The Role of Magnocellular Cells in Dyslexia Essay -- Dyslexia Learning

The Role of Magnocellular Cells in Dyslexia Dyslexia is a defined as a learning disability characterized by problems in expressive or receptive, oral or written language. Derived from the Greek words "dys" (poor or inadequate) and "lexis" (words or language), dyslexia and other learning disabilities affect about 15% of the population. (What is dyslexia!) Dyslexia itself can manifest itself in many different ways. People with dyslexia do not see words "backwards" or have other vision problems. Many dyslexics are gifted with outstanding musical abilities, or the ability to solve three-dimensional puzzles with little difficulty. (What is dyslexia!) It is not representative of a below average mind and is not caused by behavioral or social problems. Dyslexia is caused by differences in the function and structure of certain areas of the brain. (What is dyslexia!) Because of this, Dyslexia can not be cured and will never be outgrown. Appropriate teaching methods are taught to help those with dyslexia overcome their weakness by using their strengths. Understanding how this disability works and where it stems from can only help in the search for beneficial teaching techniques. Because there are many different aspects of dyslexia, very few dyslexics show all the signs of the disorder. Understanding some of the more devastating symptoms of the disorder provide a strong base for research in the area. Dyslexics may have difficulty encoding words, not be able to recognize sequences of numbers or of letters in words, either when read or written, or not be able to fully interpret instructions that they have been given. Imagine a person driving down the road who cannot distinguish between a sign that says 15 mph and 51 mph. Or a person wh... ... http://cognitrn.psych.indiana.edu/busey/idloc/idloc.html Cornelissen, P.L. (1998). Coherent motion detection and letter position encoding. Vision Research Issue 38, 2181-2191. Cornelissen, P.L. (1998). Magnocellular visual function and children’s single word reading. Vision Research Issue 38, 471-482. Newman, Renee (1998, April). Dyslexia: Explanations from science. [ 8 paragraphs.] Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Support Services of Shiawassee County available: http://www.shianet.org/~reneenew/dysl.html Ridder, W.H. 3rd (1997). Not all dyslexics are created equal. Optometry and Visual Sciences, 74 (3), 99-104. Skottun, B. C. (1997). Some remarks on the magnocellular deficient theory of dyslexia. Vision Research Issue 37, 965-966. What is Dyslexia!. [3 paragraphs]. Discover Technology [Online]. Available: http://discovertechnology.com/whatisdyslexia.html

