find these basic rules in a lot of equations and algebra concepts. The more you practice the basic algebra rules the better you'll become at learning different and more difficult algebra concepts.

A lot of people learning algebra miss out on the basic rules. In the end they mess up everything.

Remember, rules are everywhere. Our society is based on specific rules. Same goes for algebra. Treat algebra rules like a game and you'll like it.

You may end up wondering.. Why should I learn math and algebra? That's a good question. You must ask yourself this question before you go on. Algebra will help you solve problems, make decisions, apply strategies and a lot more. If you want your skills to worth gold then you have to learn math and
especially algebra. If you want your mental powers to reach top level then you have to learn algebra.

If you like mathematics then you know that in order to move to advanced mathematics you have to know the basics of algebra. Algebra is everywhere in your everyday life. This is a great advantage when trying to learn algebra. Why? Because you can take the a real situation and turn it into an algebra concept or equation.

Always ask yourself.. why? Here is a simplified example. You walk on the street and you see a girl carrying a birdcage. Inside the birdcage there are 4 little birds. Suddenly the cage's door opens and one of the birds escapes. You can turn this incidence into a simple algebra equation:

3 - 1 = 2

See what I mean? Now that's the first step! After that it will be easy to turn live complicated situations into algebra concepts. Your brain will soon become familiar with the idea. And soon you will be able to turn your entire life into algebra!

The most importand factor about algebra and mathematics is that you really need to practise in order to understand the concepts. There are a lot of algebra books, tutorials, interactive lessons, online tutors and courses that can help you a lot, but without some homework and practise you are bound to fail.

You cannot remember the thousands of algebra concepts and equations without truly understand what each equation really means. What is the reason behind every algebra concept.

A key factor is to take small steps. For example learn one algebra equation, practise it for a couple of days, then move on to the next. Move on only if you feel comfortable with what you've learned. Every time you move on to the next algebra concept increase the difficulty of the equations or the exercises you're trying to solve.

Follow this procedure and soon you'll notice that your brain will be able to absorb mathematics and algebra quicker and easier. You will start to like it.

Another thing is that algebra requires you to apply specific rules. You will find these basic rules in a lot of equations and algebra concepts. The more you practise the basic algebra rules the better you'll become at learning different and more difficult algebra concepts.

A lot of people learning algebra miss out on the basic rules. In the end they mess up everything.

Remember, rules are everywhere. Our society is based on specific rules. Same goes for algebra. Treat algebra rules like a game and you'll like it.

You may end up wondering.. Why should I learn math and algebra? That's a good question. You must ask yourself this question before you go on. Algebra will help you solve problems, make decisions, apply strategies and a lot more. If you want your skills to worth gold then you have to learn math and
especially algebra. If you want your mental powers to reach top level then you have to learn algebra.

If you like mathematics then you know that in order to move to advanced mathematics you have to know the basics of algebra. Algebra is everywhere in your everyday life. This is a great advantage when trying to learn algebra. Why? Because you can take the a real situation and turn it into an algebra concept or equation.

Always ask yourself.. why? Here is a simplified example. You walk on the street and you see a girl carrying a birdcage. Inside the birdcage there are 4 little birds. Suddenly the cage's door opens and one of the birds escapes. You can turn this incidence into a simple algebra equation:

3 - 1 = 2

See what I mean? Now that's the first step! After that it will be easy to turn live complicated situations into algebra concepts. Your brain will soon become familiar with the idea. And soon you will be able to turn your entire life into algebra!The most importand factor about algebra and mathematics is that you really need to practise in order to understand the concepts. There are a lot of algebra books, tutorials, interactive lessons, online tutors and courses that can help you a lot, but without some homework and practise you are bound to fail.

You cannot remember the thousands of algebra concepts and equations without truly understand what each equation really means. What is the reason behind every algebra concept.

A key factor is to take small steps. For example learn one algebra equation, practise it for a couple of days, then move on to the next. Move on only if you feel comfortable with what you've learned. Every time you move on to the next algebra concept increase the difficulty of the equations or the exercises you're trying to solve.

Follow this procedure and soon you'll notice that your brain will be able to absorb mathematics and algebra quicker and easier. You will start to like it.

Another thing is that algebra requires you to apply specific rules. You will find these basic rules in a lot of equations and algebra concepts. The more you practise the basic algebra rules the better you'll become at learning different and more difficult algebra concepts.

A lot of people learning algebra miss out on the basic rules. In the end they mess up everything.

Remember, rules are everywhere. Our society is based on specific rules. Same goes for algebra. Treat algebra rules like a game and you'll like it.

You may end up wondering.. Why should I learn math and algebra? That's a good question. You must ask yourself this question before you go on. Algebra will help you solve problems, make decisions, apply strategies and a lot more. If you want your skills to worth gold then you have to learn math and
especially algebra. If you want your mental powers to reach top level then you have to learn algebra.

