...Teach Africa tm World Affairs Council of Houston The Oral Traditions of Africa What are oral traditions? Oral traditions are messages that are transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages may be passed down through speech or song and may take the form of folktales and fables, epic histories and narrations, proverbs or sayings, and songs. Oral Traditions make it possible for a society to pass knowledge across generations without writing. They help people make sense of the world and are used to teach children and adults about important aspects of their culture. The art of storytelling There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. Although written history existed for centuries in West Africa, most writing was in Arabic, and the majority of people did not read or write in Arabic. So the transmission of knowledge, history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and performance rather than on written texts. Oral traditions guide social and human morals, giving people a sense of place and purpose. There is often a lesson or a value to instill, and the transmission of wisdom to children is a community responsibility. Parents, grandparents, and relatives take part in the process of passing down the knowledge of culture and history. Storytelling provides entertainment, develops the imagination, and teaches important lessons about everyday life. World Affairs Council of Houston PO Box 920905 Houston, TX 77292-0905 Voice...
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...Maria Montessori Julianne Perry ECE101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Monica Kelly June 13, 2011 Thesis: Maria Montessori's way of learning is very unique; her theory was for children learn in a natural and parent-supported environment. Outline I. Education of Montessori 1. First woman to receive a Medical Degree in Italy A. Studied psychiatry, education and anthropology. B. Worked, wrote and spoke for children with special needs 2. Many schools use the Montessori Method to teach today A. Principles of the Montessori Method B. Planes of Development II. Learning Style 1. Independence A. Children work individually rather than in-group activities B. Children have more freedom and work at their own pace 2. Strong Parent Involvement A. Parents participate in their child's activities home away from school B. Parent education programs III. Schools Today 1. Teachers syllabus A. Independent projects for children and programs for parent involvement B. Children work on anything they want, at their own pace Montessori's teaching is different than traditional lessons because her lessons are more about parent involvement and individuality rather than group activity. This paper will show how Montessori inspires me and how my classroom would compare to hers. Maria Montessori is a very smart woman, in my opinion. By reading a time-line about her and learning more and more about her, I understand her...
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...tutoring Alexander The Great in ancient Macedonia, the legendary teacher guiding his discussions perfectly to mold and shape Alexander into what he would someday become. This kind of one on one teaching can be considered to be the most perfect style of education, yet it fails for three specific reasons. Firstly, there aren’t enough humans in the world to individually tutor every child born. Secondly, It would be wildly and impossibly expensive. Finally, not every adult would have the knowledge and wisdom of Aristotle. The internet deals with each of these problems directly. The internet ,while extremely cheap to use, is an extremely powerful tool for personalization. While there is no one lesson perfectly ideal for all children, the internet allows us to store thousands of different lessons teaching the...
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...wrongdoing, while ahimsa goes much deeper to prohibit even the subtle abuse and the simple hurt. Devout Hindus oppose killing for several reasons. Belief in karma and reincarnation are strong forces at work in the Hindu mind. They full well know that any thought, feeling or action sent out from themself to another will return to them through yet another in equal or amplified intensity. What we have done to others will be done to us, if not in this life then in another. The Hindu is thoroughly convinced that violence which he commits will return to him by a cosmic process that is unerring. Two thousand years ago South India’s weaver saint Tiruvalluvar said it so simply, “All suffering recoils on the wrongdoer himself. Thus, those desiring not to suffer refrain from causing others pain” (Tirukural 320). A similar view can be found in the Jain Acharanga Sutra: “To do harm to others is to do harm to oneself. You are he whom you intend to kill. You are he whom you intend to dominate. We corrupt ourselves as soon as we intend to corrupt others. We kill ourselves as soon as we intend to kill others.” Many today are wondering how we might move from violence to nonviolence, how mankind might transform itself from approval of killing to opposition to it. The Hindu knows...
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...failure of mountain climbing to the rescue by the village Korphe in Pakistan. His life goal occurred a big change and resulted the commitment of building schools for poor children in Pakistan and Afghanistan mountains which inspired by the kindness offering that the little mountain village’s chief he stayed. Furthermore, this book is about the process of how he achieved this life goal. Biography of The Author Greg Mortenson is born in Minnesota and move to Tanzania with his parents when he was just three months old because of his father was missionary. He went back to the domestic of the United States when he was fifteen years old. Mr. Mortenson is also a previous mountain climber. He is the cofounder of the nonprofit organizations the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. He has established many schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to more than 28,000 children where few education opportunities existed before, especially female children. Introduction of The Book Greg Mortenson, the author of this book, went to Pakistan for climbing the second highest mountain in the world, K2, to memorize his dead sister. After the unexpected failure of his challenge, he got lost in the mountains. However, from the opportunity of visiting the little mountain village, Korphe, Mortenson starts his second life. When Mortenson was in Korphe, He heard from the chief of the village said that Korphe is so poor that they can only...
