Reflective- Indigo

Posted on December 11, 2023 by indigo143

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

For my definition argument, I used core value 1. To get started, I created a proposal plus five sources. For the sources I had to further research my topic to find good and viable sources. One I found sources I liked, I had to write an annotated bibliography for them. I had to write why I wanted to use them in my paper and how I intended to use them in my paper. After I finished the proposal, I had a zoom conference with my professor to further go over my sources and topic. After my professor helped me, I started to write my definition argument. After my first draft was submitted, I was able to get feedback from my professor. After I had incorporated the feedback into my draft, my final draft was complete.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

My definition paper topic was part of a larger academic and cultural topic. I wrote about how school anxiety is hurting today’s students. Through research, I was able to get quotes and sources from teachers and institutions. As well as quotes from students and parents. While reading sources, I was able to put my own two cents in through my definition argument. In my definition argument I was able to support my own ideas through quotes from my reliable sources. I was also able to add different ways of thinking in regard to my topic. I was able to identify the problems within the current grading system and offer solutions on how to fix the problem. With my own ideas and help from the sources I was able to present a topic that could change one’s perception.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I used core value 3 for my Rebuttal Argument. My paper was in defense of today’s students. At first, I thought that my opponents to my thesis would be teachers or school board directors. I realized that changing a whole grading system would have to be voted on democratically. So, I broadened my horizons and figured that my opponents were the older generations as whole. Now that my audience was clear, it became easier to explain what I was trying to convey to them. I was able to use their opinions and generalizations of the younger generations against them. I was able to explain my reasoning in way that would make sense to them. Rather than only writing to educators or school board directors.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I used core value 4 in my definition argument. One source I used in my paper was Grades Are at the Center of the Student Mental Health Crisis by Inside Higher Ed. What first drew me to the article was the title. The title seemed similar to my thesis, so I analyzed the article further. With further investigation, the article seemed credible. Although the website/article is not a scholarly source, it was still informative. The website itself is dedicated to articles related to academic topics. Also, the article referenced multiple sources and was able to embed links directly into the article. Since my topic is a newer revelation, mental health, it was easier to find well-written articles such as Grades Are at the Center of the Student Mental Health Crisis than to use the library resources to find older articles.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I used core value 5 in my causal argument. Throughout the body paragraphs, I was giving examples that supported my thesis. Since I did not offer resolutions to all my examples, there were possible disputable claims that I had to acknowledge. In the last paragraph of my causal argument, I acknowledged my opponent’s point of view. While acknowledging my opponent, I also gave a statistic supporting my thesis against the opponent’s point of view. Although I am partial to thinking my paper could defend against the opponents and execute my supporting claims perfectly. It is important to acknowledge the opponents first in the causal argument before going on full defense in my rebuttal argument. It is always important to be respectful when arguing your point of view in any paper.

Posted in X Archive | 1 Comment

Reflective Statement – Jetsfan

Posted on December 11, 2023 by JetsFan2

Writing is a practice that involves a multi-stage, recursive and social process.

In the beginning of the semester, I admit I did not do any revisions on my work because I was a believer in my first try is my best effort. Throughout the course, I began to realize that different ideas can pop into my head at any point and they could make some pretty good revisions. It is really a multi step process that needs to be executed. Especially because of Professor Hodge’s over willingness to give feedback on the students’ work. A great example of me taking the feedback from Professor is after the first conference we had about the final 3,000 word paper. In this conference, we changed the meaning of my thesis, without actually changing my thesis. We sat down and really narrowed my thesis into something worth writing about. During the conversation, we made it clear that the focus should be why people should be doing physical activity, not what is physical activity. It was a very interesting conversation that provoked many different and new thoughts into my head. This allowed for what I believe is a pretty solid paper, that never would have been without the consistent feedback throughout the stages of it’s creation process.

Close and critical reading/analysis is necessary for listening to and questioning texts, arriving at a thoughtful understanding of those texts, and joining the academic and/or public conversations represented by those texts.

The first thing that I learned in this course is that all text is argument. Early on in the course it was stressed to really read the meaning behind the words in everything we can read. It was really challenging for me in the beginning of the semester, but with practice during class, it became much easier and a lot of fun. It has become easier to understand what the author is saying, but have the ability to say what you got out of the author’s writing. A personal favorite activity that we did in class was moving certain words around in each sentence. For example, “Only she said she loved him.” was the phrase and as a class, we moved around the word “only” and saw how the meaning of the sentence was changing.

Writing is shaped by audience, purpose, and context.

This is a very interesting part of the class. We were able to learn what the purpose of writing a meaningful paper was. Our audience is the concise 2% of people who do not know anything, or do not have an opinion about our topic. It was stressed that we are not trying to make people believe in our idea more, or persuade people into believing us as writers, even though that would be nice. We are trying to inform the blind and have them believe in what we have to say. In a way, the author can be an influence on the audience. If we tried to only write to the people who disbelieve in what we have to say as authors, then we would have no audience. The purpose of writing is to persuade. As writers, we are giving the readers information for them to either agree or disagree with what we have to say as writers. 

Information literacy is essential to the practice of writing.

Writing is a very long process. It is a process that starts with a lot of background research. It is very important to be able to do research well. Finding public, academic, and disciplinary information in a digital environment is a very tricky thing to do due to all of the information on the internet nowadays. We need the write background information on the writer to determine if the source we have selected is a valuable and useful source. Through my annotated bibliography, I learned a great deal of information about my topic. Reading the 10 sources and finding the meaning behind the text was crucial for me to produce the work I did. 

Writing has power and comes with ethical responsibilities.

Writing is something an author should be able to take pride in. The feeling of actually accomplishing work that is meaningful and puts good in the world is one like no other. The problem appears when the writing is published. People have a tendency to take and use from other people’s works. This is an acceptable practice when the usage of proper citation is present. This is not a form of ethical writing though. Ethical writing is not changing the words to make it sound like your own. It includes the other author’s ideas and use them in your own voice. Through proper reading and annotating, you can make a really good paper on anything you want, ethically.

Posted in Reflective | 1 Comment

Definition rewrite

Posted on December 11, 2023 by rebelpilot64

What are the problems with banning books

Book banning has been a really big thing that is going on in the country today. It has been causing books to be removed from the shelves in the libraries at school. It has been going out of hand in some ways because books can get banned for the most ridiculous reasons just because of just one thing that is “too much.” When books get taken away from the school library, it causes children not to be able to read the books as easily and therefore may cause kids to have a lack of knowledge, and feel like they got something taken away from them.

When books get banned in schools it is because they often have something that is too dark or mature. But when books get banned in schools, It takes away freedom of speech and people feel like they are not being heard when books are taken away. In the article, When are book bans unconstitutional? A First Amendment scholar explains, “Censorship does not violate the Constitution unless the government does it.” This is explaining that censorship is allowed to happen in schools even though we have rights to voice our opinions. When books are banned in schools, people can’t read what they want to and books are a form of speech. Freedom of speech is a right that we all have and if banning books from the schools makes people feel like their freedom of speech is being violated, then schools are not understanding what are people’s basic rights.

Many times when books are banned from schools it is just because they have offensive language in them or have a sensitive topic. In the article, When are book bans unconstitutional? A First Amendment scholar explains, states that “removal from school curricula of books that marginalize minorities or use racially insensitive language, like the popular “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The quote is explaining that books can get removed from the schools because there is offensive language in them. If books are removed in schools because of that, then kids will not understand what was going on during that time period, and therefore will cause kids to have a lack of knowledge and may not be able to learn from the past and what was going on. Schools need to be teaching kids that the world is not a perfect place and that bad things can happen in the world.

There have been books that have gotten removed from the schools just because the characters in the books are different from them. In the article, When are book bans unconstitutional? A first amendment scholar explains, is showing us that, Most books targeted for banning in 2021, says the American Library Association, “were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons.” When books are banned that are featuring minorities, they are taking away books that are seen from another person’s point of view. If there are people of that group, then they will feel like they are not being included or heard because they are not able to get a book from the library that is about them. Seeing the world from another person’s point of view can help kids learn that there are ways to educate yourself and knowing that there are different ways to see the world by reading a book from a different point of view.  

