Perangkat Mengajar (Silabus-RPP)

Yang Meyeramkan Di Bawah Mikroskop Elektron

2012-03-08T01:39:00.003-08:00

Mikroskop elektron adalah jenis mikroskop yang menggunakan sinar partikel elektron untuk menerangi spesimen dan menghasilkan gambar yang diperbesar. Mikroskop elektron (EM) memiliki kekuatan perbesaran lebih besar dari mikroskop optik bertenaga cahaya, karena elektron memiliki panjang gelombang sekitar 100.000 kali lebih pendek daripada cahaya tampak (foton), dan dapat mencapai resolusi yang lebih baik dari 50 pm (piko) dan perbesaran hingga sekitar 10.000.000 kali, sedangkan yang biasa, mikroskop cahaya non-confocal dibatasi oleh difraksi untuk resolusi sekitar 200 nm (nano) dan perbesaran di bawah 2000 kali.

Mikroskop elektron membantu menghidupkan pengetahuan retnik, memberikan tingkat detail yang menakjubkan bagi ilmuwan yang mungkin belum ada pada dekade lalu. Perusahaan FEI adalah pemimpin dunia dalam teknologi mikroskop elektron. Di bawah ini Anda akan menemukan koleksi kecil dari gambar-gambar ilmuwan dari seluruh dunia yang menggunakan teknologi FEI.

Ini sejenis cacing di bawah mikroskop elektron

Ini kepala laba-laba kecil

Kayak begini tampangnya kutu air di bawah mikroskop elektron

Benahi Dulu Mekanisme UN SMA!

2012-03-08T01:34:00.001-08:00

Kalangan universitas memberikan respons atas rencana Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan menjadikan nilai ujian nasional (UN) sebagai salah satu syarat masuk perguruan tinggi negeri (PTN). Rektor Universitas Brawijaya (UB) Prof Dr Yogi Sugito meminta agar mekanisme UN SMA dibenahi terlebih dulu sebelum memberlakukan UN sebagai syarat wajib penerimaan mahasiswa baru di PTN.

Hasil UN masih belum bisa mereprestasikan kondisi riil di lapangan, sebab banyak sekolah (SMA) yang ada di pinggiran hasil UN-nya justru lebih bagus dari SMA favorit yang ada di perkotaan, kata Yogi, di Malang, Jawa Timur.

Ia mengatakan, jika yang diterima PTN banyak siswa dari SMA pinggiran, akan menimbulkan protes dari SMA-SMA yang ada di perkotaan. Yogi sendiri mengungkapkan, Universitas Brawijaya belum bisa melaksanakan program yang digagas Kemdikbud tersebut. Namun, Yogi mengakui, gagasan tersebut baik jika diterapkan di masa yang akan datang.

Lebih jauh ia mengungkapkan, UN masih harus dibenahi agar bisa benar-benar mereprenstasikan kondisi dan kemampuan siswa secara riil di lapangan. Menurutnya, nilai UN seringkali merupakan hasil kerja sama antarsekolah, agar siswa atau anak didiknya bisa lulus semua atau nilainya bagus. Sehingga, bukan ukuran sesungguhnya kemampuan siswa.

Oleh karena itu, kami dan mungkin PTN lainnya belum setuju dengan gagasan tersebut. Mungkin beberapa tahun ke depan, setelah mekanisme dibenahi kami baru bisa menerima gagasan itu, tegasnya.

Pada penerimaan mahasiswa baru 2012/2013, Universitas Brawijaya akan tetap menggunakan mekanisme lama dengan jalur SNMPTN, jalur undangan, dan jalur mandiri.

UGM juga menolak

Sebelumnya, Rektor Universitas Gadjah Mada Prof Sudjarwadi sudah menyatakan menolak penggunaan nilai ujian nasional SMA sebagai syarat penerimaan mahasiswa baru perguruan tinggi negeri.

Kami menilai masih banyak hal yang harus dikaji untuk menerapkan kebijakan tersebut, kata Sudjarwadi, di Yogyakarta, Kamis (29/12/2011).

Ia berpendapat, nilai ujian nasional (UN) tidak serta merta bisa dijadikan tes masuk perguruan tinggi negeri (PTN). Sebab, menurutnya, tujuan pelaksanaan UN dan tes masuk PTN berbeda satu sama lain.

Alasan itu pula yang melatarbelakangi UGM untuk tidak menerapkan nilai UN sebagai syarat penerimaan mahasiswa baru (PMB) tahun depan, katanya.

Sudjarwadi mengatakan, UN diselenggarakan untuk mengukur hasil pembelajaran peserta didik selama tiga tahun....................

Sumber: Kompas.Com
Berita Lengkap: http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2012/01/06/13384922/Benahi.Dulu.Mekanisme.UN.SMA

Big-picture ideas in the Oakland school district

2012-02-19T00:53:00.000-08:00

Discussions are under way for radically changing how things work for Oakland school district employees and the students they serve.

Like a good newspaper lede, the opening line of the human resources paper makes you want to keep on reading -- despite the fact that it's an HR document.

"Current OUSD Human Resource practices are failing children," it begins.

The ideas put forth in the document, which is embedded on the blog, are comprehensive and wide-ranging. They include strengthening relationships with local teacher colleges, creating "career ladders" for teachers, updating antiquated job classifications, and lobbying state lawmakers to make changes in the law with respect to labor rules.

One bullet point suggests that the district "assertively pursue separation for those whose service undermines the success of our children," a topic that's later couched in softer terms, as helping ineffective staff find "future opportunities outside the district."

The special board session to discuss these ideas had a different feel than most, probably because the leaders of four different unions each had 12 minutes to contribute
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to the discussion. I posted the video of the meeting on my blog.

You might find it interesting, especially what Morris Tatum, of AFSCME, and Mynette Theard, of SEIU, had to say about the marginalization -- and potential -- of support staff, a topic that rarely surfaces at board meetings.

If you really want to know what's happening with the students, Tatum said, just ask the custodian. "We see the troubles, we see the stuff they get in and help them get out of it," he said.

Both leaders said their members would like to be asked their opinions from time to time, or simply invited to staff meetings. (On the other hand, Tatum said, classified staff are often afraid to pipe up, worried they might lose their jobs.)

Teachers spoke too, about the importance of receiving support from the district and about the different ways in which they assess whether their students are learning.

"This is a step forward, something we have been talking about for a while," Superintendent Tony Smith said at the end of the session. "My commitment is to continue these conversations with you."

If you have a chance to read the six-page document, tell us: What do you think? What ideas jump out to you?

Feb. 15

On Tuesday evening, I'll be speaking on a panel convened by the League of Women Voters about the strategic plan the Oakland school board adopted last year. The event, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Oakland City Hall, is titled, "The Promise and the Challenge."

I've been invited to talk about the role of the community in meeting the plan's goals. It's a good thing I have a few days to do my homework, as the answer isn't clear to me.

What about you? As a parent, neighbor, volunteer, or OUSD employee, do you feel you have a sense of your place in the work outlined in the strategic plan? If so, I'd love to hear what it is -- and how you learned about it.

If you aren't really sure about what the plan is or how you might fit into it, do you have suggestions for the district's leaders about how to spread the word more widely?

By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune

20 Fakta Tentang Tubuh Manusia

2012-02-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

Tahukah anda dalam tubuh anda terdapat berbagai macam fakta yg mungkin anda sendiri belum mengetahuinya.. ini adalah 20 fakta tentang tubuh manusia..

1. Setiap jam satu miliar sel di dalam tubuh harus diganti.
2. Mata manusia bisa membedakan 500 warna abu-abu.
3. Tulang paha manusia lebih kuat dari beton.
4. Hati manusia mampu menciptakan tekanan yang cukup untuk menyemprotkan darah sejauh 30 kaki (9 m).
5. Mata kita selalu berukuran sama sejak lahir, tapi hidung dan telinga kita tidak pernah berhenti tumbuh.
6. Batuk rata-rata yang keluar dari mulut kita berkecepatan 60 mil (96,5 km) per jam.
7. Janggut adalah bulu yang tumbuhnya paling cepat pada manusia. Jika pria rata-rata tidak pernah memangkas janggutnya, makan hal ini akan membuatnya tumbuh hingga hampir 30 kaki dalam hidup.
8. Mata bayi tidak menghasilkan air mata sampai si bayi berumur sekitar enam atau delapan minggu.
9. Setiap orang memiliki bentuk lidah yang berbeda.
10. Bersin dapat melampaui kecepatan 100 m/jam.
11. Sel-sel mati dalam tubuh kita akhirnya dibawa ke ginjal untuk eksresi.
12. Senyum adalah ekspresi wajah yang paling sering digunakan. Senyum dapat dilakukan di mana saja dari 5 hingga 53 pasang otot wajah.
13. Satu dari 20 orang memiliki tulang rusuk lebih.
14. Orang-orang dengan kulit gelap tidak akan mengkerut secepat orang dengan kulit terang.
15. Darah manusia melalui perjalanan 60.000 (96.540 km) per hari pada perjalanan melalui tubuh.
16. 85% dari populasi dapat menekuk lidah mereka ke dalam sebuah tabung.
17. Dibutuhkan tujuh detik untuk makanan untuk pergi dari mulut ke lambung melalui kerongkongan.
18. Hati wanita berdetak lebih cepat daripada laki-laki.
19. Dalam satu hari, jantung kita berdenyut 100.000 kalo.
20. Rambut terbuat dari bahan yang sama seperti kuku.