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...ARTICLE 1: COMMUNITY MUSIC LESSONS IMPROVE MINDS OF DISADVANTAGED KIDS SUMMARY This article is written by Shereen Lehman. It was about music lessons can improve the minds of children. Community based music lessons for disadvantaged youth can have positive biological effects on their brains. The children were actively playing instruments themselves rather than passively listening to others’ music. In this article, it explained that the children between the ages six and nine participated in the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. They all went to public schools and lived in gang-reduction zones of Los Angeles. The children were split it into two groups. One group started lessons right away. For two hours per week, they received training in music fundamentals and learning to play the recorder. Most kids progressed to group instruction with instruments after six months. The second group waited a year before starting lessons. Each year the research team evaluated the children’s ability to process speech. Children who took lessons for two years showed improvements in their ability to distinguish similar sounds. However, these changes were not apparent after only one year. The music deeply engages the emotional system of the brain and children learn best when they’re excited about things. COMMENT Music is an art form whose medium is sound. It is about melody and harmony. Music is something that known as universal language. Regardless of where are you from and...
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...limited intention of bringing a minimum literacy to those children of the community who had missed the opportunity of going to school. The trust now runs an informal school in two shifts with an enrolment of around 350 children who have been organized into classes, based on their level of learning. Classes are held for six days a week, for four hours daily. Many of the children have been streamlined into regular schools. Saksham endeavors to make it activities encompassing and holistic, where children are imparted basic education with inculcation of values, confidence building, general awareness and entertainment. Initially it was a small group of around 20 children which grew to nearly 75 and today its 200 approximately, and have brought basic literacy to over 3000 children since the time they began. STORY OF SAKSHAM KIDS: It began in 2000-2001, as evening classes of an hour’s duration for a very small group of children in a Juggi cluster in Noida, located in the National Capital Region. The continuity of those evening classes received a setback when a year later, the juggis got erased by the authorities as they stood on land already acquired by the Government. Some of those families chose to take up rented one roomed tenements in a nearby urban village, Nithari. After a gap of a few weeks, the evening classes were resumed there on the terraced roof of one of the blocks of buildings. As the number of children went on increasing, the evening classes were shifted to...
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...Collection Committee Member, Take a look into any high school classroom, there always is that one person who always sits in a group, that one person who complains about everything, that one person who never does their work, but there is also that one group or people who does their work, but personally I am the person who does their work without complaint. When the book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, was assigned I wasn’t against it, I enjoy reading and this book sounded relatable. The thought of reading this book didn’t seem too difficult, but once I cracked it open the intensity and importance of this book hit me. This book shows the importance of having a good structure and support system in life. Things Fall...
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...final departure from Egypt B. The sorrow and cried of Egypt IV. God at time does not answer our prayer in the pattern we want A. So the answer to the prayer of Moses answered through the Bible, we will only considered few of those answers such as the duties of men and women, the requirement of those who dwell under the sun. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX It a beautiful story Standing for the weak Mother prayer and grace Somebody called my name The prayer of Moses So Teach us The heart of wisdom By : Peter S. Wiah 80 Deguire Boulevard Montreal, PQ H4N 1N4, Canada Started Nov 2008 – xx 2009 The Prayer of Moses the man of God Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 3 You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night. 5 You carry them away like a flood; They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: 6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers. 7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified. 8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. 9 For all our...
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...Bangladesh Subject : Submission of Report on “Education and women empowerment” Dear Sir, With due respect, I am submitting our Report on the topic titled “Education and women empowerment” as a partial fulfillment of my LFE course. It’s my pleasure to inform you that we have already finished our report in a reput.It was undoubtedly an interesting opportunity for us to work on this assigned topic to enhance our knowledge in the practical field. I would like to give you thanks Our instructor K.M Ariful Kabir, Marzuk sir and also sameer sir,who have been influenced on us throughout the project and help us with all the problem,and giving us to the opportunity to do the study. This report explores our knowledge and help me to gather experience and to know the village peoples. This report has been prepared based on the practical experiences and different ideas obtained during survey in Rajakpur of Bogra..And I used secondary data to fulfill our report, which we have been attached to our report. And last thanks IUB to give us a good opportunity to know village people. And thanx also our monitor who guided us. Therefore I sincerely hope that you will appreciate my effort and I shall be grateful if my report is accepted for the appropriate purpose. Thanking you Sincerely yours Gazi mohammad kamrul islam Table of content Page number 1. Introduction...
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...MAINSTREAMING Disaster Risk Reduction IN SCHOOLS’ CURRICULUA (ANALYTICAL INSTRuMENT FOR POLICY ADVOCACY) By, AmjAd NAzeer Indus ConsortIum (IC) (December 2012, IslamabaD, Pakistan) 0 “Things like DRR need to be there in the textbooks. Aspired to interpret, we ourselves will learn further and teach children better. Children will in turn explain things to their younger brothers and sisters, even to their parents and to those who cannot read or write. The new learning has a capacity to inform, who should do what during, before or after a disaster.” Ali Akbar, A primary school teacher in Chack Tumb Bhel, U.C Khoski, Badin. “Disaster Reduction Begins at School” (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 2006-8) 1 CONTENTS 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………..……3 2. Growing Frequency of Natural Disasters: A Major Concern……..….…………7 3. Relevant UN Conventions and Other International Commitments….…………7 4. Impact of Natural Disasters on Children and Schools.……………………….....9 5. Education and Psychosocial Impact on Children………………………………10 6. Connecting Education, Safe Schooling and DRR……………………………...10 7. Significance of Mainstreaming DRR in Curriculum and Children’s Potential Role....…………………………………...……………………………………….…12 8. Approaches to Integrate DRR with Sindh and Punjab’s Textbooks….…..…..14 8.1. Infusion or Permeation Approach…………….…………………………………16 8.1.1. Holistic Review of Sindhi, Urdu And English Textbooks….……………..…17 8.1.1.1. Sindhi and Asaan...