It is important for kids to learn about topics that are dark. When kids learn about serious or important issues, it helps them have more knowledge. In the article, Does banning books really help children? It states, “Urbani, now a professor of education at Northeastern University in Oakland and a childhood education expert, said we should be talking to children about uncomfortable topics and books allow for those conversations.” When kids learn about uncomfortable or serious topics, they will have an easier time understanding why learning what is right or wrong. Normalizing certain topics can let kids know that certain things are not always easy in life and learning about topics that are sensitive can help people understand different things more easily and by helping certain topics be normalized, It will cause people to be more open and educated about the world around them. 

Even though there may not be certain topics appropriate for certain ages, it still does not mean that books have to be banned in the library. In the article Does banning books really help children? “Urbani says each child will be different and she encourages parents to consider their child’s maturity level and be open to having conversations if their child reads something that confuses them or is beyond their maturity level.” Kids may mature at different ages and therefore might read books that are beyond their level. Even though parents may not think that the book is right for their kid, they should not have a right to take it away from someone else’s kid just because the topic is too mature. Some kids may be mature for their age and therefore could have a better understanding on the topic then others. 

In conclusion, banning books from the schools does not help or protect kids at all. In reality, books help kids see the world and by taking away from others does not help kids learn as much. In fact, kids will not learn as much if they do not have as many books covering certain topics as stated in the previous paragraphs above. Since books contain speech within them, banning them will be against the first amendment. People’s freedom of speech is an important thing that everyone needs to have no matter what. If books are banned just because there is a sensitive topic within it, then children might not be able to learn about the topics in the right way. While kids can learn outside of school, school is the place where we learn about topics when we start going to school. Books are an important part of education because reading is the topic that is showing information that is crucal

References

Kayata, Erin. “Does Banning Books Really Help Children?” Northeastern Global News, 18 Sept. 2023, news.northeastern.edu/2023/09/14/banning-books-harm-children/. 

Erica Goldberg                    Associate Professor of Law. “When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A First Amendment Scholar Explains.” The Conversation, 12 Sept. 2023, theconversation.com/when-are-book-bans-unconstitutional-a-first-amendment-scholar-explains-176225.

Posted in Definition Rewrite | Leave a comment

Annotated Bibliography – JetsFan

Posted on December 11, 2023 by JetsFan2

Fred, Olamide. “Benefits of Going to the Gym Everyday.” Nicholas Idoko, 16 May 2023, nicholasidoko.com/blog/2022/04/27/benefits-of-going-to-the-gym-everyday/

This article goes over the different benefits of going to the gym everyday. It begins with how people can find a motive to attend the gym everyday. It then proceeds to give detailed examples of different types of workouts that can be done in the average gym. Following these points, Olamide goes over the health benefits of going to work out. 

Leonie Cranney a, et al. “Impact of an Outdoor Gym on Park Users’ Physical Activity: A Natural Experiment.” Health & Place, Pergamon, 14 Dec. 2015, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829215001495.

This study presents a survey of people beginning to workout because there is a gym at the local park they take their walks at. The research began with a survey of how many people that go for walks/runs in that park also weight train. Then the outdoor gym was put in the park and they saw if it was a popular addition. They then come back a year later and see how many people decide to train outdoors at the park and if it increases the moral and motives for people to begin lifting. 

Haennel, Robert G, and Francine Lemire. “Physical Activity to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease. How Much Is Enough?” The College of Family Physicians of Canada, The College of Family Physicians of Canada, 1 Jan. 2002, http://www.cfp.ca/content/48/1/65.short.

This article does a great job breaking down the obvious evidence of the relationship between the amount of physical activity and cardiovascular disease and it’s morality rate. In the article, it is clear that physical activity does not need to be overly vigorous to benefit the health, but just tough enough for a sweat to break. Moderate activity, such as brisk walking for 30 to 60 minutes a day most days of the week, is associated with significant reductions in the incidence and mortality of CV disease.

Sport, 1Department of. “Short-Term Effects on Lower-Body Functional Power… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.” LWW, journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2005/05000/Short_Term_Effects_on_Lower_Body_Functional_Power.32.aspx. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023

This study’s purpose was to determine the short term effects of training the lower body. The research team is trying to find out if doing resistance training for your lower body would improve the static and dynamic movements of college aged test subjects. 

Hedrick, Allen MA, FNSCA, CSCS*D1; Wada, Hiroaki CSCS2. Weightlifting Movements: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?. Strength and Conditioning Journal 30(6):p 26-35, December 2008. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31818ebc8b

The first thing this article does for the reader is define the rules and regulations of the weightlifting sport so the reader can understand the activity better. It then gives a good amount of information about how the explosive movements in weightlifting can be beneficial across the different types of competitive athletes. The wrap up the article, the article does mention there are risks involved in these movements. With improper technique or too heavy of weight, the risk of injury rises. The overall goal for this article is to give athletes and coaches good ideas to create a strong, safe, and productive training regimen. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, February 24). Physical activity boosts brain health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/physical-activity-brain health/index.html#:~:text=Did%20you%20know%20it’s%20good,of%20cognitive%20decline%2C%20including%20dementia.

This article digs into the mental benefits of doing physical activity. It does not talk about going to the gym or lifting weights. It provides four examples of great ways to get active without even realizing you’re benefiting yourself. The first example is dancing. Dancing is fun and a great way to burn calories. The next one is taking an active break. This means working on balancing on one leg during a commercial break or in between programs. The next two are similar because they are both about walking. The first example is walking across the parking lot with groceries. Whereas the second one is walking your dog. 

Kerr, M. (2022, January 19). Exercise and weight loss: Importance, benefits & examples. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-and-weight-loss#benefits

This articles presents all of the major health benefits that come with losing weight. It also speaks heavily on all the major health risks of not losing weight when needed. It then breaks down the differences between dieting and exercise. The big stressor in this article is burning calories. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023b, August 1). Benefits of physical activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm#:~:text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20is%20one,ability%20to%20do%20everyday%20activities.

This article gives all of the benefits of doing physical activity. It starts with immediate benefits like brain health. It then dives into reducing health risks. After that is goes into the bone health side of things and breaks down need for strengthening joints, muscles, and bones. It clearly states that doing things presented in the research will help someone live longer. 

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-use-selective-androgen-receptor-modulators-sarms-among-teens-young-adults#:~:text=Studies%20and%20reports%20show%20SARMs,Sleep%20disturbances

This article is very interesting because it is all about the dangerous influences of lifting. It brings in the introduction of SARMS. SARMS or selective androgen receptor modulators are a class of drugs that act on the androgen receptor selectively in the muscle and bone. Non-selective anabolic androgenic steroids are potentially useful for a variety of medical conditions, but their use is limited by side effects.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-exercise-paradox/

This article is very interesting and useful because it allows the ideology that working out is human nature. For centuries the only way people could travel is by walking, the only way for people to get food was hunting, and the only way to bring water to the family was by carrying it to them. All three of these activities are forms of working out because they have an emphasis of burning calories. 

Posted in Bibliography | 1 Comment

Reflective- Ericcartman

Posted on December 11, 2023 by eric cartman

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

Proposal+5—EricCartman

I used my Proposal +5 assignment to be able to demonstrate my researching abilities, through this I was able to uncover good quality sources that all satisfied a different aspect of my paper. I utilized the tactics of research and using Rowan’s resources and databases to uncover professional and well developed content. I was then able to apply these ideas towards different sections of my paper. 

I used different databases, and everything my school provided for me, as rowan pays for a-lot of research databases. I got really good at using filters, through this process they became my best friend as I used them to narrow down every single source and topic I was looking into.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I believe the rebuttal rewrite showed my skills of being able to take on a new perspective and allow myself to alternate viewpoints. I was able to create meaning to support my idea by using a dissenting opinion rather than tearing my argument down through using this. I was able to analyze different stories, experiments, and outcomes, and use my ideas to be able to tie them all back into my thesis. 

