Essays --

â€Å"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a mirror planet of a very average star. But we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special†-Stephen Hawking. At the age of 21, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) which is a type of motor neuron disease that left him paralyzed. Hawking was given only a few years to live yet he powered through his disease. Hawking overcame this life threatening disability to become one of the most influential scientists of our modern day physics. Stephen Hawking has influenced physics by his incredible work and data explaining his revolutionary ideas evolving around black holes and their role in the universe. One of his influences to physics includes his work researching a certain type of radiation named after Hawking himself. Hawking radiation is the emission of particles of a black hole (Uehling). Hawking discovered that there are subatomic particles coming from the black hole which then releases a form of radiation. Because of Hawking’s discovery, we have learned more about how black holes can disappear. ...

Learner-Center Educational Plan

With abundance of information regarding teaching and learning, it might reasonably be expected that education planning would be a quick and easy process. Teachers still have a vital role to play within planning; the guidance and frameworks provides information on what to teach, the teacher will decide how best to interpret this information for the particular children within their class. Proctor et al (1995, p.39) discusses the requirement for planning, and opens with the idea that no planning can take place without a clear idea, on the part of the teacher, of what the children in the class are going to learn.The planning process requires the identification of the learning objectives in detail; in reality, meeting the criteria of the curriculum and even the more detailed key objectives in the teaching strategy will require a series of lessons and usually a return to the subject at a later date. Planning over different time frames allows teachers to meet the desired outcomes and provid e a coherent progression.Long term plans will detail the expectations within a curriculum area over an academic year; these plans will identify themes to be used and the subject areas to be covered they will be expressed in terms of the key concepts that children will need to understand and the knowledge and skills that they should be acquiring. Medium term planning will usually be for a unit of work – generally one item from the program of study – and cover a term or  ½ term. The medium term planning phase is when teachers are required to link the long-term plans to the curriculum key objectives. The medium term plans will outline a series of activities and the approach that is to be taken; these plans are the first level at which the teaching/learning approach is considered and the methods and criterion for assessment are decided. (Platz 1994)There is need to consider the different learning styles that children prefer and to include (as far as is practical) these d ifferent styles within each teaching episode. Education planning, is a complex area, not all teaching methods are appropriate to the subject matter; we as teachers need to remember that an eclectic approach is necessary if we are to provide an adequate learning experience for all of the pupils within our classrooms. Additionally, new paradigm of learner-centered education emerged recently.It implies issues of what and how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, how current learning positions the student for future learning, and whether the student is retaining and applying the learning. (Weimer, 2002 XVI).   In this paper we will try to cover up a cognitive aspect of learner-center education planning. Cognitive aspect of learner-centered education involves some following factors. These are the nature and goals of learning process, the construction of knowledge and higher-order thinking.In order to identify children's individual learning needs t he teacher should observe the children and their work. Factual information can be obtained from previous teachers, schools etc. The Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) provide essential information about the level of attainment a child has reached and may possibly show levels of progression over time. According to Proctor et al (1995 p.129) assessment provides an accurate picture of an individual child's achievements.It measures a child's achievements from that child's own baseline and as it is non-comparative to other children it shows what a child is able to achieve regardless of what other's can do. Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) show evidence of any special needs, which may be physical such as poor sight and hearing and any learning difficulties. It will also identify children who have behavioral problems or particularly able and gifted children.IEPs will also show any strategies and teaching approaches used to meet these children's needs. It can also highlight any particular resources that facilitate the children's learning. A previous teacher can provide valuable information on how these strategies and resources were employed and the success or failure of them. It is important to keep in mind when discussing children with other teachers that their views and opinions are unlikely to be impartial. Conversations with parents/carers allow them to raise any issues they have about their interpretations of their children's needs and progress in learning. It can also be useful to look at children's ages to gain a better understanding of the level they are working at.Once this preliminary information has been collected the teacher can plan diagnostic work, which will further identify children's abilities and needs. Teachers should plan broad topic work at a variety of levels where children have a reasonable opportunity of success and which provides some challenges. The teacher's prior knowledge of the children should enable him/her to pitch the work at the corr ect levels. If not, the assessment of the children's difficulties or ease will provide clues as to how to alter it. From this point onwards the teacher should have a fairly coherent idea of the needs of the class as a whole and the individual children within it. (Hamilton 1999)When planning to meet children's individual needs, a teacher is planning for inclusive education, which provides all children with an equal opportunity to reach their potential.   While planning, teachers must set up a learning activity, which effectively achieves the learning outcomes for each individual child. Teachers must structure learning within their classrooms in order to move each child forward, this can include differentiating appropriately, using appropriate resources and implementing various teaching and learning strategies inclusive of all children.Teaching Strategies Education planning will use a variety of strategies described by Minton (1997, p.117). It is appropriate to use ‘lecture' t o begin the session to explain what is to be covered, to find out how the students have found the work in the previous session so there will be some ‘questions and answers'. There will be a ‘group discussion' as we go through the assignment and this will give the students the opportunity to ask any questions and familiarize themselves with the work. A ‘question and answer' session will follow and then depending on the outcome, there be the opportunity for ‘demonstrations'. These strategies are outlined below. §   Question and answer to review work from last lesson §   Lecture to explain unit assessment §   Group discussion while criteria for assessment are discussed §   More question and answers as appropriate §   Demonstration of previous practical work if necessaryUsing Q and A to start the lesson as this gives an immediate feedback of progress. The disadvantage of this is that the ‘quiet' students may be reluctant to ask questions , There is need to be aware of this, and perhaps ask those students questions that they can answer to build up their confidence. A lecture strategy is then used to explain the unit assignment, as this is an effective method of broadcasting the information. Then a group discussion will involve teacher and students discussing criteria, this allows everyone to ask questions and give opinions but it may allow ‘loud’ students to dominate the group. Certain time to demonstrate practical work to the students on the computer allows the student to see what the final product should be of any particular exercise and gives them confidence in their own work.Learning Resources For IT classes, for example, a variety of resources are used in the high school. The most common ones used in the IT department are computer-based resources, OHT's and computer generated slides, and printed materials. The most common types of media resource are the PC/projector combination and printed materials , to accompany whiteboard work. In the IT department it is critical that students have individual access to PCs with relevant software installed on them, and also access to a printer to enable them to obtain hard copies of work produced.There is need for a room to seat all students, we do not need PCs for each student in this case, we need them all to see a whiteboard so we can explain the topic we will supply unit assignments in hard copy to every student, including the marking criteria and the moderator's comments. It is becoming common practice to write all forms of work on the PC, and we would expect them to word process their work whenever the facility is available.There is need to evaluate the group of students at the beginning of a course to determine if any had special requirements, for example disabled access or if any had hearing or visual impairments. It is necessary to develop intranet to include study aids for the students. For example, to put previous lecture notes and practical exercise handouts on the intranet to enable students to go over past work and also allow absent students the opportunity to