Journal Task (Essay Sample)

Journal Task
Name
Institution
Date of submission

Journal 1.1
Journal 1.1.1
Beginning teachers should be guided and regulated on the intensity of knowledge that they are required to deliver to their students. Curriculums are designed to help the teachers to limit the scope of knowledge that they should give their students.
Journal 1.1.2
Blomberg (in Blomberg, D. 2007.What Kind of Word is “Curriculum”?’ in Wisdom and Curriculum: Christian Schooling after Post modernity, Dordt College Press, Iowa, 117) demonstrates a curriculum as a proposition that defines a relationship one has with the self or the other. He explains that a positive disposition with the external divine nature allows for a human person to move towards truth without any hindrance.
Journal 1.2
Science is a discipline that deals with the cause and effect principles, and its biblical pedagogy may raise questions to the people who view Christianity as a doctrine based on faith without reason. By undertaking a Christian perspective in teaching science, Brummelen (in Brummelen, V. H., 2002. Steppingstones to Curriculum: A Biblical Path, (2nd ed.), Purposeful Design Publications, Colorado Springs, Chapter 3, ‘A Christian Worldview as the Basis for Curriculum’, p. 52) argues, one is encouraged to develop a Christian relationship with the scientific discipline through reflections.
Journal 1.3
Journal 1.3.1
The creation mandate has informed humankind that God is the sole creator and giver of everything that a person possesses. This Christian knowledge is responsible for the Christian teachers’ convictions about their knowledge, and how they view the world and mankind. In accordance with these convictions, as stated by Hammerman (in Hammerman, E., 2006. Becoming a better science teacher: 8 steps to high quality achievement. Corwin Press, California p.19), teachers’ habits have been formed based on their personal relationship with the Divine creator. A teacher’s way of life could also in many ways attribute to the students’ healthy relationship with the discipline.
Journal 1.3.2
The great biblical commandment is built on love. According to Gardner (in Gardner, H. 2006. Multiple intelligences: New Horizons, Basic Books, USA p. 121), scientific study that advocates for the love of humankind and nature, advocates for the fundamental principles of Christianity. The first scientific topic would be on the human health and reproduction. The topic emphasizes on the need for persons to care about the other’s health, and to ensure that any anomaly is corrected. This is love for the neighbor. Another topic that defines the greatest commandment is on the environmental conservation and care, in which the humans participate in taking care of God’s creation. The topic has a double concern for the love of God and his creative works.
Journal 1.4
Journal 1.4.1
Pearcey (in Pearcey, 2004. ‘Darwin meets the Berenstain Bears’, Total truth: Liberating Christianity from its cultural captivity, Crossway books, Wheaton, Chapter 5, p.156) argues that the resistance that was witnessed on the Christian faith primarily came from the resistance of new cultural perspective on the already existing ones amongst the other nations. The first value that has a western influence is a call for monogamy. The principle is in-culturated into the gospel and spread as a divine truth. The second is the adoption of the western rite in prayers. The Christian faith met resistance based on the lifestyle that it promoted that is different from the biblical structure. Third is the education system that has a lot of western knowledge as opposed to the indigenous people’s way of education.
Journal 1.4.2
Pratt (in Pratt, S. 2003. ‘Cooperative learning strategies’, The Science Teacher, pp.26) holds that the process of helping a Christian student to develop a good foundation based on Christian values can be realized with their teachers participating in the following roles; teachers have to play a guiding role to their students until they establish a healthy relationship with their Christian faith. Second, teachers’ lifestyle is an example to be emulated by the students. They play significant role models. Last, teachers can be their students’ counselors in matters of the faith. This creates a mutual relationship of growth between the two.
Journal 1.5
Dickson’s article, (Dickson, J. 2008. The Genesis of Everything: an historical account of the Bible’s opening chapter) can be helpful in acknowledging the special role he/she plays in relevance to the creative nature of God. Development of personal values and ideas has to be in accordance with the Christian teachings to avoid allowing of the diabolic knowledge. The article is primarily essential to both the teachers and the students who make the learning environment healthy.
