Health education

CONSCIENTIZATION PROGRAM

Health education is a profession of educating people about health.^[1] Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health education.

Health education can be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of people, learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance, or restoration of health. However, as there are multiple definitions of health, there are also multiple definitions of health education. The Joint Committee on Health Education and Promotion Terminology of 2001 defined Health Education as "any combination of planned learning experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals, groups, and communities the opportunity to acquire information and the skills needed to make quality health decisions." 

The World Health Organization defined Health Education as "compris[ing] [of] consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving some form of communication designed to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge, and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health.

weekend report

6th week in KPM

They must train before they enter the classroom, and they must receive ongoing training even as they work in the classroom. It is the message I got out of my last 5 weeks of experience in KPM. There happened inauguration of the Adult lungering lab and installation of the Cctv cameras in school.

All this training gives new teachers the greatest chance of success as well as sustain veteran teachers as they meet new challenges in education.  When this training does not happen, there is a risk that teachers may leave the profession early. The other concern is that when training is insufficient, students will invariably respond and non diligently behave.

Adaltingaring lab inauguration at Kpm hss

My fourth week in KPM HSS, Cheriyavelinelloor

My fourth week in KPM HSS, Cheriyavelinelloor

As part of my B.Ed course,  we had to get practical training so during the lessons and completing our syllabus we all went to special and mainstream levels of students to teach the children values and awareness programmes. I was sent out to teach an out bound training sessions to train  how to be positive all the time. I also conducted a story telling class at KPM in this week. This was a good learning experience for me and my students as well.

After the practical classes our teacher Mrs Lakshmi at the training college told us that we had to do a group and an individual presentation on one of the topics that we had studied. My topic for the individual presentation was gender equality. Post the presentation we were required to give a final written examination.

ICT IN EDUCATION

Computer Based Learning

Computer Based Learning, sometimes abbreviated CBL, refers to the use of computers as a key component of the educational environment. While this can refer to the use of computers in a classroom, the term more broadly refers to a structured environment in which computers are used for teaching purposes. The concept is generally seen as being distinct from the use of computers in ways where learning is at least a peripheral element of the experience (e.g. computer games and web browsing).

Debate

Since its inception, Computer Based Learning has been a subject of close scrutiny and debate, with myriad arguments being advanced both in support of and against CBL.

Among the arguments advanced by the proponents of CBL is its ability to provide quantifiable and instantaneous feedback for its users. It also often allows for educators to measure progress in an environment that is often more structured than the typical classroom, limiting stress and allowing for a focus on non-technical elements of pedagogy.

In particular, Computer Based Learning is often seen as the most efficient and effective manner in which to conduct distance education, as a lesson plan can be created that allows people to study at their own pace, either via the Internet or software installed on individual computers at various sites.

One strain of thought advanced by some advocates of Computer Based Learning suggests that the best use of CBL is alongside a more traditional curriculum, playing a supplementary role, facilitating interest in a topic while developing the technical and informational skills CBL promotes. Companies now providing CBL products, including Blackboard and iLearn, have often taken this approach in creating and promoting their services.

Those skeptical of the value of CBL have often argued that it can only teach to its programmatic limitations; that it is not as good as having a human teacher because it can only answer questions which have been programmed into it.

In addition, critics such as Neil Postman have argued that a curriculum with a computer at its core teaches a "technocratic" belief system, making all education into an uncritical type of vocational training. Rather than developing the more generalized skills of reading, writing, and critical inquiry, the prominent use of computers in the classroom teaches how to manipulate the technology to elicit the desired response in a non collaborative, non rational manner. In contrast, CBL advocates such as Jonathan Bishop believe that the use of computers in education can lead to social justice and can be successful when web logs are used as reflective learning logs.

MODELS OF TEACHING

MODELS OF TEACHING

Meaning and Definitions:

  The term "Model" carries different meaning in our day-to-day life. We look out the model of Taj Mahal and find it an exact replica of the original. This is why models prove a quite effective aid as a substitute for reality in the classroom situation. 

    

               In behavior modification and in the task of helping individual to learn good habits, to imbibe desirable attitudes, interest and other may personality characteristics, we generally use the term "model" or modelling in presenting some ideal figure of behavior for the purpose of its copying or imitation by the individual concerned. A teacher, a leader or a screen hero may work as  a model for a child and he may pick up the behavioral traits of the personality of that model.

               In another way the term "model" profoundly used by artists, architects or engineers in their professional activities, Initially, the models of dams, projects, installation or construction of machinery and equipment are prepared and then the work is carried out exactly as it has been laid down in the model.

               thus, different meanings may prove quite helpful in understanding or defining the term "Models of Teaching" or "Teaching Models". It has been defined by the research workers and writers in a number of ways. Some this definitions are produced here:

JOYCE and WELL (1972:2):  Teaching models are just instructional designs. They describe the process of specifying and producing particular environmental situations which cause the student to interact in such a way that specific change occurs in his behavior 

JAYCE and WELL (1972:3):  Teaching model is a "pattern or plan" which can be used to shape a curriculum or course, to select instructional materials and to guide a teachers action.