catch up.Arrangement of the desks in the classroom is a common horseshoe of computer workstations with a small number of tables in the center of the room. The central tables can be moved freely although this is a suitable position for the classroom discussion. The computer workstations will be used towards the end of the lesson. The white board is at the door end of the room, it is a new smart board, and although is smaller, it can be seen from all positions in the room, if the students move their chairs round. This will be used for demonstrations of PC work and is available for the question and answer section. The acoustics are adequate for a teaching environment. The room is always light and warm enough, and windows can be opened to provide additional ventilation.Goals of learning process On reflection, education planning goals are following:Timing  · Allow enough time for each phase. Be aware of how long it takes to complete tasks and allow some leeway in each lesson for dealing with any class management issue. Be wary of being overambitious in what can be achieved in a lesson. Allow enough time for discussion and be aware of allowing too much time for starter and plenary activities.Content · Teacher should not try to cram too much in – don't fall into the trap of thinking ‘one topic per lesson’ and be prepared to spend more than one lesson on a topicWhen to collect in/hand out homework · Have a clear idea of when you are going to do this and how. Keep it consistent so the pupils know when to make a note in their contact diaries, and when to hand their homework into me, and allow time for this to be done.Differentiation.   Although there has been minimal need for differentiation in teaching particular class, teacher should be aware that other classes might require more differentiation and he should always ensure that lessons are tailored to the class he teaching. Pupil-led activities.   Make sure to include enough pupil-led activities. Remember that these types of activities not only engage learning but are also very useful in settling a lively class. Strengths Planning lessons around the five different phases of a lesson, using starter and plenary activities. This enables to focus on the different stages of a lesson and therefore how best to achieve the learning objectives as well as concentrating on what either myself as teacher, or the class or individuals should be engaged in at any point during the lesson. However, flexibility is also a key factor in delivering effective lessons and it is able to adapt the lesson plan (for example by omitting certain overheads or allowing more time for discussion of a topic) to accommodate the learning.Being creative. This a useful skill in planning and meant that it is appropriate to present what is for most pupils a familiar topic in a new and interesting way, therefore engaging more higher order thinking and facilitating learning (and minimizing disruptive behavior) at the same time. Being able to plan around what resources are available. This to a certain extent is also a creative skill although it must be taken into account when planning a series of lessons.Linking lessons with each other and with the pupils experiences. Using everyday examples, images that the pupils can relate to, and referring back to the concept map of the whole picture at every lesson enabled the pupils to put their learning (and the objectives for each lesson) in context. If the pupils can relate to what you are teaching them, you are more likely to succeed in your learning objectives.Weaknesses Overestimating what can be achieved in a lesson. Certainly to begin with, underestimated how long it would take to complete a worksheet or copy something from the board. In addition, it had not taken into account during first lesson plan, the t ime that would be spent on dealing with minor off-task behavior which can lead to you running five minutes late by the end of the lesson and therefore running out of time for the clearing and exit phases, which for example can mean you run out of time to explain the homework task properly.Spending too much time on one phase. The pupils enjoyed this so much that they would ‘plead’ for another round and on more than one occasion complied, meaning that although the pupils had a ‘great’ time, teacher run out of time to handle the clearing and exit phases as well as he should and the lessons ended a bit ‘rushed’. This is as a ‘new’ teacher who was anxious to ensure that the pupils viewed my lessons as a ‘positive' experienceReferences:Hamilton, P. J. (Fall 1999). Perceptual learning & lifelong Montessori. Montessori Life, 11(4), 41-42.Minton, D. (1997) Teaching skills in further and adult education 2nd edition, MacmillanProctor, A . Entwistle, M. McKenzie-Murdoch, S. (2001) â€Å"Learning to Teach in the Primary Classroom† London : RoutledgePlatz, Donald L., (March, 1994)   Student directed planning: fostering student ownership in learning. Education, 3Weimer, Maryellen. (2002) Learner-centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Jossey-Bass

