Reading in present days - is it in good trend?

"Reading in present days - is it in good trend?" This is the million dollar question for the present writers and publishers. It is evident that the population is increasing day by day but the books publication is going on decreasing why? All of us knows very well. The reading habbits are becoming thinner in the present busy and cosmic world. Voluntary reading rates are dropping - reading skills are "worsening" among teens - adults are becoming less proficient readers.

People who's life is all about books and reading. It is the trend that we have to download the pages from the net and read. One way it is an advantage for the booklovers to get the books they want on a single click but is it convenient to read on the desktop is also a burning issue of the book lovers. On the other hand we have to read most of the unwanted stuff on the net for getting an useful information. Books will improve the knowledge and culture of the people more importantly, on the development of young minds and young readers.

The present world is reading much more than the preceders but what stuff they are reading? Email, Web Sites, Blogs, Instant Messaging, and Social Networks have created an explosion of words and creativity. The percentage of the required information from these stuff is it worth to read them? This is the time to think as the time is the only unreclycled resource for the people.

Look around any Starbucks and count the number of people typing on laptops, PDAs and cellphones. Count those reading newspapers. If they are not reading, what exactly are they doing? My email, RSS feeds and blogs provide me with more reading material in one day than it used to get in an entire month. It could say that this is all work related and not in any sense voluntary.

Everyday, people online follow links that take them to very strange places. It is so easy to intrigued with some weird factoid and go off on a reading tangent totally unrelated to anything! They are making new friends online within seconds. Is this friendship is true? I donot say againt net friendship may be one in thousands may be true and becomes true, but majority of these cases are false. They simply time pass. Is the time is that much useless to pass for an unproductive work? If any body looses a single penny they worries much why can't they bother for loosing a valuable time.

Electronic reading propels literacy and information to the next level. It takes a one dimensional object and adds to it participation, sound and movement to create a richer, multidimensional experience. I have always loved books; that is unlikely to change anytime soon. And yet, I find myself increasing feeling claustrophobic and impatient with print. It has been a long time since I picked up a magazine or newspaper.

Consciously, or unconsciously, we are all in the process of examining and redefining how and why we read. Books are good friends because they always with you, they doesn't even ask you to offer cool drink, pizza. By reading books one can enjoy the ultimate feeling they can take you to the rich himalayan atmosphere, sandy sahara decerts just in few moments without visa or passport and not buying any ticket.

Education it only not built the students - Quality Education is.

Education is an essential need for the human beings just like food, cloths and shelter. Without education the children cannot growup as the personalities to contribute to the society and the self. But education means only study? The education without quality is no use.

An adequate educational evaluation enhances instruction. Just as evaluation impacts student learning and motivation, it also influences the nature of instruction in the classroom. There has been considerable recent literature that has promoted evaluation as something that is integrated with instruction. To her, when evaluation is integrated with instruction it informs teachers about what activities and assignments will be most useful, what level of teaching is most appropriate, and how summative evaluations provide diagnostic information.

For instance, during instruction activities informal, formative evaluation helps teachers know when to move on, when to ask more questions, when to give more examples, and what responses to student questions are most appropriate. Standardized test scores, when used appropriately, help teachers understand student strengths and weaknesses to target further instruction. Good assessment is valid and considers validity as a concept that needs to be fully understood.

Like reliability, there are technical terms and issues associated with validity that are essential in helping teachers and administrators make reasonable and appropriate inferences from evaluation results (e.g., types of validity evidence, validity generalization, construct underrepresentation, construct-irrelevant variance, and discriminant and convergent evidence). Both intended and unintended consequences of evaluation need to be examined with appropriate evidence that supports particular arguments or points of view.

Of equal importance is getting teachers and administrators to understand their role in gathering and interpreting validity evidence. Good evaluation is fair and ethical and there are four views of fairness: as absence of bias (e.g., offensiveness and unfair penalization), as equitable treatment, as equality in outcomes, and as opportunity to learn. It includes entire chapters on the rights and responsibilities of test takers, testing individuals of diverse linguistic backgrounds, and testing individuals with disabilities or special needs.

