Creative And Critical Thinking Among Students

Creative And Critical Thinking Among Students 7,987 straight As in SPM screamed the headlines of major newspapers when the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results were announced on the 10th of March 2010. The fixation with academic achievements among Malaysians knew no bounds. Every year, excitement and joy, anxiety and disappointment, pervade among students, parents and teachers when the Ministry of Education and Malaysian Examination Board releases the results of public examinations, be it UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM. The obsession with academic achievement is overshadowing all other aspects of a holistic education system in Malaysia. The Malaysian Education Philosophy clearly states that the role of the school curriculum is to ensure the holistic development of the individual mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally by imparting general knowledge and skills; cultivating, instilling and fostering healthy attitudes and accepted moral values. The curriculum aims to bring forth the Malaysian citizen who is a balanced and well-rounded individual, trained, skilful, and cherishes the national aspiration for unity. Why all the hype with students academic achievements? According to Professor Dr. Ray Wilks, Head of the School of Psychology, International Medical University, there is no evidence to show a positive correlation between academic achievement in examination and learning. Learning should not be about passing examinations. We should instead create more curiosity in childrens learning to nurture creativity and innovativeness, says Professor Dr. Ray Wilks. Indeed, the education systems in Malaysia aims to mould individuals to become better Malaysians with the right attitudes, and to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary in the twenty-first century to make Malaysia a developed nation by the year 2020. To meet the challenges of the twenty first-century and Vision 2020, teaching and learning practices and school management are constantly reviewed to develop individuals who are technologically literate and can contribute to a creative and innovative workforce. This transformation will entail changing the school culture, from one that is predominantly memory-based to one that stimulates thinking, creativity, and innovativeness. Yet the importance placed on academic achievement has seriously impacted on the ability and efficiency of the Malaysian education system in developing holistic individuals that are able to handle the challenges of life after formal schooling. In fact many a times, newspapers highlighted employers complaints that school leavers and even universitys graduates have problems conversing and communicating effectively, let alone to think critically and creatively. In addition the lack of critical and creative thinking abilities among Malaysians school leavers and university graduates has been pinpointed by the Minister of Human Resource, Datuk Dr. S Subramaniam, as one of the main problems contributing to their low marketability in the job market. The lack of thinking skills among the present and future workforce of the nation will hamper the nations efforts toward achieving a developed nation status by 2020. What are critical and creative thinking? Critical thinking is a type of thinking that converges on a single thought or entity. One must organize, analyze or evaluate information, which might also be broken into parts and taught explicitly. A cognitive process complimentary to, but different than critical thinking, is creative thinking. This thinking diverges from a single thought or entity. One must generate, synthesize, find alternatives, adapt, substitute, or elaborate. Critical and creative thinking are the building blocks that will make certain our students will have the required thinking skills to succeed in life and at work and ensure the attainment of Vision 2020. Detractors of efforts to emphasize critical and creative thinking in the curriculum have point to the possibility of poorer academic achievements as a consequence. However, research has shown that when students develop their thinking skills by looking beyond the obvious, making creative connections, developing strategies, making decisions, planning ahead and reflecting, they also improved their academic performance. Thus, emphasizing critical and creative thinking will augment academic achievement. How to encourage critical and creative thinking? One way is to reduce the emphasis on the use summative assessments such as UPSR, PMR and SPM. Summative assessments are used for categorizing students and stress the use of written examinations. The UPSR and PMR summative assessment have deviated from its original purpose of diagnosing learning problems with the intention of preparing remedial actions to improve students learning. They are now used to stream children into classes. In psychological