Newspaper Page Text
Commentary
www.starnewsgaonline.com StarNews November 12, 2023 Page 21
Experiential Learning: the key to student success in independent
Patrick
yuran
Headmaster
OAK MOUNTAIN
ACADEMY
In a rapidly evolving educational landscape,
independent schools are leading the charge in
redefining traditional teaching methods by
embracing experiential learning. This innova
tive approach which immerses students in
hands-on, real-world experiences was devel
oped by David A. Kolb, an American educa
tional theorist, and involves a four-step proc
ess: having concrete experiences, reflecting on
those experiences, refining concepts based on
the reflection, and testing those new concepts
before repeating the process.
As the first component of the experiential
learning cycle, concrete experiences, relates to
our everyday experience. These can be
completely normal school experiences, such as
a student leadership role in a club, or they could
involve other experiences under varying
circumstances. For example, a student might
experience a school-sponsored trip to Italy and
have to learn math skills
through money conversion
while shopping, cultural
differences and language
skills while dining in
restaurants, and geography
through physically
navigating the trip
destinations.
During the second component of the
experiential learning cycle, reflecting on those
experiences, typically will naturally occur after
having new experiences. While reflective
observations can be impacted by preconceived
notions and learned ideologies, it is vital for
students to consistently reflect upon their
experiences and adjust their approaches to
learning. For example, if the student on the
school-sponsored trip to Italy fails to
successfully convert money, order food, or
navigate to the correct destinations, the student
can reflect on previous approaches and develop
a new strategy to aid in a successful outcome.
While reflecting on those experiences
focuses on developing observation skills, the
third component of the experiential learning
cycle focuses on refining
concepts by channeling
observations into a set
game plan or theoretical
approach. For example, the
student on the school-
sponsored trip to Italy may
encounter an Uber driver
and have a negative
experience communicating with the individual
on directions and destinations.
However, through constant interaction, the
student may develop a different theory as to
why the Uber driver simply responds better to
different approaches. As the student reflects
upon their own learned assumptions and
observes others, these ideas should be
reevaluated, revised and tested at this
conceptualizing stage. By practicing new
approaches and tactics, the student can have
more effective interactions with the uber driver.
The fourth component of experiential
As the world evolves, so must
independent education, and
experiential learning is at the
forefront of this educational
revolution. It is not just about
teaching students what to think
but how to think. ..
Doing it for the likes, a short letter to our youth
Sh AKITA L.
SMITH
Millennial Christian
Ministry (MCM)
Fac ebook. Instagram. TikTok. There are so
many social media platforms. According to the
American Psychological Association, an esti
mated 4.9 billion people worldwide were
expected to use social media in 2023 alone.
Some people use social media to remain in
contact with loved ones, advertise businesses,
stay abreast of community events, and the list
can go on and on. However, the fact remains,
that the main goal for each social media post is
for its viewers to Tike’ what has been posted
and, sometimes, forward it so others can see
the post as well. The problem with the phe
nomenon of getting Tikes’ is that it can be most
harmful for our youth.
In adolescents, the part of the brain associ
ated with the desire for attention and feedback
is very sensitive and vulnerable, and the part of
the brain that participates in one’s self control
has not matured. This leaves our youth often
with a lack of discretion, and sometimes par
ticipating in activities that are dangerous or
placing them in other compromising positions.
They may even choose to follow someone who
may be exhibiting negative or harmful
behavior.
I write this short letter to our beautiful youth
of today to advocate for them to get the most
important Tike’ they could ever receive...and
that is the like from our Heavenly Father and
Savior Jesus Christ! It is the only like anyone
ever needs in this life. When this like button is
pushed, it will change one’s life forever.
How do I get this like you may ask, and I
refer you to The Holy Bible, Philliplipians 4:8:
Finally, believers, whate\>er is true, whate\>er is
honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is
right and confirmed by God s word, whate\>er
is pure and wholesome, whate\>er is lovely and
brings peace, whatever is admirable and of
good repute; if there is any excellence, if there
is anything worthy of praise, think continually
on these things [center your mind on them, and
implant them in your heart], ”
The above scripture instructs us on what we
need to do daily to get favor and approval from
our Heavenly Father. We should not get tired
of doing these good things (Galatians 6:9).
Reading God’s word daily places a desire in
our hearts to live righteously, and helps us to
be confident in doing so.
Our Heavenly Father knows each of us by
name (Jeremiah 1:5), knows how many hairs
we have on our head (Matthew 10:30), and he
knows what is in our hearts! He desires to use
each of us, through living our daily lives, as
examples of his will. (2 Timothy 2:21-26). We
are made in his image, and he loves us always!
(Genesis 1:27)
Youth, we have to be careful also as to what
posts/activities we choose to like as well.
Referring back to Philippians 4:8, not only do
we not want to behave opposite of what this
scripture says, but we do not want to advocate
for anyone else acting against what this scrip-
Fulfilling the First Offender Act
Jason
SWINDLE
SWINDLE LAW
GROUP, PC.
