Helping students succeed
It is important to understand such a notion as character because this knowledge is critical for helping students succeed in various learning activities. Overall, this concept can be defined as the combination of cognitive and behavioral qualities that can distinguish an individual from other people. It is important to remember that character is changeable, and it strongly depends on the external environment (Tough, 2012, p. 59). These attributes can determine the way in which a person responds to various challenges including demanding academic tasks, workplace stress, and so forth. Thus, character is one of the variables that influence the development of separate individuals.
By gaining in-depth insight into this issue, teachers can considerably improve students’ experiences. For instance, they can identify the factors can motivate learners. Some of them can be driven by the desire to display their creativity and intelligence. In contrast, other students can perform better if they can work within a group. Apart from that, educators should learn about the notion of character to help students overcome hardships. In many cases, their problems can be explained by certain mental or behavioral traits. For instance, their difficulties can be attributed to low self-esteem (Tough, 2012, p. 11).
In turn, the task of a teacher is to show that these difficulties can be surmounted. Moreover, an educator should demonstrate that a student can exaggerate the significance or magnitude of certain problems. So, these examples indicate that teachers should understand various aspects of character. This understanding can have both theoretical and practical implications.
Overall, teachers adopt several strategies to help students succeed. In particular, it is necessary to promote those skills and traits that will be vital for students’ effective performance in various fields. For instance, much attention should be paid to grit, empathy or optimism. These character traits prompt students to adopt an optimistic attitude towards potential difficulties. In turn, educators can encourage students to work on group projects showing that learning activities can be engaging and creative (Tough, 2012, p. 85).
Furthermore, teachers need to design tasks demonstrating that learning can be relevant to many real-life problems. In many cases, this approach can significantly increase students’ commitment to their academic performance. So, educators should create the environment in which students can display their talents because this strategy can greatly improve the experiences of learners.
In my view, the understanding of this topic will certainly improve my teaching activities. In particular, I will consider this issue when I will need to motivate learners who may struggle with some difficulties. I will use the knowledge of character traits to highlight that many difficulties encountered by students can be overcome. In my opinion, this aspect of education is essential for improving the academic performance of learners. Additionally, I will lay stress on the idea that a possible failure should not become the cause of a person’s despair. More likely, it should prompt people to search for new ways of solving current problems. So, the concepts that have been examined during this course can be of great benefit to me.
Equity in education
In her article, Natalie Nielson (2013) discusses the concept of equity from the educational perspective. Within this context, this term can be described as the fairness of policies and practices adopted in various educational institutions. In turn, the author examines the ways in which the principles of fairness can be implemented. Overall, this goal is important for helping students who can be disadvantaged due to such factors as the small income of their parents, domestic abuse, drug addiction, crime in the neighborhood and so forth. Moreover, in many cases, they cannot receive timely medical assistance (Nielson, 2013). As a result, their learning is significantly impaired. In turn, one should find ways of mitigating the adverse impacts of the environment. Furthermore, the development of more equitable educational policies requires in-depth understanding of the difficulties faced by disadvantaged students.
There are several indicators suggesting that the academic performance of certain students is adversely affected by various social factors. For instance, one should discuss the gap in graduation and achievement rates (Nielson, 2013). Furthermore, in many cases, such learners may lose the motivation to pursue their studies. Moreover, it is critical to remember that the funding available to schools may differ considerably. Much depends on the average income of people living in a certain neighborhood. The problem of underfunding is usually very acute in impoverished communities.
These examples are important because they indicate that the system of education does not mitigate the adverse impacts of the social environment. One should keep in mind that there are certain at-risk groups. For instance, much attention should be paid to the learners who represent racial and ethnic minorities. Additionally, the development of equitable educational policies is critical for improving the experiences of ESL students. Linguistic barriers often prevent them from showing good results, even though their intellectual skills are well-developed. Thus, there are many groups of students who can be disadvantaged due to some reasons. These problems should be of great concern to educators and legislators.
Overall, equity is necessary because the economic development of the United States strongly depends on the educational and professional level of its citizens. Furthermore, fairness of educational policies is essential for assisting many social groups in overcoming poverty. Furthermore, the failure to achieve this goal can intensify many social problems such as unemployment and crime. It should be mentioned that currently the government wants to increase the number of college graduates (Nielson, 2013). However, at this point, it is not quite clear how this objective can be attained. Apart from that, there are no explicit mechanisms for changing the functioning of modern schools. Overall, this task requires the cooperation of various participants such as school administrators, teachers, and local governments because this partnership can lead to the development of more efficient policies.