terms, it is bad to label children. It is positive reinforcement for smart children, as defined by our assessment system, but not for the children who do not do well. The tools used in our public examinations are picking up all the rote learners. Professor Dr Ray Wilks says, From a psychological point of view, to label a child of 12 is a kind of life sentence. He further states that experiments have shown that if we tell teachers that a child is of certain achievement level, they will teach t o that point. The teachers will not raise their teaching to the next level for that child. Instead we should encourage more formative assessment in the learning environments. Formative assessment also called continuous assessment is a more reliable way to look at the learning process. School-based continuous assessment looks at broader education skills, such as communication, critical and creative thinking, and teamwork, rather than just textbook skills. These skills are assessed by teachers through activities like debates, dramas, analysing issues and project work. Formative assessments also provide diagnostic information to enable teachers to assist students with learning difficulties. Furthermore, when there are less public examinations, children can have more time to explore other interests such as music and arts that would help instil creativity in them. Ive always wanted my children to learn to play the piano, but they are always tired after schools and tuition, says one parent. With less examination, teachers will also have more time to organize field trips and excursions, which will allow students to be in contact with nature and discover new learning opportunities for critical and creative thinking that may not be present in the classroom. Given appropriate opportunities, children can engage in sophisticated cognitive processes. Research suggests that either too much or too little structure can prevent development of critical and creative thinking and in the process children are not equipped with active and strategic approaches to learning tasks. Thus, appropriate instructional approaches could results in students enhancing their critical and creative thinking skills. Three approaches are commonly used in the teaching of thinking skills: stand-alone approach, immersion approach and embedded approach. Stand-alone approach consists of teaching thinking skills separate from subject matter content. In this case a general set of thinking skills are identified and taught as a separate course or subject. Students are taught how to transfer the skills to various subjects and situations. However, thinking skills taught in isolation tend to results in students having problems transferring thinking skills to academic or real world problems. The immersion approach does not involve teaching thinking skills. Rather it allows good thinking to develop naturally as a result of students being fully engaged or immersed in content-related activities which calls for higher levels of thinking. Students are provided with repeated practices in complex cognitive activities with the assumption that they will eventually develop the necessary cognitive skills to successfully engage in high-level thinking. However, research has shown that simply immersing students in thinking activities is not an effective instructional approach. The embedded approach involves teaching thinking skills within a subject-matter context. Thinking skills are taught in science, social studies, language, arts, and some other subjects. Students than apply these skills directly to the particular subject being studied. This allows students to use the skills in a meaningful context and helps them learn the subject matter more deeply. An embedded approach is an effective way to teach thinking skills. Rather than an additional subject, thinking skills are used to enhance whatever curriculum currently being taught. Training teachers in specific instructional approaches means that schools must invest in teachers professional development. Instructional approaches that help teachers integrate a learning to think component into their curriculum empower students to take responsibility for improving their thinking and learning. Although cognitive development is only one part of a childs overall development, it is essential that teachers respond to the community demand for and the childs right to cognitive competence. Teacher training providers need to become aware of the benefits of certain instructional approaches on pupil performance and incorporate training in such approaches in their courses. Thus, in conclusion, Malaysia needs to ensure that its future generation does not only perform well academically but should possess the ability to think critically and creatively. All Malaysians should support the integration of critical and creative thinking in its educational curriculum. It should not only merely be stated in printed documents. Affirmative actions should be put in place to ensure that the teaching and learning of critical and creative thinking is actualized in the classroom context. Lest, Vision 2020 remains a dream and Malaysia will stutter in its ability to achieve the New Economic Model towards achieving 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. (1497 words)