Journal 1.5
Finlay (in Finlay, G. 2009. Science and Theology. Christians in Science and Technology, ISCAST.org) acknowledgement of the fundamental relationship between God and science is a base on which all the studies rest. One cannot talk about science without a reflection of God because there are a lot of unexplained occurrences that only faith can answer. As the desire for greater knowledge is born from the need to know, this desire has its origin on the ultimate being with its finality being the same object. I therefore agree with his views.
Journal 2.1
Journal 2.1.1
Describing a picture adds meaning to it and defines the boundaries on which it is understood. The first way through which a picture can be described is through speech. One speaks out about the picture. The second way is through the song. Singing about the picture defines its relevance to the students
Journal 2.1.2
According to Borich (in Borich, G.D. 2000. Effective teaching methods, (4th ed.). Merrill, New Jersey p. 63), Mozart effect refers to a set of results from researchers arguing that music has a special healing power and improves one mental health. Through music, the students’ memories are improved as they get involved in the art and participate in the words being used.
Journal 2.1.3
Mnemonics are believed to work based on the impacts they create on the students. One major strategy of mnemonic to use to the students is the emphasis on key words of a topic. This keeps on resonating in their memories thereby helping in remembrance.
Journal 2.2
Journal 2.2.1
The multiple intelligence from the sites are; Kinaesthetic that refers to the part of the body that is always on the move; the interpersonal that describes the part in the students that make them be easily adaptable to the social settings; the intrapersonal that define the ones’ self to communicate with the self; and finally the naturalist that defines the part of the person that correspond with nature.
Journal 2.2.2
In planning for the lesson, these multiple intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy are helpful as the assist the teacher to gauge the students’ characters and rate of knowledge consumption. The teacher therefore sets down an effective teaching method that would help all the students to collectively understand the lesson.
Journal 2.3
The unit topic of choice is the importance of science in classroom context. In giving the students an opportunity to reflect on the topic, I would divide them into groups with each group having its leader. They have to reflect on the various impacts that science has made to the world. After the reflection, the students are to write them down and share in classroom.
Journal 2.4
The mentioned modes of learning are experience, learning, and intuition, pictorial and visual. Learning is made effective through teaching, experience, is passed through storytelling, intuition is facilitated through reflections, pictorial and visual all share the use of technology.
Journal 2.5
Constructivists assume that knowledge is only realized when an individual has had a prior engagement with it. The philosophy is better understood from the concept that everyone is born with an empty brain and only needs experiential knowledge to fill the brain.
Journal 2.6
I am a constructivist teacher since the knowledge I currently offer to the students had been previously acquired by me. I demonstrate my knowledge to the students in order to help them remember. My lifestyle is also rooted in the Christian values that had been previously acquired.
Journal 3.1
Journal 3.1.1
As Harvey (in Harvey, P. 2008. Teaching Science: A Christian Perspective, Wesley Institute, Sydney p.15) argues, curriculum differentiation enables teachers to categorize students based on their abilities. As a teacher, I would introduce a simple topic to the students and gauge their concepts on it. This can help me to rate my students and help in designing my lesson plan.
Journal 3.2
Cultural pluralism is gauged at the exceptional values that are held within the society while multiculturalism emphasizes on the denominator values. The danger of using multiculturalism in classroom arises when a teacher insists that all the cultures are equal. The reality of the matter is that there is a distinction between the traditional cultures and the enlightened cultures.
Journal 3.3
Journal 3.3.1
Since the aboriginal cultures depend on land and oral traditions, their students would best need oral stories that emphasize on the key concepts of the lessons. Teaching using oral narration would be positively received by these students and remembered easily.
Journal 3.3.2
Otitis media is an infection that attacks the middle and the ear. This infection reduces the normal frequency of hearing power among the students. A good teacher must remember to include signs and pictures while demonstrating a c...