Invest in education for a stronger democracy

Dictators provide strong incentives for the ruling clique; democracies provide more modest benefits for everyone else. For democracy to beat dictatorship, the dispersed population needs to have the skills and motivation to work collaboratively to defeat dictatorial coups and executive aggrandizement.

Education teaches skills, like reading and writing, that enable people to work collaboratively. At younger grades, teachers spend a lot of time teaching children how to get along. In the United States, education is strongly linked to civic engagement and membership in social groups. The ability to work together enables the defense of democracy.

One of the key moments in the recent history of democracy was the 1991 Soviet coup, in which the die-hard Soviets seemed poised to stop Russia’s rush to freedom.

The coup was thwarted by mass uprisings that were organized by well-educated Muscovites. They distributed fliers that brought out the crowds and used trolleys and street-cleaning machines to block the movements of tanks. One of my favorite episodes from this defense of democracy was the constant playing of music from Boris Godunov, a wordless reminder of the need to fight for freedom.

Argentina’s relatively low level of education in 1930 left it ill equipped to defend its democratic institutions against would-be dictators, who then adopted policies that impoverished the nation. Today, Argentina is well enough educated that its political prognosis is far more positive.

Instead, we must worry about the future of a democratic Afghanistan. The problematic recent elections in that country are unsurprising given its dearth of human capital. Given just the historical connection between education and democracy, the fight to foster freedom in that country is likely to be a long, uphill struggle.

Education and National Development

Education is something that is very helpful in developing a country. There are alot of positive aspects that help with the relationship betweeen education and national development. Having an educated country can help to keep the society under control, which then helps contribute to the national development. Development in a country is something that is very important and is a goal in many places. There are many different aspects of education that are present in many developing countries. These aspects include, demographic, economic, resource, violence, health, and culture. There are also two goals that are set which help in developing a country. These goals are economic and social. Economic growth plays a big role in the environment. When seeing how developed a country is, you would measure how much communication, technology, industrialization, and urbanization is being used. Having social development in a country refers to health, laws, stability and social cohesion. A healthy population  is one that is filled with more educated women. Having educated women teachers helps to set good goals for girls that they are teaching. More educated women also have smaller families because they know more about ways to not get pregnant. Education is something that not only effects a society but also an individual and their behaviors. Education helps to shape people in the workforce that help to make our future national development even better. I think that education is the most important part of a persons life, that will help them develop as a person. Getting an education also helps to develop a country in a big way, because when you have smarter people in the workforce then things may run smoother and develop better. Overall for national development to happen, education must be apart of every citizens life.