2012-02-19T00:24:00.000-08:00

As smart meter deployment continues on schedule and on budget, I would like to revisit a topic we touched upon in my column last November. I mentioned that when I look at the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative (NSGI), the benefits fall into four main categories that I call the “4Es” of Smart Grid: Energy, Environment, Education and Economy.

Education has been a long-standing focus of the City with any major initiative or project and will also play a critical role in our society’s ability to become more energy efficient.

When I talk about education with respect to the smart grid, I am referring to its ability to provide more choices and options for our customers. The smart grid will empower customers to securely track their energy use online via an ePortal. Rather than waiting until the end of the month to see how much electricity you have used, you will be able to log into the ePortal and see current usage, rates and many other useful pieces of information. This information may also be accessed through optional new thermostats that can be installed in your home.

Another great feature that the smart grid makes possible is new optional time-of-use electricity rates that will allow customers to save energy and money on their electric bills. In addition to these new rates, the city is also planning for demand-response programs that will allow customers to automatically reduce energy and therefore save money.

Currently, our grid is not sophisticated enough to account for the real costs of electricity. Like many goods or commodities, the price of electricity fluctuates. Electricity actually costs significantly more to produce during the day, when more people are using it, than it does in the middle of the night. We currently charge customers a flat rate for electricity consumed regardless of the time of day. We will continue to offer flat rates to residential and small commercial customers in the future with completion of the smart grid. Large commercial and industrial customers will be transferred to rates that include both energy and demand components.

The smart grid will provide tools that can help customers become more conscious of their energy use and the associated costs through the programs I discussed above. It is through educated choices and leveraging smart grid technology that our society can become more efficient and energy independent.

Finally, the NSGI is giving Naperville-area students a practical tool to learn about energy consumption and conservation and gain firsthand experience on emerging technologies and future careers. Smart grid technology is the future of the utility industry, and smart grid careers are rapidly becoming another way for young adults to earn a living. Our students will be able to learn about this technology right at home in a hands-on, real-world setting.

As always, I applaud the community for its progressive mindset and I hope that each of you will visit www.naperville.il.us/smartgrid.aspx to learn more about the NSGI and new programs that can help conserve energy.

Mark Curran is the director of public utilities — electric with the city of Naperville.

Mark Curran, the Director of Public Utilities – Electric with the City of Naperville submitted 2010

Learning Tips for Students

2012-02-19T00:14:00.000-08:00

Long ago, there was a time, when parents told children to read slowly and loudly to understand everything they read. A lot of things have changed. Today's children have bigger syllabi to learn. Now, learning experts and teachers ask students to read faster and grasp important points. Here are a few tips for students who have a lot to learn, but very little time.

Make a Timetable

Your timetable should have separate time for eating, playing games, exercise, reading newspaper and study materials. You should not only make a timetable, but also should stick to it.
Give priority to leisure and games in the afternoon, but separate early morning time for studies. Make sure you read all the class notes before you go to bed.
While allotting time to different subjects, allot more time to difficult subjects. You need only less time for the subjects that are easier for you to learn.

Taking Notes
Taking notes is an important part of learning. You need to take lecture notes (classroom notes) and notes from your textbook.

Go through the lessons on the day before your teacher would teach it in the class. This gives you an idea of what to expect.
Write down important ideas as bullet points. One word or a phrase is enough to include an idea.
Give prominence to important ideas by underlining them in your notes.
Leave lot of space in each face of paper. This will help you add new points later.
Organize your notes into separate files. Each subject should have a different file. Label the outer page of the file with name of the subject and your teacher. You should also neatly organize each file according to chapters and topics.
Read the notes (important points) in the night, before going to bed. Read only once. This helps you memorize the lessons clearly.
While taking notes from a book, label the name of the book and author. Also, note the page number next to your notes. It makes it easy for you to refer to the book three or six months later.

Reading Techniques
You need to read fast and grasp more things. Here are some pointers to fast reading.

Note the name of the book and its author in the reading log.
Take a quick look from cover to cover to identify the important chapters.
Take a quick look over the chapter, identify the important points, and note them down.
Read the lesson fast. To increase the speed of learning, pass your eyes through the top of the letters and not through the centre. For example, while reading, pass your eyes through the area where the dot above the letter i appears and not through the loop of the letter o.
Don't take notes while reading.
Don't go back to read a word or a sentence. If you don't get the idea of the subject, you can come back to the sentence after you finish reading the chapter. Never look up a dictionary while in the middle of reading a chapter. Refer dictionary only if you don't automatically understand the meaning of a word after finishing the paragraph and the chapter.
Note down the points you remember. Now check if you have taken all the important points, with another fast reading.

How to increase memory

Try to understand completely what you read or hear.
Repeat what you hear or read in your mind.
Make notes of what you learn at school or read from books. A single word can help you remember a whole idea.
Give number to the points.
Don't try to bring to memory all the things you have learned. Learn the technique of bringing to memory one thing at a time.

How to increase concentration

Mental concentration is important to memory and better learning.
Stick to your reading timetable. You should separate a specific place and specific time of the day for reading.
Sit erect. It increases your concentration.
Don't allow disturbances like phone calls, music etc while reading.
Concentrate on the lessons you read. Don't think about the next book you have to read while you are reading a book. A better way is to make an order of the books and lessons to read and arrange them in order before you start reading.
Immediately after reading a paragraph, try to recall the idea from that paragraph. This helps you concentrate more on your reading.

Ideal conditions for reading/learning

A silent location that you don't use for sleeping, eating or leisure purposes is the most ideal condition for reading.
Install a fluorescent tube light in the reading room. This helps mild light to fall evenly all over the room. Don't sit in the darkness while reading. If you use table lamp, arrange it towards your left if you are a right-hander.
Arrange the papers, pencils, boards and books on the table before you start reading.
Never try to read while you are tired or ill.
Eat healthy food rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fibres. Replace fast food, pizza, burger, chocolates, ice creams, etc with fresh fruits, whole grain food items (like chapatti), milk, fruit juices, etc.
Exercise daily. Swimming, cycling and jogging are good for students. Practise yoga. It increases concentration and willpower.
Don't watch TV. Instead, play some games in the outdoors. While TV makes you dumb, the games make you smarter.
Read lot of books. Read classic stories, fables (like Aesop fables, Panchatantra stories, etc), etc. Don't spend too much time on comic cartoons. (by: Dev Sri)

2012-02-19T00:07:00.000-08:00

Pasangan Pengantin Baru Usia 99 Dan 86

Frase 'cinta akan menemukanmu pada waktunya' mungkin tepat menggambarkan pencarian Gilbert Herrick akan cinta sejati. Berpuluh tahun mencari pasangan jiwanya, veteran perang dunia II itu akhirnya menemukan wanita yang tepat baginya. Dia pun memutuskan menjadi pengantin dan menikah untuk pertama kalinya pada usia 99 tahun.

"Saya tidak pernah bertemu wanita yang tepat sampai bertemu Virginia," kata Herrick tentang istri yang baru saja ia nikahi, Virginia Hartman, 86.

Keduanya bertemu pertama kali di panti jompo Monroe Community Hospital, Rochester, New York tepat setahun lalu setelah Virginia tinggal di sana. Hobi pada lukisan membuat keduanya seakan tak terpisahkan lagi.

"Kami ingin berbagi kamar, tapi Anda tidak bisa melakukannya kecuali telah menikah," kata Herryck yang juga seorang pensiunan pekerja pos."Jadi dia bertanya kepada saya, dan saya bilang ya," ungkapnya seperti dikutip dari koran lokal, Rhocester Democrat.

