Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Students Gain Important Life Skills From Resource Classes

Most people have wonderful memories of sports activities and art projects while in school, but just how important are these activities? One of the main reasons for education is to prepare the students for jobs in the future, their social life and their family, but those familiar classrooms come from a different world. They were designed to prepare a student to be a worker on an assembly line, where they had to know how to function as the member of a team that rarely deviated. The ability of a student to stand in line at school is an important skill to learn because it teaches them to wait on the other team members, however today's work environment requires skills that are different.

In today's working world, it is very likely that a worker may change careers many times and may require many different skills and know the best way to apply them. By giving a student a variety of options, they can determine where their interests lay and the learn that change is sometimes fun. This also enables them to cope with changes that are inevitable. The act of switching from an activity involving paper and pencil, where the focus is mental concentration, to activities such as stomp or yoga, which require an awareness of balance and a focus on the different muscle groups is useful in that it helps the student learn the way to change strategy so they can be successful.

These extra activities can give the student an outlet in which their imagination can grow. A lot of teachers agree that these activities will give the student a chance to stop and reflect on what they just learned. For example, students who just learned about the solar system might incorporate what they learned into an art project. Another example is for students who learned about treaty negotiation might be able to apply that to resolving a dispute in sports. It is proven that students will retain what they learn better if they can process it in multiple ways. In addition, when students are involved in an activity they enjoy, the likelihood of them forming a better relationship with their teacher is greater and they will receive effective guidance.

The concept of developing multiple intelligence with different learning skills, is supported by the incorporation of enhanced activities. A good example is when one student has no problem learning by hearing, but another student learns better by touching things and manipulating with their hands. One student might find joy in art, while the other student may enjoy sports. A student who has the freedom to explore and choose will find success by enhancing their confidence to try something new. When students are allowed to try new things, it increases the chance of them finding something that will bring them success and happiness.

Education of the character can be part of activities that are enriched so that when success is experienced, the person can identify that "my success is directly linked to my choices and not exclusively to an environment that I cannot control." The more a person knows that they can control the events that affect them, the less depression they will suffer and the more success they will have. When students learn to balance different activities, they learn that success is a step by step process and they also develop patience. Even though resources classes do help with the emotional and relational thinking, there is still a need for cognitive and verbal thought and this is emphasized within the core curriculum.

What is the purpose of learning? It makes sense to develop multiple skills in different areas because there is no way of knowing what the future holds and students need to learn how to adapt in order to be successful. Resources classes provide a guided freedom of self discovery that will give the student the experience they need to build confidence. If a student has confidence, they have a solid foundation and can receive a mentor so they can learn the important relational skills. Schools that give a variety of choices in different areas to students who will then find different ways to be happy and successful, provide a foundation for a successful and happy life. These choices can mainly be found in private schools, which are a great option.

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