How to engage all parents into my classroom Research Paper

How to engage all parents into my classroom - Research Paper Example In a child's education, it is beneficial for all parents to be actively involved. Communicating with Parents Communication is a fundamental aspect when it comes to engaging parents in the classroom. This is because parents need the information concerning their children for suitable advice or action. Therefore, the school should set up appropriate ways that will ensure communication flows from the school staffs to the parents. Establishing various communication channels will ensure clear communication between the teachers and the parents. These channels include; formal and informal conversations through individual meetings, parents-teacher meetings, seminars and school events, agenda books that allow the teachers to write comments about the student’s behavior and academic performance and flyers bearing the teacher’s contact information. Phone calls can be made directly to the parents to inform them of their children’s academic performance and behavior. ... The school should organize these educational opportunities but let the parents manage them. Parents can alternate roles and duties thus attracting more parents to contribute in the classes. This will provide an opportunity for the parents to interact with their children and the school staffs thus helping them engage in constructive activities. The classes can be organized in collaboration with relevant community organizations for example, if the topic is on health, community health organizations can be mobilized to offer insight (CDC, 2012). Parents can be involved in workshops and seminars on similar topics. Decision-making is a crucial role in a school, therefore, involving parents in it shows that the school’s leadership wants to invest in the parents. The parents see it as a partnership urging them to encourage their children and participate more in their schoolwork. Therefore, parents will be actively involved in the school’s activities after finding out that they are the decision makers (School Learning Support Program, 2010). Offering Volunteer Opportunities The school should organize volunteer activities and invite parents to participate in them by providing suitable positions. These activities assist in fostering free communication and interaction between the parents, the children and the school staff. Through these fun activities, parents can casually engage the teachers in conversations that would seem inappropriate for formal events. Some of the activities include; weekend games, environmental walks or tree planting events, feeding programs for the disabled or the homeless, after-school activities like aerobics, karate and cheerleading. Activities that can help enhance the skills of the students can also be incorporated for

Comparative investigation of seismic hazards and approaches to Essay

Comparative investigation of seismic hazards and approaches to mitigation - Essay Example Comparative investigation of seismic hazards and approaches to mitigation The occurrence of earthquake in future is expected. The Asian countries are one of the most earthquake-prone nations in the world. To make sure that the infrastructure of the country and other losses caused by the natural catastrophe is minimized certain mitigation approaches are taken up by the countries. The devastating nature of the earthquake has made many countries carry on extensive research and development programs like hazard assessment and disaster response program. Japan- the seismic hazards and its mitigation approach The Seismologists in Japan are of the opinion that Japan is yet to face a large-scale devastating earthquake, which might strike the region of Kanto, Tokai and Nankai. Intensive efforts are being taken by the country to mitigate the disasters and minimize the economic impact of the earthquakes (Office of technology Assessment Washington Dc, 149). This has resulted into extensive research and development of disaster related programs to combat the earthquake. J apan is an â€Å"archipelago† in the Pacific, which is separated by the Sea of Japan from the east coast of Asia. The four main island of the nation are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The nation is one of the most crowded and densely populated regions in the world. About 125 million people live in the cities along the coast. The closest neighbors of the nation are Korea, Russia and China. Japan is situated at a region where several continental plates like the Eurasian, the Philippine Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the North American plates converge- an important reason that the country faces frequent earthquakes and volcanoes. The largest earthquakes have occurred in the Philippine Sea and Pacific plates. Japan experienced the most devastating earthquake in the year 1923 on September 1st – the Great Kanto Earthquake. In the span of a minute 1 lakh people were dead and over 3 lakhs buildings were destroyed. The forces were so great that it lifted the southern bay as high as upto 2 m (6.6 ft) and also raised the distant land of Tokyo to 10 cm (4 in) and experienced a horizontal movement of 20cm (8in). The giant waves- tsunami that was generated by the tremor of the earthquake washed away ships inland and it swept people and houses out of the sea. The geographical situation of the country makes it earthquake prone- in one year it witnessed as many as 5000 earthquakes. After the devastating earthquake of 1923, the Japanese government imposed seismic codes based on the performance of certain buildings in Tokyo during that time. And it was after that there came in many advances in the earthquake engineering research, seismic codes and the construction practices of the city. The Japanese designing codes were a two-stage design process that was taken up. The first phase includes an analysis approach and the second phase involved an explicit assessment of the buildings, whether they will be able to withstand the severe ground motions. The construction companies in Japan spend a considerable amount on the research and development work annually including â€Å"testing of scaled building models in large in- house laboratories and research into passive and active control technologies† (Office of Technology Assessment Washington Dc, 149). The countermeasures taken up by the country included three important aspects- the making of the city more disaster resistant, strengthening the disaster prevention system of the city like tsunami warning system and raising awareness and