JAYCE and WELL (1978:2): A model of teaching consist of guidelines for designing educational activities and environments. It specifies ways of teaching and learning that are intended to achieve certain kinds of goals.

PAUL D. EGGEN, ET AL. (1979:12): Models are prescriptive teaching strategies designed to accomplish particular instructional goals.

JANGIRA AND OTHERS (1983:10): A model of teaching is a set of interrelated components arranged in a sequence which provides guidelines to realize specific goal. It helps in designing instructional activities and environmental facilities, carrying out of these activities and realization of the stipulated objectives.

Analysis of the Definitions

The first definition considers models as instructional designs, These designs helps in the process of teaching in the following ways:

• They suggest the ways and techniques of creating a favorable environmental condition for carrying out the teaching process
• They help in achieving desirable teacher-pupil interaction during teaching. 
• The ultimate goal of bringing desirable changes in the behavior of pupil may be achieved through these designs.

The second definition considers models as a sort of some patterns or plans prepared in advance for the success of the learning teaching process:

• In the construction of a curriculum or contents of a course.
• In the proper selection of the instructional materials for teaching the prepared curriculum or course 
• In guiding the teacher to select appropriate teaching techniques, strategies and methods for the effective utilization of the teaching situation and material for realizing the set of objectives.

The Third definition considers models are sort of specific guidelines helpful in the accomplishment of the following task:

• Designing appropriate educational activities 
• Arranging proper teaching environment
• Specifying suitable ways and means of teaching learning
• Directing all resources of teaching to achieve the specific objective or  goals.

The fourth definition views models in terms of some specific teaching strategies aimed at the realization of the set objectives.

The fifth definition considers models as a well planned guide sheet helpful in realizing the stipulated objectives of teaching by controlling the teaching environment and specifying the teaching activities.

Characteristics of Teaching Models

1. Models of teaching are some sort of pattern or plans prepared in advance for the success of the teaching learning process.
2. The differ from general teaching techniques  and strategies in the sense that they are designed to meet specific objectives or goals.
3. Provide specific guidelines or blue print in advance for the realization of the specific objectives by specifying the teaching activities and controlling the teaching- learning environment.
4. Give specific instructional design for particular type of instruction in specified teaching-learning situation.
5. Help in creating a proper teaching- learning environment
6. help in specifying the criteria of acceptable performance expected from the learners in a specific teaching- learning situation.
7. Provide systematic procedure and organized efforts for the desirable modification of the behavior of the learners.
8. They first specify the teaching or learning outcomes in behavioral terms and then lay down a step by step procedure for the attainment of these outcomes.
9. Help the teacher in the task in the same way as an engineer is helped in the construction of a building or bridge by an appropriate model or blueprint prepared in advance.
10. Save the energy, time and efforts of the teacher and the learners besides providing economy  to the best utilization of the other teaching learning resources.
11.  Models of teaching are known to serve three major function in a given teaching learning situation:

RESEARCH PROJECTS

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Ideas about purpose, audience and structure that apply to writing essays also apply to research writing; however, a research project asks students to spend more time on the collection of materials and to develop their sense of purpose, audience and structure as their growing knowledge about the subject becomes more complex.

The most important thing for students to remember about completing a research project is that, in the end, most professors are interested in the way students can combine their use of outside sources with their own personal insights about the topic. It should not be a regurgitation of facts and ideas from other sources. It should be the careful integration of those sources with the ideas students have developed as a result of their reading and thinking.

Students certainly do need to use skills of summary and synthesis as they share with their audience the various ideas they have learned about in their research, but merely summarizing and synthesizing material from others is not research. Instead, the research project should represent a higher level of abstract thinking, one that illustrates an ability to summarize, connect, find patterns, critique, and ultimately take a carefully considered position.

The seven research steps listed here can be integrated into a course schedule so that students have opportunities for feedback at important points in the research process.

Seven Steps:

1. Develop a Research Question
2. Find Sources: Reading and Note Taking
3. Evaluate Sources
4. Establish a Working Bibliography
5. Prepare to Write: Consider Audience and Purpose
6. Put It All Together
7. Final Steps

Develop a Research Question

The best kind of research projects emerge from personal interests and/or commitment to a specific area of study. In the best case scenario, then, students will have time to explore various ideas within a particular course, perhaps doing some informal writing in order to discover interests. Active reading and discussion in the classroom, combined with regular note taking and perhaps conversations with the professor, can help students figure out a particular interest worth the time and effort of research.

Students do not always have to feel drawn to a topic positively, however, to make it a good research project. Sometimes topics that we feel negative or neutral about can provide a strong starting point as well. A good research question is one that a student probably hasn?t been able to answer from the classroom sources or one that lingers and feels unresolved.

Find sources: Reading and Note Taking

Students need to use the library and browse the web, keeping track of key ideas and information on note cards or in a research log (see documentation format). The most general way to begin is through broad reference sources like bibliographic entries such as the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, the Book Review Digest, or the New York Times Index. Specific indexes for specific disciplines can also be found with the librarian's help or with suggestions from the professor. Encyclopedias and internet search sites are also useful for initial, general references. These sources should help students refine the process and lead to more specific sources and a refinement of the research question.