Pasangan ini menikah awal bulan Juni oleh seorang pendeta dan disaksikan teman-teman penghuni rumah jompo. Setelah menikah, keduanya menghabiskan waktu bersama bernostalgia dengan catatan cinta mereka serta berharap segera dapat menyalurkan hobi lukis bersama.

"Ini memang terdengar gila, tapi sesuatu yang sangat menyenangkan," kata sang istri, Hartman. Hartman adalah seorang janda yang membesarkan lima anak dan bekerja sebagai operator telepon.

Parent - Teacher Conferences

2012-02-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Communication between parents and teachers is essential to the success of the students. Often, the only time communication takes place is at parent-teacher conferences. For that reason, it is essential that teachers learn to effectively manage parent-teacher conferences in order to obtain the most benefit from the communication that occurs.

The following tips allow teachers to take a proactive approach to parent-teacher conferences, helping to create effective communication during the conference:

Prepare - Preparing for a parent-teacher conference means knowing exactly what goals have been established for the class, and each individual student, and being ready to show parents how their student is performing toward those goals. For each student, be prepared to show work samples and test scores. In addition, be ready to share behavioral anecdotes for that child. A story can help convey behavioral issues without stating them explicitly, helping to keep parents from becoming defensive. While showing the grade book is an option, it must be done in a way that prevents parents from viewing the grades of other students.

Environment - Create an environment that is comfortable for the parents. Placing parents in smaller chairs than the teacher, or facing the teacher across the teacher's desk, places the teacher in a controlling position that can cause parents to feel intimidated or defensive. Instead, place them in equal seating, perhaps across a table, to establish a sense of equality. Ensure privacy for the conference so parents do not feel as though others can hear what is being said about their child. Organize paperwork so it is easily accessible but out of the way during the conference.

Professionalism - Preparation and proper environment are two aspects of professionalism. Dress and manner of speech fall into this category also. Parents judge a teacher's competence by the amount of professionalism, or lack thereof, that they see displayed. Teachers who want to be viewed as competent professionals should project that image throughout the parent-teacher conference.

Rapport - Teachers should begin the parent-teacher conference by attempting to establish a connection with the parents. Greeting parents warmly, welcoming them to the classroom, and engaging in brief small talk all help to establish rapport. Teachers should also encourage parents to discuss their views and/or concerns about their children. Doing so demonstrates genuine concern for the child, which helps get parents more involved in their child's education.

Communication - Not only should communication at the parent-teacher conference be positive, it should also be clear and specific. When discussing behavior issues, teachers should focus on specific actions, including duration and frequency, rather than offering general comments. Teachers should communicate clearly about all positives and negatives of the student's behavior and performance. Clear, specific statements leave less room for interpretation, which leaves less room for argument by the parents. Communication should also include positive statements, making it clear that the student is a person of value, rather than including only the negatives about the child's behavior and performance in class. Even the negatives can be phrased in such a way that the statement is positive and does not create the need to place blame.

There are other techniques for managing parent-teacher conferences, but this list is an excellent starting point. By creating a professional, positive atmosphere, teachers can effectively manage the parent-teacher conference and make the most of the communication that takes place.

Author: Brian Stocker

Download Silabus dan RPP SMA Bilingual

2011-12-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

Download free Syllabus (Silabus) and Lesson Plans (RPP) for Senior High School (SMA Bilingual) especially for Indonesian teachers with Bilingual School system, all files are in PDF format which can be open by using some application software, try to install Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Reader to your computer first, download one of those software from this page, the links appeared on your right side (sidebar).

After downloaded the syllabus or lesson plan file (.pdf), it can be modify with your own name or school lesson plan, by convert this free Syllabus and Lesson Plan (Silabus-RPP) to word document file (.doc) using the converter software or online converter.

Many lessons of syllabus and lesson plan for Bilingual Senior High School (SMA Bilingual), there are Biology Lesson (Biologi), Chemistry Lesson (Kimia), ICT (TIK), Mathematic Lesson (Matematika) and more, start download the files..

Free Syllabus and Lesson Plans for Bilingual Senior Junior High School (SMA Bilingual) list:

Silabus-RPP Biology SMA 1

Silabus-RPP Biology SMA 2

Silabus-RPP Biology SMA 3

Silabus-RPP Chemistry SMA 1

Silabus-RPP Chemistry SMA 2

Silabus-RPP Chemistry SMA 3

Silabus-RPP ICT SMA 1

Silabus-RPP ICT SMA 2

Silabus-RPP ICT SMA 3

Silabus-RPP Mathematics SMA 1

Silabus-RPP Mathematics SMA 2

Silabus-RPP Mathematics SMA 3

source info: www.tigaserangkai.com

Nasib Guru Agama Terhadap Sertifikasi

2011-12-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

Guru Agama atau Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam (PAI) adalah guru atau tenaga pendidik yang mengajarkan mata pelajaran agama baik di madrasah maupun di sekolah umum. Guru agama ada yang menjadi binaan Departemen Agama dengan NIP 15 dan ada yang binaan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional dengan NIP 13.

Banyak yang percaya dan mungkin bukan rahasia umum lagi, guru agama terutama yang mengajar dan mengabdi di madrasah dianggap sebagai guru kelas dua. Mereka bahkan terlupakan mulai dari tunjangan, honor, dan gaji yang sangat jauh berbeda dengan guru agama binaan Depdiknas.

oleh IKATAN GURU SEKOLAH DASAR INDONESIA

Pemerintah lewat Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Nomor 18 Tahun 2007 tentang Sertifikasi Guru Dalam Jabatan memberikan iming-iming tentang menaikkan kesejahteraan guru hingga 100 persen atau naik satu bulan gaji. Iming-iming ini

Home School Resource - Help With High School Homeschooling

2011-05-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

by: Rebecca Welch

Homeschooling your child through his or her senior year in high school can be demanding and difficult. There are many things to consider as you guide your child through their final years of their secondary education and on towards college. Here are a few ideas to discuss with your child concerning their final and important years of education.

The Money Factor

Expenses generally skyrocket in the last few years with more challenging textbooks to purchase and additional after school activities. Some cities have homeschooling co-ops established to help parents cope with the rising cost of education. Local libraries can be an excellent informational resource and also give other homeschoolers a place to meet or share advice. One of the best low cost options is to join the local home school organization and share textbooks with other parents as often as possible to defray the expense.

Do you have an advanced student?

Teaching an advanced student can be scary, but parents should be proud of what they have helped their child accomplish. Online home schooling resources can be a great help for the advanced student. Many challenging curriculums can be purchased and completed online with tutoring help available when necessary. Online academies often provide textbooks and other home schooling supplies. Virtual classrooms where students can use a web cam to participate in class is another excellent alternative. They may also use lecture based courses online.

Post Secondary Option for Advanced Students

Post secondary level classes at your local university or junior college have some advantages for your student. Your child can avoid the stigma of being ‘the new kid’ because college faces change every semester. At times you might not be required to pay college tuition for the classes that your high school child takes. Your child can earn high school credit and enjoy socialization as well as mental stimulation that college classes provide.

Transferring your homeschooler to private or public school?

For many parents, home schooling a high school age child can be extremely difficult. Some feel they should transition their child to a private or public high school, however, the stress of the transition can wreck havoc on a teenager. Public high school environments can seem unfriendly, stilted and restrictive to a child who has had theloving support and educational flexibility of being homeschooled. Private school could be an alternative, but there are still the drawbacks of public schools plus the added burden of cost with a private institution. In addition to adjusting to a new environment, if you decide to transition your homeschooled teenager you must also be mindful of the "new kid" syndrome that so often occurrs. This can be especially difficult for homeschooled children who may be viewed as "weird" or "strange" by both students and teachers alike. Weigh your options carefully before plunging your child back into mainstream education.

Are there any additional options?

Feeling uncertain or over-whelmed about home schooling your senior high school student is normal. If transitioning your homeschooled child to public or private high school isn't an option, you might consider the following options. Network with other parents who home school their children. Have each parent discuss what they feel they are best at teaching. Find parents who would be willing to trade skills in order to gain the best education for their children. A parent who is skilled in Math or Science and enjoys teaching high school age students might be willing to teach your child in exchange for teaching one of their children English or a foreign language. In this way, both students will benefit from additional stimulation and extra socialization.

5 Secrets To Making Learning Fun

2011-05-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Most teachers want to incorporate fun into the school day. Some, however, simply don't know where to begin. They have the right attitude, but don't know how to deliver. Students who have fun during class end up learning more because there minds are actively engaged. For teachers with a hard time incorporating fun, here are 5 secrets to making learning fun.

