Physical Development Essay Example for Free

Physical Development Essay Primary school children, aged six to twelve years old, will undergo a variety of developmental changes, both physical and mental, and as teachers it is imperative that we both understand and accommodate the physical needs of students in the learning environment. To fully comprehend these changes, one must consider the actual physical changes that occur, in particular the development of motor skills, as well as how to accommodate the physical needs and development of students during their primary school years. Supplementary to these broader topics are the benefits of physical activity as well as the consequences of prolonged inactivity, and how a student’s physical development can either facilitate or restrict development in other areas. Children between the ages of 6 and 10 (referred to as ‘middle childhood’) will experience a plethora of physical developments. Firstly, they will steadily gain weight and height, though their basic body structure will remain unchanged. Children will also lose their 20 primary or ‘baby’ teeth, which will be replaced by permanent teeth. Some of the most significant skills children of this age will develop are motor skills. Motor skills refer to a learned sequence of movements that combine to create an efficient action in order to become proficient at a certain activity. These can be divided into two subcategories: ‘gross motor skills’ and ‘fine motor skills’. Gross motor skills are â€Å"large movements of the body that permit locomotion through and within the environment† (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010) and includes such skills as walking and swimming, while fine motor skills are â€Å"Small, precise movements of particular parts of the body, especially the hands† (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010), and include such skills as writing and drawing. In early childhood, humans rely largely on reflexive (that is, unlearned and involuntary) movement patterns, and thus are lacking fine motor skills. As they reach middle childhood, children develop voluntary movement patterns, and begin refining both their gross and fine motor skills, gaining proficiency in a variety of actions. Children increase the speed and coordination of their running, kicking and throwing, and become able to integrate these movements into sports and other structured play activities. They also make advances in their handwriting, becoming smaller and more consistent, and their drawings, supported by further cognitive development, become more detailed. Finally, the functions of the brain are enhanced in a number of ways. The two hemispheres of the brain develop into more unique sectors, and groups of regularly used neurons are cultivated. The process of myelination, ‘the growth of a fatty sheath around neurons that allows them to transmit messages more quickly’ (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010), continues, permitting swift and sustained learning. In order to accommodate and encourage student’s physical needs and developments, teachers should first and foremost always ensure that the learning area is safe. The classroom should constantly be checked for hazards, such as sharp edges on desks, loose flooring, or potentially dangerous substances, and teachers should ensure that â€Å"Rooms, bathrooms, and hallways are cleaned daily† (Wilford, 2006). Children should also be educated on how to recognise situations or objects that could harm them, and how to deal with them effectively. As young children are especially vulnerable to illness, it is particularly important to do everything possible to prevent it, by keeping the area clean and sanitizing surfaces, and teaching children sanitary practices, such as washing their hands after toileting. This is a vital area of education; should a child suffer from a serious illness for a long period of time, their physical development may be permanently mired, having serious consequences on their entire lives. It is also important that students have access to healthy and nutritious food at school, and learn about sound eating habits. Certain foods or lack thereof, have varying effects on students’ physical development, and should children be malnourished for an extended period of time, their development may be permanently stunted. A child who is malnourished is â€Å"more prone to infections† (Brewster and White, 2002) which â€Å"further impair (their) nutritional state by depressing (their) appetite and increasing the demand on his reserves of protein and energy† (Brewster and White, 2002), leading to further diminished rates of physical development. For these reasons, it is imperative that primary school students’ learning environment be kept as safe and healthy as possible, through the teacher’s ensuring that the classroom is hazard free and sanitized, and