The Relationship Of Feminism And Anthropology Anthropology Essay

The relationship of feminism and anthropology can convey a new development to the manner descriptive anthropologies are written and done. Lila Abu-Lughod ‘s statement women's rightist descriptive anthropology is an ‘ethnography with adult females at the Centre written for adult females by adult females ‘ can be seen as an attempt to happen a distinguishable manner of making and composing descriptive anthropology. In this essay I will look at the roots of feminism and feminist anthropology. I will so discourse Abu-Lughod ‘s statement and seek to explicate how her statement is good to anthropology and whether it is possible to make research her manner. I will secondly look at the advantages and disadvantages of the statement. I will concentrate on impressions of partial individuality and objectiveness. Finally, I will reason by discoursing some of the issues environing the authorization of adult females, and that although Abu-Lughod ‘s statement does hold some benefits it misses the of import point. I will reason that feminist descriptive anthropology should be used as a political tool for deprived adult females and it should reflect a â€Å" corporate, dialectical procedure of edifice theory through battles for alteration † ( Enslin:1994:545 ) . Feminism can be defined as ‘both a societal motion and a position on society. As a societal motion, it has challenged the historical subordination of adult females and advocated political, societal, and economic equality between the sexes. As a societal and sociological position, it has examined the functions that sex and gender drama in structuring society, every bit good as the mutual function that society dramas in structuring sex and gender ‘ ( Oxford dictionary 2007 ) . There are three chief classs in which the different moving ridges of feminism can be divided. Among the first one which was from 1850 to 1920, during this period most research was carried out by work forces. Feminists aimed to convey the voice of adult females in descriptive anthropology, they gave a different angle on experiences of adult females and the environing events. This brought a new angle because male descriptive anthropologies merely had the chance to interview other work forces e.g. what w ere adult females like. Important figures during this period were P.Kayberry who worked with B.Malinowski at LSE. She focused on faith but she examined work forces and adult females in her work. Traveling on to the 2nd moving ridge of which was from 1920s to 1980s, here the separation between sex and gender was made by of import women's rightists. Sexual activity as nature and gender as civilization. This takes us to the nature civilization duality which is of import when we are concentrating on the subordination of adult females in different societies. The dualities between sex/gender, work/home, men/women, and nature/culture are of import in societal theory for raising arguments. Important figures in the 2nd moving ridge feminism were Margaret Mead she made a batch of part in her work on the diverseness of civilizations here she helped to breakdown the prejudice that was based on constructs of what is natural, and she put more accent on civilization in people ‘s development. Most of import work ‘s of Mead was Coming of Age in Samoa ( 1928 ) . Another of import figure was Eleanor Leacock who was a Marxist feminist anthropologist. She focused on catholicity of fe male subordination and argued against this claim. This 2nd moving ridge of feminism was influenced by a figure of events in history, the 1960s was closely linked to political agitation in Europe and North America, like the anti-Vietnam war motion and the civil rights motion. Feminism was something that grew out of these political events during the sixtiess. Feminism argued that political relations and cognition were closely linked with each other so women's rightists were concerned with cognition and we have to oppugn the cognition that was being given to us. Feminism during 1960s called for the constitution of adult females ‘s authorship, universities, feminist sociology and a feminist political order which would be classless. Feminists became interested in anthropology, because they looked to ethnography as a beginning of information about whether adult females were being dominated everyplace by work forces. What are some of the ways that adult females are populating different societies, was there grounds of equality between work forces and adult females. Did matriarchal societies of all time exist and to acquire the replies to such inquiries they turned to ethnography. This takes us to the issue of descriptive anthropology and what we understand about adult females in different societies. It became obvious that traditional ethnographic work ignored adult females. Some of the issues environing adult females are ; ethnograhies did non speak about adult females ‘s universes, it did non speak about what went on in adult females ‘s lives, what they thought and what their functions were. When we discuss the inquiry are adult females truly subordinated, we realize that we do non cognize much about adult females in different societies. B.Malinowski ‘s work on the Kula did discourse the male function in the exchange of valuables. But during the 1970s Anette Weiner ( 1983 ) went to analyze the same society and she found out adult females are playing an of import function in Trobriand society excessively. Their involved with the Kula, exchanges, rites etc but Malinowski ne'er wrote about it. Female anthropologists of the seventiess would tra vel and look for of import work forces, and so they would analyze their values, their societies, what was of import to them. These anthropologists assumed, that work forces followed male logics in this public/private divide in line with this divide between the domestic and public sphere. They would besides presume that what went on in the populace sphere, economic system, political relations was more of import the domestic side. The construct of objectiveness came to be regarded as a manner of male power. Feminists claimed that scientific ideals of catholicity, eternity, and objectiveness were inherently male-dominated and that the more feminist properties of particularism, empathy and emotionalism were devalued ( Abu-Lughod 1990 ) . Feminists argued that to take over male domination these female properties had to be given more importance and made clear. Abu-Lughod ‘s ideal manner of making research is when a female ethnographer takes portion in the descriptive anthropology, instead so taking herself, who listens to other adult females ‘s voice and gives histories ( Abu-Lughod 1990 ) . The female ethnographer is able to make so because although the adult females studied differ from the ethnographer, she portions portion of the individuality of her source. The female research worker therefore has the appropriate â€Å" tools † to understand the other adult female ‘s life ( Abu-Lughod 1990 ) . this is why harmonizing to Abu-Lughod female descriptive anthropology should be an descriptive anthropology with adult females at the Centre written by and for adult females. Abu-Lughod says that early women's rightist anthropologists did non truly make anything about cognition. They had good purposes but they did n't make much as they were trapped in ways of thought that had been given to them by the masculine nature of the academy.