Here is an example of how I was able to appropriately express a transition for a rebuttal, while respecting both sides of the debate:

“We have seen a vast majority of studies point towards art therapy being beneficial in aiding the mental health issues seen in youth. Art therapy is not solely used as the main form of therapy most of the time, but rather as an additional practice towards one’s ongoing treatment. But not everybody is equipped to gain a positive experience from this practice; as with any other form of therapy, some are more widely applicable to certain conditions than others.”

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments. https://rowancomp2.com/2023/11/15/visual-rhetoric-ericcartman/

Keeping an audience in mind and their interpretations will help guide your writing to hold mre appeal towards the reader rather than writer. Using the visual rhetoric assignment, we were made to focus on our descriptions mainly. Being able to tell a story or explain components that formulate a perfect image for the audience is difficult, hence why analyzing and going into detail for the audience’s purpose is important. I was never good with visual descriptions, but through this excersise, I was able to be able to create an entire image in my head all through using words.

Heres an example from my visual rhetoric:

0:02-0:04- They continue their brisk walk with their hands full, parents side by side and the older toddler coming waking up in between, they all hold content looking smiles on their face. The father began to look up fixating on the distance while the mother scans the neighborhood after closing their front door. They look confident and proud they all made it out of the house in time with two kids and all of the things they will need for their outing, the family displayed a look of pride as they strolled down the small path from the front door to driveway.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I believe I was most fond of my ability to find evidence in the causal rewrite portion of my paper. Through researching, I was able to locate factors that applied to the causation of how art therapy works and is applied. Through doing this I was able to build a strong foundation that played into the bigger picture of proving my point. I believe the causal argument helped support my definition argument with the use of the examples I provided giving the essay some order when It came time to converge all three papers. An example of a puiece of evidence I used in my causal argument, was very appropriate towards that paragraph, and transitioning the topic into how art therapy can be helpful.

“For example, the tolerable access of traumatic memories via art processes is encouraged by the trusting, empathic relationship with the therapist and the reward derived from the sensorially pleasurable creative process. Further, by safely re-encoding terrorizing memories through art therapy, the child can construct new options for safety through mirroring from the art therapist and reap the rewards of feeling validated.”

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

Final research paper was the example I decided to use referring to how I apply the core value 5. I was able to construct a credible reference page at the end of the paper. I was able to divide my sources to 2 per argument or 1,000 words to divide up my time between providing evidence and reasoning in order to not overwhelm the audience. I was learning how to even organize and rearrange my arguments individually after putting them all together because it helped me see a new angle for areas of improvement. When i wrote all of my arguments separately, I was unsure how I could make them all flow together, thought analyzing my ideas and information, I was able to use my evidence to help transition and glue certain pieces of my work together. This in the end helped my ideas be organized and make more sense.

Posted in Reflective | 1 Comment

Annotated biblography

Posted on December 11, 2023 by rebelpilot64

This is all of the sources that I used during all of my research in all of the different assignments that I have wrote. What I did for my research paper was talk about the importance of why banning books is not a good idea and how it can have a negative benefit on students. I also talked about how banning books can also prevent kids from having a full education as well.

Kayata, Erin. “Does Banning Books Really Help Children?” Northeastern Global News, 18 Sept. 2023, news.northeastern.edu/2023/09/14/banning-books-harm-children/. 

This source is about talking about the importance of why it is important to talk about certain subjects with young kids in books even if some of the topics are serious as well as stating that kids may have a different way of learning and the fact that kids may mature differently so that is why they might have different books

How I used it: I used this site to research that each kid will be different than others in terms of reading level and why certain topics are okay to learn about

V=Rascoe, Ayesha, et al. “What People Miss in the Conversation about Banned Books.” NPR, NPR, 31 Jan. 2022, http://www.npr.org/2021/11/22/1058107484/banned-books-list-talk-to-kids. 

This source is talking about what are the importance of banned books and why they should be used and talked about commonly in the classroom. It is also talking about maybe not to ban books but to reconsider some of them

How I used it: I used this site to research what are the benefits of reading certain books that are challenged by many

Snyder, Nancy. “Parental Fear and Cultural Erasure: The Logic behind Banning Books.” BOOK RIOT, 24 June 2020, bookriot.com/logic-behind-banning-books/. 

This source talks about what is the common types of books that are being banned from schools now and why they are being banned. which a lot of them feature people who are black or, LGBTQIA+ people.

How I used this source: I used this source to talk about why certain books are being banned from schools just because of the content that are in the books.

Erica Goldberg                    Associate Professor of Law. “When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A First Amendment Scholar Explains.” The Conversation, 12 Sept. 2023, theconversation.com/when-are-book-bans-unconstitutional-a-first-amendment-scholar-explains-176225. 

This source talks about the why banning books in not constitutional because books are a form of speech and why taking away books breaks the first amendment law

How I used it: I used this source in order to talk about the dangers of taking away books from students and what is the consequences of having no freedom of speech because books are a form of speech even though many people do not see it that way.

“Students Want New Books. Thanks to Restrictions, Librarians Can’t Buy Them.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 Apr. 2023, http://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/22/students-want-new-books-thanks-restrictions-librarians-cant-buy-them/. 

This source is talking about why students want to have more books that are in their library but are not able to have more books because schools keep taking away books from the library and because of this, people are not reading as much as they should.

How I used it: I used this source to talk about how students feel about books being taken away from the schools and I also used this source to talk about how students are not reading books as much as anymore because they want to have new books

School Book Bans Can’t Stop Online Access to … – The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/books-banned-libraries/.

This site talks about why books can be accessed online even though it might be banned from schools. It also says that with all the technology, no one can really stop anyone from viewing topics that their parents do not want them viewing.

How I used this source: I used this source in order to talk about why book banning can be useless in a way for some people because now they can just access it online through a e library.

“Books Are Being Banned in Public Schools. the Bible Is Rarely One of Them.” Americans United, 24 Oct. 2023, http://www.au.org/the-latest/articles/bible-not-bannedut/#.

This site talks about why the bible is not something that is not being considered or banned at all because most of the people who want to ban books are the ones who usually want to defend the bible as well.

School Libraries Banned More Books than Ever before in 2021 – The …, http://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/07/book-bans-congress-student-library/.

This site talk about that more books are being banned now than usual and why it is causing a lot of problems between people and also what are the type of books that are being banned.

How I used it: I used this source to talk about why a lot of books are being banned commonly and what are the main causes

Shares. “Pros and Cons of Book Banning.” Vision Launch Media, 15 Jan. 2017, visionlaunch.com/pros-cons-book-banning/.

This site is talking about what the positives and the negatives of book banning are and there were quite a variety of lists

How I used it: I used this site for my rebuttal to look at the positives and negatives of book banning in order to have a counter argument

Cihlar, Zach. “Book Ban Opponents Face an Uphill Battle with Current Discretionary Review Standards.” LARC @ Cardozo Law, larc.cardozo.yu.edu/aelj-blog/328/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

this site is talking about what is the books that is held in the district and why they are banning the books.

I didn’t use this site that much but I felt like that it had an important benfits

Posted in X Archive | Leave a comment

Research Position Paper-RebelPilot64

Posted on December 11, 2023 by rebelpilot64

What book banning really does for students

Book banning is a very impactful topic that is a current issue in this country that is going on today. It has been causing a lot of problems in the school libraries, with teachers, and kids. Also there has been a big issue among parents as well whether it is parents who want to ban the book from the schools just because of its content or the way the character in the book has been acting. Book banning in schools can have many impacts on students because they are not able to read what they want to read and can cause major political issues as well such as discrimination, freedom of speech, and conflicts against parents. This has also been a major right versus left issue on the political spectrum as well. In the end though book banning really does have an important meaning and impact on many people in the United States currently whether you are for or against it. 

