Early educational experiences that shaped Emil du Bois-Reymond’s career in science One of the important educational milestones for Bois-Reymond had been the experimental course he did in Berlin in 1838. His interactions with Jons Jacob Berzelius and other eminent scientists of the day shaped his formative mind. The exchanges he had with Johannes Muller served…
Category: Education
Self Awareness and Cross Cultural Competence: My experience in Canada as an international student
• How do you compare to the cultures you have contact with? What I’ve witnessed in Canada so far are sharp cultural differences to my native Saudi Arabia. The most notable difference is how people here enjoy greater freedoms in social life. For example, I see how the handshake is a common manner of greeting…
The Peacemaker: Handling Conflict without Fighting Back or Running Away (Student Edition) by Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson
Conflict in human relations is as old as humanity itself. But what distinguishes humans from other creatures is how they can resolve conflict without resort to aggression. This is the central message of The Peacemaker. The book is especially addressed to the youth, as there is a lacuna in moral guidance for them. One of…
Continuing professional development (CPD)
It is true that CPD needs to be reflective and designed to improve an individual’s attributes, knowledge, understanding and skills. There are several reasons why this is true. Firstly, a good CPD program will include “discussions with colleagues or pupils to reflect on working practices.” (TDA-CPD Guidance, 2013) Such a reflection at the outset will…
My worldview as it relates to my work as an educator
I am of Asian origin and hence Asian philosophy is ingrained into my psychology. I particularly embrace the Buddhist worldview and it manifests in my professional life as well. My approach to educating my pupils is taken after some of the principles of human nature that I had learnt from my parents and Buddhist texts….
‘Why Evolution is True’ by Jerry Coyne
When Charles Darwin published the theory of evolution a century and a half ago, there were still some unanswered questions about the theory. But today, with so many advanced archaeological, biochemical and mathematical techniques at our disposal, there is resounding proof in its support. Jerry Coyne’s book is a persuasive account of the irrefutability of…
Logical fallacies in childhood education scholarship
In scholarship pertaining to childhood education one could pick out all sorts of logical fallacies being applied. Some of it is oversight or poor understanding on the part of the author, while the others are deliberate constructed so as to mislead or misinform the reader. American educators have claimed that the steady improvement in SAT…
Critical Analysis of Supervision for Learning: A Performance-Based Approach To Teacher Development and School Improvement by James M. Aseltine, Judith O. Faryniarz and Anthony J. Rigazio-DiGilio
The relevance of the book by Aseltine et al cannot be overstated. With respect to the state of education in the United States, the book takes a comprehensive survey of the education system. By doing so, it identifies the inherent weaknesses of the system, while also suggesting robust corrective measures. At the heart of the…
The relationship between educational institutions and students
The three scholarly articles on the relationship between educational institutions and students are very insightful. The centre of their attention is the influence of student’s economic class on the quality and content of education received. But more importantly, class continues to influence and determine the quality and nature of an individual’s life beyond and after…
Compare and Contrast Paulo Freire and William Brickman
Both Paulo Freire and William Brickman stand as giants in the field of education. However, their views and concerns hardly ever converged. While Freire’s basic focus was the relation between education and socio-economy, Brickman’s scholarship was on comparative education at the international level. It is fair to say that these two areas are worlds apart….