Free Essays on Family Integration And Children’s Self-Esteem

In the article Family Integration and Children’s Self-Esteem, the authors hypothesize that children and their development of self will benefit from the integration of their parents into the family. In the article, the authors attempt to â€Å"examine the impact of the family as a form of social organization on children’s self-esteem†. They begin by describing what they believe to be the two ideal types of family life. The highest level of the family mode of organization is when all of the individual’s social life is organized around the family. This includes production, resources, recreation, education, protection, associates, and all other social activities and relationships. The second mode of organization is the non-family mode. This is where all of an individual’s social activities are organized around non-family units. These units can be businesses, schools, and governmental agencies. The author’s explain that they understand that no one family’s organization matches either of these modes, however, most fall somewhere between the two. The authors quote Coopersmith by saying that â€Å"Self-Esteem is generally conceptualized as the central evaluative component of the self, and it reflects the extent to which individuals believe they are worthwhile and merit respect†. This means that the amount of Self-Esteem an individual possesses reflects upon their own definition of themselves as well as their interpretation of how others judge them. One of the empirical predictions that is stated in the article is that parental activities within the home can lead to increased Self-Esteem in the children. These activities include family eating, playing games together, helping with homework, and encouraging creative activities such as arts and crafts. Some affects of these activities on children may lead to the realization that they are needed and valued by their parents. The data for the analysis came from a panel ... Free Essays on Family Integration And Children’s Self-Esteem Free Essays on Family Integration And Children’s Self-Esteem In the article Family Integration and Children’s Self-Esteem, the authors hypothesize that children and their development of self will benefit from the integration of their parents into the family. In the article, the authors attempt to â€Å"examine the impact of the family as a form of social organization on children’s self-esteem†. They begin by describing what they believe to be the two ideal types of family life. The highest level of the family mode of organization is when all of the individual’s social life is organized around the family. This includes production, resources, recreation, education, protection, associates, and all other social activities and relationships. The second mode of organization is the non-family mode. This is where all of an individual’s social activities are organized around non-family units. These units can be businesses, schools, and governmental agencies. The author’s explain that they understand that no one family’s organization matches either of these modes, however, most fall somewhere between the two. The authors quote Coopersmith by saying that â€Å"Self-Esteem is generally conceptualized as the central evaluative component of the self, and it reflects the extent to which individuals believe they are worthwhile and merit respect†. This means that the amount of Self-Esteem an individual possesses reflects upon their own definition of themselves as well as their interpretation of how others judge them. One of the empirical predictions that is stated in the article is that parental activities within the home can lead to increased Self-Esteem in the children. These activities include family eating, playing games together, helping with homework, and encouraging creative activities such as arts and crafts. Some affects of these activities on children may lead to the realization that they are needed and valued by their parents. The data for the analysis came from a panel ...