Remember that internet research can never replace print research because only a fraction of the world's printed resources can be found electronically.

Distinguish between primary and secondary sources. If an author has direct knowledge of the topic in question, if an author was a participant or observer to an event, such a source is primary. Authors with indirect knowledge of topics or event are secondary sources, such as biographies, literary criticism, historical surveys and textbooks.

മലയാളത്തിളക്കം പരിപാടിയിൽ നിന്നും

@ KPM HSS C.V Nalloor

Study Tour to Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

Study tour to Thiruvanthapuram

Knowledge development

Knowledge strategy is hard. Even explaining what knowledge management is can be difficult, even to a friend. Guy St. Clair, accompanied by Shannon Spangler and Anne Kershaw, will walk you through how to get started managing knowledge during a panel discussion at #AIIM14. To get ready, understand the difference (and why they are each important) between knowledge management, knowledge strategy, and knowledge services. 

Guy St. Clair is recognized as an expert adviser in KM/knowledge services and in building the organizational knowledge culture, with a special emphasis on knowledge strategy development. He is well known as a speaker about the role of knowledge strategy and knowledge services in organizational effectiveness. Building on his KM, knowledge services, and knowledge strategy development expertise and experience, Guy contributed to the creation of the Columbia University IKNS program, advising the university on curriculum development, marketing and industry outreach, and student enrollment management. Guy teaches Management and Leadership in the Knowledge Domain in the program. Follow Guy on Twitter:smr_knowledge and connect on LinkedIn.

A friend confronted me with a sweet challenge the other night.

“Guy,” she said, “a lot of people know you teach about KM and knowledge services, that you’re considered a kind of evangelist for knowledge services.”

“How nice,” I thought a little egotistically. “I like being recognized for my professional efforts.”

I might even have made a comment along those lines because then I heard my friend continuing:

“Here’s the thing, Guy,” she said. “I was telling someone about you and your work, and she wasn’t sure she knew what I was talking about.” Uh-oh. Now I was caught, and I began to get a little uncomfortable. “Just what is it you do?” she asked, and it was clear she expected a response.

Trying to be a good conversationalist, I asked back: “What is it you want to know?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “I need to know three things: You talk about knowledge management – which you call “KM” – and knowledge services, and you talk about knowledge strategy. Why? What’s the connection? I’m not sure I know what these things are.”

Fair enough. I would start with some quick definitions. But my friend continued (she’s very smart, and she’s successful – she runs her own business). “And when you work with KM, knowledge services, and knowledge strategy, how do you get started?”

I wasn’t going to get out of this one (not that I really wanted to – I love this kind of conversation).

Here’s how I responded to my pal’s challenge (I said something along these lines):

First, I rearranged the questions. It’s all about KM – about managing an organization or a company’s intellectual capital. But we can’t “manage” something like that. All we can do is work with it, figure out what services we can come with so people can work with the knowledge that they create in the workplace, and how they can share that knowledge. In fact, we have a little acronym for knowledge development and knowledge sharing. We call it “KD/KS.”

So it’s about KM. But not about just KM. It’s about all three (KM, knowledge services, and knowledge strategy), and I try to describe them so there is an interaction, so we can see how they all come together.

Social Media Language Learning

How many hours a day do you spend on your cell phone, tablet or computer?

Come on, you can tell the truth. We’re all friends here.

Think about it. Take a minute if you need to.

Consider blogs. Facebook. Gaming. News. Netflix.

Okay, you don’t have to say the number out loud, but you’ve likely come to the conclusion that you’re like most of us and spend a lot of time browsing social media sites. Like, a lot.

Feels better to admit it, doesn’t it?

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with social media. I mean, who hasn’t whiled away time intended for other things, instead perusing attention-grabbing sites, laughing over silly photos or living vicariously through exotic posts written by strangers?

We all have. It’s just part of the social truth of our time.

Social media grabs our attention. And, in some cases, it holds that attention for a very long time.

One study estimates that an average person today may spend more than five years on social media over their lifetime!

Between us, I think that estimate might even be a tad low but hey, that’s just me.

Since we’re already using the technology of social media, why not apply it to something we all know and love—like language learning? Makes sense, right?

What Is SMLL?

Social Media Language Learning, or SMLL, is a learning approach that concentrates on connecting interactive social media channels with language learners. Studies indicate that language learning is both inherently social and interactive so this method facilitates learning.

Idiomplus, based in Barcelona, Spain, was one of the first to implement a solid Social Media Language Learning program. It focuses on integrating social media channels to stimulate conversation between language learners, which in turn provides a more natural method for picking up a language.

Several other language learning leaders, including FluentU, espouse the social and interactive nature of modern social networks as a successful route to language learning.

How Can Social Media Help in a Language Learning Journey?

SMLL isn’t just about surfing the web, watching random videos or clicking interesting links—although some form of each of those is at least a logical component of the method.

What matters isn’t whether or not you click, surf and browse, but rather what you’re interacting with.

So focus on language learning now. There’ll be time for random stuff later. For now, open only sites which encourage you to stretch your language skills.