Discussion question Essay

The lab consist of using the AVG scan in the virtual machine to detect the different threats that were found which were moved to the virus vault. The window defender was used to verify the different infections and spyware that were found in the virtual machine. Malware and spyware are growing trends in the world of technology. It is good to know the steps to take just in case your system is infected with these nasty malicious malware and spyware. This is a screenshot of the number of threats that were identified by the scan. Screen shot of the detailed view of the 1st infection â€Å"†;†C:HelixIRRAMwin32ddwin32dd.sys†;†Trojan horse Hider.JI†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the detailed view of the 2nd infection â€Å"†;†C:HelixIR irsoftLSASecretsView.exe†;†May be infected by unknown virus Win32/DH{HhMXFE8VGw}†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the detailed view of the 3rd infection†Ã¢â‚¬ ;†C:HelixIRinpwdump2.exe†;†May be infected by unknown virus Win32/DH{HhRPFRs}†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the detailed view of the 4th infection â€Å"†;†C:HelixIRinPsh.exe†;†Trojan horse Dropper.Generic4.BVMA†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the 1st detailed spyware â€Å"†;†C:HelixIR irsoftastlog.exe†;†Potentially harmful program Logger.IAC†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the 2nd detailed spyware â€Å"†;†C:HelixIRFoundstoneFPipe.exe†;†Potentially harmful program Tool.IT†;†Moved to Virus Vault† Screen shot of the 3rd detailed spyware â€Å"†;†C:HelixIRincryptcat.exe†;†Potentially harmful program RemoteAdmin.IH†;†Moved to Virus Vault† This is a screenshot of the Virus Vault. This is a screenshot of the AVG’s Threat Detected alert window. This is a screenshot of the productreview.pdf file displayed in the vault. Remediation Steps There are many steps that can be followed to remove malware and spyware. There are several steps to remove infections such as a Trojan horse or a Trojan dropper from your computer system. 1. Reboot the system 2. Make the system restore is turned off so that the system does restore the infected file. 3. Launch anti-virus software that is installed on the system. 4. Go to disk view and highlight your computer and then select scan/ repair to that the anti-virus can detect the Trojan and put it in the recycle bin. 5. Restart the system and make sure the recycle bin is emptied. 6. Make sure the Trojan was deleted successfully by running another scan. The steps to remove spyware are different than the steps to remove an infection. The steps are as follows: 1. First, delete the temporary files. 2. Make sure the system restore is turned off. 3. Then install anti-virus/ anti-spyware program, an examples would be bit defender, or malwarebyte ant-malware. 4. Run a full scan and whatever is found, then delete it 5. Restart computer to make sure the spyware is deleted. This is a screenshot of the File Transfer file. Lab Assessment Questions and Answers 1. Workstation and desktop devices are prone to viruses, malware, and malicious software, especially if the user surfs the Internet and World Wide Web. Given that users connect to the Internet and World Wide Web, what security countermeasures can organizations implement to help mitigate the risk from viruses, malware, and malicious software? Organizations can restrict certain sites, keywords like blogs, and mirror sites. Organizations can block ingress of files that contain potentially dangerous content and also consider blocking all compressed executables from entry (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, 2004). They can also make sure specific ports are shut down; this can prevent back doors when accessing a site. There are a lot of websites out there that do not need accessibility, especially for work environment. 2. Your employees e-mail file attachments to each other and externally through the organization’s firewall and Internet connection. What security countermeasures can you implement to help mitigate the risk of rogue e-mail attachments and URL Web links? Many business owners must examine what is at risk when they communicate sensitive data over email. The first thing is to make sure that a good virus protection software is install and updated on everyone computer place. Second it is good that all key departments within the organization, such as legal IT and H, understand the policies; require them to sign off on the email filtering, retention, retrieval and analysis policies (Small Business Computing Staff, 2011). 