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...functions because “without parental involvement children will feel inadequate and under appreciated”. If Parents know their involvement is important, why aren't they more involved? Not surprisingly, for 2/3s of parents who believe they should be more involved it's lack of time: 38% identified work or a full-time job as a major obstacle and 26% said other demands on their time and scheduling conflicts interfered with their involvement. Parental involvement creates an environment of safety and confidence in a child, which allows them to imagine and maximize their potential. Rather than criticizing parents as unconcerned “slackers” perhaps we could all benefit from a thorough understanding of how we can find potential solutions to fix this problem. No school or teacher can ever substitute an engaged parent but we definitely need parents and teachers to work together so we can have a child succeed both academically and socially. “Statistics show that students whose parents are actively involved in their education do better at school, regardless of their family income and background. Specifically, students with involved parents have greater academic success, better attitudes about school, and fewer behavioral problems. This makes sense, since parents are the central figures in the lives of their children “(Molland, 2007). Once a week, my friend volunteers at her son’s elementary school and reads a book to his class. She also tries to spend other days chaperoning school field trips to the...
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...JUNGLE BOOK by Rudyard Kipling The stories of Jungle Book are stories told in the third person by a narrator, as one might tell bedtime stories to children. Only in "The White Seal" and "Servants of the Queen," is the narrator actually mentioned, and then he is not identified. The reader gets the sense of a wise older narrator, one who is intimately familiar with Colonial Indian and the jungle therein, but not of it, as a British colonial officer would be. The narrator, for the most part, is impartial and allows the stories' characters to tell the story. Only occasionally does he interject, such as at the end of "Tiger, Tiger," when he tells us that the rest of Mowgli's story is a story for grownups. This is also true at the beginning of the "White Seal," where the narrator tells us of the winter wren that originally told him the story. The narrator does not share his opinion of the story and the characters' actions. The reader is left to draw his own conclusion. Kipling is a product of his 19th century British colonial experiences, and the British/ Native and Indian caste class differences are alluded to in several of the stories. In "Toomai of the Elephants," the reader is told that Big Toomai works for the government, but it is to Petersen Sahib, a white man, that he reports. Additionally, whereas Petersen's interaction with the boy, Little Toomai, is undoubtedly well meant, it still carries a vaguely condescending tone. This difference is also evident in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi...
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...the story by describing a shiny utopia, where one must assume there is little to be desired from the city’s inhabitants. In fact, the reader is lead to believe that this city of Omelas is beautifully joyous and simple. Not long into the second paragraph of this story, however, the storyteller in Le Guin ruffles the readers’ happy forethought by spilling the inkwell of ambiguity across the paper. “They were not less complex than us …Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting.” (1316). Why would Le Guin throw a wrench in the spokes of the readers’ blissful thought processing? The fact that the people of Omelas have been described as more complex than meets the eye in conjunction with the statement that only pain and evil weave a web of intellect assures that the reader will begin to wonder what pain is lurking around the corner, what evil sits below the surface of the picture that has been painted thus far. Eager to discover more, the reader continues down the page in anticipation. But instead of offering the reader a clear depiction of what other joy this fairy tale city could possibly hold, Le Guin stimulates the mental processes even more by offering up a blank canvas to the reader; “Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I...
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...Digital Citizenship in K-12: It Takes a Village Randy Hollandsworth, Lena Dowdy, and Judy Donovan Students will require awareness that online behaviors can impact people within their immediate circle of friends but also outside of that circle. Abstract Digital citizenship encompasses a wide range of behaviors with varying degrees of risk and possible negative consequences. Lack of digital citizenship awareness and education can, and has, led to problematic, even dangerous student conduct. If our educational village does not address these issues, the digital culture establishes its own direction, potentially pushing a productive, long-term solution further out of reach. By tapping into the experience of various practitioners and experts in the field this article provides the reader with a number of suggestions that can help the professional to help their students become better digital citizens. Keywords: Digital Citizenship, School Library Media A ccording to Wikipedia (2010), the Nigerian Igbo proverb, “Ora na azu nwa”, translates as “it takes a village to raise a child” (Proverb Question section, para. 6). Whether this popular phrase derives from international cultures or from one’s own experiences in life, it provides a framework for our schools and society to meet a cultural shift in a global society. Creating awareness and enhancing digital citizenship in our society could best be assessed as having reached a pivotal point. Weigel, James...
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