Social media adds an element of interactive fun to the language learning equation. And when something doesn’t feel like work, we tend to apply ourselves just a little bit more—with seemingly less effort.

The social aspect also allows you to connect to others, including learners like yourself as well as native speakers. And think about it—you can do this without ever leaving your home!

Chat and learn in fuzzy slippers, anyone?

Social media can even provide a way to hold yourself accountable. If you make a pledge to check in and report your progress, you’ll be more likely to work toward the goal you’ve set.

With others to encourage as well as pull you along, there’s less of a chance you may fall behind or discard your language commitment. The group mentality works, even from a distance!

Using videos, newscasts and conversations in chat groups to observe the cultural aspects of a country where a target language is spoken can be a huge advantage when it comes to learning. Remember, language learning is a social and interactive process so seeing, hearing and participating in things like fashion, food and the arts gives dimension to the journey, which you don’t typically find between the pages of a book or in a classroom setting.

Ready to Marry Social Media and Language Learning?

Let’s look at places to find communities of like-minded language learners like yourself.

Facebook

For many of us, the biggest social media hot spot is Facebook. And that’s great! If you’re committed to meeting language learners, it’s a great place to meet up and interact.

There are groups for various and specific languages—and some groups communicate solely through the target language so it becomes an immersive social media experience. It can be intimidating at first to see every post and comment in another language but don’t let that put you off. The sooner you join in, the more quickly you’ll learn.

There are also general language learner groups which allow participation in several languages.

Use the Facebook search bar to look for language learning groups, and you’ll find several to choose from in nearly every language.

Remember, if you’re not comfortable with the first group you choose, there’s no penalty for leaving the group to check out another. Bounce around if you have to, until you find a social language learning environment that fits your needs.

One language study group, We Do Languages, is a starting point for many people. They have many learners intent on mastering several languages!

If you really don’t find a Facebook language learning group that makes you feel like you’ll learn and grow, start your own group! If there’s not one that feels like “home,” make your own home and welcome others in.

The idea is to learn through socializing. It doesn’t matter where you hang your hat, as long as you get to know your new friends.

Blogs

Now that you’ve hopefully found a Facebook niche, add to that with some fun and interesting language learning blogs.

Bloggers write in countless languages, from nearly every spot on the globe. They provide a perspective and a slice of life from places that can seem new and exciting.

Lots of them come from countries that many of us won’t see in our lifetimes. But we can interact with those who live there and see what really goes on in the spots we dream about!

We can also do that with places we have visited, of course. For example, I’ve been to Italy and loved it. I speak Italian and am committed to staying fluent in the language so I read Adgblog, a blog about Italian culture. It’s written in Italian and there are some really interesting posts. Also, I read Wandering Italy, just for the culture.

There are also tons of blogs about learning other target languages. These blogs facilitate learning and are geared toward the learner’s mindset. The Polyglot Dream and Fluent in 3 Months are go-to sources for advice from polyglots who’ve walked the walk and can really talk the talk!

FluentU’s also has several blogs for those on their own language learning journey. They provide invaluable tips, advice and resources. In addition to this blog, which shares tips and resources for all language learners, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Korean and Italian each have their own blogs for language learners and are veritable warehouses of information. Additionally, there are separate blogs for educators in those languages, and there’s even a business English blog!

Twitter

The next three social media resources are all fast-paced social meeting places which allow for interaction, connection and learning in a target language.

Using Twitter to read “tweets” in a foreign language can be a fun learning device. There’s no overthinking things, and it has the appeal of casually sharing information.

One of my favorite polyglot Twitter accounts is called Polyglot Club. Just stopping in there reminds me I’m not alone on my language learning journey!

Polyglot Weekly is also worth a Twitter peek. Many of Tweets are about language, but they also cover cultural issues.

Finally, there’s the Twitter account for Duolingo, the language learning program and app. They post interesting little tips and tidbits about many different languages.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a messaging app that keeps the globe connected. Over a billion people in 180 countries keep in touch using this social device. Connect with people in a distant land and practice your language skills. It’s easy to interact with—and learn from—those who post in your target language.

Snapchat

Snapchat, the spot for posting photos and messages that are available only for a short time, can also encourage language learning. With users worldwide, there are plenty of people who can help with pronunciation and grammar issues. You can post a short video of yourself speaking and ask for critiques, then view replies on other users’ accounts.

YouTube

YouTube is a social media gold mine for language learners. To get the most out of what’s available, search using hashtags related to the language you want to learn.

For example, if you’re learning Spanish, these channels may be helpful. Looking for suggestions to find French videos? We’ve also got you covered. Or is German more your thing? No worries!

The point is, keep looking until you figure out what social media language learning resource and strategy best fits your lifestyle. Language learning is a personal endeavor with no one-size-fits-all method.

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

So now you’re a social media whiz. You’ve made connections and interactions and have improved your language learning.

But the question remains: How do you make social media a top tool in your language learning arsenal?

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Don’t be shy. Join conversations and participate. It’s not always easy, but just remember: You probably won’t ever see these people in real life and anyway, they’re probably too busy to worry if you make a mistake because they’re too concerned about the impression they’remaking!