1. Involve Everyone

Some students fall through the cracks because they never speak in class, are never called on, and don't complete their homework. They feel no ownership nor pride for school. This can be easily corrected by simply involving each and every student in class. It is more fun being involved in class than sitting back like a bump on a log. Call on students that don't have their hands raised. Go around the room and have each person read a paragraph out loud from the study material. If students feel invested in schoolwork, they will be more likely to have fun and succeed.

2. Involve the Entire Body

No one likes to sit in class listening to a lecture for an hour. It gets boring and monotonous. To incorporate more fun into learning, try to engage the entire body. Have children move around the room. Play active review games. If you must lecture, have your students take a five minute break to stand up and wiggle their arms and legs. Fun doesn't have to be silly all the time. Simply moving around can make an otherwise boring lecture seem uplifting.

3. Positive Reinforcement

One of the easiest ways to add some fun to your class is to use positive reinforcement. Students not only detest, but also dread classes that make them feel dumb. If your class is made to think they are excelling or performing well, they will be more likely to succeed. You will see smiles on their faces instead of looks of dread. The only way fun can be introduced into the school day is if the children feel comfortable letting loose. Giving positive reinforcement is the way to accomplish that goal.

4. Working in Groups

Group projects are tons of fun for students. It allows them to talk and discuss their answers with peers. If there is a worksheet assignment, for example, let the students work in groups of 3 or 4. Not only will they enjoy the change of pace, but they will also learn from each other. Group learning kills two birds with one stone.

5. School Day Variety

No school day is fun if the routine is the same day in and day out. Change the schedule and add variety to your class. Students love to try new things. Have them complete worksheets one day, and the next day have an outdoor study session. Videos also make for wonderful variety. They allow students to take a break from the traditional school day. There is nothing like a little fun to get a child to learn. Incorporating fun into the school day not only makes you a great teacher, but also encourages knowledge comprehension.

Top 5 Things to Consider Before Studying Abroad

2011-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Studying abroad can be a wonderful supplement to a college education, but there are several important factors to consider before stepping foot on the plane.

1. Do the classes offered at the study abroad site fit into your course of study?

The last thing you want is to be forced to graduate a semester late because your courses abroad don't fit into your planned curriculum. If you realize that your desired study abroad location doesn't offer the courses you need, or doesn't give enough credit for the courses it does offer, try sending some emails to your school to see if arrangements can be made.

2. The Language Barrier

Some people go abroad to further their knowledge of a language they're already studying. Others go to a country only knowing how to say "hello" and "goodbye." The decision depends upon what you are trying to gain from the experience. While it is fully possible to "survive" in many countries simply by using English, not speaking the language will make it much more difficult to absorb the many customs and nuances of another culture.

3. The Social Scene

What may be a familiar social custom back at home could vary greatly in another country. Before deciding on a study abroad location, do some research on the country's nightlife, gender dynamics, and laws such as the drinking age or smoking in bars. You may find that the city goes to sleep too early for your liking, or that the country doesn't offer any socially liberal options fitting your preferences. The social experience can make or break a study abroad trip, so it's important to do your research beforehand.

4. Food

While it may seem to some like a non-issue, the cuisine in your country of choice can have a serious impact on your enjoyment while abroad. If you've just spend a year keeping off – or working off – the "Freshman 15," the last thing you want is to gain it all back in a country whose eating habits don't quite encourage a healthy lifestyle. Also, many countries don't make it easy on vegetarians, vegans, people with food allergies, or those who eat Kosher. You can learn a lot about a culture through its food; you won't want to have to avoid the cuisine entirely because of dietary restrictions.

5. The Exchange Rate

Studying abroad can be an extremely expensive ordeal, and it's important to think in advance about the cost of living in your new, temporary home. If items such as toothpaste, soap, or even food cost twice as much as they do in your own country, can you see yourself paying these prices for several months? Your trip abroad shouldn't force you to have to take out a loan later on; there are certainly cheaper locations in which to study that will be just as fun and fulfilling.

School Uniforms

2011-03-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

To require uniforms or not to require uniforms: that is the question many school districts are facing these days. Students in many cities are wearing uniforms to school, and parents across the country are facing off over proposals to institute uniform policies. All this fuss over khaki pants and a white shirt?

While private and parochial schools have long required students to follow a dress code or wear uniforms, public schools have traditionally allowed students to wear what they (and their parents) like. Pro-uniform parents say that only worked because schools used to be safer. Now that kids are getting mugged for their designer clothes and expensive sneakers, school uniforms seem a safer alternative to many. Furthermore, uniforms prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia to school, and make it easier for security guards to spot intruders.

Of course, the lack of a dress code isn’t an issue only in high-crime areas. Middle-class students report peer pressure to buy expensive clothing, cliquish behavior exacerbated by differences in what students can afford, and kids wearing inappropriately sexualized clothing that isn’t conducive to studying. Rachel Berman, who graduated from a private high school that required uniforms, says, “the uniforms contributed to a more sedate, professional feel that I think made it easier to focus on school.”

On the flip side, opponents believe uniforms squash creativity and free expression and worry that they could prevent students from expressing their religious or political beliefs. (In fact, the law requires that religious garb like yarmulkes and head scarves cannot be prohibited, and expressive gear like political buttons is allowed unless it interferes with the rights of others, as with gang insignia.) Many schools have an “opt-out” clause for students who choose not to wear the uniform, and most provide free uniforms to those who cannot afford them.

“My two children attend a school with a lower school uniform and I love it,” says Marcia Turner. “Having a specific set of clothes the kids must choose from makes outfit selection a no-brainer. No more fights or discussions about what to wear since that decision has virtually been made for them.”

“You’ll have the popular girls and the nerdier girls with or without the uniforms,” says Daisy Kong, who graduated from a parochial school that required uniforms. Nonetheless, she adds that, “there were days in college where I actually found myself missing my uniform because I didn’t know what to wear and would spend 30-40 minutes shuffling through my closet.”

By Hannah Boyd

Nenek Termuda di Dunia Berusia 23 Tahun

2011-03-10T04:27:00.000-08:00

Rifca Stanescu dan cucu (DailyMail)

Putrinya melahirkan anak lelaki ketika berusia 11 tahun.

Seorang wanita gipsi menjadi nenek termuda di dunia pada usia 23 tahun. Rifca Stanescu, yang tinggal di desa Investi, Romania, melahirkan putrinya, Maria, saat berusia 13 tahun. Sementara Maria melahirkan putranya yang bernama Ion saat berusia 11 tahun.

"Saya senang bisa menjadi nenek, tapi aku sebenarnya berharap sesuatu yang lain pada Maria - dan sesuatu yang beda untuk saya. Ion adalah anak yang baik, dan ia sudah bertunangan dengan seorang gadis berusia 8 tahun," kata Rifca, seperti dikutip dari Daily Mail.

"Menurutku memiliki anak lelaki adalah hal yang baik, mereka tidak terlalu menderita dibandingkan anak perempuan," katanya.

Rifca lahir pada tahun 1985. Ia menentang keinginan keluarganya dan melarikan diri bersama pria penjual perhiasan yang jadi suaminya, Ionel Stanescu. Saat itu ia berusia 11 tahun dan Ionel 13 tahun. Satu tahun setelah mereka menikah Rifca hamil Maria.

"Aku ingin menikah dengannya, jadi aku setuju, dan tentu saja setelah kami menghabiskan malam bersama maka tidak ada yang bisa memisahkan. Sebenarnya aku pernah berjanji pada sebuah keluarga yang memiliki anak laki-laki ketika berusia dua tahun, tapi aku tidak mau melaksanakannya," kata Rifca.

Dalam budaya gipsi, keperawanan sangat dihargai. Hal itu lah yang membuat wanita gipsi menikah dalam usia yang sangat muda. Hal ini dilakukan agar calon suami yakin calon istrinya masih perawan. Keperawanan juga terkait dengan mas kawin dari keluarga calon suami. Hilangnya keperawanan berarti pembatalan kesepakatan.

"Sebelumnya keluarga saya sering bertengkar. Ayah pernah datang dan menyerang suami menggunakan pisau. Ayah ingin agar suami saya membayar 500 ribu Lei sebagai kompensasi. Keluarga membawaku pergi, tetapi setelah tiga hari aku kabur bersama suami," kata Rifca.

Setelah Maria lahir, keluarga Ionel membayar mas kawin pada ayah Rifca. Masalah mas kawin pun selesai. Rifca mengatakan sebenarnya ia memohon pada Maria untuk menyelesaikan sekolah. Tetapi Maria lebih memilih menikah dan hamil enam bulan kemudian.

