Surname 1 Shengqin Xu A00416674 2018, Nov, 28 Journal Entry #2 In most instances, I am not easily influenced by others. I make my own decisions based on what I deem to be right. Allowing others to influence me implies that I will make decisions that are biased because the judgment is not mine. The people who are allowed to influence one's decision are the very ones that will, later on, complain that you are biased. They will also point out that you are not firm in what you are doing. Making decisions is an essential aspect of one’s life. Relying on what people say to make decisions is very detrimental bearing in mind that one does not know the motive of the given advice. As such, I decide on my own and not based on what people tell me. Family, friends, and people in authority may want to influence the decisions that I make; however, I do not decide based on their influence. I have to make my own determinations to issue a final and sound judgment on any aspect that is at hand. This way, I reduce the chances of any other conflict of interest since the people who advise what one should do have their own vested interest.Most of the timeI make my own decisions most of the time. In fact, I do not remember of any instance that I made a decision based on what other people told me.We had a funeral at home. A close relative had passed away. The family had decided that the burial should be conducted after three weeks. This was to allow us to collect more funds to meet the hospital expenses. The decision had been arrived at by almost eighty percent of the family members.I went against what had been decided because the three weeks interlude would have implied that we encounter more charges in catering for the morgue charges. As such, I decided that the burial should be conducted within two weeks. I decided on the shorter time limit because a longer duration would imply more morgue charges. Also, two weeks was still sufficient enough for all the people involved in sourcing for funds. If one has money that they can contribute, even an hour is enough.Additionally, many people work effectively under pressure. When given more time, people will relax and resume to what they were supposed to do when the deadline is about to elapse. Therefore, I decided on the shorter time duration due to two issues; the first one was to cut the cost and the second reason was that whether one week or one year, those in a position would still contribute. Surname 1 Shengqin Xu A00416674 2018, Nov,28 Journal 3 Reading articles "Blood on the Home Front" and Toronto Star's article on applying restrictions to smoking in public places, I drew a number of comparisons. First, in the Blood on the Home Front, the authors posit that the war waged by US soldiers in Afghanistan had more effects at home than the ultimate achievement of Killing Osama which the US take pride in. Concerning this, the authors state that the trauma suffered by soldiers returning home from the Afghanistan war has led to them causing injuries to loved ones and in some notable cases killing their wives. The underlined issue is that the war in Afghanistan was beneficial to the rest of the world but has caused havoc and deaths in the families of soldiers who fought the Afghan war. In relation to the Toronto Start article on restricting marijuana smoking in public places, the author raises a similar issue that allowing cigarette smoking in the same places leads to more harmful effects compared to allowing marijuana smoking in the same places. Concerning this, the author highlights that the state rule of implementing hefty fines on people caught smoking marijuana at designated public places in a real sense encourages cigarette smoking among the residents, a behavior which has proven deadly health issues. In the end, in both articles, it is clear that although some government actions have been done for the greater good of the people, they have actually resulted in harmful effects on the larger society they were meant to protect. So far reading these articles and others in my class, I have noticed a significant change. Conspicuously, I have been able to become an adept in-depth reader, thereby developing the Surname 2 ability to decipher deeper meaning in texts, draw comparisons with previous texts and reflect the implications of my reading in my life as well as that of the society I belong to. More importantly, I have developed a habit of asking a question in my mind, while reading, something that has helped me in my development of critical analysis of these readings. Regarding the question of whether I have noticed a change in myself from my development of reading, the answer is that I have been able to comprehend texts at a deeper level, something which has made me more fluent and able to create texts of my own. I think that ordinary reading is effective when only facts are required from reading a particular book or text. This is because it allows a reader to skim through the reading not concerning themselves with understanding deeper meaning in the same but only understanding stated facts. Even though this method or reading allows a reader to read many texts and attain many facts, I think that it is less effective compared to critical reading as this allows readers to understand both facts and deeper meaning presented by authors in articles, books or any other form of written text. As such, I think that ordinary reading is by far a less effective method of reading compared to critical reading. Running head: SOCRATIC METHOD 1 Shengqin Xu A00416674 2018,Nov,28 Socratic method is a common concept in the field of education. It involves a dialogue between teachers and students driven by asking questions. Unlike the traditional style of teaching, where the teachers were solely responsible for pushing the teaching and learning in class, with the Socratic method, both the teachers and students are critical in pushing the classroom conversations through questioning (Trepanier, 2018). Personally, I believe the approach is efficient in helping students learn by evoking their reasoning, critical thinking and logic through asking questions. It is through questionings that a teacher would know the strengths and weaknesses of his/her students in a manner meant to concretize their understanding of concepts by thinking critically when called upon. Ideally, I am for the Socratic Method and its use in the classroom setting. In my view, there are many advantages of this approach. First of all, the Socratic approach in teaching and learning helps create a probing culture, whereby through asking questions, students and teachers are able to examine the existing body of knowledge by further asking other questions as a pathway towards knowing the truth. Also, the application of the method in class helps the students to be focused in class since they are ever ready to be asked or answer a question in class (Trepanier, 2018). Above of all, the approach makes the lecture atmosphere lively and engaging, whereby both the teachers and students help develop a deep understanding of the knowledge. However, this approach may seem intimidating to students who are not fond of asking and answering questions in class. Also, the method can strike fear for those who are not well prepared for class thus causing panic. SOCRATIC METHOD 2 Personally, I vouch for the use of Socratic method in education. I believe it is a good method of education. In as much as others may view it as an approach that can be attributed with fear, panic, and intimidation, to me, I see it as a productive discomfort in the manner it is able to keep students on their toes; be always prepared to be called on in class. Also, I view the approach as a good method in education because it is able to promote class interaction and engagement, where students are able to develop the skills of not only speaking before a large number of people, but also articulate their values and beliefs clearly. Being required to answer questions in class can be both comforting and intimidating at the same. To me, being called on to answer a question in class while prepared is a good thing because I will be able to explain what I know, and in doing so be able to concretize my knowledge. However, if unprepared, being required to answer questions in class can be intimidating, especially when you do not have a clue of what to answer. Nonetheless, I feel being required to answer questions in class positively impact learning as it evokes critical thinking and deep understanding of concepts.
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