“A promise is a cloud, fulfillment is rain.”
Author Unknown
Each year, there are thousands of Georgians
who use poor judgment and are arrested on
their first felony offense in their lives. Tins
situation occurs across age, racial, and socio
economic spectmms. Most of the time, these
are not bad people. That is why our state
enacted Georgia’s First Offender Act (FOA).
This Act allows for some first-time offenders
to plead guilty or no contest to certain crimes
and avoid a conviction. When the defendant
goes before the judge and enters a plea under
the FOA, the judge accepts the guilty plea, but
does not order that the defendant has a convic
tion for the offense.
Some offenses make a defendant ineligible
for a First Offender status. If the defendant is
charged with DUI, serious violent felonies,
severe crimes against law enforcement offi
cers, a serious sexual offense, sexual exploita
tion of a minor, or child pornography the FOA
is not available. Regarding all other crimes, if
the defendant completes the sentence without
violating conditions or getting into more trou
ble, he will be deemed to not have a felony
conviction.
Today, this is extremely important because
of employment issues. Most employers are
very hesitant in hiring a convicted felon. The
problem under this scenario is that during
employee background checks, employers will
see things like the arrest date, “first offender
plea”, “first offender”, or other information
that is confusing and sometimes misleading.
It is commonly misunderstood that a defen
dant must fully complete their sentence under
the FOA before their arrest, disposition, and
sealing of the record can take place.
This is untrue.
A few years ago, I was speaking with Judge
Cynthia Adams (Douglas County Superior
Court) about the FOA. She pointed out that
Georgia law provides that a first offender
record can be sealed and restricted at the time
of sentencing. She gave me a form that she
created to present to judges in first offender
cases.
The law that she provided fulfills the
commitment of the FOA. Why?
It is now possible to be sentenced under the
FOA and have the background record “erased”
and fingerprints, police reports, indictments,
etc. to be placed under seal. This means that
the public cannot access this information. This
assists a defendant in gaining meaningful
employment while on probation rather than
having to wait for years to obtain a good job
and contribute to the burden of state and fed
eral taxation.
There is one exception. Both federal and
state law enforcement officers and officials can
have access to this information.
There is also a downside to being treated as
a first offender. Georgia law mandates that
GCIC (the state criminal database) change the
sentence to a conviction if the person is
arrested or convicted of another offense while
schools
learning cycle involves testing new concepts
before repeating the process by creating new
experiences. This stage of experiential learning
is related to the concept of scientific
experimentation, in which an individual forms
a theory based on existing ideas and tests the
theory in a structured experiment. For
example, the student on the school-sponsored
trip to Italy may form the theory that the
negative experience communicating with the
Uber driver has to do with the cultural
differences between Americans and Italians,
Therefore, the student tests a different
approach in communicating more in line with
Italian cultural norms and finds a successful
outcome.
As the world evolves, so must independent
education, and experiential learning is at the
forefront of this educational revolution. It is not
just about teaching students what to think but
how to think, equipping them with the tools
and mindset to tackle the unknown with
confidence. In this new era of education, the
possibilities are limitless, and the future of our
independent school students is brighter than
ever.
ture says. Before making a post online, ask
yourself: What is the goal for posting this post?
Am I going too far? How do I look doing what
I am doing? Can this come back and hurt me?
Why am I doing this?
We may not always make the best decisions.
Sometimes, we may feel as if we have let our
Heavenly Father down because we didn’t act
the way he wanted us to. But I have some great
news - Our Heavenly Father is forgiving! We
can make a better decision next time. Our
Heavenly Father gives us a chance each day to
make better choices. Lamentations 3:22-23.
Try to do your best. Do and say nice things
for others, strengthen your community, and set
new positive goals and boundaries for yourself.
YOU CAN do all tilings through Jesus Christ
who strengthens you, and his plans for you are
to prosper, and not fail, and have a future!
Jeremiah 29:11
For any parents reading this, take time out to
frequently speak face-to-face with your chil
dren about social media, technology, and the
potential harms it can bring. Ask your children
See SHAKITA SMITH page 23
still on probation for the first offense. The
defendant can also be resentenced to time in
the state penitentiary.
Retroactive First Offender Status: Many
individuals don’t know they may pursue First
Offender status until years after their misde
meanor or a felony conviction.
But, Georgia has also taken another step to
fulfill the commitment of the FOA.
Today, first offenders with felony convic
tions who could have been eligible for a First
Offender status but didn’t know about it, can
petition the court retroactively.
They first have to prove they were eligible
for First Offender status when they were sen
tenced and that they weren’t aware of that pos
sibility. In addition, the prosecuting attorney
has to approve the request, and then the court
will hold a hearing to determine whether to
grant First Offender status.
If the status is granted, they can get their
criminal record restricted.
The FOA is now what it was tmly meant to
be; a second chance for people who have had
one bad mistake that places them in the crimi
nal justice system.