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Music isn’t Just a Special: Amplifying Music\u27s Power in Fostering Social-Emotional Skills in Students
Get PDFFor this Capstone Project, the researcher investigated how Dream Academy and Little Foot Elementary educators view music\u27s impacts on social-emotional learning and what they thought could be done to improve it. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, the researcher used what they have learned to formulate an action that responds to the impact of music on social-emotional learning in a way that inspires, informs, or involves a particular audience. This is an important issue for students and teachers because music education allows educators to teach social-emotional skills. It is argued that music fosters social-emotional skills. Four primary stakeholders were selected: Gaia and Chloe from Little Foot Elementary for their music and performance backgrounds, and Athena and Andreas due to their musical backgrounds and work at an art academy. Three themes emerged from the data and were explored as ways to address the issue presented. Making music-integrated lesson plans that are culturally responsive and SEL-based is argued to be the most effective way to achieve the goals of fostering social-emotional learning through music and being culturally responsive
Whispers of Thyme: Echoes of Herbal Wisdom
Get PDFTraditional herbal medicines used for centuries are now highly uncommon compared to the man made pharmaceuticals doctors have prescribed us with. Yes, they help and do what they are meant to but how come we go to these first? Why instead of peppermint or ginger tea, do we take pepto bismol? Without a thought we immediately turn to the chemically man made medicines marketed to us rather than trying something natural that has the same purpose first. We pollute the Earth that has done nothing but given us the tools to help ourselves and our discomforts, while relying on our chemical creations instead of what Earth has given us naturally for free. I hope to inform and inspire people to think more about what they are using and to try something natural before moving onto pharmaceuticals
Climate Migration in the United States: The Influence of Natural Disasters, Resource Scarcity, and Perceived Climate Inhospitality
Get PDFClimate change poses an urgent threat that necessitates adaptive strategies, and migration is an increasingly common choice. “Climate migration,” or migration in response to climate change, has attracted considerable attention, both scholarly and popular, but has primarily been considered an issue of the Global South. Climate migration in wealthy, industrialized nations such as the United States has been overlooked despite the rising severity of climate change impacts there. This study used content analysis of Reddit posts and comments to examine how the impacts of climate change are influencing migration decisions in the United States. Results showed that individuals migrated or considered migrating primarily to avoid natural disasters, respond to threats of resource scarcity, and escape climates that felt inhospitable due to oppressive weather patterns or environmental hazards. These findings provide valuable insights into public perceptions and shed light on the overlooked aspects of climate migration within affluent nations
Equipping Educators: Solutions for Overcoming Classroom Scarcity of Materials
No full textIn this capstone project, the researchers examined elementary school teachers\u27 perceptions of the availability of student materials and their proposed solutions for improvement. The researchers developed an action plan to address the core issue based on an analysis of the collected data and relevant research literature. More specifically, as individuals responsible for navigating challenges arising from insufficient classroom materials, teachers\u27 firsthand experiences and perspectives proved invaluable in understanding the issues and formulating effective strategies to create a more conducive learning environment for all. This project highlighted the importance of addressing material scarcity in elementary schools by engaging teachers\u27 perspectives and developing targeted action plans to improve the learning experiences of both students and educators
Cultivating Awareness and the Importance of Engaging High School Students in Food Justice through Literary Exploration
Get PDFTo address social justice concerns, this essay explores the relationship between literature and food justice. Primarily, concentrating on utilizing literature as a teaching tool in the high school curriculum to focus on food inequalities. The main goal is to educate students and spread awareness of social injustice, encourage critical thinking, and help them to comprehend the concepts of food security and food access. Comparative narratives are expressed through literary works that captivate a large audience and make people think about difficult issues like food access, food security, food insecurity, and food deserts. In addition, I will design a lesson plan for high school students that will use literary analysis to help them comprehend food inequality and how it is depicted in society
Testing a Hyperspectral, Bio-Optical Approach to Identification of Phytoplankton Community Composition in the Chesapeake Bay Estuary