Lesson Plan

A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed description of the course of instruction for one class. A daily lesson plan is developed by a teacher to guide class instruction. Details will vary depending on the preference of the teacher, subject being covered, and the need and/or curiosity of students. There may be requirements mandated by the school system regarding the plan.
Developing a lesson plan
While there are many formats for a lesson plan, most lesson plans contain some or all of these elements, typically in this order:
• Title of the lesson
• Time required to complete the lesson
• List of required materials
• List of objectives, which may be behavioral objectives (what the student can do at lesson completion) or knowledge objectives (what the student knows at lesson completion)
• The set (or lead-in, or bridge-in) that focuses students on the lesson's skills or concepts—these include showing pictures or models, asking leading questions, or reviewing previous lessons
• An instructional component that describes the sequence of events that make up the lesson, including the teacher's instructional input and guided practice the students use to try new skills or work with new ideas
• Independent practice that allows students to extend skills or knowledge on their own
• A summary, where the teacher wraps up the discussion and answers questions
• An evaluation component, a test for mastery of the instructed skills or concepts—such as a set of questions to answer or a set of instructions to follow
• A risk assessment where the lesson's risks and the steps taken to minimize them are documented.
• Analysis component the teacher uses to reflect on the lesson itself —such as what worked, what needs improving
• A continuity component reviews and reflects on content from the previous lesson
A well-developed lesson plan
A well-developed lesson plan reflects the interests and needs of students. It incorporates best practices for the educational field. The lesson plan correlates with the teacher's philosophy of education, which is what the teacher feels is the purpose of educating the students. Secondary English program lesson plans, for example, usually center around four topics. They are literary theme, elements of language and composition, literary history, and literary genre. A broad, thematic lesson plan is preferable, because it allows a teacher to create various research, writing, speaking, and reading assignments. It helps an instructor teach different literature genres and incorporate videotapes, films, and television programs. Also, it facilitates teaching literature and English together. Similarly, history lesson plans focus on content (historical accuracy and background information), analytic thinking, scaffolding, and the practicality of lesson structure and meeting of educational goals. School requirements and a teacher's personal tastes, in that order, determine the exact requirements for a lesson plan.
Unit plans follow much the same format as a lesson plan, but cover an entire unit of work, which may span several days or weeks. Modern constructivist teaching styles may not require individual lesson plans. The unit plan may include specific objectives and timelines, but lesson plans can be more fluid as they adapt to student needs and learning styles. math pgs 123-500 Unit plansfollow much the same format as a lesson plan, but cover an entire unit of work, which may span several days or weeks. Modern constructivist teaching styles may not require individual lesson plans. The unit plan may include specific objectives and timelines, but lesson plans can be more fluid as they adapt to student needs and learning styles.
Setting an objective
The first thing a teacher does is create an objective, a statement of purpose for the whole lesson. An objective statement itself should answer what students will be able to do by the end of the lesson. Harry Wong states that, “Each [objective] must begin with a verb that states the action to be taken to show accomplishment. The most important word to use in an assignment is a verb, because verbs state how to demonstrate if accomplishment has taken place or not.”[5] The objective drives the whole lesson, it is the reason the lesson exists. Care is taken when creating the objective for each day’s lesson, as it will determine the activities the students engage in. The teacher also ensures that lesson plan goals are compatible with the developmental level of the students. The teacher ensures as well that their student achievement expectations are reasonable.
Selecting lesson plan material
A lesson plan must correlate with the text book the class uses. The school usually selects the text books or provides teachers with a limited text book choice for a particular unit. The teacher must take great care and select the most appropriate book for the students.
Types of Assignments
The instructor must decide whether class assignments are whole-class, small groups, workshops, independent work, peer learning, or contractual:
• Whole-class—the teacher lectures to the class as a whole and has the class collectively participate in classroom discussions.
• Small groups—students work on assignments in groups of three or four.
• Workshops—students perform various tasks simultaneously. Workshop activities must be tailored to the lesson plan.
• Independent work—students complete assignments individually.
• Peer learning—students work together, face to face, so they can learn from one another.
• Contractual work—teacher and student establish an agreement that the student must perform a certain amount of work by a deadline.
These assignment categories (e.g. peer learning, independent, small groups) can also be used to guide the instructor’s choice of assessment measures that can provide information about student and class comprehension of the material. As discussed by Biggs (1999), there are additional questions an instructor can consider when choosing which type of assignment would provide the most benefit to students. These include:
• What level of learning do the students need to attain before choosing assignments with varying difficulty levels?
• What is the amount of time the instructor wants the students to use to complete the assignment?
• How much time and effort does the instructor have to provide student grading and feedback?
• What is the purpose of the assignment? (e.g. to track student learning; to provide students with time to practice concepts; to practice incidental skills such as group process or independent research)
• How does the assignment fit with the rest of the lesson plan? Does the assignment test content knowledge or does it require application in a new context?