"Aku tidak berusaha menghentikan Maria untuk menikah karena itu memang tradisi kami," kata Rifca. (umi)

VIVAnews

Stress and Your College-Age Kid: What You Can Do

2011-02-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

By Merry Gordon

They’re anxious about debt, worried about job security—and all this before they so much as declare a major. They’re first year college students, and according to a recent survey conducted by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), their emotional health is at a quarter century low.
The American Freshman: A Snapshot in Stress

HERI’s “The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2010” is in the 25th year of its survey of over 200,000 incoming students at four-year institutions across the U.S. on subjects ranging from public policy to personal assessment. Of the undergrads polled, a mere 52% rated their emotional health as above average; this represents a 3% decrease in the past year alone and a massive 12% drop from 1985, the year that freshmen were first asked to evaluate their well-being. Interestingly, female students were far more likely than their male counterparts to report sub-par emotional health, representing a widening gender gap when it comes to how students deal with stress.

The numbers are alarming—but given similar emotional health trends in the American workforce, the fact that children’s emotional health seems to mimic that of their parents hardly comes as a surprise. Also unsurprising is what many researchers pinpoint as one of the primary causes for this record-level stress: financial worries. HERI Director Sylvia Hurtado said in a recent press release that the growing price tag associated with higher ed represented a “significant barrier to college access for today’s students.”

How students pay for college is a continuing challenge, according to survey results. The percentage of students in 2010 receiving aid from scholarships and grants rose, and over half of the students polled said that student loans helped to offset their college costs; many of those same students also reported mounting unemployment among their parents. Predictably, this same group of undergrads cited augmented earning power as a key advantage of post-secondary education, however costly (and stressful) it might seem to them now.
Helping Your Child Identify and Cope

When does the stress begin? Before college, according to survey results—almost 30% of students polled indicated that they felt overwhelmed by their senior year of high school. For parents who want to get a jump start on helping their older teens manage stress, the message is clear: start early.

“Listen, listen, listen,” advises child and family mental health counselor Gary Unruh. Not all stress is bad—a certain amount of stress is necessary and even healthy in helping children to develop self-assurance and the ability to cope with day-to-day adult demands—but when it affects kids’ sleeping patterns or eating habits, stress is no longer just an annoyance but a potential health issue. Unruh gives five potential warning signs to recognize long-term and/or abnormal stress in a child:

The child is more isolated from friends and family.
The child is more irritable, argumentative or cranky.
The child is more anxious, which may manifest itself in repeated comments, sleep disturbances, etc.
The child is making more sad or negative comments than happy over a prolonged period of time.
The child eats significantly more or less than usual.

The key to dealing with adolescent stress, Unruh suggests, is offering validation before criticism and emphasizing joint problem solving. “Start where your child is,” Unruh says, “not where you are.” He advises working on child-directed problem-solving skills that include a step-by-step process from identifying the potential stressor through evaluating a solution.

For specific college funding concerns, discuss with older teens an action plan for paying back student loans or covering costs—often, a solid financial plan can help to alleviate their anxiety. It’s important also, Unruh notes, to discuss what he calls “the normalcy of the loan process” with teens who may find the world of adult financial strategy foreign and intimidating.

While professional counseling may be warranted for stress that lasts more than a month, parents can play a big role in helping their kids assuage the effects of stress before it ever comes to that. Play, family time, relaxation, exercise—all these things, Unruh says, are important to maintaining a healthy emotional life. Parents can offer support by ensuring that their kids find an age-appropriate equilibrium for their kids that encompasses these healthy outlets.
A Silver Lining?

Fortunately, the 2010 study findings were not necessarily all gloom and doom. Researchers also noted a record increase in the number of students who ranked both their academic ability and their drive to succeed as being above average—factors that many hope will help them to rise above the stress that seems to complicate their lives now.
M.L. Gordon has taught a wide range of subjects, from seventh grade drama to college-level English. She has a Master's in secondary education and currently teaches high school language arts in Arizona.

Lumba-Lumba Bisa Ngobrol dengan Manusia

2011-02-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Lumba-lumba (Corbis)

Klik! Bak sepasang sahabat baru yang saling berbagi, sejumlah ilmuwan berhasil berkomunikasi dua arah dengan lumba-lumba meski hanya memakai bahasa konvensional.

Seperti diketahui, lumba-lumba masih menjadi makhluk hidup paling cemerlang kedua setelah manusia di dunia. Ia juga memiliki fitur otak yang kaya dan kecerdasan tinggi.

Memang, hewan mamalia pintar ini mudah kita temui di pusat satwa air, misalnya di Sea World. Di salah satu area pertunjukan, biasanya mereka berkomunikasi dengan para pawang di penangkaran. Sekelompok lumba-lumba akan menghibur para pengunjung dan kemudian sang pawang memberi ikan untuk sebagai hadiahnya.

Namun, kali ini ceritanya agak berbeda. Sejumlah ahli biologi perilaku baru saja berhasil membangun komunikasi dua arah dengan lumba-lumba liar di alam bebas pada studi pertamanya.

Dialah Dr Denise Herzing dan beberapa koleganya yang melakukan studi di Wild Dolphin Project Florida, Amerika Serikat. Mereka telah membentuk bahasa primitif dengan menggunakan suara, simbol, dan alat peraga.

"Sebelumnya sudah banyak penelitian seputar komunikasi antara manusia dan lumba-lumba, terutama di penangkaran. Mereka menggunakan ikan sebagai hadiah," kata Herzing pada Wired, Jumat 18 Februari 2011. "Tapi, iming-iming ikan di sini (Wild Dolphin Project) jarang digubris oleh lumba-lumba."

Eksperimen yang dilakukan melibatkan dua lumba-lumba dan dua ahli biologi. Para peneliti dimodali alat peraga seperti bola dan selendang untuk membantu lumba-lumba berkomunikasi.

Ketika lumba-lumba menekan tombol tertentu dengan hidungnya, maka peneliti melemparkan alat peraga yang sesuai ke dalam air. Demikian seterusnya. Hingga 3 bulan "kursus", peneliti bisa bermain dengan lumba-lumba hingga 40 sesi permainan, di mana satu sesi berdurasi setengah jam.

Dalam penelitian ini, Herzing menemukan bahwa anak lumba-lumba pria kurang tertarik berinteraksi dengna manusia. Sementara anak lumba-lumba perempuan terlihat sangat menikmati permainan.

"Ini memang waktunya anak lumba-lumba perempuan memiliki waktu bermain, karena nanti mereka akan menjadi seekor induk yang sibuk," jelas Herzing.

Dari 40 sesi, dia mengatakan, sesi bermain yang paling berhasil adalah ketika sejumlah ilmuwan berenang perlahan-lahan bersama lumba-lumba lalu saling kontak mata dan menirukan gerakan.

Untuk diketahui, studi ini telah diterbitkan dalam jurnal Acta Astronautica.
• VIVAnews

Take Charge! Self-Advocacy in the Classroom

2011-02-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, and that includes a solid education. But recent sweeping budget cuts at the federal and state level may have rendered your child just one face in a crowd of 30—or even 40—other kids clamoring for the attention of one teacher. How can you make sure your kid isn’t just another name on the roster? Now more than ever, children need to learn how to become self-advocates in the classroom. This term has been more often applied to special needs students, but all students can benefit from the concept of self-advocacy. When children can communicate what they need, what their resources are and what they can do to achieve their goals, they become partners instead of pawns in the academic experience.

The first step in teaching children self-advocacy is teaching them to first understand themselves. Help children take inventory of their strengths and weaknesses. These can be social, academic, or even physical—anything that impacts their classroom performance. For example, perhaps your sixth grader is a math whiz, but he struggles to see the board at times because of vision issues. Your high schooler may feel competent at poetry, but challenged when it comes to term papers. Often, self-analysis is one of the hardest steps in self-advocacy: it is difficult for children to evaluate themselves both honestly and thoroughly, and sometimes young children don’t even have the vocabulary to talk about their strengths and weaknesses in this way.

If children are having a hard time assessing themselves, consider looking to a classroom teacher for input. This may not necessitate a separate conference; instead, it might be as easy as looking at the teacher’s most recent comments (both complimentary and critical) on a report card or series of essays. For young children who struggle with self-assessment because of language barriers, try asking simple feeling questions: “How do you feel in science class?” If the answer is “frustrated” or “scared,” there may be an issue worth looking into.

Finally, help your children set realistic and specific goals based on the things that challenge them most: “I want to get better at math” is too vague and difficult to measure, but “I want to memorize my multiplication tables through 12 and do well on the next test” is specific, reasonable and easy to assess. Support your child in writing these goals down in a notebook or on a calendar for future reference. This encourages your child to take ownership of his or her education, an important cognitive shift in becoming a better learner.