Biography of Malcolm Knowles Essay

Introduction One cannot mention Adult Education without making reference to the internationally reputable adult educationist by the name of Malcolm Shepherd Knowles. Malcolm is renowned for leading both as an academician and practitioner who played a crucial role in the development and the application of adult learning across the globe (George, 2011). Background Malcolm Shepherded Knowles was born in August 24, 1913 in Livingstone, Montana. His parents were Dr. and Mrs. Dr. A. D. Knowles. He loved to participate in sports and outdoor activities from an early age. In addition to this, he was an avid scout during his youthful years. He was also an academically astute student. This was made evident when he graduated at the top of his class from the Palm Beach High School in 1930. Consequently, he was admitted to the distinguished Harvard University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934. During his stay at this prestigious institution, he took courses in philosophy, literature, history, political science, ethics and international law (George, 2011). He was also fascinated with extracurricular activities. This made him to be appointed the president of the Harvard Liberal Club, general secretary of the New England Model League of Nations, and President of the Phillips Brooks House. His involvement in voluntary service for the latter got him working with boys club and this formed a crucial platform for his fruitful career in adult education and social service. Career Malcolm Knowles went on to work with the National Youth Administration in Massachusetts where he was responsible for establishing the skills requirements for local employers and establish a course for the entire study body and teach those skills to the young people. In the course of this work he met Professor Eduard Lindeman who went on to become Malcolm’s mentor in adult education. As he continued in this work he married Hulda Fornell whom he had met at Harvard. In 1940, he assumed the role of Director of Adult Education. This enabled him to set up an association school for adults at the Boston YMCA. It is from this position that he was drafted into the Second World War in 1943. In 1946, he took the position of Director of Adult Education at the YMCA. He proceeded to pursue his Master’s degree in Arts at the University of Chicago and graduated in 1949. Under the mentorship of Cyril O. Houle he became executive director of the Adult Education Association of the USA which had been newly formed. He joined the Boston University in 1959 as an associate professor. During this time, he was very instrumental in launching a new graduate program in the field of adult education. He later joined the Fielding Graduate University in Massachusetts where he continued to teach until his retirement in 1979 (George, 2011). Despite the fact that he had retired, Knowles had already achieved his PhD continued to be involved in the field of Adult Education. During this time he became a Professor Emeritus at the North Carolina State University where he continued to write books and articles regarding adult education. Dr. Knowles passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 1997 at his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas due to stroke. Malcolm Knowles’s Contributions Malcolm’s contributions in education can never go unmentioned in especially in the field of adult education. He created a model which is still in use today in the field of adult education. This was the theory of andragogy. This theory was based on the differences in the learning styles between the children and the adults. This theory was developed after a thorough study of humanistic clinical psychology and the relationships which were derived from it. Thus, this theory was based on five basic assumptions about the features of adult learners (Malcolm, 1950). These features brought out a very different view from the features which were observed in children. These features included the following aspects (Malcolm, 1950); the self-concept; which is a person usually, matures over time from possessing a dependent personality towards one of being a self-directed one. Experience; this is the second feature which usually brings with it a huge amount of experience that an individual has gained over time. Readiness to learn; the primary motivation for a person’s readiness to earn may change from being one of eagerness of knowledge in his youth to one of eagerness to develop their social standing. Lastly, orientation to learning, as a person matures, his perspective of problems and urgencies shift to one of a frantic nature. Thus a person starts focusing more on his problems than the subject of his problems. Dr. Malcolm grounded the concept of adult education by bringing on board the principle of Adult Education. This came to the fore as part o his Master’s thesis as he was searching for a ‘coherent and comprehensive theory of adult learning’ when he hit upon the informal theory of adult education. He held the opinion that an organized course was usually better for new learning of an intensive nature while an informal association or club provided the best opportunity for practicing and refining the things which were taught (Malcolm, 1950). Dr. Malcolm spent a further fourteen years producing major texts in the field of adult education. His works include the Modern Practice of Adult Education (1970) and The Adult Learner (1973). These texts help to establish him as a central figure in adult education in the United States of America. Through them, the theory of andragogy was further popularized. He also recognized the value and the importance of learning communication skills. This is because he believed that humans have to interact with each other on a daily basis, therefore the knowledge of communication should be included as part of their curriculum. In order to aid an adult in the society, Dr. Malcolm believed that adult education should be able to enable the adults to develop a clear understanding of them through learning about their own needs and selves. Secondly, adults should cultivate a mindset of acceptance, love and respect towards others. This would help them to establish healthy relationships with others in the society. Adults should also possess an accepting attitude towards change. Adults should also figure out solutions to a general cause instead of fretting over the cause itself. This would help them to develop what he called an active and logical mind that would help them to make any situation and make it better. Adults should also have an understanding of the society and be proactive in instituting social change. This can be done by making every adult aware of the important issues such as political, economic, international affairs and the business aspects of life. Conclusion In conclusion, Dr. Malcolm Shepherd Knowles played a major role in the development and establishment of adult education. Despite the fact that he is no longer alive, his work, ideas and innovations still live on and inspire more strategies in adult learning. His efforts led to the development of the Theories of Andragogy and Self-Directed Learning (George, 2011). In addition to this, he was the first person to chart the rise and progress of the entire adult education movement which took center stage in the United States of America. This informed the process that led to the development of general theory and practice of informal adult education. Dr. Knowles remains to be a great inspiration to many academicians who have benefited from his ideas as well as the professionals in the field of adult education. References George, W. (2011). Malcolm Shepherd Knowles: A History of His Thought (Education in aCompetitive and Globalizing World). London: Nova Science . Malcolm, S. K. (1950). Informal Adult Education. Chicago: Association Press.