History of Kindergarten

In an age when school was restricted to children who had learned to read and write at home, there were many attempts to make school accessible to the children of women who worked in factories. In Scotland in 1816, Robert Owen, a philosopher and pedagogue, opened the first infant school in New Lanark. In conjunction with his venture for cooperative mills Robert Owen wanted the children to be given a good moral education so that they would be fit for work in the mills of New Lanarck. The system that he set up was successful in producing obedient and conforming children who had been taught basic literacy and numeracy skills. Another was opened by Samuel Wilderspin in London in 1819. His work provided the model for infant schools throughout England. In 1823 he published his influential work On the Importance of Educating the Infant Poor, based on his experiences at the school. He began working for the Infant School Society the next year, informing others about his views on education. He also wrote "The Infant System,for developing the physical, intellectual, and moral powers off all children from 1 to seven years of age". Play was an important part of Wilderspin's system of education, and he is credited with the invention of the playground. Countess Theresa Brunszvik (1775–1861) was influenced by this example to open an Angyalkert (Angel garden) on May 27, 1828 in her residence in Buda. This concept became popular among the nobility and the middle class and was copied throughout the Hungarian kingdom. Friedrich Fröbel (1782–1852) opened a Play and Activity institute in 1837 in the village of Bad Blankenburg in principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Thuringia, which he renamed Kindergarten on June 28, 1840 to mark the four-hundredth anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of movable type. The women trained by Fröbel opened Kindergartens throughout Europe and around the World. The first kindergarten in the United States founded in Watertown, Wisconsin, by Margarethe Meyer-Schurz in 1856 was conducted in German. Her sister had founded the first kindergarten in London, England. In some systems kindergarten is called Grade 0, which is also sometimes classified as "a mixture between kindergarten and a school regime." In 1860, Elizabeth Peabody founded the first English-language kindergarten in America in Boston, after visiting Watertown and travelling to Europe. The first free kindergarten in America was founded in 1870 by Conrad Poppenhusen, a German industrialist and philanthropist who settled in College Point, NY, where he established the Poppenhusen Institute, still in existence today. The first publicly financed kindergarten in the United States was established in St. Louis in 1873 by Susan Blow. Elizabeth Harrison wrote extensively on the theory of early childhood education and worked to enhance educational standards for kindergarten teachers by establishing what became the National College of Education in 1886. The first private kindergarten in Canada was opened by the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 1870 and by the end of the decade, they were common in large Canadian towns and cities. The country's first public-school kindergartens were established in Berlin, Ontario in 1882 (Central School) and in Toronto in 1883 (Louisa Street Public School). In 1885, the Toronto Normal School (teacher training) opened a department for Kindergarten teaching. First organisation in India, to talk about Kindergarten Curriculum is 'Preschool for Child Rights'.

kindergarten

A kindergarten (from German  Kindergarten literally "children's garden") is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school. His goal was that children should be taken care of and nourished in "children's gardens" like plants in a garden.
The term kindergarden is used around the world to describe a variety of different institutions that have been developed for children ranging from the ages of two to seven, depending on the country concerned. Many of the activities developed by Fröbel are also used around the world under other names. Singing and growing plants have become an integral part of lifelong learning. Playing, activities, experience, and social interaction are now widely accepted as essential aspects of developing skills and knowledge. In most countries, kindergardens are part of the preschool system of early childhood education. In the United States, as well as in parts of Australia, such as New South Wales, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, kindergarden is the word often restricted in use to describe the first year of education in a primary or elementary school. In some of these countries, it is compulsory; that is, parents must send children to their kindergarden year (generally, at age five by September 1 of the present school year). In other parts of Australia, the term 'preps' is used for compulsory pre-school, and kindergarten (or 'kinder') refers to regulated day-care for 3- and 4-year-old children. In the United States, many states widely offer a free kindergarten year to children of five to six years of age, but do not make it compulsory, while other states require all five-year-olds to enroll. The terms preschool or less often, "Pre-K", (formerly, nursery school) are used to refer to a school for children who are not old enough to attend kindergarten. Also, some U.S. school districts provide a half day or full day kindergarten at the parents' election. In British English, nursery or playgroup is the usual term for preschool education, and kindergarten is rarely used, except in the context of special approaches to education, such as Steiner-Waldorf education (the educational philosophy of which was founded by Rudolf Steiner).

HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA

The higher education system in India includes both private and public universities. Public universities are supported by the Government of India and the state governments, while private universities are mostly supported by various bodies and societies. Universities in India are recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which draws its power from the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.[1] In addition, 15 Professional Councils are established, controlling different aspects of accreditation and coordination. Private universities in India are regulated under the UGC (Establishment and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003. Per the UGC act and these regulations, private universities are established by an act of a local legislative assembly and listed by the UGC in the Gazette upon receiving the act. As confirmed by ruling of the Supreme Court of India, recognition by the UGC is required for the university to operate. Also per the 2003 regulations, the UGC sends committees to inspect the private universities and publishes their inspection report. The UGC list of private universities from 7 June 2012 lists 112 private universities. Of these 44 have inspection reports listed. The earliest date of notification is that of Sikkim Manipal University, 11 October 1995. The earliest inspection report is that of Nirma University of Science and Technology, from 15 May 2004. Private universities were established in 18 of the 28 states of India and in none of the union territories. Large states where no private universities were established include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where other types of universities are abundant. The state with the most private universities listed is Rajasthan with 25 listed universities.
Other types of universities controlled by the UGC include:
Central universities, or Union universities are established by Act of Parliament and are under the purview of the Department of Higher Education in the Union Human Resource Development Ministry.
State universities are run by the state government of each of the states and territories of India, and are usually established by a local legislative assembly act.
Deemed university, or "Deemed-to-be-University", is a status of autonomy granted by the Department of Higher Education on the advice of the UGC, under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956.
Apart from the above universities, other institutions are granted the permission to autonomously award degrees. These institutes do not affiliate colleges and are not officially called "universities" but "autonomous organizations" or "autonomous institutes". They fall under the administrative control of the Department of Higher Education.[10] These organizations include the Indian Institutes of Technology, the National Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, the Indian Institutes of Management (though these award diplomas, not degrees)[11] and other autonomous institutes.

Vocational Education

Vocational education (education based on occupation or employment) (also known as vocational education and training or VET) is education that prepares people for specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels from a trade, a craft, technician, or a professional position in engineering, accountancy, nursing, medicine, architecture, pharmacy, law etc. Craft vocations are usually based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation. It is sometimes referred to as technical education as the trainee directly develops expertise in a particular group of techniques. In the UK some higher technician engineering positions that require 4-5 year apprenticeship require academic study to HNC / HND or higher City and Guilds level. Vocational education may be classified as teaching procedural knowledge. This can be contrasted with declarative knowledge, as used in education in a usually broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of tertiary education. Vocational education can be at the secondary, post-secondary level, further education level and can interact with the apprenticeship system. Increasingly, vocational education can be recognised in terms of recognition of prior learning and partial academic credit towards tertiary education (e.g., at a university) as credit; however, it is rarely considered in its own form to fall under the traditional definition of higher education. Vocational education is related to the age-old apprenticeship system of learning. Apprenticeships are designed for many levels of work from manual trades to high knowledge work. However, as the labor market becomes more specialized and economies demand higher levels of skill, governments and businesses are increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicly funded training organizations and subsidized apprenticeship or traineeship initiatives for businesses. At the post-secondary level vocational education is typically provided by an institute of technology, university, or by a local community college. Vocational education has diversified over the 20th century and now exists in industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services and cosmetics, as well as in the traditional crafts and cottage industries.

Autodidacticism

Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-directed learning that is related to but different from informal learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a self-teacher. Autodidacticism is a contemplative, absorbing process. Many notable contributions have been made by autodidacts. Autodidactism is only one facet of learning, and is usually, but not necessarily, complemented by learning in formal and informal spaces: from classrooms to other social settings. Many autodidacts seek instruction and guidance from experts, friends, teachers, parents, siblings, and community. Inquiry into autodidacticism has implications for learning theory, educational research, educational philosophy and educational psychology. Some autodidacts spend a great deal of time reviewing the resources of libraries and educational websites. One may become an autodidact at nearly any point in one's life. While some may have been informed in a conventional manner in a particular field, they may choose to inform themselves in other, often unrelated areas. Notable autodidacts include Abraham Lincoln (U.S. president), Srinivasa Ramanujan (mathematician), Michael Faraday (chemist and physicist), Charles Darwin (naturalist), Thomas Alva Edison (inventor), Tadao Ando (architect), George Bernard Shaw (playwright), Frank Zappa (composer, recording engineer, film director),and Leonardo da Vinci (engineer, scientist, mathematician).