Step Two: Locating Resources

Once you have helped your child identify his or her strong points and challenges, it’s time to identify potential resources. It’s a good idea to jot these down by the goals, as the two go hand in hand. If your child is a special needs student, you as a parent will want to be aware of his legal rights as established by federal law—this will give you some idea as to what kind of entitlements are guaranteed to your child in the classroom. But all children are entitled to a good education, regardless of whether or not they are on IEP or 504 plans. Have your child do some research on what resources are available in the classroom—does your son’s 1st grade teacher do before-school tutoring? Does your daughter’s chemistry professor keep a web page with links to help children with difficult concepts? Is there a retesting policy? Many schools sponsor after-school tutoring or open library hours, too; check your school’s website or handbook for information on what is scheduled. It’s important to keep your children as involved as possible in locating resources, as personal involvement increases their accountability.

Identifying support beyond the classroom teacher and school can also be helpful. Perhaps your child knows that a friend is doing well in a class that she is struggling in; this person might be a valuable ally as a peer tutor. Local libraries, if they don’t have study groups formally scheduled, will often at least have separate study rooms that offer a quiet place to work. Outside agencies such as Kaplan or Sylvan may offer specialized academic services (SAT and ACT prep among them) in your community—but for a price. Talk to your child. Keep all options open, and see what seems to make him or her most comfortable.

Ikan Aneh Hidup di Limbah Beracun

2011-02-20T02:23:00.000-08:00

Tomcod, ikan yang mampu hidup di perairan beracun. (sciencedaily.com)

Ilmuwan menemukan ikan aneh yang hidup di perairan yang paling parah terkena polusi. Ikan tersebut berhasil bertahan karena telah berevolusi hingga mampu mengatasi bahan kimia berbahaya.

Para ‘penjelajah racun’ di dunia air tersebut merupakan ikan tomcod, yang tampak serupa dengan ikan cod biasa. Bedanya, ukuran ikan yang tinggal di kawasan sungai Hudson dan sekitarnya ini memiliki ukuran yang lebih kecil.

Sebagai informasi, sejak tahun 1947 sampai 1976, perusahaan seperti General Electric telah menghanyutkan PCB dan dioksin ke sungai di sekitar Hudson. Di tahun 1980-an, sekitar 95 persen ikan di kawasan tersebut ditemukan menderita tumor hati.

“Ternyata, semakin kami teliti, semakin banyak kami dapati adanya ikan-ikan yang tahan terhadap PCB dan dioksin,” kata Isaac Wirgin, toksikolog dari New York University, seperti dikutip dari Science, 19 Februari 2011.

Dari studi lebih lanjut, peneliti berkesimpulan bahwa pada beberapa ikan, polutan telah memasuki inti sel. Polutan itu kemudian telah mengganggu DNA dari gen tertentu sehingga membuat ikan-ikan menderita penyakit.

Secara kebetulan, tomcod memiliki gen yang mampu mentoleransi PCB dan dioksin. Dengan demikian, ikan yang memiliki gen ini mampu bertahan hidup lebih baik dibanding ikan lain.

Secara teknis, tomcod bukanlah mutan. Bahan kimia hanya menyerang kelompok ikan-ikan tertentu saja, sementara mereka mampu bertahan. Meski begitu, tetap ada dampak negatifnya.

“Umumnya, level PCB atau dioksin seperti ini akan membunuh organisme,” ata Wirgin. “Akan tetapi, di sini mereka bertahan hidup dan menjadi makanan bagi makhluk hidup lainnya,” ucapnya.

Wirgin menyebutkan, ikan atau makhluk hidup lain yang menyantap tomcod akan menyerap polutan yang ada yang belum tentu dapat ditanggung oleh gen tubuh mereka.

Selain itu, meski berhasil berevolusi hingga mampu bertahan terhadap polusi, ikan-ikan ini telah kehilangan kemampuan untuk mengatasi gangguan alami. “Misalnya seperti kondisi penurunan oksigen di air ataupun kenaikan temperatur air,” ucap Wirgin.
• VIVAnews

When Your Child Refuses to Go to School

2010-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Everyday, all across the nation, as many as 1 in 4 children refuse to go to school. But while the reasons can range from a looming test to an ill-placed pimple, “school refusal,” formerly known as school phobia, is an actual anxiety-based disorder. Surprisingly, school refusal is more prevalent than some better known child disorders like ADHD, but, because many children are vague in their complaints and unable to verbalize what's making them anxious, it's sometimes dismissed as typical childhood willfulness. However, the effects of recurring school refusal can be far-reaching for your child's education.

So, where's the line between what's normal and what's not? "You need to look at whether it's affecting the child or family's daily functioning," explains Christopher Kearney, Ph.D., director of the UNLV Child School Refusal and Anxiety Disorders Clinic. In other words, if a child's grades are suffering or a parent's job is in jeopardy from frequent absences, it's time to look closely at the issue. Kearney adds that parents should be listening carefully to children who say they can't go to school because of "vague, untestable kinds of things like stomaches or headaches." While these somatic complaints alone don't necessarily indicate school refusal, there may be deeper problems if combined with general complaints about school, talks of threats at school and chronic absenteeism.

According to Kearney, "there is a subtle difference between school refusal and school refusal behavior." The kid who ditches school to hang out with her friends is exhibiting school refusal behavior, which can be nothing more than a phase brought on by peer attitudes or a sense of rebellion. But the child who clings to her mother's leg, screaming at the thought of having to enter the school building, is showing signs of school refusal, or "anxiety-based absenteeism."

However, the label doesn't matter nearly as much as getting a child back into the classroom. According to Maryann Roth, CAS, a school psychologist and guidance counselor, it's about "making sure the kid gets to school no matter how hard it is." Working closely with school officials and possibly a therapist to create a plan is a necessary step. Here are some key components to creating a successful plan:

* Investigate what's going on at school. As Roth says, if "it's an issue of bullying you need to find out what's really going on." Once you know whether your child's complaint is a valid one, it's easier to work with your child around the issue, both in and outside of school.

* Coordinate with the school. You can't do it alone. Whether it's arranging to have someone meet you on the playground to escort your child into school or trying, as Kearney suggests, "to ease the amount of makeup work," it's crucial that the school plays a role in integrating your child into the classroom.

* Set a baseline expectation. Roth and Kearney agree that having a child in school for any amount of time is better than having him at home. Though a child may only come to school for only an hour, or sit in the lobby all day, "it's a lot easier to get them back into the regular classroom from that point," says Kearney.

* Make it less fun to be at home. If your child knows he can sit at home and play video games during the school day, the incentive to stay home is greater than the incentive to be at school. Create a contract, set some boundaries and make it more worth his while to go to school.

Your bottom line? Identify the issue, make a plan and stick to your guns. Once your child has overcome her fear of school, she'll probably thank you.

By Amanda Morin

Attacks on Bilingual Education

2010-09-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Even though bilingual education has provided a positive and supportive environment for the academic and social growth of many language-minority students, politically motivated opposition to bilingual education has prevailed in most states. Conservative forces mobilized throughout the nation in the 1980s and 1990s to attack taxes, schools, and bilingual education. Since the 1990s, these same groups have frequently attacked multicultural education as divisive to national unity. Some English speakers are offended that immigrant children are taught in their native tongue for part of the day. Political leaders argue that bilingualism handicaps children.

For example, Porter (1998) argues, “Bilingual education is a classic example of an experiment that was begun with the best of humanitarian intentions, but has turned out to be terribly wrongheaded... . The accumulated research of the past thirty years reveals almost no justification for teaching children in their native languages to help them learn either English or other subjects (pp. 28–29).

As in the debates on affirmative action, conservatives have created the deception that minorities are gaining an advantage, that bilingual education is discrimination against European Americans (Guinier, 2002; Krashen, 2002b). The attacks on bilingualism continue, with voters in several states voting for anti–bilingual education measures.

After a volatile political campaign, California’s electorate (then 69 percent European) responded to crises in the state’s educational system by adopting Proposition 227, the so-called English for the Children initiative, drafted by English only advocate Ron Unz. Latinos made up 29.4 percent of the state’s population and more than 36 percent of its school-age children but only 12 percent of its voters.

The resulting new law dramatically altered the way in which English is taught in California schools. Proposition 227 effectively abolished bilingual education for immigrant children (whose parents are often not citizens and cannot vote) by making the use of other languages for instruction illegal except under special circumstances. It mandated intensive 10-month “sheltered English immersion” programs as the instructional strategy, except in very limited circumstances where a waiver of the bilingual education ban might be granted. As a result, in 2000 less than 10 percent of the English language learners in California were receiving bilingual education (Gandara et al., 2004). Since 1998, similar initiatives have passed in Arizona and Massachusetts but have been defeated in Colorado.