Many of the books that are being banned in schools a lot of the time are books that are featuring people who are  of Black or LGBTQIA+ people. When these books get banned from the school libraries, many of the people of those communities might possibly feel discriminated against or feel like they do not have a big representation in their community just because there are not  as many books in the library that are about them. An example of this is In the article When book bannings are unconstitutional a first amendment scholar explains, “State legislators have also targeted books that they believe make students feel guilt or anguish based on their race or imply that students of any race or gender are inherently bigoted.” This quote is stating that books that tend to get banned in the schools are targeted based on their race, religion or people of the LGBTQIA people. A lot of times, parents do not want their kids reading books about characters that are different from them, because they like to see things that are the same and prefer not their kids not to see the world in a different light. But that also could end up being a cause of kids not learning about different types of people whether about race, religion or sexuality. Kids should be learning about different groups of people in order to learn about what different ways of  living their lives are like. Also seeing and feeling how they live their lives as well. That way it is less likely to  lead to discrimination in schools in general when they have books that are more like different types of people then there are normally on the bookshelf at schools. Books cannot be taken away from the school libraries just because of their race, religion or sexuality. If  book banning of characters that are different from normal keeps happening in the schools then this is breaking the law of discrimination and schools will have consequences for their actions because of it.

 There are certain types of Books that have gotten banned in schools because of the dark or mature content in them. Many of the parents out there do not want their kids seeing content that happened just because the story is very dark. While that can be understandable in some ways, sometimes it can also cause a lot of kids to get sheltered from what happens in different parts of the world or places that they are used to. Reading books in school can help kids learn a lot about the world and what happens in parts of the world that kids are not exposed to at home or in their community. They can also learn about history, people with different types of lives that they are not normally used to or learning about serious issues by looking at it through another person’s eye. In the article The Logic Behind Banning Books, “Not being able to supervise their children’s reading translates to the parent’s realization that their children may read something the parent never wants their child exposed to.” This quote is stating that parents do not want their children to read something that they consider too mature for their own kid. While that is understandable, It can cause kids to have a lack of knowledge on what is out there in the real world and kids need to be exposed to a topic that might be something that they are not used to. Many parents get anxious if kids are to view something that they do not want their kid to view so banning books in schools makes them feel like that it is the best way to keep their kids safe from viewing something that they believe is too dangerous for their kids to view. However, if kids have a lack of knowledge on how different people live, Then they might believe that everyone lives just like them and kids will not have a full education either. Many times as well, parents and teachers are afraid of talking about topics that are more dark or sad, but they are the ones who should be bringing up these topics.It is okay and very important to bring up serious or dark topics to kids. Even if the topic is very sensitive to some kids, parents and teachers should be the ones talking about these kinds of topics to their children. They can talk about certain topics in a more censored way in order to have the kids learn after they read the books so that way the kids can learn the topic more appropriately at a younger age. Another thing is when characters make mistakes or do things that are not the best thing to do, if kids read about them they can learn from their mistakes and not do it once they learn. In the end when kids read books it teaches them a lot more than many people might think and schools should make sure that their kids are educated enough .Once they do that, It can help many kids learn about the world. 

Many times books have gotten banned in schools just because parents think the book is way too mature for their reading level. While parents have the right to make sure that their kids read what they want them to and they do have a right to keep their kids away from content that parents may consider way too mature for their kids, they do not have a right to take it away from other people’s kids. Taking books away from other kids might cause them to be upset just because now they cannot get the book anymore plus it is not fair to them because now they cannot get the book as easily now. Plus it might cause them to not want to read as much anymore because there are not as many books that are on their reading level or it is not something that they would want to read in the school library. In the article Does banning books really help kids? A childhood education expert weighs in, “each child will be different and she encourages parents to consider their child’s maturity level and be open to having conversations if their child reads something that confuses them or is beyond their maturity level.” This quote is stating that kids may mature at different ages then other kids. One kid could be the same age as another kid but one of them is viewing something that is more mature because they have a higher reading level. School libraries should have a range of books that are separated into different categories based on the different age ranges and what their parents think is appropriate for their kid to read. Another way of doing it is to make a list of what books kids can and cannot get so that the books that usually get banned will be less likely to be taken off of the shelf. Parents do not at all have the right to take something away from someone else kid because it is not fair to the kid who wants to read the book.  If that is done then there can be an easier way of keeping the books on the shelves and that way kids are able to read the books that they want to read in school without taking the books away from other people’s kids as well.  

When books get taken away from school libraries, they are particularly taking away people’s freedom of speech. Books are a form of freedom of speech because books state how others feel and it shows their viewpoints on the world and what their opinions are about it. If that gets taken away from schools then many kids in the schools might feel like their opinions are not being heard of in schools and that is not the way schools should be at all no matter where the school is. Schools cannot take freedom of speech away from kids no matter where they are even if their freedom of speech is limited at their school. Taking away freedom of speech is breaking the law from the first amendment and everyone has freedom of speech. Even though in school people may have a bit of a restricted way of speech on what they can say, They still cannot make the students keep their speech to themselves. Schools should be making sure that every single student’s voice is heard in their school. An example of this is, In the article When are book bans unconstitutional? A First Amendment scholar explains, “if the government does try to restrict speech in these ways, it likely constitutes unconstitutional censorship.” This quote is saying that words based on what people say of their speech cannot be censored from anyone. Even though schools do have the right to censor certain topics, it does not mean they can ban the book from the school library. Instead of reading it out loud to the class, if they feel like the book is not appropriate at all for the school, a student can still take the book out from the library and read it. If books are banned then many students will feel like the school is taking away their freedom of speech and they will feel like they are not being heard at all. Schools do not have any right under any circumstances to take away people’s views or opinions at all .Schools are supposed to encourage students to learn about what they want to even if it is not a topic or a view that they agree with because that makes students more engaging and educated out there in the world in general. 

Many of the students are also not happy when the books get banned from the school libraries. A lot of students feel that the options are very limited now that the books are taken away from the school library and they are not able to read the books they want now anymore. A lot of times now in certain schools the school board has to read the book all the way through to make sure that the parents and the schools will approve of them in order to prevent parents or teachers from complaining about the book. Since this has been happening in the schools, many students do not even want to read as much anymore or are less likely to read books in the school library,  just because there are not as many books in the library now as there used to be. In one school, The librarians have not been able to purchase new books in a while and because of this, less kids in the school are reading the books which is not good for kids because they will not be learning as much. In another school, they have to put books under parental review just because the parents might not approve of the book that is in the schools. In the article Students want new books. Thanks to restrictions, librarians can’t buy them., it states that, “3,000 titles between August and December 2021, but just 1,800 between August and December 2022.” This is explaining that the amount of readers are decreasing now since there are less books available in the school library because kids want to see more and new books in the library and because of this, less kids in schools now are reading books which is not a good thing. Another important example is, In the article, Students want new books. Thanks to restrictions, librarians can’t buy them. It mentions that, “But this year, the student, a huge manga fan, ran into a problem. He finished all of the school’s manga books, and Miller, constrained by her district’s interpretation of state law, was unable to order more. At first, the 10th-grader tried rereading his favorite titles, but that soon grew stale.” This example is stating that because  there are not as many new books in the school library, less people are inspired to read books at all and many people do not want to reread the books that are already there because they want to read something new that is not in their library and the want to see a range of books not something in there that they already read. When books are taken away in the school library then it will disencourage students from reading books from the library and schools do not want that to happen to their students.

While many parents, teachers and others want to ban books from the schools, many people can still access it online, or in a bookstore. Kids cannot get completely shielded from accessing information even though the book may not be in the school library anymore. In the articleYou can ban a book, but can you stop teens from finding it online? It shows that, A book about sexuality or racism might not be allowed in your school, your local library or even your own home. But online, it can be found as an e-book in another library. As the quote is stating, Since books are being banned in many schools, People will have less access to read the book. But since there are other places where there are books, kids can still get the books somewhere else. From this example, taking away the books from the school library does not really do much to other kids if they can somehow get the books somewhere else. While parents are trying to shield their kids from viewing certain content, it may not fully work in the end because of the access to the internet, seeing them in bookstores, or looking at the book from someone else who could be a friend or a teacher. As these examples show, books no one can fully block out information that is being blocked. And this causes book bannings to be useless in many ways. When parents think they are trying to protect their kids, Because of the technology nowadays, kids will not be completely shielded from the books in general.    