According to his text, there are also three additional areas characterized as also important: - Student knowledge of learning targets and the nature of the evaluations prior to instruction (e.g., knowing what will be tested, how it will be graded, scoring criteria, anchors, exemplars, and examples of performance). - Student prerequisite knowledge and skills, including test-taking skills. - Avoiding stereotypes. Evaluation that is fair, leading to valid inferences with a minimum of error, is a series of measures that show student understanding through multiple methods. A complete picture of what students understand and can do is put together in pieces comprised by different approaches to evaluation.

While testing experts and testing companies stress that important decisions should not be made on the basis of a single test score, some educators at the local level, and some (many?) politicians at the state at the national level, seem determined to violate this principle. There is a need to understand the entire range of evaluation techniques and methods, with the realization that each has limitations. Good evaluation is efficient and feasible. Teachers and school administrators have limited time and resources. Consideration must be given to the efficiency of different approaches to evaluation, balancing needs to implement methods required to provide a full understanding with the time needed to develop and implement the methods, and score results. Teacher skills and knowledge are important to consider, as well as the level of support and resources.

We may consider a lot the importance in the fact of good evaluation appropriately incorporates technology. As technology advances and teachers become more proficient in the use of technology, there will be increased opportunities for teachers and administrators to use computer-based techniques (e.g., item banks, electronic grading, computer-adapted testing, computer-based simulations), Internet resources, and more complex, detailed ways of reporting results. There is to him, however, a danger that technology will contribute to the mindless use of new resources, such as using items on-line developed by some companies without adequate evidence of reliability, validity, and fairness, and crunching numbers with software programs without sufficient thought about weighting, error, and averaging.

To summarize, what is most essential about evaluation is understanding how general, fundamental evaluation principles and ideas can be used to enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. This will be achieved as teachers and administrators learn about conceptual and technical evaluation concepts, methods, and procedures, for both large-scale and classroom evaluations, and apply these fundamentals to instruction.

Home and School lays learning track for the children

THE HOME-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP:

From the moment of birth, a child begins to learn. Parents or other primary caregivers are not only a child’s first teachers; they may be the most important teachers a child will ever have. Children learn much in their first few years of life, and once they begin school, their home life strongly affect their school performance. A recent study found that parents make a significant difference in a child’s school achievement.

Most adults feel that it is harder to be a parent today, and they consider it particularly difficult to find sufficient time to spend with their children. Nevertheless, parents want the best for their youngsters. They are concerned about preparing them for their school years, and they want to share in their day-to-day school experiences by providing support in the home for schoolwork.

THE HOME ENVIRONMENT:

When teachers across the nation were asked in a survey about what would help improve American education, their overwhelming response was that they could do their best job educating children who were sent to school in good physical condition and with positive mental attitudes towards learning.

Children need adequate food, clothing, and shelter to be physically fit to learn. It is equally important for children to develop a sense of self-worth. Children who feel good about themselves are better able to learn. Their self-esteem comes from knowing that they are valued members of the family and that they have the loving support and understanding of family members. Allowing children freedom and independence within consistent limits; providing just enough supervision and guidance for their protection; and rewarding their efforts with praise and encouragement are all ways by which children learn that they are loved and respected for who they are.

Given this kind of atmosphere in which to grow, children also need a few key learning experiences. There are at least two things parents can do that will help children be successful in school-reading to them, daily if possible, and talking with them as you share time together.

Educational studies have shown the children who are read to on a regular basis come to school ready to learn to read and that they experience fewer difficulties mastering the at of reading. Fortunately, children’s books are readily available. Inexpensive books for young children can be purchased at bookstore sales and in supermarket and discount stores. They can be picked up for a few coins at tag sales. Local public libraries contain shelves full of wonderful fiction and nonfiction books for children of all ages, free to anyone with a library card. School age children are able to buy books at discounted prices at schools book fairs, and teachers often encourage book sharing by providing time for youngsters to trade favorite books with their classmates. Children of any age love to be read to, and they should be encouraged to participate actively in the reading experience.

Talk with children about what they are reading. Ask them about what is taking place in the story and what they think will happen next. Have them find things in the illustrations that are named in the story. Encourage them o ask questions. Praise them when they ‘read’ to you from a favorite book they have heard May, many times. Demonstrate to children that you enjoy reading, too. Let them see you enjoying a book, magazine, or news paper in your leisure moments. A few minutes a day spent with children and a book can make a substantial difference to their success in school.