The public debate on bilingual education often deals with a false dichotomy, that of choosing either English or the home language. All immigrant parents want their children to learn English. Both languages are valuable. Bilingual advocates argue that the nation gains from the language resources of its immigrant communities, while antibilingual advocates stress the need for national cohesion through one language.

By D. E. Campbell

Assessment Questions

2010-09-01T16:15:00.001-07:00

Assessment is a global term for observing, gathering, recording, and interpreting information to answer questions and make legal and instructional decisions about students. What types of questions do teachers and parents have? Teachers of young children and parents wonder if the child is developing typically in one or more of the following developmental areas:
Communication development. Should Jaleh be talking more now that she is 4 years old?
Cognitive development. Is Katie experiencing difficulty performing many activities that the other children can do quite easily?
Physical development. Does Sammy have difficulty seeing? Hearing? Does he have problems with fine and gross motor activities?
Adaptive development. Should Luis be able to feed himself and take care of toileting needs?
Social-emotional development. Sonia has difficulty getting along with other children. Will she "outgrow" this?

Teachers and parents of older children frequently have questions about a student's achievement, ability, or skills in one or more areas:
Academic area. Does Elliot have a reading problem?
Overall achievement. Why doesn't Bill do better in school?
General intelligence. Will Joy be able to learn how to compute a math problem?
Transition. What transition service needs does Cristoforo have?
Social-emotional status. Daryl has difficulty making friends. How can he be helped? Sabrina seems sad and depressed. What is causing this behavior?
Vision, hearing, or motor ability. Can Norweeta hear students speaking during class discussions? Joey frequently walks on tiptoes. Does this indicate a problem?
Communication. Bradley can hear the speaker but doesn't seem to understand. What could be the cause of his difficulty?

10 Hal Yang Tak Terbeli Dengan Uang !

2010-09-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Uang, siapun butuh uang. Orang Dewasa, Remaja bahkan anak – anak kecil sekalipun kenal dengan benda yang namanya uang. Memang uang penting dalam kehidupan, tanpa alat tukar ini kita tidak mungkin bisa memenuhi kebutuhan hidup. Uang membuat sebagianorang bisa melakukan banyak hal daripada orang yang tidak memilikinya. Tetapi seberapapun pentingnya uang, masih ada hal yang tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang.

1. Waktu

Uang tidak akan bisa mengembalikan waktu yang telah berlalu. Setelah hari berganti, maka waktu 24jam tersebut akan hilang dan tidak akan mungkin akan kembali lagi. Karena itu gunakan setiap kesempatan yang ada untuk menyatakan perhatian dan kasih sayang anda kepadaorang yang sangat anda sayang dan anda cintai, sebelum waktu itu berlalu dan anda menyesalinya.

2. Kebahagiaan

Memang kedengarannya aneh, Tetapi inilah kenyataannya. Uang memang bisa membuat anda merasa senang karena anda bisa membiayai liburan mewah, memberi laptop dengan fasilitas yang sangat modern, atau modifikasi mobil. Tapi uang tidak bisa menghadirkan secercah kebahagiaan dari dalam lubuk hati kita.

3. Kebahagiaan Anak

Untuk membelikan makan dan pakaian yang bagus – bagus untuk anak tercinta memang membutuhkan uang. Tapi anda tidak bisa menggunakan uang untuk memberi rasa aman, tanggung jawab, sikap yang baik serta kepandaian pada anak anda. Hal ini merupakan buah dari waktu dan perhatian yang anda curahkan untuk mereka dan hal – hal baik yang anda ajarkan. Uang memang membantu kita memenuhi aspek pengasuhan, tapi waktu telah membuktikan bahwa kebutuhan dasar tiap anak adalah berapa banyak waktu yang diberikan orangtuanya, bukan orangnya.

4. Cinta

Cinta tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang, akuilah hal ini benar. Memang dengan uang kita bisa membuat orang tertarik, tapi cinta berasal dari rasa saling menghargai, perhatian, berbagi pengalaman dan kesempatan untuk berkembang bersama. Itu sebabnya banyak pasangan yang menikah karena uang, tak bertahan lama.

5. Penerimaan/Persahabatan

Untuk diterima oleh lingkungan pergaulan, Anda tak butuh uang. Bila Anda ingin diterima, fokuskan energi Anda untuk membuat diri Anda berharga bagi lingkungan sekitar dengan menjadi teman dalam suka dan duka.

6. Kesehatan

Kita butuh uang untuk membiayai perawatan dan membeli obat, tapi uang tak bisa menggantikan kesehatan yang hilang. Itu sebabnya pepatah lebih baik mencegah daripada mengobati sebaiknya kita terapkan. Mulailah berolahraga, berhenti merokok, dan banyak hal lain yang pasti sudah Anda tahu.

7. Kesuksesan

Beberapa orang memang ada yang mencapai kesuksesan dengan menyuap, tapi ini adalah pengecualian. Kesuksesan hanya berasal dari kerja keras, kemauan, dan sedikit kemujuran. Ada aspek kecil dari usaha menuju sukses yang bisa didapatkan dengan uang, misalnya mengikuti pelatihan atau membeli peralatan, tapi sukses lebih banyak berasal dari usaha yang Anda lakukan sendiri.

8. Bakat

Kita dilahirkan dengan bakat tertentu. Dengan uang, yang bisa kita lakukan adalah mengasah bakat tersebut, misalnya belajar musik. Namun para ahli mengatakan, untuk menjadi ahli di bidangnya, kita membutuhkan bakat.

9. Sikap yang baik

Banyak orang yang kaya raya tapi sikapnya kasar dan ucapannya sinis. Tak sedikit orang sederhana yang tutur katanya sopan dan menunjukkan rasa hormat pada orang lain. Jadi, jumlah uang yang dimiliki bukan penentu sikap seseorang.

10. Kedamaian

Bila uang bisa membeli kedamaian, barangkali kita tak lagi mendengar tentang perang. Justru yang sering terjadi sebaliknya, uang lah yang menjadi sumber pertikaian dan permusuhan.

Assessment Steps and Purposes

2010-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

In working with students with disabilities or who may have disabilities, professionals ask questions and make decisions during each of the assessment steps: screening, referral, determining eligibility, program planning, program monitoring, and program evaluation. Decision points allow the team to use the information to make decisions regarding the needs of the student.
Step 1. Screening

Identifying children and youth who need special education services is a collaborative effort among teachers in the schools and personnel who work in agencies that serve children and families. The assessment question focuses on "Is there a possibility that the student may have a disability?" The purpose of screeningto determine whether students may have disabilities and to refer them for further assessment. Screening is designed to assess large numbers of students efficiently and economically. Based on the information collected during screening, evaluators decide whether to refer the student to the team for further assessment. Screening approaches differ, depending on whether the student is a preschooler or of school age.

Preschool children In many communities, children under age 6 come to the assessment process as a result of Child Find activities. Child Find directs parents to screening services in their community that are open to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and that are free of charge.

Comprehensive screening of young children includes several components: parent concerns; medical history (often given through parental reports or completed by parents using a checklist); vision and hearing tests; and the use of commercial screening instruments and observation reports in the areas of general development, abilities, and skills. Screening instruments are generally inexpensive and are designed so they may be completed in a short amount of time, 30 minutes or less.

School-age students Children who are entering public school for the first time or transferring to a new school require screening. One or more individuals, such as the special education teacher or general education teacher, conduct the screening, which involves various approaches. An educator often begins by reviewing past work and test scores of the incoming student or by asking the new student a set of questions. In the classroom, teachers observe and collect information about the student's work and performance. Teachers may observe that the student is having trouble seeing a computer screen, understanding and following directions, working with others, reading, or comprehending. Parents utilize screening approaches, too. They may have concerns about their child when they see their child in relation to other children in the neighborhood or when they compare their child to their knowledge about growth and development.

School personnel conduct a variety of other screening activities. The school nurse arranges for students to have regular vision and hearing screenings. Educators review student attendance records and follow up on students who are not attending school on a regular basis. Classroom teachers administer group tests of school achievement and screen student scores to identify those students who show they are having difficulty. When screening flags children, the process moves to the next step.