Secondary Education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Except in countries where only primary or basic education is compulsory, secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education, and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university. Secondary education is characterized by transition from primary education for minors to tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education (e.g., university, vocational school) for adults. Depending on the system, schools for this period or a part of it may be called secondary schools, high schools, gymnasia, lyceums, middle schools, sixth-form, sixth-form colleges, vocational schools and preparatory schools, and the exact meaning of any of these varies between the systems. In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises the formal education that occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education (e.g. university, vocational school) for adults. Depending on the system, schools for this period, or a part of it, may be called secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. In the United States, Canada and Australia primary and secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand Year 1–13 is used. The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession. The emergence of secondary education in the United States did not happen until 1910, caused by the rise in big businesses and technological advances in factories (for instance, the emergence of electrification), that required skilled workers. In order to meet this new job demand, high schools were created, with a curriculum focused on practical job skills that would better prepare students for white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be beneficial for both employers and employees, for the improvement in human capital caused employees to become more efficient, which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a higher wage than employees with just primary educational attainment. In Europe, grammar schools or academies date from as early as the 16th century, in the form of public schools, fee-paying schools, or charitable educational foundations, which themselves have an even longer history.

Primary Education

Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. It is preceded by pre-school or nursery education and is followed by secondary education. In North America, this stage of education is usually known as elementary education and is generally followed by middle school. In most countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education although it is permissible for parents to provide it. The major goals of primary education are achieving basic literacy and numeracy amongst all pupils, as well as establishing foundations in science, mathematics, geography, history and other social sciences. The relative priority of various areas, and the methods used to teach them, are an area of considerable political debate. Typically, primary education is provided in schools, where the child will stay in steadily advancing classes until they complete it and move on to high school/secondary school. Children are usually placed in classes with one teacher who will be primarily responsible for their education and welfare for that year. This teacher may be assisted to varying degrees by specialist teachers in certain subject areas, often music or physical education. The continuity with a single teacher and the opportunity to build up a close relationship with the class is a notable feature of the primary education system. Traditionally, various forms of corporal punishment have been an integral part of early education. Recently this practice has come under scrutiny, and in many cases been outlawed, especially in Western countries. In India, compulsory education spans over twelve years, out of which children receive elementary education for 8 years. Elementary schooling consists of five years of primary schooling and 3 years of upper primary schooling. Various states in the republic of India provide 12 years of compulsory school education based on national curriculum framework designed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

CURRICULUM

In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses and their content offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults. A curriculum is prescriptive, and is based on a more general syllabus which merely specifies what topics must be understood and to what level to achieve a particular grade or standard. An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is formally taught, either at the university–or via some other such method. Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines or branches, and distinguishing lines are often both arbitrary and ambiguous. Examples of broad areas of academic disciplines include the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, humanities and applied sciences. Educational institutions may incorporate fine arts as part of K-12 grade curricula or within majors at colleges and universities as electives. The various types of fine arts are music, dance, and theater.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEACHER

A great teacher is one a student remembers and cherishes forever. Teachers have long-lasting impacts on the lives of their students, and the greatest teachers inspire students toward greatness. To be successful, a great teacher must have:

1. An Engaging Personality and Teaching Style
   A great teacher is very engaging and holds the attention of students in all discussions.
2. Clear Objectives for Lessons
   A great teacher establishes clear objectives for each lesson and works to meet those specific objectives during each class.
3. Effective Discipline Skills
   A great teacher has effective discipline skills and can promote positive behaviors and change in the classroom.
4. Good Classroom Management Skills
   A great teacher has good classroom management skills and can ensure good student behavior, effective study and work habits, and an overall sense of respect in the classroom.
5. Good Communication with Parents
   A great teacher maintains open communication with parents and keeps them informed of what is going on in the classroom as far as curriculum, discipline, and other issues. They make themselves available for phone calls, meetings, and email.
6. High Expectations
   A great teacher has high expectations of their students and encourages everyone to always work at their best level.
7. Knowledge of Curriculum and Standards
   A great teacher has thorough knowledge of the school's curriculum and other standards they must uphold in the classroom. They ensure their teaching meets those standards.
8. Knowledge of Subject Matter
   This may seem obvious, but is sometimes overlooked. A great teacher has incredible knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject matter they are teaching. They are prepared to answer questions and keep the material interesting for the students.
9. Passion for Children and Teaching
   A great teacher is passionate about teaching and working with children. They are excited about influencing students' lives and understand the impact they have.
10. Strong Rapport with Students
    A great teacher develops a strong rapport with students and establishes trusting relationships.