It is possible to compare this article with the report issued by the U.S. Department of Education (2013). This document is also aimed at examining the problem of equity in the modern education. There are some important similarities that should be taken into account. In particular, Natalie Nielsen and the authors of the report accept the idea that it is necessary to work out comprehensive solutions. This sophisticated approach is useful for removing various barriers to equitable policies. It is one of the details that should be singled out.
However, there are some differences that should be considered. In particular, Natalie Nielson relies on various governmental reports. In turn, she lays stress on the idea that the availability of funding may not be sufficient for reducing inequalities in education (Nielson, 2013). In many cases, it is difficult for schools to find skillful educators, even if they do have financial resources. So, it is one of the challenges that should not be overlooked.
Apart from that, Natalie Nielsen examines non-school factors that can impact the behavior of students living in disadvantaged communities. For instance, it is critical to consider the way in which the attitudes of many dropouts are formed. In some cases, poverty is not the only factor that impacts their performance. It is also essential to consider their parents’ views on the value of education and its role in a person’s development. This issue is not stressed in the report by the U.S. Department of Education (2013). Thus, Natalie Nielsen examines a wider range of factors that increase educational inequalities. It is one of the main distinctions that can be identified. Nevertheless, both sources can be useful for understanding the challenges of educational inequalities.
Overall, this discussion shows that equity is of great concern to many professionals. However, scholars, educators, and policy-makers have not developed a very practical framework for improving the equitability of the educational system in the United States. In turn, Natalie Nielson’s article highlights the complexity of this task that can be performed properly if policy-makers can gain in-depth insight into the factors that shape the behavior of students and the work of educational organizations.
Grit
According to Angela Duckworth, grit is one of the qualities that are critical to the success of an individual in different fields. This character trait can be described as a person’s passion for something or long-term commitment. It can also be viewed as the willingness to work hard to achieve a particular goal in this distant future. The main issue is that this quality can have a greater effect on the performance of a person, even if in comparison with such traits as intelligence or creativity.
As a teacher, I will adopt several strategies that can help students develop grit. In particular, I may encourage students to work on challenging and exciting tasks that enable them to display their creativity, ingenuity, or intelligence. Such activities help a person feel the joy of learning. This approach is also helpful because it can raise learners’ self-esteem. These individuals should see that they can make tangible process. I will also lay stress on the autonomy of students because they should see that learning tasks are not imposed on them.
At the same time, I will emphasize the idea that students can achieve much more if they work hard on the development of their skills. I also refer to those individuals who made prominent achievements in different fields. It is critical to show that these people achieved such results due to their long-term commitment.
Personal character traits
In my opinion, perseverance is one of the key qualities help me in many cases. Due to this character trait, I can work on a certain task for a long time, even though I understand that my progress can be hindered by some mistakes. Moreover, it enables me to retain motivation, even though my activities do not immediately bring tangible results. It seems that this quality assists me in overcoming hardships. In my opinion, perseverance can make me more resilient to various stressors such as time pressure.
Additionally, I would like to mention self-irony. In my view, it can be described as the ability to notice my mistakes and regard them with humor. This trait is of great use to me because it makes me more resilient to possible failures. Furthermore, it helps me uncover the flaws of my behavior. Moreover, self-irony assists me in avoiding conflicts with other people. In my view, these traits can improve my learning and professional activities. Certainly, there are other qualities that I value; for example, it is possible to speak of empathy. Nevertheless, perseverance and self-irony are of crucial importance to me.
Success in chess
Overall, chess playing helps students succeed in different ways. At first, this activity often improves the socialization of children who may feel timid. In particular, many of them experience the sense of belonging while playing chess (Tough, 2012, p. 116). They no longer have to struggle with social alienation. Additionally, this game enables them to show their intellectual skills. Therefore, they often feel more confident. Apart from that, chess helps them to display their creativity, and this opportunity is critical for their self-expression. These benefits should be considered by parents and educators. Certainly, students may not necessarily become distinguished chess players; nevertheless, these experiences will prompt them to value such intellectual activities as problem-solving and decision-making.
As a rule, students succeed in chess due to the combination of various qualities such as intelligence or creativity. However, educators should concentrate on such traits as diligence and grit because they help learners to improve their skills. The main issue is that talent alone may not be sufficient for achieving impressive results.
Reference List
Nielson, N. (2013). Education, Equity, and the Big Picture. Web.
Tough, P. (2012). How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
U.S. Department of Education. (2013). For Each and Every Child. Web.