that the children have access to nutritious and healthy food, as well as educating the children so that they may implement such skills themselves. By doing this, educators can accommodate the physical needs and developments of their children, and maximise the effectiveness of their schooling, both physical and academic. During primary school, students are â€Å"at an optimal age in terms of motor skill learning† (Anshel, 1990), and thus motor skills develop rapidly, allowing them to perform skilled tasks. In order to help students develop these motor skills, it is important for teachers to incorporate physical activity into their curriculum. This assists in the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Firstly, they should provide frequent opportunities for students to participate in physical activity throughout the day; these activities would ideally allow the participation of children, regardless of their respective skill levels. For example, when guiding children through skipping rope, the teacher could at first have them use a long rope and simply step over the rope; children who find this easy could then try actual skipping. Should this prove relatively easy, they could skip at a faster pace, and children who showed proficiency at this higher level could try crossing the rope over while skipping. Educators can also integrate physical activity into academic lessons, which will not only shorten the length of time between physical activities, but also keep the students more engaged in the lesson. Conversely, it is also important to give students adequate time to rest. If they spend too much time exercising and overexert themselves, this will only lead to decreased concentration during the rest of their lessons, causing their performance to suffer. Additionally, children progressing through middle childhood still have relatively soft bones, so additional caution should be taken if they perform any high impact exercises, such as lifting heavy weights. To reiterate, young students’ physical development can be accommodated through the utilisation of physical activity at school, however this must be done in moderation, otherwise it may be detrimental to the child’s education and general wellbeing. Finally, educators should be aware of how a child’s physical development can assist with or hinder their development in other areas. For example, a child who has developed at a faster rate than their peers will likely be more proficient at sports, and the strengthened neuron pathways will increase the rate at which they learn and become proficient at academic subjects. The self-confidence this gives them may then be expressed through the child’s interest and application in school, which in turn will make their entire learning experience both easier and more pleasurable. Increased participation in both sport and academic activities will in turn make meeting and befriending other students easier, allowing the student to expand socially, again giving them a more positive outlook on school and further increasing their focus and determination to succeed physically and academically. On the other hand, students who have not physically developed as quickly as others in their year group may not perform as well in either academic or physical activities, and subsequently suffer from ‘learned helplessness’, a situation in which a child’s experience leads them to believe they will always fail, and thus they do not try, acting â€Å"as though they (are) helpless to do better† (U. S. Dep Education, 1992). This lack of confidence and learned helplessness can cause students to become â€Å"listless and inattentive and sometimes disruptive† (U. S. Dep Education, 1992), and â€Å"may be prevent (students) from fulfilling (their) potential† (Seligman, 1990). This is why it is essential to implement scaffolding into the learning environment, to support less physically developed students and assist them in succeeding, building their confidence. Therefore, it is important that teachers carefully monitor the progress of students individually, and provide support and encouragement appropriate to their developmental stage to facilitate the learning experience for them. Children completing their primary education will experience many new things; socially, mentally and physically. It is the role of teachers to make this experience as beneficial as possible, and a key element of doing so is the understanding of the physical developments they undergo during this time. To fully appreciate these developments, educators should consider the benefit of physical activity, as well as the consequences of prolonged inactivity, how a student’s physical development can assist with or hinder their development in other areas, motor development in children and how this is influenced, and finally how to accommodate and support the developments and needs of their students.

