Professional learning and development

I am sold on Hazel Owen\’s Virtual Professional Learning Development approach. For the larger size of the image click here. At first glance the model looks complicated but in actual fact it is surprisingly simple. At the core is the teacher who becomes a participant in a virtual learning community. The model uses a Moodle platform to facilitate online interactions with other teachers, resources and mentors. The diagram shows how the teacher is linked to a virtual learning community, the students and the wider education community. It is worth noting that the virtualness of the approach does not exclude face to face interactions. The complexity of the diagram comes from the inclusion of all the processes and practices involved in the professional learning and development that the teacher engages in. What I am exploring is how this model could be applied to specific teaching and learning practices such as assessment, in particular assessing action competence.

Owen, H. (2011). Design for virtual professional learning and development: infinity and beyond. Proceedings of the International Conference on eLearning Futures 2011 (pp. 46-53). Auckland: Unitec.

Short Essay on \’Siegfried Sassoon\’ (117 Words)

\’Siegfried Sassoon\’ was born on 8th September, 1886 in England. His full name was Siegfried Loraine Sassoon. His father Alfred Ezra Sassoon was a member of the wealthy Baghdadi Jewish Sassoon merchant family. Siegfried Sassoon was an eminent English poet and writer.

Siegfried Sassoon served during the first world war as a captain. At first he was very excited and felt honoured to be in the war and fighting for his country; but then, when he saw the horrors of the war at first hand, he began to speak out against it. He wrote some moving poetry about the hardships and tragedy felt in war. Siegfried Sassoon died on 1st September 1967 at the age of 80.

Short Essay on \’Siegfried Sassoon\’ (117 Words)

Short Biography of \’Maulana Abul Kalam Azad\’ (148 Words)

\’Maulana Abul Kalam Azad\’ was born on 11th November, 1888. His real name was Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin. His father\’s name was Maulana Khairuddin, who lived in Bengal. His mother\’s name was Alia, who was an Arabian. He was married to Juleikha at the age of thirteen.

Maulana Azad was a journalist, author, poet and philospher. He started to publish the newspaper \’Al-Hilal\’ in the year 1912. Al-Hilal played an important role in forging Hindu-Muslim unity. He wrote many works, reinterpreting the holy Quran. He played an active role in the freedom movement of India. He became the first Education Minister of independent India.

Maulana Azad died on 22nd February, 1958. For his invaluable contribution to the nation, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded India\’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 1992. His birth anniversary 11th November is declared as National Education Day by the Government of India.

Short Biography of \’Maulana Abul Kalam Azad\’ (148 Words)

Visualizing The 2016 Conventions – Interactive Tools To Learn About Parties & Politics

The quadrennial political conventions of the Republican and Democratic parties offer a mix of serious-minded civics and high-octane pageantry. For students, teachers, and outside observers, the 2016 extravaganzas provide important forums to dissect the details of the delegates and to hear our nation\’s leaders speak directly to us.

Whether for use now in July or for lessons in the fall, a host of valuable visualizations exist to explain the esoteric proceedings. These interactive infographics and animated videos touch on a range of learning standards. They also let users explore the conventions at their own paces and levels.

History And Civics

Political conventions as currently staged are relatively new phenomena on the historical landscape. The explainer video (above) from The Guardian supplies a helpful tutorial in the germination and the evolution of party gatherings.

The \”National Conventions 2016\” infographic from Independence Bunting also does a good job of summarizing the essential facts for this year\’s stagings, with an emphasis on the numbers and statistics beneath the process.

The Economist goes back to the nineteenth century with a year-by-year pictorial timeline of candidates and events that marked each party choice. The Economist also delves into personal identification by visually outlining the liberal or conservative leanings of current and past voters.

Delegates And Primaries

The political site 270 To Win aggregates polling and election data to compile data-driven maps and charts. These are excellent tools for both social studies and mathematics education.

For example, the colorful U.S. map of Democratic delegates combines month-by-month coding with primary and caucus breakdowns. The Interactive Republican Delegate Calculator presents similar information in an enlightening statistical table.