A lot of people want to ban books from schools, but many of those people who do do not think about the bible at all. The bible does contain a lot of information in it that is way more mature in many ways then a lot of the books that are being banned in the schools. Most of the people who are banning the books in the schools are religious people and come from conservative backgrounds and therefore do not think that the bible is a thing that should not be taken away in schools because they usually view it as something that is very important to education and they feel like they cannot take it away at all. In the article Books are being banned in public schools. The Bible is rarely one of them. It states that, “banning was done by the Supreme Court in 1963, when officially mandated Bible reading, this book, [was] banned from all of us,.”  This quote is saying that the bible was taken away from schools in the supreme court and they do claim that the bible is not allowed in schools anymore. But, It also is just a claim so it may not be fully true if the bible is banned from all of the schools in the United States. While the bible does have some importance, it should not be taught in schools unless the school is a Christian school because the law was passed not to have bibles or religious things taught deeply in public schools.    

  .   

 In conclusion, book banning really does not help kids that much at all as these examples state. Book banning does more harm than good to kids and schools, and parents should not be doing that to their kids at all. Books are supposed to encourage kids to learn, grow and develop over time and if books are taken away from the school’s, there will not be a large offer of books and schools should make sure that they have a large offer to help kids learn because every kid learns in a different way and they also do prefer to learn in a different way and the all like to read different types of books as well. Books are one of kids first ways of learning especially when they are young. Books help kids learn a different point of view that is not of their own and teaches them about many other things. Kids do learn at a different pace so that is why school libraries will have books at different levels for kids. Book banning will also make many kids feel like they are taking away their freedom of speech since books are a form of speech and schools cannot do that to anyone at all. In the end schools want to make sure that their students are happy, successful and they want to make sure that their students succeed. So, if we keep books in school, it will be a much better place for students in general.  

reference

Kayata, Erin. “Does Banning Books Really Help Children?” Northeastern Global News, 18 Sept. 2023, news.northeastern.edu/2023/09/14/banning-books-harm-children/. 

Erica Goldberg                    Associate Professor of Law. “When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A First Amendment Scholar Explains.” The Conversation, 12 Sept. 2023, theconversation.com/when-are-book-bans-unconstitutional-a-first-amendment-scholar-explains-176225. 

“Students Want New Books. Thanks to Restrictions, Librarians Can’t Buy Them.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 Apr. 2023, http://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/22/students-want-new-books-thanks-restrictions-librarians-cant-buy-them/. 

Snyder, Nancy. “Parental Fear and Cultural Erasure: The Logic behind Banning Books.” BOOK RIOT, 24 June 2020, bookriot.com/logic-behind-banning-books/. 

← Annotated Bibliography – MillyCain

Proposal +5—chich →

Proposal+5-by RebelPilot64

Posted on October 17, 2023 by rebelpilot64

What I will be doing for my topic is talking about why removing books from schools is not a good idea. This is a really big topic that is going on today that is happening all over the country. This can be a big problem for kids because they don’t have enough information on what is going on in the world. When kids don’t have enough information on what’s happening around them, this can cause them to be living in a bubble since they haven’t been taught enough. People learn a lot from books and what’s going on in the world because the book teaches them about important topics. 

Sources:

Kayata, Erin. “Does Banning Books Really Help Children?” Northeastern Global News, 18 Sept. 2023, news.northeastern.edu/2023/09/14/banning-books-harm-children/. 

Background: This source shows that book banning is not a good thing for kids. It’s also explaining that just because something has a sensitive topic in it, does not mean kids should not be learning about it. 

How I will use it- I will use this source  that books that have certain topics can help children learn the difficult things that can happen in the world. Books that get banned can have information that is good for them to learn about when they grow and develop. 

V=Rascoe, Ayesha, et al. “What People Miss in the Conversation about Banned Books.” NPR, NPR, 31 Jan. 2022, http://www.npr.org/2021/11/22/1058107484/banned-books-list-talk-to-kids. 

School Book Bans Can’t Stop Online Access to … – The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/books-banned-libraries/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

“Books Are Being Banned in Public Schools. the Bible Is Rarely One of Them.” Americans United, 24 Oct. 2023, http://www.au.org/the-latest/articles/bible-not-bannedut/#.

School Libraries Banned More Books than Ever before in 2021 – The …, http://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/07/book-bans-congress-student-library/.

Posted in Research Position Paper | Leave a comment

Bibliography – laflame

Posted on December 11, 2023 by laflame

1.Huang, C.-Y., Hu, S.-H., & Fan, L.-Y. (n.d.). Relationship between demoralization of the college student with their individual- and social-oriented self. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0271030  

Background: This study dives into how college students are not depressed but demoralized. In the beginning the author shows us the distinction between being demoralized and depressed. The author also talks about different studies conducted on college students to see how they feel in school. They use a Individual- and Social-oriented Self scale (ISS) to gauge students mental health. The measurement of individual-oriented self (ISS-I) was including four factors comprising the following dimensions: independence; self-determination; competition; and consistency. In addition, the measurement of social-oriented self (ISS-S) included four factors comprising the following dimensions: contextual self; interpersonal relatedness; self-cultivation; and social sensitivity.

How I Intend to Use It: This article will help me use quantifiable data for my argument and it helps give tangible answers to an existential question. It lists and talks about the reasons that college students may feel demoralized, but it also mentions how college students are able to enjoy the present and find joy in it.

2. Ghahramani, S., Jahromi, A. T., Khoshsoroor, D., Seifooripour, R., & Sepehrpoor, M. (2019, March). The relationship between emotional intelligence and happiness in medical students. Korean journal of medical education. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6589629/  

Background: In this study, researchers looked at how emotions and happiness relate to us, the medical students. They found that if we have good emotional skills, we tend to be happier. This matches what other studies have seen. They also noticed that as we get older, we often feel less happy, but this can be different in various countries. The study showed that students who are more outgoing (extroverted) are usually happier. This might be because they have more social interactions. Additionally, if we have high emotional skills, we tend to feel healthier. This is important for our well-being as medical students. This study tells us that understanding and managing our emotions is linked to our happiness. It’s also good for our health. And, it’s suggested that shy students like me get more support to increase our happiness.

How I Intend to Use It: This study is useful because it shows that if you are emotionally intelligent you are able to overcome hardships and seemingly daunting tasks like med school. It helps prove that being able to cope with your emotions, gives you the ability to find happiness and content in the present.

3. Laird, K. T., Krause, B., Funes, C., & Lavretsky, H. (2019, February 14). Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in Late life. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0424-7 

Background: This study talks about the role resilience has in Late-life depression, the authors in the study go in depth about how resilience can help overcome depression that comes with older age 

How I Intend to Use It: This study is a valuable addition to my research, helping me reach various demographics. It explores how different groups find happiness through resilience. The perspective on the elderly using resilience to lead a depression-free life strengthens my argument. It demonstrates that resilience applies universally, transcending age and background. By considering diverse demographic perspectives, my research becomes more comprehensive and persuasive. Ultimately, this article reinforces the significance of resilience in leading a life free from depression across different groups.

4. Gilbert, D. (n.d.). The surprising science of happiness. Dan Gilbert: The surprising science of happiness | TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science_of_happiness/transcript 

Background: Dan Gilbert’s TED Talk is about happiness. He says we often think big events will make us super happy or really sad, but that’s not always true. Our minds have a way to make us feel better even when things don’t go as planned. It’s like a built-in happiness system. He also talks about how we can make ourselves happy, even when things aren’t perfect. So, happiness isn’t just about what happens to us, but also how we think about it.

How I Intend to Use It: the TED Talk highlights that accepting and experiencing a range of emotions, including negative ones, is a more realistic and effective approach to well-being. It enables us to manage the ups and downs of life, adapt to changing circumstances, and create happiness from within. This contrasts with the idea of pursuing constant happiness, which may lead to unrealistic expectations and less resilience when faced with adversity.