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

Among the first people to be executed were the so-called witches within the colonies. These executions became known as the Salem Witch trials. When the trials between May and October 1692 were over, there were about twenty people that were sentenced to die. According to the English law many offenses were punishable by death. Most included property crimes and such other non-violent crimes. Robbery, extortion, arson and pick pocketing were all punishable by death. In Massachusetts there were only thirteen crimes punishable by death which include; cursing, adultery, lying under oath, praying to idols, etc. Throughout the colonies Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York kept the death penalty while in others they opposed and abolished the law. Michigan was the first state to do away with capital punishment. After that the states followed although Maine teeter tottered until 1887, when the law was abolished. Many years passed and states went back and forth on whether or not to keep or discard the death penalty. Some discarded it while other kept it and limited the number of crimes punishable by death. Since May 1995, 38 out of the 50 states had capital punishment laws.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ongoing debate about capital punishment is a tug of war. When crime declines the need for death penalty declines and when crime increases the need also increases. It’s all a matter of our social situation. Statistics show that by 2001 the 80 percent of supporters declined to a 65 percent and went even lower in 2002. From 1990 to 2000 the number of people sentenced to die was a good 3,550 the number of people executed was highest in 1930’s to the 1940’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1994, as part of the crime bill, the federal death penalty was expanded to some 60 different offenses. Some of the federal crimes for which people in any state or United Sates territory can receive a death sentence are, murder, kidnapping resulting in death, fatal drive-by shootings, sexual abuse crimes resulting in death, car jacking resulting in death, and crimes not resulting in death, such as running a large-scale drug endeavor. Below are some statistics taken from another source.*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1988, the federal government has authorized seeking the death penalty against 211 defendants. Of the 211 approved prosecutions, 158 (75%) were against minority defendants. Of these defendants, 53 have been white, 39 Hispanic, 12 Asian/Indian/Pacific Islander, 2 Arab and 105 African American.

The Role of Education in My life

Essay 1 – The role that education plays in my life Education has been a key point in my life and it has opened me the doors to many different experiences. Thanks to education I have had the opportunity to choose what I wanted to do in my life and decide where I wanted to live. Education has given me more freedom to make decisions. Plato said that education should be mandatory for everyone because is the only way to develop a just society (The Republic). The author defended that education is the process that enables man to become aware of the existence of another reality (Allegory of the Cave). I agree with Plato that there is another reality. In my opinion there are many realities as there are many perspectives of the world. However, I think that knowledge is not enough to understand the other realities and it is needed the experience to realize that there are more things behind our reality. In my opinion knowledge allows me to make my own decisions with freedom but I am able to understand the other realities through experience. Although philosophers insist that education is the process of learning different concepts and skills required to understand another reality, I will argue that experience has played a more important role in my education than the knowledge learned from others. In addition, I think that education’s role should be helping the people to choose freely rather than developing a just society. In my opinion, education and freedom are two very correlated aspects. I don’t understand education without freedom and vice versa. If I don’t have the freedom to study what I want I will not be able to make my own decisions in the future. My academic background started in Spain where I graduated from high school and I started studying Business Administration in college. The education that I received from school and family allowed me to decide that I wanted to study in another place†¦

Building A Home Again After Foreclosure - 1016 Words

Trying to own a home again after foreclosure can be scary, not only to the prospective applicant, but also to the creditor. We all know that bad things happen to good people from losing a job due to a company relocation or an unexpected illness or accident that causes excessive absences. Fortunately, there are people (ie: creditors, loan officers, etc.) that understand and will assist someone to regain home ownership. Now, a little about me before I go any further into this subject. I am Deborah Valentine and currently, I am about to go into my last semester at Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma, TN, in which I will have an Associate’s Degree in Pre-Physical Therapy, May, 2015. I plan to transfer to either Chattanooga State†¦show more content†¦If a job was lost due to lack of work, sudden illness or accident, job relocation (company moved out of the country), or company closed, some creditors or loan officers may be able to work on your behalf to get you back into home ownership. There are current homeowners that may have had their house on the market longer than they would have wanted and they may offer to finance the amount of the loan for a potential serious buyer. Second, build a nest egg or cushion that will have at least six months of living expenses in it. This will show stability to a potential loan officer in case of another possible job loss and tells the loan officer that you are serious about owning a home again. The third rule is the most time consuming, which is raising your credit score. House Logic states to be diligent in this endeavor. Usually a credit score falls at least 150 points when there is a foreclosure. This is detrimental to a credit score, but can be regained with hard work and money management skills improving. It is recommended that a person with a foreclosure in their credit history needs to schedule an appointment with a housing counselor. Those that seek education on money management and b udgeting will typically raise their borrowing power by $4,500 per family.(House). Number four says you can shorten the waiting timeon applying for a mortgage after foreclosure if extenuating circumstances are proven. These can include divorce, job loss