• Ask questions and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Everybody’s learning together, and at one time the person who’s helping correct your mistake also made a similar mistake. Don’t forget that—and just enjoy the social aspects of sharing a language!

• Follow any accounts that facilitate learning. Of course, there are spots that don’t encourage participation but that doesn’t meant they aren’t useful. You can still drink up the content, learn about culture or simply glean insights by watching what native speakers do and say. There’s a lot to be said for observation!

Social Media and Language Learning, Living Happily Ever After

We live busy lives and it can be brutal to squeeze in time for language learning, unless we use what we have at hand to our best advantage. And for most of us, social media platforms are almost constantly at hand.

So reach out and touch someone, linguistically speaking, and learn while you’re getting acquainted.

Who knows, a social media learning experience might bring a new real-life friend into your life—along with a trip to somewhere fun and exotic, perhaps! What’s not to love?

Social media and language learning? Definitely seems like a match made in heaven!

weekend report

Week 1 in KPM

I  started off with one of the best things about the course. I started teacher training successively from KPMHSS Cheriyavelinelloor, Kollam. The class assigned form me was grade 9A as a English teacher trainee.

Honestly though, the other people on the course will be great for support and for letting off steam but your main asset on the course will be the more experienced teachers namely Rafeeque,Laya,Haritha,Shehin, Shameer and Najeeb. Hopefully what convinced you to go into to teacher was a fond memory of a teacher you had or the thought that you can truly inspire young minds. If that's the case you will meet a lot of like-minded individuals who are doing exactly what you want to do the following year.

CURRICULUM DESIGNING IN ENGLISH EDUCATION

When the new specifications for GCSE English were published, the focus was on how to cover the content of the course in two years and how the skills of analysis, evaluation and comparison could be taught in a way that met the exam board requirements. The next question was how to embed these skills in Key Stage 3. At first, the process involved simply adapting the units of work in Key Stage 3 so that students could answer ‘GCSE-style’ questions based on the units already in place. This approach was in response to the speed of change and the workload required to create a new Key Stage 4 curriculum, leaving little time left to meaningfully develop Key Stage 3. However, it was soon clear that this would only result in a curriculum of disjointed units of work merely connected by the command words of the GCSE exam papers. There was no real sense of cohesion: units of work were episodic, with no clear sense of direction beyond approaching a text as they would for the GCSE.

We had to start thinking about our curriculum in a different way – not as a series of stand-alone units of work based on what was in the shared area or in the book cupboard, but based on a curriculum ‘structured as narrative over time’ (Counsell, 2018). Having read Daniel Willingham’s Why Don’t Students Like School? (Willingham, 2009), we also realised that to design a powerful curriculum, ‘knowledge must precede skill’ (Willingham, 2009, p. 19). Therefore, rather than a focus on skills taught through an ad hoc choice of literary texts, we began to consider what knowledge could be taught in Key Stage 3 that would ‘manifest itself indirectly, but powerfully and critically, in future learning of other content’ (Counsell, 2018).

We began by identifying the prior knowledge that might act as a foundation for students to better access the GCSE set texts. When teaching Macbeth, we identified the frequent use of allusion in the text, recognising that an understanding of these allusions would lead to a more integrated approach to both context and analysis. To help students understand the allusions to Greek mythology and biblical testament, we aimed to do more than simply tell them that Golgotha was the site of Jesus’ crucifixion or Hecate was the Greek goddess of witchcraft; we aimed for students to understand the wider implications of Shakespeare’s choices through a deeper knowledge of these references within the context of literary history.

To achieve this, we developed a Key Stage 3 unit of study based on allusion. We focused predominantly on Greek mythology and The Odyssey, but also explored the power of allusion throughout literature, looking at examples from modern texts and discussing the enduring power of language. This culminated in students writing speeches where the criteria included using literary or biblical allusions to support their argument. This unit taught students the powerful effect of allusion, both as a point of analysis and in their own application, whilst also creating a sense of cohesion between what was taught at Key Stage 3 and their later study of Macbeth.

We then began to consider what other layers of prior knowledge we could embed in Key Stage 3 to help assimilate new knowledge later in the curriculum. The most obvious example was in the teaching of the GCSE poetry anthology. We found that the time restraints for this unit often meant paying lip service to the literary movements that the poems sprang from. We would tell students that Wordsworth and Keats were Romantic poets and give a brief overview of the key characteristics of that movement, but there was no time to explore the nuances of the movement or fully explain what it was a reaction to and how later artists responded to it. We wanted students to have a better understanding of where the Romantics sit within the history of our literary heritage and to realise that the texts they study had not been written in a vacuum – exploring nuanced connections, such as Romanticism being connected to the Enlightenment and Classicism, and the later responses to this movement by Modernists.

Our aim was for students to understand that the Romantic movement was an artistic, literary, cultural and political movement, and that this interconnectedness spans far wider than the few poems they study in Year 10. A unit of work was then developed based on a journey through literary history, from Classicism to Modernism, so that when studying La Belle Dame Sans Merci and A Complaint at GCSE, students had a more meaningful understanding of the context of the poems and the poets’ choices, thereby offering far more than a shallow acknowledgement of these poets as being Romantics.