5. What is happiness, anyway? | psychology Today. (n.d.). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/202009/what-is-happiness-anyway  

Background: The author of the article helps define happiness. She says happiness means different things to different people. It’s about feeling good and having a sense of purpose. To be happy, you should feel personal joy and also care about others. Happiness comes from our brains, and we can make ourselves happier by changing how we think. People see happiness in different ways. It could be about family, nature, or being grateful. Happiness has different parts, like feeling grateful or understanding others. You can become happier by learning skills that work for you. Having a plan to be happier is a good idea, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Small steps can make you happier, and there are many ways to do it.

How I Intend to Use It: This article is useful because it helps give a basic definition of what happiness is to us. It will be really helpful when it comes time to write my paper because I can refer to it to make sure the definition of happiness I am discussing is not lost throughout the paper.

6. 05, J., | by Corey Binns, Binns, C., Berg, J. M., Wrzesniewski, A., Grant, A. M., Kurkoski, J., & Welle, B. (2022, July 5). Take this job and love it: How a growth mindset can boost happiness at work. Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/take-job-love-it-how-growth-mindset-can-boost-happiness-work 

Background: Corey Binns’ article delves into the research by Justin Berg, an assistant professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, focusing on the pursuit of workplace happiness through a dual-growth mindset. Berg and his coauthors, building on psychologist Carol Dweck’s ideas, emphasize the need for flexibility in both personal growth and job-related tasks.

The study involved career development workshops, with participants focusing on a growth mindset for themselves, job flexibility, or both. Those adopting a dual-growth mindset experienced a significant and lasting increase in workplace happiness, challenging the conventional hedonic treadmill theory.

The article suggests that, amid the Great Resignation and changing work environments, adopting a dual-growth mindset may be timely for individuals seeking lasting happiness. However, it highlights the effort and timing required for such interventions, cautioning that it’s not a simple or inexpensive solution for enhancing workplace well-being. The research underscores the potential power of intentional efforts to foster sustained happiness by considering both personal and professional adaptability.

How I Intend to Use It: This article is a good starting point for finding a targeted group to focus on for my paper. I intend to focus on the workspace and more specifically executives

7. Everett, C. (2023a, May 2). Why CEOS’ mental health is business-critical. Raconteur. https://www.raconteur.net/leadership/ceo-mental-health#:~:text=A%20survey%20by%20Deloitte%20last,to%20reset%20their%20

Background: Cath Everett’s article explores the escalating mental health challenges faced by CEOs and their significant implications for business culture. The prevalence of mental health struggles among top U.S. executives has risen to 31% in 2022 from 12% in 2018. The article attributes this trend to the growing demands on CEOs to navigate crises and manage daily business challenges, exacerbated by post-COVID workplace changes, geopolitical shifts, and economic factors.

Beyond individual well-being, poor CEO mental health negatively impacts company culture, leading to shorter fuses, impaired focus, risk aversion, and erratic decision-making. This creates a fear-based culture where employees feel undervalued, fostering unhealthy dynamics within the organization.

The article underscores the need for CEOs to manage their mental well-being, emphasizing the role of leaders in setting a positive example for workplace behavior. Successful CEOs share their experiences, highlighting the profound influence leaders have on employees. The article recommends prioritizing emotional resilience as a crucial, often overlooked aspect of CEO well-being.

How I Used It: I utilized the portion of the article where Everett is talking about her interview with Ella McCrystal. It was used to help highlight how endless pursuit of success eventually leads to burnout.

8. Kermott, C. A., Johnson, R. E., Sood, R., Jenkins, S. M., & Sood, A. (n.d.). Is higher resilience predictive of Lower Stress and better mental health among corporate executives?. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0218092 

Background: Cindy A. Kermott conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the impact of resilience on well-being, self-reported stress, and mental health diagnoses among corporate executives. The study included 1,954 participants from an executive health practice at Mayo Clinic. Participants were categorized into lower, medium, or higher resilience based on the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results showed that higher resilience was positively associated with well-being and negatively associated with perceived stress. Participants with lower resilience had a 4-fold higher prevalence of depression and almost a 3-fold higher prevalence of anxiety compared to those with higher resilience. The study suggests that higher resilience in the executive workplace is linked to better mental health, reduced stress, and greater well-being.

How I Used It: Kermott’s study of how resilience plays a role in the mental health of corporate executives helps support my ideas in my argument. It also plays a major role in providing tangible evidence for my target group.

9. Dryburgh, A. (2015, June 29). The curse of success?. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alastairdryburgh/2015/06/29/the-curse-of-success/?sh=5bf044695a4c

Background: Alastair Dryburgh advises individuals and businesses to reflect on what has made them successful, make it conscious, and then stop doing most of it. The challenge is recognizing that what led to past success may hinder future success. For example, problem-solving skills that propel someone up the management hierarchy can become obstacles as they need to focus on building systems and coaching others. The key is understanding the concept of identity—when success behaviors become part of “who I am.” Detaching what you do from who you are is crucial for growth. Dryburgh shares his own experience of a challenging first 20 years of work, highlighting that a difficult Act One can be a valuable gift, providing experience without ingrained habits of past success.

How I Used It: Alastair Dryburgh implores his readers to be more mindful and it coincides with my point that we must detach what we do from who we are, allowing for flexibility and adaptation.

10. Ong, A. D., Mroczek, D. K., & Riffin, C. (2011, August 1). The health significance of positive emotions in adulthood and later life. Social and personality psychology compass. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173764/

Background: This study, conducted by Anthony D. Ong and his peers, explores the relationship between positive emotions and health in older adults. The research reviews evidence on the effects of positive emotions on biological processes and clinical outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality. It delves into the divergent trajectories of emotions in the second half of life, where negative emotions decline with age, while positive emotions remain relatively stable. The focus is on positive emotions like joy and contentment, examining their impact on health through pathways such as health behaviors, physiological systems, stressor exposure, stress undoing, stress reactivity, and recovery.

The study emphasizes the association between positive emotions and enhanced physical health, covering self-reported health, physical functioning, disease severity, and mortality. It discusses potential pathways through which positive emotions contribute to adult health outcomes, including health behaviors, physiological systems, stressor exposure, and stress undoing. The research highlights the role of positive emotions in influencing sleep patterns, reducing stressor exposure, and altering physiological systems such as cortisol levels and immune function.

Furthermore, the study explores the stress-buffering effect of positive emotions, indicating that they may ameliorate the adverse effects of stress on health. The authors discuss age differences in emotional well-being, referencing socioemotional selectivity theory and dynamic integration theory, which suggest changes in understanding and motivation as key factors in maintaining positive emotions in old age.

Overall, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the connection between positive emotions and health in older adults, incorporating theoretical mechanisms and evidence to support the associations observed.

How I Used It: Ong and his peers’ research into the impact of positive emotions on our emotional pathways is strong evidence to fight the counter claim for my essay. It can be used to support the idea that positive emotions have a positive effect on our emotional paths. It shows how being mindful along the way allows individuals to find happiness in the small victories and positive experiences. 

11. Sheldon, K. M., Abad, N., Ferguson, Y., Gunz, A., Houser-Marko, L., Nichols, C. P., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009, December 8). Persistent pursuit of need-satisfying goals leads to increased happiness: A 6-month Experimental Longitudinal Study – motivation and emotion. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-009-9153-1 

Background: In a 6-month experimental longitudinal study titled “Persistent pursuit of need-satisfying goals leads to increased happiness,” 181 university-based community members were involved in an initiative to elevate their happiness levels. Through random assignment, participants were instructed to set goals either for enhancing their life circumstances (comparison condition) or fostering feelings of autonomy, competence, or relatedness (treatment conditions). The study, aligned with the sustainable happiness model proposed by Sheldon and colleagues, anticipated that enduring happiness gains would manifest exclusively in the treatment conditions and would be contingent on continuous goal engagement. Results corroborated these expectations, highlighting the significance of persistent pursuit of need-satisfying goals in sustaining increased happiness over time. Additionally, participants with an initially positive attitude towards happiness change reaped greater benefits. The findings emphasize the importance of both the intent and an effective approach in achieving and maintaining heightened levels of happiness, echoing the sentiments of Sheldon et al.’s research.