Should Animal Testing Be Banned - 844 Words

Should animal testing be banned? Nowadays, a lot of animals has been tested on a range of experiments over the world. You could be supporting animal teasing cruelty without knowing it. Have you ever check if there’s animal testing on the cosmetics before you buy it? Today, a lot of cosmetics has been testing on helpless animals and there are about 1.4 million animals die each year from animal testing ( CatalanoJ, 1994). Most of the experiments that are completed in the laboratories are very cruel and cold blood which you can never imagine human do that to each other. Therefore, I strongly believe that animal testing should be banned because it is cruel, inaccurate, unnecessary and expensive reasons. To begin with, animal testing should be banned because to experiment on live animals is just too cruel and barbaric. It is just trail and error on animals. Human treated animals’ lives like dirt and even thought they can’t talk, they still have rights. In addition, around 9 up to 10 innocent animals are dying for a failed product (MorganS, 2001). Animal testing is very painful and disgusting experiments. Animals will be locked in a small cages with a hole for the animals head to be trapped into, so they can not move around while doing the testing. Many terrible ways of completing experiments has been used on animals by pouring drain killer into the eye of animals, or putting on chemicals on shaved skin. For example, rows of rabbits are locked into restraining stocks prior toShow MoreRelatedAnimal Testing Should Be Banned880 Words   |  4 Pagesdepending on animals testing. Therefore, if people talk about laboratories, they should remember animal experiments. Those an imals have the right to live, according to people who dislike the idea of doing testing on animals; the other opinion, supports the idea of animal testing as the important part of the source of what has reached medicine of the results and solutions for diseases prevalent in every time and place. Each year huge numbers of animals are sacrificed for the science all these animals, whetherRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned776 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Testing Should be Banned  ¨Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisioned and abused in US labs every year ¨ ( ¨11 Facts About Animal Testing ¨). Imagine if that was someones animal getting tortured in labs just to test things such as beauty products and perfume. Animal testing was first suggested when,  ¨Charles Darwin evolutionary theory in the mid 1850s also served to suggest that animals could serve as effective models to facilitate biological understanding in humans ¨ (Murnaghan)Read MoreAnimal Testing Should Not Be Banned940 Words   |  4 Pages1). Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and abused in US labs every year. 2). 92% of experimental drugs that are safe and effective in animals fail in human clinical trials. (DoSomething â€Å"11 Facts About Animal Testing†). There are currently no laws combating the testing of cosmetics on animals, but the practice is harmful and must be ended. As evidenced by the statistics above, millions of animals are tortured and murdered in the United States every year for virtually no reasonRead MoreShould Animal Testing Be Banned?1665 Words   |  7 PagesTesting Cosmetics on Animals Companies around the world use animals to test cosmetics. Animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice, are used to test the effects of chemicals on the eyes and skin. While animal testing is not mandatory, many companies use it. About Cosmetics Animal Testing by the Humane Society International talks about the different options companies have that do not require the cruel use and eventual death of animals. The article also talks about the overallRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Not Be Banned1572 Words   |  7 PagesAnimal Testing Every year, over two hundred million innocent animals are injured or killed in scientific experiments across the world. Of those animals, between seventeen and twenty million are used in the United States alone. It is said that an animal dies in a laboratory every three seconds (Animal Testing 101). Those in favor of animal experimentation say they are taking animals’ lives to save humans. It is not necessary to subject animals to torturous conditions or painful experiments in theRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Not Be Banned1581 Words   |  7 PagesAnimal testing is being used by different organizations all over the world to prevent specific diseases, especially cancer. Americans see animal testing having a harmful effect but it is one of the main reasons why society has most cures for some illnesses. This topic is important because people need to know what goes on during animal testing and why it is very beneficial. Animal testing needs to be used to find all cures. Some ani mals such as chimps/ monkeys have 90% of the same DNA humans haveRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Not Be Banned1721 Words   |  7 Pages † Today, more animals are being used in experiments than ever before: around 100 million in the United States alone† (3). Animal testing is now an international issue, and it is becoming a major story. Currently, animals are often used in medical testing, make-up testing, and other consumer product testing. Animals used in such product testing are often abused and suffer from serious side-effects. Animal testing can be painful for the animals, testing results are usually not even useable forRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned1364 Words   |  6 Pagesbenefit. Using animals for these experimentations usually does not come to mind. Animals are often abused, suffer, and even die during laboratory testing for the benefits of people to make sure medications, household products, newest procedures, and cosmetics are safe and effective for human use. Humans have benefited from animal testing for years while these animals suffer consequences with no positive outcomes for themselves. Even if a product or procedure is deemed successful, these animals are frequentlyRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned Essay1632 Words   |  7 Pages Animal Testing Should Be Banned Throughout the decades, animals have been used in medical research to test the safety of cosmetics including makeup, hair products, soaps, perfume, and countless of other products. Animals have also been used to test antibiotics and other medicines to eliminate any potential risks that they could cause to humans. The number of animals worldwide that are used in laboratory experiments yearly exceeds 115 million animals. Unfortunately, only a small percentage ofRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned2391 Words   |  10 Pageseasier for consumers. These are only mild examples of the animal testing that goes on every single day around the world, and right here in the United States of America. Animals are kept in lonely, cold, dirty kennels, and some never see the light of day. They are tested on, force fed, and often mistreated even when the tests are over. Every day innocent animals are shocked, injected, poisoned, restrained, and endure excruciating pain testing chemicals in most, i f not all, of the products everyday Americans