As our curriculum has developed, there has been far more focus on each element having a ‘function’ (Counsell, 2018), whereby the content taught earlier in the curriculum has a clear relationship with what is studied later, thereby creating a coherent curriculum with a clear sense of narrative from Year 7 to Year 11.

INNOVATIVE WORK

Online resources for teaching and learning English as a Second Language

There are several sites with resources for those learning (or teaching) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL or EFL).

TESL Canada Federation is the Canadian national federation of English as a Second Language teachers, learners and learner advocates. Its web site has a number of useful resources, including an guidelines on the English Language Proficiency Test  and English Language Test score requirements for major Canadian universities. Its Teachers’ Resource Centre contains a wealth of free resources for teachers of ESL.

The British Council also has a wide range of resources. Its LearnEnglish Kids has lots of free online games, songs, stories and activities for children to have fun and learn English too.

UsingEnglish.com provides a large collection of English as a Second Language (ESL) tools and resources for students, teachers, learners and academics.

An Online Resource for EFL Learners provides EFL learners with comprehensive exercises, tasks and useful links related to various skills and components of English language. It is the work of Hamed Ghaemi, a PhD candidate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in University of Tehran, International Campus.

A Google search under ‘Online resources ESL’ will identify hundreds of other sites, but the quality varies.

Women's empowerment

Women's empowerment is the process in which women elaborate and recreate what it is that they can be, do, and accomplish in a circumstance that they previously were denied.^[1][2] Empowerment can be defined in many ways, however, when talking about women’s empowerment, empowerment means accepting and allowing people (women) who are on the outside of the decision-making process into it. “This puts a strong emphasis on participation in political structures and formal decision-making and, in the economic sphere, on the ability to obtain an income that enables participation in economic decision-making.”^[3] Empowerment is the process that creates power in individuals over their own lives, society, and in their communities. People are empowered when they are able to access the opportunities available to them without limitations and restrictions. Feeling entitled to make your own decisions creates a sense of empowerment. Empowerment includes the action of raising the status of women through education, raising awareness, literacy, and training. Women's empowerment is all about equipping and allowing women to make life-determining decisions through the different problems in society.^[4]

Alternatively, it is the process for women to redefine gender roles that allows for them to acquire the ability to choose between known alternatives whom have otherwise been restricted from such an ability.^[1] There are several principles defining women's empowerment such as, for one to be empowered, they must come from a position of disempowerment. Furthermore, one must acquire empowerment themselves rather than have it given to them by an external party. Other studies have found that empowerment definitions entail people having the capability to make important decisions in their lives while also being able to act on them. Lastly, empowerment and disempowerment is relative to other at a previous time; therefore, empowerment is a process, not a product.^[2]

Women empowerment has become a significant topic of discussion in development and economics. It can also point to the approaches regarding other trivialized genders in a particular political or social context.

Women's economic empowerment refers to the ability for women to enjoy their right to control and benefit from the resources, assets, income and their own time, as well as the ability to manage risk and improve their economic status and well being.^[5]

While often interchangeably used, the more comprehensive concept of gender empowerment refers to people of any gender, stressing the distinction between biological and gender as a role.

Importance of women's empowerment in societies[edit]

Entire nations, businesses, communities and groups can benefit from the implementation of programs and policies that adopt the notion of women empowerment.^[6]Empowerment of women is a necessity for the very development of a society, since it enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development.^[7] Empowerment is one of the main procedural concerns when addressing human rights and development.

Women's empowerment and achieving gender equality is essential for our society to ensure the sustainable development of the country. Many world leaders and scholars have argued that sustainable development is impossible without gender equality and women’s empowerment.^[4] Sustainable development accepts environmental protection, social and economic development,^[8] and without women’s empowerment, women wouldn’t feel equally important to the process of development as men. It is widely believed that, the full participation of both men and women is critical for development. Only acknowledging men’s participation will not be beneficial to sustainable development. In the context of women and development, empowerment must include more choices for women to make on their own.^[9]Without gender equality and empowerment, the country could not be just, and social change wouldn’t occur. Therefore, scholars agree that women’s empowerment plays a huge role in development and is one of the significant contributions of development. Without the equal inclusion of women in development, women would not be able to benefit or contribute to the development of the country.

Methods[edit]

Scholars have identified two forms of empowerment, economic empowerment and political empowerment.^[10][11]

Economic empowerment[edit]

Economic empowerment increases women's agency, access to formal government programs, mobility outside the home, economic independence, and purchasing power. Policy makers are suggested to support job training to aid in entrance in the formal markets.^[10] One recommendation is to provide more formal education opportunities for women that would allow for higher bargaining power in the home. They would have more access to higher wages outside the home; and as a result, make it easier for women to get a job in the market.^[12]

Strengthening women's access to property inheritance and land rights is another method used to economically empower women. This would allow them better means of asset accumulation, capital, and bargaining power needed to address gender inequalities. Often, women in developing and underdeveloped nations are legally restricted from their land on the sole basis of gender.^[12] Having a right to their land gives women a sort of bargaining power that they wouldn't normally have; in turn, they gain more opportunities for economic independence and formal financial institutions.