How I Used It: The authors’ conclusions align with the notion that “becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way.” While the study emphasizes the benefits of persistent pursuit of goals, it overlooks potential downsides. Using goal setting as a tool for happiness might inadvertently contribute to a cycle of chasing achievements for fleeting moments of joy. Over time, this relentless pursuit may lead to burnout as individuals become singularly focused on tasks, potentially sacrificing their well-being in the process. This study provides strong evidence that can be used in my rebuttal argument

Posted in Bibliography | Leave a comment

Research Position Paper – Puffer

Posted on December 11, 2023 by puffer

Why our current driver education system is killing our drivers

Roads are a warzone and cars are the weapons. If a driver doesn’t know how to properly operate their car they can create accidents, road hazards, harm, and even take lives. Millions of people lose their lives every day in road-related accidents, and we see accidents and bad drivers all the time. You could blame many factors but it all leads back to one main cause, Driver Education. Our current driver’s education is not education our drivers as much as it should, and we have the resources to improve upon it in order to reduce accidents and tickets.

Driver education refers to the methods and schools used to teach students how to drive so they may receive their driver’s license. Much of driver’s ed in the United States is taught through school programs, but there are also stand-alone driving schools that will educate students for a price. I believe that neither option of schools has a good enough system for teaching these students how to drive on our chaotic roads. These schools need to be strengthened and made a lot more difficult, we are teaching people to operate heavy machinery with the power to cause a lot of destruction. If these vehicles can’t be handled very well why should we allow unexperienced drivers to operate them?

Driver’s ed is very important in our lives as it entails all of the basics of operating a motor vehicle. This includes things like basic operation of the vehicle, basic road and safety knowledge, and very few other basic things that anyone could figure out within a week of driving. But, it should focus on also incorporating other methods into the structure, like advanced vehicle operation, basic defensive driving, knowledge of all road and safety rules, simple repairs and maintenance, anti-distraction training, different vehicle styles and how to use them, and so much more; this way people understand what to do in more urgent situations. We don’t put enough effort into our driver’s ed programs right now and this causes plenty of issues that can only do so much against in reducing issues and keeping our drivers and even pedestrians safe from speeding hunks of metal hurling around at high speeds.

I find it absurd how I was never taught what to do in many emergency situations during any of my time spent in my “driver’s education.” They need to change the ways of these schools’ curriculums urgently. There are so many tools and modern-day technologies we could also implement in the curriculum. A driver right out of driver’s ed will not be able to tell you what to do in the majority of emergent situations you throw at them. To make our roadways safe, we absolutely must improve our driving schools drastically.

There are many ways that we can make our roadways safer. The first one I will talk about is the use of modern-day resources. We live in a time where almost anything can be made to do exactly what we want; the future is now, so we might as well use it to our advantage and save lives. In this day and age, we now have innovations like ‘Driving Simulators’ to our advantage. These are high-tech rigs made with state-of-the-art computers and vehicle controllers connected to sensors and computers to use as input to a simulation to simulate a vehicle as it would operate in real life. These rigs also make use of motors and hydraulics to simulate Force Feedback, which is used to give the user a realistic and more responsive feel to a realistic experience. These sim rigs can range in price and can fit most budgets. Schools need to implement these technologies to engage students and teach them the basics of how to drive in a safe environment. There is no risk in a simulator, making it a very safe and stress-free environment, allowing the student to truly focus and learn from their experiences. Sim Rigs can also be used to simulate emergency situations and teach students muscle memory so they may be able to navigate tricky situations in a pinch. The use of sims could be very beneficial and has already been proven effective by DirtFish Rally School, located in Washington (drive.dirtfish.com). DirtFish is a small school meant for fast-paced, multimedium, high-risk/high-reward, action-packed driving referred to as ‘Rally Racing’. Before they allow students to step into one of their many high performance vehicles, they require that they complete a certain amount of time in the simulators that they have on-site. They do some of their training preparation on these simulators to save their cars some unnecessary wear and tear also. The use of technology has been proven time after time to have positive effects on driver education. As long as it is used to test a student’s ability to perform necessary maneuvers in certain situations.

This brings me to another great point: Defensive Driving. Learning how to use defensive driving is absolutely crucial when it comes to driving. Students should not be allowed to obtain a license or pass driving school without a course in defensive driving. Defensive Driving is essentially the skill of safe driving and knowing how to navigate through tricky situations. These skills are essential to navigating any and all roads. You never know what to expect when driving, so it’s better to expect everything. Being able to maneuver a car defensively to keep yourself and others safe is an essential and valuable skill. Programs that teach defensive driving should be a prerequisite to obtaining a driver’s license. Without these necessary skills, the roads only become more dangerous and it only takes on slip up to cause mass destruction. It’s better to be prepared than not.

This relates to distracted drivers. Distractions are a huge road hazard and take the cake as the number one cause of accidents (GJEL, 2023). Learning how to spot and avoid these drivers can be tricky, but it’s not difficult. But learning how to make you immune to distractions is not easy either. Many argue that removing distracted drivers is impossible as distractions are littered all over the road, but they are incorrect. Distracted driving occurs when a driver’s attention shifts away from their vehicle and what they are doing (CDC, 2022). This becomes very dangerous and causes huge hazards for them and others. Becoming ‘undistractable’ is impossible, but you can become less distracted with proper training. This is another skill that is important to learn. This can be done in many ways and is often taught in the form of racing. Anti-distraction training can be conducted in many ways, but I find that this is another excellent way to incorporate simulators; you can make situations and use them to teach students the dangers of distracted driving and how to avoid them. You can also teach them how to become “distractionless,” as I call it. If we could lessen distractions and prepare students to lock up their phones or give them to a passenger, we could significantly reduce our distracted drivers. Our future drivers need to learn that it can all happen in a second. When you are moving at speeds like this, it only takes a few moments for it all to go sideways.

Something that also relates to distracted driving and defensive driving is our reaction time. Don’t get me wrong, we can’t all have super speedy reaction time, but we can improve upon it. There are many ways to do this, and once again, sim rigs are a great way to do this. The website GrandPrix247 did a report on how F1 racers train, and they stated that:

To excel in Formula 1, drivers must possess lightning-fast reflexes and impeccable hand-eye coordination. They undergo specialized training exercises and use simulators to improve their reaction times and fine-tune their reflexes.

These drills help drivers anticipate and respond swiftly to sudden changes in track conditions and other unpredictable situations.

(Francks, 2023)

To improve our driver’s reaction time and reactions, we can significantly decrease accidents due to unknowingly knowing what to do. This is a big part of defensive driving as the responses are what the defensive training is for, and the reaction time is impaired drastically when distracted. Our students need to learn that when driving, 100% of their attention should be on the road and cars around them.

This transitions to my next point: different-style cars! Or more, in particular, manual-style transmissions. These transmissions, also known as traditional and Stick-Shift, utilize an extra pedal with a different style of gear shifter. You must learn about gears and how a clutch works to drive this transmission style. Understanding the timing of all this is tricky but rewarding; these cars are made, so everything you do must be thought out, and you must move every limb in perfect unison to drive it (driving-tests.org, 2012). It sounds insanely tricky, but if you can learn this skill, you can drive anything, and your knowledge of operating a car increases exponentially. The knowledge of how to drive these cars is essential. Many think it doesn’t make a difference knowing how to drive stick, but within my research, I have concluded that when drivers learn how to drive manual, they learn to keep their focus on the road better while paying attention to the car. This also allows them to be more in control of their vehicle, giving them more options for reacting to certain things. These drivers learn how the car should feel, which gives them a heightened sense of how to operate the vehicle and when and how to maneuver it better. When you need to split your driving between both of your hands and feet, it gives you an increased sense of control over the car. Another positive is that students who learn in these types of vehicles get a better understanding of how the car works, which can increase the student’s knowledge and let them understand what can be good and bad for their car.