Step 2. Making a Referral

Prereferral decisions Questions about a student are referred to an assistance team, which usually comprises regular classroom teachers and special educators in the school building. The team may be a student assistance team (SAT), teacher assistance team, or intervention assistance team. In addition to questions about individual student behaviors or academic work, this team enables teachers, both regular and special education, to help one another with general academic or discipline concerns including making accommodations to instruction and assessment. During this stage, response to intervention (RTI) activities, usually occur, depending on the student's needs. When interventions are not successful, teachers document the interventions tried and the student responses in a written referral.

Referral decisions The IEP team, which is different from the assistance team, receives the written referral form. Based on the referral information about the student, the team recommends specific assessment approaches or assessment instruments to be used in determining eligibility.
Step 3. Determining Eligibility

To determine student eligibility for special education services, the assessment questions focus on "Does the student have a disability? What disability does the student have? Does the student meet the criteria for services?" The purpose of this step is to examine the assessment information to make a determination regarding the student's eligibility for special education and related services according to state and federal (IDEA) guidelines for children and youth.

As specified in IDEA, a multidisciplinary team conducts assessment for the purposes of eligibility. Thus, a student's assessment covers all areas related to the suspected disability including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communication, and motor abilities. For example, a student who is nonverbal may have a multidisciplinary evaluation that includes meeting with (1) an audiologist to determine the extent, if any, of a hearing loss; (2) a speech and language pathologist to assess understanding of language (receptive language) and communication skills; (3) a special educator to assess academic and functional skills; (4) a vocational rehabilitation counselor to identify interests and abilities; and (5) a psychologist to determine intellectual functioning. The team will use various approaches, including, for example, observations, norm-referenced instruments, and performance assessments. The team will ask the student's parent(s) to provide information, too. All of these individuals work together to view and analyze the assessment information, with all contributing expertise from their respective disciplines.

Team members share the assessment information during the IEP meeting and determine the student's eligibility to receive special education and related services. As active members of the team, parents may have questions and collect various types of information such as medical records or developmental history.

Because the team bases its decisions on assessment information and data, they must choose and use appropriate assessment approaches carefully. Evaluators must have appropriate training, take responsibility in evaluating the adequacy of the approach, follow professional standards and ethical principles, and be knowledgeable about the limitations of specific approaches. In the chapters that follow we will discuss these approaches in more detail.
Step 4. Program Planning

In program planning, the assessment questions focus on "What should be included in the student's individualized program? If behavior impedes learning, what strategies, including positive behavioral interventions, should the team write in the plan? What supplemental aids, services, and assistive technology does the student need? What types of accommodations and/or modifications should team members make to the curriculum? Where should instruction begin? What supports for school personnel does the student need?" The purposes are to (1) determine the student's current level of functioning and (2) plan the instructional program. Much of the information gathered in Step 4 will be useful in planning the instruction and developing realistic goals.

Kisah Nabi Muhammad SAW Menjelang Ajal !

2010-09-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

Betapa mulia dan indahnya akhlak baginda Ya Rasulullah SAW Mengingatkan kita sewaktu sakratul maut.

Pagi itu, Rasulullah dengan suara terbata memberikan petuah, "Wahai
umatku, kita semua ada dalam kekuasaan Allah dan cinta kasih-Nya. Maka
taati dan bertakwalah kepada-Nya. Kuwariskan dua hal pada kalian, sunnah
dan Al Qur'an. Barang siapa mencintai sunnahku, berati mencintai aku
dan kelak orang-orang yang mencintaiku, akan bersama-sama masuk surga
bersama aku."

Khutbah singkat itu diakhiri dengan pandangan mata Rasulullah yang teduh
menatap sahabatnya satu persatu. Abu Bakar menatap mata itu dengan
berkaca-kaca, Umar dadanya naik turun menahan napas dan tangisnya.
Ustman menghela napas panjang dan Ali menundukkan kepalanya
dalam-dalam. Isyarat itu telah datang, saatnya sudah tiba.

"Rasulullah akan meninggalkan kita semua," desah hati semua sahabat kala
itu. Manusia tercinta itu, hampir usai menunaikan tugasnya di dunia.
Tanda-tanda itu semakin kuat, tatkala Ali dan Fadhal dengan sigap
menangkap Rasulullah yang limbung saat turun dari mimbar.

Saat itu, seluruh sahabat yang hadir di sana pasti akan menahan
detik-detik berlalu, kalau bisa. Matahari kian tinggi, tapi pintu
Rasulullah masih tertutup. Sedang di dalamnya, Rasulullah sedang
terbaring lemah dengan keningnya yang berkeringat dan membasahi pelepah
kurma yang menjadi alas tidurnya.

Tiba-tiba dari luar pintu terdengar seorang yang berseru mengucapkan
salam. "Bolehkah saya masuk?" tanyanya. Tapi Fatimah tidak
mengizinkannya masuk, "Maafkanlah, ayahku sedang demam," kata Fatimah
yang membalikkan badan dan menutup pintu.

Kemudian ia kembali menemani
ayahnya yang ternyata sudah membuka mata dan bertanya pada Fatimah,
"Siapakah itu wahai anakku?"."Tak tahulah ayahku, orang sepertinya baru
sekali ini aku melihatnya,"tutur Fatimah lembut. Lalu, Rasulullah
menatap puterinya itu dengan pandangan yang menggetarkan.Seolah-olah
bahagian demi bahagian wajah anaknya itu hendak dikenang.

"Ketahuilah, dialah yang menghapuskan kenikmatan sementara,
dialah yang memisahkan pertemuan di dunia. Dialah malaikatul maut," kata Rasulullah,Fatimah pun menahan ledakan tangisnya.

Malaikat maut datang menghampiri, tapi Rasulullah menanyakan kenapa
Jibril tidak ikut bersama menyertainya. Kemudian dipanggillah Jibril
yang sebelumnya sudah bersiap di atas langit dunia menyambut ruh kekasih
Allah dan penghulu dunia ini. " Jibril, jelaskan apa hakku nanti di
hadapan Allah?" Tanya Rasululllah dengan suara yang amat lemah.
"Pintu-pintu langit telah terbuka, para malaikat telah menanti rohmu.
Semua surga terbuka lebar menanti kedatanganmu," kata Jibril. Tapi itu
ternyata tidak membuatkan Rasulullah lega, matanya masih penuh
kecemasan.

"Engkau tidak senang mendengar khabar ini?" Tanya Jibril lagi.
"Khabarkan
kepadaku bagaimana nasib umatku kelak?" "Jangan khawatir, wahai Rasul
Allah, aku pernah mendengar Allah berfirman kepadaku: Kuharamkan surga
bagi siapa saja, kecuali umat Muhammad telah berada di dalamnya," kata
Jibril. Detik-detik semakin dekat, saatnya Izrail melakukan tugas.
Perlahan ruh Rasulullah ditarik. Nampak seluruh tubuh Rasulullah
bersimbah peluh, urat-urat lehernya menegang."Jibril, betapa sakit sakaratul maut ini."

Perlahan Rasulullah mengaduh. Fatimah terpejam, Ali yang di sampingnya menunduk semakin dalam dan Jibril memalingkan muka. "Jijikkah kau
melihatku, hingga kau palingkan wajahmu Jibril?" Tanya Rasulullah pada
Malaikat pengantar wahyu itu. "Siapakah yang sanggup, melihat kekasih
Allah direnggut ajal," kata Jibril. Sebentar kemudian terdengar
Rasulullah mengaduh, karena sakit yang tidak tertahankan lagi. "Ya
Allah, dahsyat nian maut ini, timpakan saja semua siksa maut ini
kepadaku, jangan pada umatku. "Badan Rasulullah mulai dingin, kaki dan
dadanya sudah tidak bergerak lagi.

Bibirnya bergetar seakan hendak membisikkan sesuatu, Ali mendekatkan telinganya."Uushiikum bis-shalaati, wamaa malakat aimaanukum -
peliharalah shalat dan peliharalah orang-orang lemah di antaramu." Di
luar, pintu tangis mulai terdengar bersahutan, sahabat saling
berpelukan. Fatimah menutupkan tangan di wajahnya, dan Ali kembali
mendekatkan telinganya ke bibir Rasulullah yang mulai kebiruan.
"Ummatii, ummatii, ummatiii!" - "Umatku, umatku, umatku"

Dan, berakhirlah hidup manusia mulia yang memberi sinaran itu. Kini, mampukah kita mencintai sepertinya? Allaahumma sholli 'alaaMuhammad
wa'alaihi wasahbihi wasallim. Betapa cintanya Rasulullah kepada kita.

Usah gelisah apabila dibenci manusia kerana masih banyak yang
menyayangimu di dunia, tapi gelisahlah apabila dibenci Allah kerana
tiada lagi yang mengasihmu di akhirat kelak.