Race has a huge impact on women’s empowerment in areas such as employment. Employment can help create empowerment for women. Many scholars suggest that when we discuss women’s empowerment, discussing the different barriers that underprivileged women face, which makes it more difficult for them to obtain empowerment in society, is important when examining the impact of race in connection to employment. Significantly examining how opportunities are structured by gender, race, and class can transpire social change. Work opportunities and the work environment can create empowerment for women. Empowerment in the workplace can positively affect job satisfaction and performance, having equality in the work place can greatly increase the sense of empowerment.^[13] However, women of color do not have the same accessibility and privileges in work settings. Women of color are faced with more disadvantages in the work place. Patricia Parker argues that African American women’s empowerment is their resistance to control, standing up for themselves and not conforming to societal norms and expectations. In connection to power, feminist perspectives look at empowerment as a form of resistance within systems of unequal power relations. Within the societal setting of race, gender, and class politics, African American women’s empowerment in work environment “can be seen as resistance to attempts to fix meanings of appropriate identity and behavior, where such meanings are interpreted as controlling, exploitative, and other- wise oppressive to African American women.”^[14] When talking about women’s empowerment, many scholars suggest examining the social injustices on women in everyday organizational life that are influenced by race, class, and gender.

Another popular methodology for women's economic empowerment also includes microcredit.^[15] Microfinance institutions aim to empower women in their community by giving them access to loans that have low interest rates without the requirement of collateral.^[16] More specifically, they aim to give microcredit to women who want to be entrepreneurs.^[16] The success and efficiency of microcredit and microloans is controversial and constantly debated.^[17] Some critiques claim that microcredit alone doesn't guarantee women have control over the way it is used. Microfinance institutions don't address cultural barriers that allow men to still control household finances; as a result, microcredit may simply be transferred to the husband. Microcredit doesn't relieve women of household obligations, and even if women have credit, they don't have the time to be as active in the market as men.^[16][18]

Political empowerment[edit]

Political empowerment supports creating policies that would best support gender equality and agency for women in both the public and private spheres. Popular methods that have been suggested are to create affirmative action policies that have a quota for the number of women in policy making and parliament positions.^[12] As of 2017, the global average of women whom hold lower and single house parliament positions is 23.6 percent.^[11] Further recommendations have been to increase women's rights to vote, voice opinions, and the ability to run for office with a fair chance of being elected.^[6] Because women are typically associated with child care and domestic responsibilities in the home, they have less time dedicated to entering the labour market and running their business. Policies that increase their bargaining power in the household would include policies that account for cases of divorce, policies for better welfare for women, and policies that give women control over resources (such as property rights).^[12] However, participation is not limited to the realm of politics. It can include participation in the household, in schools, and the ability to make choices for oneself. Some theorists believe that bargaining power and agency in the household must to be achieved before one can move onto broader political participation.^[19]

Measurement and assessment[edit]

Women empowerment can be measured through the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), which shows women's participation in a given nation, both politically and economically. GEM is calculated by tracking "the share of seats in parliament held by women; of female legislators, senior officials and managers; and of female profession and technical workers; and the gender disparity in earned income, reflecting economic independence".^[6] It then ranks countries given this information. Other measures that take into account the importance of female participation and equality include: the Gender Parity Index and the Gender-related Development Index(GDI).^[6]

Some critiques of GEM is that it is not concerned with factors regarding society, such as gender, religion, cultural context, legal context, and violations of women's rights.^[20] Gender empowerment measure attempts to makes a consistent standardized approach to measure women's empowerment; in doing so, it has been critiqued that the GEM doesn't account for variation in historical factors, female autonomy, gender segregation, and women's right to vote.^[21]

The Gender-related Development Index (GDI) is a way in which the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) measures the inequality between genders within a country. Some critique of this measurement is that, because GDI calculations rely solely on the achievement distribution between males and females of a population, GDI doesn't measure gender inequality; rather, it measures absolute levels on income, education and health^[20]

A more qualitative form of assessing women's empowerment is to identify constraints to action. This allows for the identification of power relations between genders. Because this is a participatory process, it facilitates conversation on gender discrimination.^[2] Comparing constraints on women at a later time also allows for any changes or expansion to be better identified. The evaluation of the development of women's agency allows for an evaluation of actions taken. These assessments must also be based on the action taken by women, and not external groups. External groups can help facilitate women's empowerment, but cannot bestow it on them.^[2]

Barriers[edit]

Many of the barriers to women's empowerment and equity lie ingrained in cultural norms. Many women feel these pressures, while others have become accustomed to being treated inferior to men.^[22] Even if legislators, NGOs, etc. are aware of the benefits women's empowerment and participation can have, many are scared of disrupting the status of the women and continue to let societal norms get in the way of development.^[23]