When a student gets a better understanding of their car, they can identify problems when they arise. This assists in reducing mechanical failure. Mechanical failure occurs when a part or parts in the vehicle fail to work correctly, and this can cause anywhere from minor issues to total mechanical failure… which is the last thing you want to happen. Major mechanical failure occurs the most when a problem has been ignored or gone unnoticed for too long. To stop this from happening students must learn what could cause long-term issues. This is where the basic understanding of these vehicles comes into play, and learning how to drive a car that makes you pay attention could greatly assist in the students understanding. Basic understanding should be the ability to explain how a car works and operates. This shouldn’t require a degree in Mechanical Engineering because you are not being asked to explain everything. Just the absolute basic idea.

Learning the basic idea of how the car works goes hand in hand with learning basic maintenance. Basic maintenance is a general thing anyone could do without fully understanding cars. This is more to prevent people from putting things where they don’t go or doing simple tasks incorrectly and causing catastrophic damage. Now, I’m not asking for you to become a mechanic, but to know basic fluid changes and things like putting a spare tire on should be taught, just like how they are taught in other countries (We buy any car® blog posts). I learned this from a visit to Greece and my friend, who goes by “Urbie” in my composition 2 class taught by a very wonderful professor at Rowan University. But other things like windshield wiper replacements and other small things should be required. None of these things are complicated, and while they require you to own a few basic tools, it’s not like you will need to perform every operation yourself. We still have mechanic shops.

Now, for a quick jump back, some states require that drivers drive for a certain amount of time with an instructor. This is scary for many and may even be the first time they get in the car to drive on the road. In New Jersey, I was required to complete six hours of driving behind the wheel with a licensed driving instructor (New Jersey Driver’s license application and renewal 2023). I felt the six hours were insufficient; other countries often require much more. My cousin, who was a driving instructor in Australia, informed me they are required to complete eighteen hours before they are allowed to obtain their license. I believe we should require at least 10 here in the states. We need this time to let our drivers experience with someone who has a lot of experience, and the more time spent in the car, the more they can experience for themselves. This is crucial when it comes to new drivers so they may learn more and more and get their defensive driving skills up and reaction times down (the lower, the better).

Returning to defensive driving, defensive driving will help students anticipate drivers’ actions, identify potential hazards, and react proactively to prevent accidents. Teaching them defensive driving techniques is very beneficial in reducing accidents, especially fatal ones. Students with good defensive driving skills reduce the likelihood of accidents and causalities. This can be done in many ways and is generally practiced with verbal, virtual, and physical simulations, and this has a positive effect on students and their ability to perform in tricky situations to avoid dangerous situations. An improved driving school will not only teach its students how to operate a vehicle but they can also emphasize the importance of safe, responsible, and ethical driving behavior.

The importance of safe, responsible, and ethical driving behavior also plays a massive role in driver education. Students need to learn how to drive safely, cautiously, responsibly, and ethically. Speeding down the road at twice the posted speed limit will put you in a very life-threatening situation. Police enforce many rules of the road, so knowing how to be a responsible driver is very important. You must be willing to take responsibility for every action you perform while driving, and this is an important thing that must be taught. Drivers must understand they are in charge of their vehicles, and if they decide to do something illegal or dangerous, they are at fault and risk. An ethical driving course should also be taught; if you have ever been on the highway, you will notice how cars all tend to move at the same speed, more or less. This is called “keeping up with the flow of traffic,” and it is essential. If you cannot keep up, you could also cause hazards. Moving too fast or too slow can be equally dangerous. So, a course that teaches students to drive respectfully and not weave, swerve, speed, or drive recklessly is important. Drive like a human being, this is a road, not a race track. Driving like a “regular” human can vary depending on the area and the standard type of driver in the region, but it should not be too difficult to learn. As long as speed limits are obeyed, and traffic laws are obeyed, you should have no problem. Just go with the flow, but don’t break the rules.

In conclusion, Our current driver’s education is not education our drivers as much as it should, and we have the resources to improve upon it in order to reduce accidents and tickets. So, to make better drivers and fewer accidents, we must redesign our driving school curriculums for the better. We must stop handing licenses to people who don’t understand and still need to learn. We need to educate our drivers to understand and take hold of the concepts of cars and the ways of our roads. We can’t keep rushing students through so they can get on the road. We need to take the time if we want to save lives. It’s a chaotic and deadly place. We cannot keep losing millions a year due to these road-related accidents. So, let’s improve our driver’s education programs and teach people how to drive safely.

References

25, M. R. | O., DirtFish Rally School Media | June 11, 13, D. E. | O., Tara Gee                                          Home. DirtFish. https://drive.dirtfish.com/

Francks, T. (2023, June 15). Formula 1 training guide: All you need to know. GRAND PRIX 247. https://www.grandprix247.com/2023/06/14/formula-1-training-guide-all-you-need-to-know/

Mohn, T. (2019, July 12). Is driver’s ed good enough? most Americans don’t think so. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2019/07/11/is-drivers-ed-good-enough-most-americans-dont-think-so/

New Jersey Driver’s license application and renewal 2023. Driving. (n.d.). https://driving-tests.org/new-jersey/drivers-license-guide/#how-to-apply

Top 25 causes of car accidents: Exploring the major factors. GJEL Accident Attorneys. (2023, November 24). https://www.gjel.com/car-accident-lawyers/top-causes-car-accidents

We buy any car® blog posts. How Other Countries Learn to Drive. (n.d.). https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/blogs/view/how_other_countries_learn_to_drive

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 26). Distracted driving. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html

https://driving-tests.org/. (2012, March 28). How to drive a stick shift (manual car) in 9 easy steps. Driving. https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/how-to-drive-a-stick-shift/

Posted in Research Position Paper | 2 Comments

Self-Reflective Statement- Propel78

Posted on December 11, 2023 by propel78

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I used my Proposal+5  to demonstrate the use of a variety of social and interactive practices. The reason why I use this is because of the research that it was involved within finding these links. It also made a major impact on my thought process and development skills. This also had a major impact on my writing skills, and I would find sources in articles that can expand my citations and make them better. This also helped my development skills because the sources and articles that I use helped me better write my paper throughout using the sources and started to become more and more focused on specific ideas that were in these articles.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I used my Definition Argument for this core value, because this definition argument is evident to core value 2 . This writing task isolated a definition of a component from a comprehensive argument writing. Given the complexity of this assignment I strategically incorporated multiple sources to support and strengthen this argument. The utilization of different sources and a very wide variety of perspectives enable me to construct an argument narrative. Creating a meaningful conversation among the sources aligns with the core value expectations.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I used Rhetoric Rewrite assignment for this core value because I feel like it best demonstrates what this core value is focused on and is trying to achieve. I had to watch a 28 second YouTube video with no sound and right about what was going on the task at hand was to analyze what was being presented to me frame by frame without no audio playing. I was able to find what the purpose I was able to really understand what the purpose of this assignment was to do and also what the target audience is this helped me get my point across better in my writing after doing this assignment

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I used the Rebuttal Argument because I feel like this is one of the best examples of my writing, where I used evidence to support my own ideas and my own thinking. The evidence that I found helped support my ideas, and why I used these articles within my writing. The evidence helps support my viewpoint on a specific thing, and this helped me get a really good understanding of it, because in the rebuttal argument, I was using evidence to argue against an opposing view instead of just mine so the evidence I used was more specific and valuable to this assignment . It also helped me explain and show why these opposing viewpoints were wrong. It also shows the fact that these sources are very good at helping me compare another’s work and viewpoint.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

In my Research Paper I believe I have fulfilled ethical responsibilities of siding my sources appropriately. This research paper represents most if not all of my semesters’ work and effort in this class. It is upon me to undertake the task of ensuring that I properly cited within the text and that it is all included within the comprehension of all the sided sources, and in the reference section.

Posted in Reflective | 1 Comment