3. Why is it recommended to do an antivirus signature file update before  performing an antivirus scan on your computer? Signature files contain the latest list and behavior of known viruses that why it’s important to update the antivirus signature file before performing a scan on your computer. Anti-virus programs release signature files updates regularly sometimes daily sometimes more often because new viruses are being identified on a daily basis (Loza, 1999). 4. Once a malicious file is found on your computer, what are the default settings for USB/removable device scanning? What should organizations do regarding use of USB hard drives and slots on existing computers and devices? Many of the USB devices have serial numbers associated with them. Most of the scanning and tracking details would be use with most of the USB mass storage devices. Organizations should immediately disable the auto run on the system. The devices that are connected to the infected computer should be scan for malicious malware and spyware. 5. If you find a suspect executable and wish to perform â€Å"dynamic analysis,† what does that mean? Dynamic analysis is the testing and evaluation of a program by executing data in real-time (Rouse, 2006). The objective of the dynamic analysis is to find errors in a program while it is running rather than repeatedly examine the code offline. The codes are easily notice while the program is in use to help detected the error codes. 6. What is a malware and malicious code sandbox? A sandbox is a virtual environment with its own its own guest operating system where intercepted incoming can be observed (Jackson, 2013). By observing the behavior in the sandbox, it should notice and blocked malware regardless of whether the code or the vulnerability it exploits is already known. 7. What are typical indicators that your computer system is compromised? There are several indicators that your system may be compromised. The computer is extremely slow Applications won’t start Can’t connect to the Internet The antivirus is turn off There are entirely different browsers, and item are opening up and there are a lot of pop ups. 8. Where does AVG Business Edition 2012 place viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malicious software when it finds them? When going through the steps in the AVG Business Edition 2012 in the lab the viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malicious software were put in a vault. It was then deleted out of the virus vault. The viruses are quarantined and then isolated and deleted by the user. 9. What other viruses, Trojans, worms, or malicious software were identified and quarantined by AVG within the Virus Vault upon completion of the Whole Computer Scan? There were 4 infections that were found during the whole computer scans. The 4 infections are as follows: Trojan horse Hider.JI† Win32/DH{HhMXFE8VGw Win32/DH{HhRPFRs} Trojan horse Dropper.Generic4.BVMA In the scan was also 3 spyware that were found as well Logger.IAC Tool.IT RemoteAdmin.IH 10. What elements are needed in a workstation domain policy regarding use of antivirus and malicious software prevention tools? It is important that the needed elements are included in the workstation policy to make sure that the antivirus and malicious software are used properly. Tech support must make sure that everyone is following the guidelines of keeping the system safe from malware and spyware. A policy should be in place to let the employees know the importance of using the antivirus and malicious tools properly. Conclusion By going through the steps in the lab, there were many infections and spyware that were detected and later moved to the virus vault. The different viruses were moved to the vault so that they would not infect the rest of the system. In assessment were steps that must be taken to make sure that the infections and spyware are completely deleted from the system. There were many techniques that were learned about infections and spyware and where they should be moved when they are detected by the AVG scan. Reference Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (2004). Mitigating the risk of Malicious Software. Retrieved from http://www.cpni.gov.uk/documents/publications/2004/2004002 advice_malicious_software.pdf Jackson, W (2013). Hackers’ new trick for slithering through sandboxes Retrieved from http://gcn.com/blogs/cybereye/2013/02/hackers-new-trick-outwitting- sandboxes.aspx Loza, C, (1999). Why Is It Important to Constantly Update Antivirus Software? Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_6850079_important-constantly-update-antivirus-software_.html Rouse, M (2006). Dynamic Analysis Retrieved from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/dynamic-analysis Small Business for Computing Staff (2011). 5 Email Security Tips to Protect Your Small Business. Retrieved from http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/3928231/5-Email-Security-Tips-to-Protect-Your-Small-Business.htm

Essay Writing Topics Samples - Is it a Scam?