Research shows that the increasing access to the internet can also result in an increased exploitation of women.^[24] Releasing personal information on websites has put some women's personal safety at risk. In 2010, Working to Halt Online Abuse stated that 73% of women were victimized through such sites. Types of victimization include cyber stalking, harassment, online pornography, and flaming.^[25] Sexual harassment in particular is a large barrier for women in the workplace. It appears in almost all industries, but is most notable in the following: business, trade, banking and finance, sales and marketing, hospitality, civil service, and education, lecturing and teaching.^[26] According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), sexual harassment is a clear form of gender discrimination based on sex, a manifestation of unequal power relations between men and women. Furthermore, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is urging for increased measures of protection for women against sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. 54% (272) had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment. 79% of the victims are women; 21% were men.^[26]

Recent studies also show that women face more barriers in the workplace than do men. Gender-related barriers involve sexual harassment, unfair hiring practices, career progression, and unequal pay where women are paid less than men are for performing the same job.^[27] When taking the median earnings of men and women who worked full-time, year-round, government data from 2014 showed that women made $0.79 for every dollar a man earned. The average earnings for working mothers came out to even less—$0.71 for every dollar a father made, according to a 2014 study conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Children. While much of the public discussion of the "wage gap" has focused around women getting equal pay for the same work as their male peers, many women struggle with what is called the "pregnancy penalty". The main problem is that it is difficult to measure, but some experts say that the possibility of having a baby can be enough for employers to push women back from their line.^[28] Therefore, women are put in a position where they need to make the decision of whether to maintain in the workforce or have children. This problem has sparked the debate over maternity leave in the United States.

However, despite the struggle for equal pay in the United States, the tech industry^{[clarification needed]} has made progress in helping to encourage equal pay across gender. In March 2016, tech career website Dice released a study of more than 16,000 tech professionals that found that when you compare equivalent education, experience and position, there is no pay gap—and hasn't been for the last six years.^[28] This new industry is paving a way for other companies to do the same. However, this industry also struggles to employ women in executive positions. This is partially due to the barrier of sexual harassment and pregnancy that was aforementioned.

Such barriers make it difficult for women to advance in their workplace or receive fair compensation for the work they provide.

Role of education[edit]

It is said that education increases "people's self-confidence and also enables them to find better jobs and they can work shoulder to shoulder with men".^[29] They engage in public debate and make demands on government for health care, social security and other entitlements".^[30] In particular, education empowers women to make choices that improve their children's health, their well-being, and chances of survival.^[31][30] Education informs others of preventing and containing the disease, and it is an essential element of efforts to reduce malnutrition. Furthermore, it empowers women to make choices that can improve their welfare, including marrying beyond childhood and having fewer children. Crucially, education can increase women's awareness of their rights, boost their self-esteem, and provide them the opportunity to assert their rights.^[32]

Despite significant improvements in recent decades, education is not universally available and gender inequalities persist. A major concern in many countries is not only the limited numbers of girls going to school but also the limited educational pathways for those that step into the classroom. More specifically, there should be more efforts to address the lower participation and learning achievement of girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.^[33]

The Internet as a tool of empowerment[edit]

The growing access of the web in the late 20th century has allowed women to empower themselves by using various tools on the Internet. With the introduction of the World Wide Web, women have begun to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter for online activism.^[24] Through online activism, women are able to empower themselves by organizing campaigns and voicing their opinions for equality rights without feeling oppressed by members of society.^[34] For example, on May 29, 2013, an online campaign started by 100 female advocates forced the leading social networking website, Facebook, to take down various pages that spread hatred about women.^[35]

In recent years, blogging has also become a powerful tool for the educational empowerment of women. According to a study done by the University of California, Los Angeles, medical patients who read and write about their disease are often in a much happier mood and more knowledgeable than those who do not.^[36] By reading others' experiences, patients can better educate themselves and apply strategies that their fellow bloggers suggest.^[36]

With the easy accessibility and affordability of e-learning (electronic learning), women can now study from the comfort of their homes.^[37] By empowering themselves educationally through new technologies like e-learning, women are also learning new skills that will come in handy in today's advancing globalized world.

Often times, the internet is very useful as source of empowerment for women through its creation, dispersion, and utilization of hashtags on social media. One prime example of hashtags supporting women empowerment was in 2017 when the #AintNoCinderella hashtag came into existence. This hashtag spread like wildfire on social media after Varnika Kundu (a 29-year-old woman in India) was driving home past midnight on August 4 when she was followed and harassed by two men in a SUV^{[citation needed]}. Kundu was blamed for being out late at night, particularly by the BJP government Vice-President Ramveer Bhatti. This lead to women all across India and the world posting pictures of themselves out late at night with the hashtag "#AintNoCinderella" to show that women do not have a particular curfew to which they have to adhere to (like Cinderella did).^[38]

Ongoing projects[edit]

The UN came out with a set of goals called the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, to help make the world a better place.^[39] Of the 17, the fourth goal works to allow access to education for all people alike. A large effort has been made to include women in schools to better their education.^[40] Similarly, the fifth goal focuses on empowering women and girls to achieve gender equality through equal access to various types of opportunities (health care, education, work, etc.).^[41]

There are also some prominent non-profits that help empower women:^[42]