Maps And Geography

On their convention pages, each political party provides engaging information about their host cities. The Democrats link to a multi-layered interactive map of downtown Philadelphia. The Republicans include similar Cleveland maps, but they also include a hoverable floor plan from inside the Quicken Loans arena.

Streaming And Social Media

The official websites of the Republican and Democratic Conventions will be streaming live the gavel-to-gavel coverage. Social media is also in play, with the Engage \”Scorecard\” tracking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other mentions in real-time. For a comprehensive look at news and opinions, The New Yorker is posting a continuous series of cartoons, histories, and graphics about each convention.

For other teaching ideas about the 2016 election, check out:

Short Article on ‘Ways to prevent Animal attacks’ (120 Words)

Animals are our best friends. We say this most of the time, but often these friends can be our worst enemies. It is so because we generally do not pay attention on how should we treat animals and react to their behaviour.

Owners of pets can help in preventing these attacks by training them. Animals should not be caged, to help them adjust to the environment. We should also teach others to love pets. If we don’t know the behaviour aspect of some unfamiliar animals, we should not approach them. If we are visiting any wildlife area, we should research on its flora and fauna to know about the animals and their nature.

Above all, we should respect animals.

Short Essay on ‘Christmas Tree’ (200 Words)

Christmas is a holy festival of Christians. Every year on December 25, Christmas is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ. All the Christians celebrate this festival with great devotion and loyalty. One of the major attractions of Christmas festival is ‘Christmas Tree’.

On the occasion of Christmas, the Christmas Tree has special significance. A Christmas Tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine or fir, traditionally associated with the celebration of Christmas. Decoration of Christmas Tree is one of the most important preparations before December 25th. Adults, Kids, Veterans all are involved in the decoration of the Christmas Tree. Candles, toffees and a great variety of cakes are tied with ribbon and paper napkins to the tree.

Christmas Tree in ancient times was considered a symbol of the continuity of life. It is believed that evil spirits away from the house and keep the flow of positive energy. There are many size of Christmas Tree available in the market. Some are cheap and some very expensive too. Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is a symbol of the promise of life to come after months of cold winter.

‘National Farmer’s Day: 23 December’ in India | ‘Kisan Diwas’ (157 Words)

In India, ‘National Farmer’s Day’ is celebrated on 23rd December every year. It is the birthday of Former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh. Chaudhary Charan Singh was born on 23 December 1902.

Chaudhary Charan Singh was the fifth Prime Minister of the India. He served country as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980. His life was very simple and he contributed a lot to improvise the life of Indian farmers. He came out with various initiatives in favor of farmers. Passionate appeal and magnetic persona of Chaudhary Charan Singh united all the farmers against the moneylenders and landlords. He gave the slogan-‘Jai Jawaan Jai Kisan’. He was also a very effective writer and penned his thoughts on farmers and their problems and solutions.

Farmer’s Day is celebrated throughout the country. It is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm. On this day various agricultural events, seminars, competitions and debates are organized to mark the event.

Short Essay on ‘My Favourite Teacher’ (295 Words)

I have studied under many good teachers. I have liked and respected them. I learnt a lot from them. They exercised a deep influence on my character. But the best I have yet come across is Mr. A.K. Mishra. He is my favourite teacher.

He is a teacher of Hindi. I regard him as an ideal teacher. His pupils love and respect him. They are always happy in his company. It is his qualities that have made him so popular. He believes in simple living and high thinking. He wears simple Clothes which are always neat and clean. He has a well-built body. He has never been known to fall ill. The secret of his good health lies in his balanced diet. He is clean in his habits. He avoids all things that are harmful to healthy living. He always looks at the bright side of things. He makes light of his difficulties. He has pleasing manners. His attitude towards his pupils is always sympathetic He welcomes questions from his pupils. He is their friend and guide.

He knows his subject very well. His pupils and the Principal of the college admire him for his learning. He makes his teaching very interesting. Hindi Grammar is a headache for many students but he teaches it in a very easy way. Even the dullest boy can follow him. He has a keen sense of duty and does not waste a single minute in the class. He keeps his pupils busy. That is why he is able to maintain perfect discipline in his class. He commands obedience from his pupils. He takes a great interest in all the activities of the college. He organizes debates, dramas and annual functions. He is held in great esteem by his old pupils also.

