Visit Japan and Expand Your Cultural Horizons

Posted on 24th December 2011 by Kevin in Education - Tags:

Planning a visit to one or more of the Asian countries is a popular travel adventure for many Western people. In addition to all of the amazing landmarks, geographic features and cultural elements, there are some great cuisine options. Overall these vacations are intended to have a great time, though they also enrich our lives and cultural diversity understanding. Traveling to a different country will contribute to the growth and mind expansion of children, and this is particularly true when encountering cultures that are different from your own. And if your children are planning a future career in language translation, or even cultural relationships, such as those related to economy and political relationships, then having had traveled to that country is always a valuable tool.

Japan has intrigued Western visitors for centuries and it is full of amazing historic landmarks, as well as an incredibly progressive contemporary cultural and entertainment scene. This is one way to explore world history, and various history games can be built around your trip. If the vacation is intended to increase your child’s cultural orientation , you can plan trips and use flash cards and other learning tools along the way. Before you attend a brilliant Noh theatre performance, simply create a few index cards with pictures and appropriate descriptive words and then quiz your child on what they found in the production. Noh is known for its use of symbolism and stylized movements. These are easily translated into learning games that will also enhance minds due to their cultural significance.

Regardless of where you plan to vacation, there are always great learning opportunities such as those described above that you can use to make the most of your trip, support your child’s growth and ensure that they will remember the things they saw and did long after the trip has ended. In addition to the theatre, Japanese cuisine is a great way to introduce specific cultural heritage and make a learning game from the experience. You can also create a comparative religion exercise by creating a bible quiz and paring it with elements of traditional Japanese Buddhism and Shinto. This is not only a great learning tool, but also one way to emphasize acceptance and increase tolerance for religious differences. And instead of focuses on the differences between them, be sure the games, quizzes and associated conversations emphasize the similarities found in them. Children are eager learners, let’s channel this energy into creating a more peaceful and accepting world.

Getting Mortgage Broker Training

Posted on 18th November 2010 by Kevin in Education - Tags:

As careers go, the mortgage industry is neither flashy nor heroic. However, for those with an interest in banking and real estate, choosing to help people obtain residential mortgage loans can be an emotional fulfilling as well as challenging career. The challenging part comes into play with regard to the myriad of mortgage laws, loan products, and lending practices that must be mastered in order to obtain a mortgage broker license.

Mortgage brokers must be licensed by a state in order to work with mortgage customers. Due to the complicated nature of mortgages, each state has established educational standards that must be met as part of the licensing process. For example, Illinois mortgage Broker training provides students with a thorough understanding of federal mortgage law, including some history as well as spending a considerable chunk of time covering Illinois mortgage laws and regulations. Brokers who want to renew their licenses are required to complete additional continuing education courses every year.

Individuals seeking a broker license should contact the state banking department, as that is who oversees licenses in most states. Here they will learn all the requirements for licensing as well as the schedule for testing and submitting fees and necessary documentation. Training itself can be obtained from a variety of educational companies. Students will want to make sure that any course they choose has been approved by both their state licensing authority and the NMLS.

Mapping Down Under

Posted on 29th July 2010 by Kevin in Education - Tags:

It usually starts with a television show, where a character mentions something about how the water runs down the drain in the opposite direction on the other side of the world. In the U.S., the opposite side is Australia, and kids are fascinated when things are not the same everywhere in the world. The idea of water is always mysterious, to young people as well as adults, and the way water flows is constantly baffling.

Soon enough, the adult will pull out a wall map , to demonstrate where things are on the globe, to show that there are places far enough away that water might flow in another direction entirely. This is the starting point, for many kids, in interest in geography. Teaching kids about geography is a way of literally opening up the world, and the process reflects the stages of the development of self.

At the beginning of a life, the awareness is all contained within the self, and it’s something that seems to happen until the development of language. Then, there is a subtle shift from the interior to the exterior, and everyone realizes that they are not the world, but a part of it. An Australia map can teach about the specifics of places that are not here, and this can lead to making important connections that can start to shape an entire world view.