Get PDFThe multi-to hyperspectral evolution of satellite ocean color sensors is anticipated to enable satellite-based identification of phytoplankton biodiversity, a key factor in aquatic ecosystem functioning and upper ocean biogeochemistry. In this work the bio-optical Phytoplankton Detection with Optics (PHYDOTax) approach for deriving taxonomic (class-level) phytoplankton community composition (PCC, e.g. diatoms, dinoflagellates) from hyperspectral information is evaluated in the Chesapeake Bay estuary on the U.S. East Coast. PHYDOTax is among relatively few optical-based PCC differentiation approaches available for optically complex waters, but it has not yet been evaluated beyond the California coastal regime where it was developed. Study goals include: (a) testing the approach in a turbid estuary including novel incorporation of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and non-algal particles (NAP), and (b) performance assessment with both synthetic mixture and field data sets. Algorithm skill was robust on synthetic mixtures. Using field data, cryptophyte and/or cyanophyte phytoplankton groups were predicted, but diatom and dinoflagellate detection was not conclusive. For one field data set, small but significant improvements were observed in predicted PCC groups when tested with incorporation of CDOM and NAP into the algorithm, but not for the second field data set. Sensitivity to three hyperspectral-relevant spectral resolutions (1, 5, 10 nm) was low for all field and synthetic data. PHYDOTax can identify some phytoplankton groups in the estuary using hyperspectral, field-collected measurements, but validation-quality data with broad temporospatial coverage are needed to determine whether the approach is robust enough for science applications
The Impact of Parental Involvement on Academic Achievement and Self-Concept of Elementary School Students
Get PDFLack of parental involvement in schools is the missing link to long-term student success at the elementary school level. Within the first few years of elementary school, parental help and support is all that students need as they begin to grow and learn new concepts at school The continuing absence of parental involvement in school can have a long-term impact on the students, hindering their growth in the years to come in their academics and self-concept. A literature review and surveys with parents and teachers indicated that the lack of parental involvement in schools contributed to students’ behaviors, lack of self-awareness, and self-regulation
A comparative analysis of OpenET for evaluating evapotranspiration in California almond orchards
Get PDFThe almond industry in California faces water management challenges that are being exacerbated by droughts, climate change, and groundwater sustainability legislation. The Tree-crop Remote sensing of Evapotranspiration eXperiment (T-REX) aims to explore opportunities to improve precision irrigation management for woody perennial cropping systems. Almond orchards in the California Central Valley were equipped with eddy covariance flux measurements to evaluate satellite remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (RSET) models. OpenET provides high-resolution (30-m spatial and daily temporal) RSET data, synthesizing decades of research for practical water management. This study provides an evaluation of OpenET performance at six almond sites covering a large range in soils, age, and variety. It also compares OpenET ensemble evapotranspiration (ET) data with applied irrigation and precipitation records over an additional 148 almond orchards located in the Central Valley of California. Results show OpenET models, including the ensemble ET value, produced reasonable and actionable ET values, with overall coefficient of determination (R2) and mean absolute error values of 0.73- and 0.95-mm d−1 at the daily time step, respectively. However, given the temporal sampling of Landsat (8-day revisit) and the interpolation methods used, the assessed ET models had difficulty in capturing short-term variability in almond ET; for example, the rapid decline in measured ET observed as a response to lack of irrigation preceding and during almond harvest. The study also drew attention to the spatial complexity in scenarios where irrigated orchards are surrounded by hot/dry areas, causing discrepancies between measured and modeled ET values. In comparison with irrigation records, OpenET ensemble ET was capable of quantifying water input (applied irrigation + precipitation) in almond orchards to within 13 % when evaluating monthly data. Initial results presented here reinforce the idea that RSET models, such as in OpenET, are powerful tools, yet their application requires nuanced understanding and careful consideration of local conditions
Addressing the Needs of Survivors in Domestic Violence Shelters
Get PDFSurvivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking often face significant barriers to accessing basic hygiene items when seeking shelter. Monarch Services, a nonprofit in Santa Cruz County, addresses these challenges at its Mariposa House. The agency offers various services for survivors, including advocacy, case management, and emergency shelter. This project involved organizing a donation drive, enhancing the intake process with a needs assessment, and gathering client feedback through surveys on hygiene items received. The expected outcomes were collecting hygiene products, integrating a needs assessment into the intake form, and client feedback. The shelter successfully received hygiene donations, updated the intake form, and surveyed two of the three new clients who arrived in October. Recommendations include ongoing efforts to raise awareness of hygiene donation needs, maintaining an up-to-date inventory, and ensuring case managers conduct client needs assessments upon arrival
Using Children\u27s Literature to Teach Kid\u27s With Autism
No full textIt is crucial in a young child\u27s development that they understand and are taught empathy, social skills, and why acts of kindness are important. Without direct instruction, self-confidence and the impact of their actions on others\u27 self-confidence, many children face diminished self-esteem, a lack of empathy, and the inability to maintain and form friendships. Research has found that socio-emotional instruction and environments that foster prosocial behaviors like kindness and sharing improve students\u27 attitudes toward school and help reduce depression and stress (Durlak et al., 2011). To facilitate such an environment, I created a three-day workshop for the clients at a private clinic using the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? to promote and foster “bucket filling.” The three subtopics I chose to focus on were to teach kindness and identify bullying, teach about empathy, and encourage acts of kindness