Talking with children is another essential learning experience. Telling stories, explaining the steps you use in preparing a meal or fixing a faucet, playing word games, posing riddles, and singing songs are just a few meaningful ways to communicate with youngsters. Encourage your children to talk to you. Show your interest in the questions they raise. Help them work out solutions to problems verbally.

Take the time to listen when they are eager to share an experience or a feeling. By learning how to use language to communicate wit others, children build a speaking and listening vocabulary that will form the foundation for learning to read and write.

In addition to reading to and talking with children parents should try to provide, as much as they are able, a wide variety of experiences for their children. Taking tem for walks around the neighborhood and stopping in at local businesses, parks, playgrounds, and libraries are free activities that offer fruitful opportunities for talking and earning. Trips to museums, zoos, athletic events, and concerts have obvious benefits in broadening children’s interests and knowledge.

By participating actively in your children’s learning experiences, you will earn their preferences, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. You will then be better prepared to provide the successful experiences at home that will give them the confidence they need to meet the challenges of school.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL:

Once children are in school, they find that their learning becomes more regimented. Parents and caregivers often discover that schools today are very different from the schools they attended. They are not sure about what the school expects or what actually goes on in the classroom. Some parents come to believe that their children’s education is now out of their hands and should be left to the professionals.

Research, however, documents that children do best in school when parents view themselves as being in charge of their children’s education. Parental involvement has proven to be more important to children’s success in school than family income or level of education. Most educators realize that well-informed parents can be strong supporters and allies in the work they do. They are reaching out more frequently to involve parents in the school and its activities.

Parents demonstrate that they think education is valuable when they continually share their children’s school experiences. Getting to know your youngster’s teachers is of primary importance. What do they expect of their students? Do children in their classrooms spend some of their time at their desks listening and completing teacher-directed activities? Are students expected to take responsibility for their own learning for part of the day, moving around the room, choosing from a variety of activities to work on individually or cooperatively with other children? Are students required to learn facts for tests as well as solve problems requiring critical thinking? Do their teachers evaluate the progress of students by keeping a portfolio of their work? Knowing what is required of your children will enable you to offer the most effective support.

Schools recognize the need for good home school communication and most schools use parents teacher conferences and written reports as a means of reporting on children’s progress. Because of working hours and other responsibilities, parts or other caregivers sometimes find it difficult to deep in touch with teachers or to attend school functions when that is the case, it is important that some other key family member make the contact or attend the meeting.

When you miss teacher conferences or school functions, you are sending your children the message that school matters may not be important enough to take some of your time and concern. When the efforts is made to be in regular contact with teachers and administrators, you signal your children that school and schoolwork are important and serious business for both of you. Increasingly, schools well come parents participation in other school activities. Many moms and dads, and grand parents, too, perform valuable services as classroom assistants and volunteer tutors or become active in parent-advisory or PTO groups.

HOW IMPORTANT IS HOMEWORK:

Teachers typically assign homework to their students. But without guidance from their parents, children may find it difficult to organize their after-school time in order to complete the assignments. How important is homework? What can parents do to help children get over the homework hurdle?

Studies show that doing homework regularly and conscientiously helps raise student achievement. Teachers recognize the importance of homework in helping students become independent learners. Talk to teachers early in the school year to find out what, in general, the homework requirements will be for your children.
Work together with your children to set up ground rules that will promote good study habits.

First, agree on a regular time and place for study, one that accommodates the needs of each child and the availability of a family helper, and be firm in ticking to it. Be ready to handle distractions-telephone calls, a turned-on TV set. Interference from brothers and sisters. Help your children get started each day by making sure they understand what they are supposed to do for their assignments and that they have the materials they need. Do not do the homework for your children, but be ready to assist when they ask for help.

Many parents, especially when younger children are involved, check completed assignments to make sure a child has not misunderstood the work. This can prevent embarrassment for youngsters and will enable you to alert the teachers to possible problems they may be having in learning the material.

Homework can help your children become better students with good study habits and keep you informed about their work in classes.