Essay Writing Topics Samples - Is it a Scam? The Importance of Essay Writing Topics Samples You need to understand how to encourage readers to keep reading. Current Affairs The very best topic you're able to select to compose an essay can be on the present affairs. There are different websites as well where it is possible to find information on current affairs. The Study Problem must meet up with the deadline selecting a topic that's compelling enough to sustain more study is important. If you haven't ever tried to compose a college essay, you might believe that it is as easy as ABC. Books never ought to be banned. You wouldn't have a lot to write about in the event you don't understand what things to search for and the way to do it. Picking a discussable issueA discussable issue is one which can be debated. It might be possible to compose a persuasive essay about the should feed all the hungry children on earth, but nevertheless, it wouldn't be a particularly intriguing essay because no sensible person would declare that all of the hungry children deserve to starve. It's hardly feasible to see your mistakes and that is precisely why you require the aid of another individual to assist you. If you've ever taken an on-line class, you understand how different it can be from a standard face-to-face course. Every individual appears to have one. Regardless, it's always a better idea to work with a topic that is especially close to you and that you get a genuine interest in, rather than just picking a random topic. To choose which subject you're likely to discuss, it's vital to see the complete collection of good persuasive speech topics from the special area of study. When you have the topic, answer the question and support your answer with three or more explanations for why you believe it. Deciding upon the proper topic for a persuasive speech may be not such an easy issue to do as it might appear. Therefore, you're expected to find college essay help on the internet to find out more about the things that weren't taught in class. You can receive a lot of samples to check from essay help sites. Most information is going to have a particular region to appear and all you will have to be worried about is writing an organized and structured final draft without having to spend an excessive amount of time wondering where your content will appear. Always be certain that you've got the assistance of an authority in order to highlight your mistakes and help you correct them. Even if you're guaranteed to deal with college essay writing yourself, you shouldn't completely exclude the chance of skilled assistance. SATs ought to be eliminated. You are certain to acquire high grade for the custom made essay written depending on your requirements and besides, you will get an opportunity to learn to cope with college essays. Think if you were able to achieve your thesis statement objectives. It is possible to always gain from cooperation with a skilled writer. You should choose a topic that may be done in a two-year time period framework. If you have not ever felt worried about meeting strict deadlines for a number of projects, you can think that it is a mere trifle. Normally, having three leading arguments to demonstrate your point is sufficient for a convincing paper. The range of body paragraphs will mostly are based on the amount of your paper. Below are some rather useful points for you to think about. Below you will discover a list of our most popular 5 paragraph persuasive essay topics which you'll be able to order right now and find the grade you have earned. You may find there's a compelling argument for learning another language after all! After all, the standard of persuasive writing is frequently a product of the topic itself. A superb writer will have the ability to earn any topic interesting, and one which knows and understands how to construct the essay as effectively as possible will have the ability to get great grades, regardless of what the topic is. One of the absolute most troublesome sections of writing an essay is selecting an excellent topic. Another good idea is to receive some totally free essay examples of different sorts and on various subjects to find a general idea of the way in which a thriving debatable paper looks. At precisely the same time, it's an excellent persuasive essay idea. You might be given the topic straight away by your professor, or maybe you be free to opt for the topic yourself. Taking into account that lots of persuasive essays concern controversial topics, before writing, you can want to sit down and think of what your opinion on the topic actually is.

Brazil s President Dilma Rousseff Stalls Betting Legislation

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff Stalls Betting Legislation Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has put a lid on the progress of the 671-2015 legislation that was expected to offer provisions for the regulated spots betting and fixed odds. The president killed off an attempt to legalize sports betting by vetoing 36 clauses before signing a bill that was earlier approved by the country’s senate. President Dilma fears that the bill lacks proper mechanisms to prevent possible social impact. According to Ted Menmuir, the president cited that law makers needed more time to review the context and framework of the laws. Government ministers have also supported the presidents sentiments, by stating that legislation 671-2015 was far from perfect, thus needed more time for assessment so as to help the government understand the impact of licensing sports betting and to protect consumers. Over the past decade, online sports’ betting has exploded globally and in Brazil thanks to the improvement s in technology and growth of internet to the mass market. Different countries and territories often exhibit different approaches regarding the legality regulation of gambling, over last decades, Brazilian authorizes have taken a less proactive and restrictive approach to online gambling. However, the changes being witnessed at the global marketplace has forced the citizens and authorities in Brazil to start rethinking their strategies. Although the regulatory environment remains cloudy