Short Essay on ‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy’ (155 Words)

‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy’ was born on 22nd May, 1772 in the village Radhanagar, Hooghly, Bengal, India. His father was Ramkanto Roy, who was a Vaishnavite. His mother’s name was Tarini. Raja Ram Mohan Roy took his higher education at Patna, India. He had learnt several languages as Bangla, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit only by the age of fifteen.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was against idol worship. After differences with his father, he left the house. Raja Ram Mohan Roy wandered around Himalayas and went to Tibet. He went to Varanasi and studied the Vedas, the Upnishads and Hindu philosphy deeply. He passed away on 27th September, 1833.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the founder of ‘Brahmo Samaj’. He is known as the ‘Maker of Modern India’. He played a major role in abolishing the role of Sati. He was a great scholar and an independent thinker. He was given the title ‘Raja’ by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

‘National Women’s Day: 13 February’ in India (225 Words)

In India ‘National Women’s Day’ is celebrated on 13th February every year. It is the birthday of Sarojini Naidu. Sarojini Naidu was born on 13th February 1879 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Sarojini Naidu was also known as the ‘Nightingale of India’. This great leader and freedom fighter used to write poems and also sing very well. Sarojini Naidu began writing poems in English while she was still in school. She became a member of the Royal Literary Society London. She also became the President of the Indian National Congress. Sarojini Naidu took active part in the Civil Disobedience Movement, Satyagraha Movement and the Quit India Movement. She was also sent to jail several times. She was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress. She was also the first Indian woman to become Governor of any State (Uttar Pradesh) in India. She has left a great name for herself in the History of India. Her birthday is celebrated as ‘National Women’s Day’ in India.

National Women’s Day in India is marked as general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women. On this day many events are held by women’s groups around the country. It is customary for men to give the women in their lives – mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. – flowers and gifts on this day.

Short Essay on ‘Mihir Sen’ (138 words)

‘Mihir Sen’ was born on 16th November, 1930 in Purulia, West Bengal, India. His father’s name was Ramesh Sen, who was a physician. His mother’s name was Lilabati. Mihir Sen went on to graduate with a degree in law from the local Utkal University.

Mihir Sen was an Indian swimmer, best known for being the first Asian to swim the English Channel in 1958. He was the first Indian to swim the English Channel in a record time of 14 hours and 45 minutes. He was the first swimmer ever to have crossed the Palk Straits in 1966. He swam across seven seas in five continents. He passed away on 11 June 1997.

For his trend-sitting feats in long-distance swimming, Mihir Sen was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1956 and Padma Bhushan in 1967 by the Government of India.

Short Essay on ‘Nelson Mandela’ (294 Words)

‘Nelson Mandela’ was born on July 18th, 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then a part of South Africa’s Cape Province. His story symbolizes a lifestyle struggle against apartheid in South Africa. It was a terrible form of institutionalized racism that held the South African society in it’s grip for a long time. It was not easy for Mandela to fight against it, as he too was among those who were oppressed by the system.

Before becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid struggle, Mandela survived many years of his life as a subject of colonialism. As a child in Africa, Mandela was a victim of the European colonial project which involved ‘civilizing’ indigenous communities by silencing African ways of life in favour of a Euro-centric culture.

In the early 1960’s, Mandela was imprisoned for his stand against the racist laws of the government. He stayed in prison for nearly three decades but refused to compromise his position, which was to fight for justice and equality for all people.

A courageous and uncompromising hero, Mandela was a man of principles, strength and integrity. In 1994, he led the country to the end of apartheid and was elected the first black president of South Africa. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. After he retired from public life, Mandela continued to embody the hopes and dreams of a free and equal world. He died on December 5th, 2013 at the age of 95 at Johannesburg, South Africa.

Nelson Mandela received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Bharat Ratna. Today, Nelson Mandela, popularly known as ‘Madiba’ in South Africa, is a household name all over the world.

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History And Civics

Delegates And Primaries

Maps And Geography

Streaming And Social Media

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