If you like mathematics then you know that in order to move to advanced mathematics you have to know the basics of algebra. Algebra is everywhere in your everyday life. This is a great advantage when trying to learn algebra. Why? Because you can take the a real situation and turn it into an algebra concept or equation.

Always ask yourself.. why? Here is a simplified example. You walk on the street and you see a girl carrying a birdcage. Inside the birdcage there are 4 little birds. Suddenly the cage's door opens and one of the birds escapes. You can turn this incidence into a simple algebra equation:

3 - 1 = 2

See what I mean? Now that's the first step! After that it will be easy to turn live complicated situations into algebra concepts. Your brain will soon become familiar with the idea. And soon you will be able to turn your entire life into algebra!

What is Good Teaching ?

All students must have  had hundreds of teachers in their lifetimes. A very few of these teachers they would remember as being exceptionally good. What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable teacher? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times harder than they normally would, while others inspire students to avoid their class? Why do students learn more from some teachers than others?

 Here I have  focused on the four essential qualities that distinguish exceptional teachers:

• Knowledge,
• Communication skills,
• Interest, and
• Respect for students.

An Experiment

Here's an experiment I had done in one of my  earlier assignments. The results may surprise you. Go into one of the classes you are teaching and have your students take out a sheet of paper. Ask them to list for you the qualities they feel are important in a good teacher. Ask them to identify the qualities they admire in the best teachers they have had. Then give the students enough time to think about it and write something down. Five minutes is good, but ten might be better. Let them answer the questions anonymously if they desire.

What you will get if you combine all of the responses is a fascinating collage of ideas. I have found that most of the responses fall into two specific categories:

1) a set of "core qualities" that students recognize in good teachers, and

 2) a set of "specific skills" that are developed by good teachers.

"Core qualities" are the essential characteristics needed to be a good teacher. I would like to concentrate on these core qualities in this article as under.

1. Knowledge

 Students have consistently and clearly targeted as the number one quality of a good teacher exactly what you would expect: knowledge of the subject. You must be an expert in your field-both theoretical and practical –preferably with an industry interface and experience if you are going to be a good teacher in a Management college or Business School. This is a prerequisite.

2. Communication

The second core quality that good teachers possess is the ability to communicate their knowledge and expertise to their students. You may be the greatest expert ever in your field, but what would happen if you lectured in  a style and language the students are not able to comprehend clearly? How much would your students learn?

It is a common misconception at the College level that knowledge of a subject is all that's required to be a good teacher; that the students should be willing and able to extract the meat from what you say- regardless of how it is delivered (even if it is delivered in a incomprehending language or different style). This might be true at the post graduate level, but elsewhere it is definitely untrue. It is especially untrue at the undergraduate level. The teacher's job is to take advanced knowledge and make it accessible to the students. A good teacher allows students to understand the material, and to understand what it means (because it is one thing to understand how nuclear bombs work, but quite another to understand what nuclear bombs mean).

A good teacher can take a subject and help make it crystal clear to the students. A bad teacher can take that same material and make it impenetrable. Or a bad teacher can devote so little time and effort to preparation that the material presented is intrinsically confusing and disorganized. A good teacher is willing to expend the effort needed to find innovative and creative ways to make complicated ideas understandable to their students, and to fit new ideas into the context available to the student. A good teacher can explain complicated material in a way that students can understand and use.

There is a saying, "Give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime." This is the philosophy of a good teacher. Give your students an answer and they can solve one problem, but show students the techniques needed to find the answer for themselves and they can become self-sufficient in the field. Students need to be shown how to apply the new techniques you teach to problem solving.

 

3. Interest

A good teacher starts with a firm knowledge of the subject, and builds on that with a clarity and understanding designed to help students master the material. The best teachers then go one step further. Because good teachers are interested in the material being taught, they make the class interesting and relevant to the students. Knowledge is worthless unless it is delivered to the students in a form they can understand. But the effort expended making the material understandable is wasted if the students are disinterested  when it is delivered, or if the students can see no point in learning the material.

Good teachers recognise this, and work hard to make their material relevant. They show students how the material will apply to their lives and their careers. Bad teachers make material "relevant" by threatening students with failure on a test. Good teachers go far beyond this: they make students want to learn the material by making it interesting.

This is one of the things that makes industry and business examples  so important and vital to learning in a business school or college.Industry interface and practical real life examples make the ideas discussed in class exciting and important to the teacher, as well as to the students. If the teacher isn't interested in what's being taught, then why should the students be?

4. Respect

Good teachers always possess these three core qualities: knowledge, the ability to convey to students an understanding of that knowledge, and the ability to make the material interesting and relevant to students. Complementing these three is a fourth: quality: good teachers have a deep-seated concern and respect for the students in the classroom. Why else would a teacher put in the time and effort needed to create a high quality class?

The creation of a good class requires an immense amount of work. You don't simply come up with clear explanations,industry cases and examples and experiments for the class off the top of your head. You don't create fair, consistent, high quality tests,questionaires and homework assignments (read "learning experiences") five minutes before you hand them out. You don't figure out ways to integrate new materials and research into a class in an understandable way on your way to your college or institute  in the morning. You work at this sort of quality all the time. You spend time with your students so you can learn about holes in their understanding. You read and write and create to build an exciting and interesting class every day. The only thing that would drive you to do that is a concern and respect for the students in your classroom.

Conclusion

When you strive and work to become a good teacher and to create a good class, the four core qualities are essential:knowledge,the skills to convey that knowledge,the ability to make the material you are teaching interesting and relevant,and a deep-seated respect for the students.Without these four core qualities,good teaching will just not exist and take place.

Top Educational Supplies for 2011

As we approach the end of the year, thoughts once again turn to fresh starts, new beginnings and making the most of the New Year.

The Classroom is an excellent environment to apply these thought processes; its great for opportunities to try new things, learn a new subject or simply to improve grades and really excel, making 2011 a top year for learning and improving.

To help equip for these New Year Academic goals, an excellent supplier of educational resources is essential. Having one which can provide the best range of great quality products that cover the entire curriculum for all age groups can be tricky to find at the best of times!

So it's good to know that some suppliers have managed to achieve this by becoming fantastic one-stop-shops for everything you could possibly need to get ahead in 2011.

These top suppliers are well stocked and packed full of new and innovative educational resources which have been designed to not only aid learning, but to engage pupils, make learning fun & interesting and to ensure you get the most out of teaching in 2011.

If that's not enough, some of these suppliers have gone the extra mile by having their educational resources tried and tested (and highly approved!) by industry experts and associations which really helps when making decisions. After all, investing in education is so important, it should be done with confidence and peace of mind. So the extra effort made by these educational suppliers really does pay off.

Another great feature of these educational one stop shops which is well worth mentioning is the exceptional quality and value across their entire range. The products are great value for money and thanks to their quality materials and design will stand the test of time, proving to be a lasting resource which cn be used well into the next new year too!

So why not set some Academic goals for 2011 and see what you can achieve or indeed, help others to achieve with the right tools and support from these top Educational Suppliers.

HEC proposal in VCs appointment

HEC has no say in appointment of vice chancellors
Islamabad, Jan 18: After failing to get a positive response from relevant quarters, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is gradually retreating from its proposal to appoint vice chancellors of public sector universities in provinces through an all-inclusive search committee having its proper representation, well-placed sources told this scribe here on Monday.
Sources said that the proposal was floated verbally on the basis of circumstances experienced by the HEC when politically-appointed vice chancellors of various public sector universities allegedly put hurdles in the degree verification process initiated on the directives of the Supreme Court.
According to them, the chief ministers of provinces would have more say in appointment of vice chancellors after passage of the 18th Amendment, but the issue of political interference would continue to halt the smooth process of appointing competent persons on these coveted posts.
The implementation of the clauses of the 18th Amendment would clearly show the situation, but till now a governors was the sole authority to appoint or dismiss vice chancellors so the universities were believed to face tremendous political pressure as all administrative powers of universities rest with governors.
An official said that the HEC moved a proposal to make procedural changes in appointment of vice chancellors to reduce chances of political involvement, but no representation was given to the HEC in search committees formed at provincial level.
He said that the vice chancellors were appointed by the chancellors themselves through search committee comprising five eminent scholars and citizens of Pakistan who usually sent three names to the chancellor after publication of an advertisement in national newspapers.
The job of the search committee was to collect applications from aspirants for the vice-chancellor's job, shortlist them, conduct panel interview and suggest at least three names to the governor-chancellor for appointment of the vice-chancellor. The chancellor would then appoint one of the three persons as vice chancellor as recommended by the search committee. If the chancellor did not agree with three names then he might ask the search committee to propose fresh names.
Sources said governors enjoyed absolute authority in appointment of vice chancellors and even secretaries in the Governor House sometimes pressurised universities to appoint their candidates at open positions, admit students without merit and even alter results of examinations.
According to official data constitution of search committees for appointment of vice chancellors in provinces was accepted at the meeting of the chancellors committee headed by former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf on May 11, 2006, but when these committees were formed no representation was given to the HEC which was the sole authority to monitor and promote higher education learning in the country.
Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) President Professor Dr. Mehr Saeed Akhtar told this correspondent that the process for appointment of vice chancellors in sector universities is non-transparent and based on considerations other than merit.
"It is due to their politically-motivated appointments that vice chancellors often face political pressure so we suggest making a clear and transparent mechanism in which senior teachers should be appointed as vice chancellors of public sector universities," he said.
HEC Executive Director Dr. Sohail Naqvi told this correspondent that it would be better if the HEC is given representation in search committees but "I believe constitution of search committees is itself a great achievement of the HEC and I hope the situation would show improvement with the passage of time."
To a question, he said that the proposal to give representation to the HEC in search committees has not so far been forwarded in writing but they had previously talked to the relevant authorities in this respect.
Replying to another question, he dismissed the impression that governors use their political influence over vice chancellors and said public sector universities are serving the education sector in a much better way. The news