Reading Comprehension Checklist and Questions for Students

Reading Comprehension Checklist and Questions for Students For special education learners, the difference between reading ability and reading comprehension can be stark. Many children who fall into the category of different learners struggle at various places in the reading comprehension process. Dyslexic students have trouble reading letters and words. Other students may find summarizing what they have read to be the hard part. And yet other students- including those with ADHD or autism- may read words fluently, but be unable to make sense of the arc of a story or even a sentence. What Is Reading Comprehension? Simply, reading comprehension is the ability to learn and process information from written sources. Its primary step is decoding, which is the act of assigning sounds and meaning to letters and words. But as simple as defining reading comprehension may be, it is notoriously difficult to teach. For many students, reading will give them their first glimpse into subjective understanding, as they realize that the information that they have gleaned from a text may differ from a fellow students, or that the picture they have drawn in their minds after reading a text will be different from that of their peers. How Is Reading Comprehension Assessed? The most common kinds of reading comprehension tests are ones in which students read a short passage and are asked a series of questions about it. Yet, for special education students, this method is fraught with the pitfalls outlined above. Moving from the process of decoding text to answering questions about the text can present challenges for children who cannot jump from task to task with facility, even if they are great readers and have strong comprehension skills. Sample Questions to Ask About Reading For this reason, an oral exam may bear more fruit than a standard written reading comprehension test. Heres a checklist of questions to ask a child about a book shes read. Their answers will provide you with a glimpse of their ability to comprehend. Consider these questions: 1.____ Who are the main characters in your story? 2.____ Are any of the main characters like you or like somebody you know? What makes you think so? 3.____ Describe your favorite character in the story and tell me why the character is your favorite. 4.____ When do you think the story takes place? Where do you think the story takes place? Why do you think so?   5.____ What is the funniest/scariest/best part of the story? 6.____ Is there a problem in this story? If so, how does the problem get solved? How would you have solved the problem? 7.____ Would any of your friends/family enjoy this book? Why or why not? 8.____ Could you come up with another good title for this book? What would it be? 9.____ What if you could change the ending of this book, what would it be? 10.____ Do you think this book would make a good movie? Why or why not? Questions like these are a great tool to incorporate into story time. If a parent volunteer or a student is reading to the class, have them ask one or more of them. Keep a folder with these questions and have your volunteers record what the students say about the book title theyve just read. The key to success in ensuring your struggling readers maintain a joy for reading is to ensure that the task following reading isnt unpleasant. Dont make answering a series of questions a chore that follows a fun or exciting story. Foster a love of reading by sharing your enthusiasm about what their book is all about.

SEMCO Company Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

SEMCO Company Strategy - Essay Example As a conservative business strategy, many companies feel that employing more personnel in the same setup will increase their costs and this would reduce their profits at the end of a trading year (Mazzucato, 2002:34). However, this was a strategy that helped SEMCO to improve to greater heights of quadrupling their profits.When there is an increase in the number of employees, it is obvious that the cost for labour will increase. However, SEMCO did not reflect on the negative side of having an increase in the cost of labor. SEMCO reflected on the side of better services and products that are supplied to the customers. In essence, the company noticed that their products needed a greater increase in their value (Bruce and Langdon, 2000:55). This led to production of high quality goods that would be appreciated in the market. With such a manoeuvre, most of the market was dominated by the products that are produced by SEMCO.With an increase in the number of employees, a company is defined to have more manpower and labour. In such a position, a company may decide to concentrate in various production models. According to the schools of strategy by Mintzberg, when a company has maximum labour, it is in a position of investing in a wide variety of services. This includes investing on other services that it has not been producing. SEMCO decided to strategise on this point by increasing its output. Since it had enough labour, it only had to increase its resources and start other services in the market.

Managing Business Process- Coca Cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Business Process- Coca Cola - Essay Example Generally, the company global but operates in small scale in each community where the products of the company are sold. The organization is able to have a global impact and reach of its consumers because of the efficient system. The system mainly consists of the bottling partners that total to nearly 300 and the Coca-Cola Company. The Company is responsible for the synthesizing and selling of concentrates, bases and syrups to the bottling partners. It also owns the Coca-Cola brands and is in charge of the marketing initiative. The bottling partners to the company are responsible for packaging, manufacturing, distribution and merchandising of the products to vending partners and customers. The company does not own or control most of the bottling facilities that it works in close relationship with. The bottling partners tend to have a close working relationship with the consumers. The main consumers are stores, street vendors, movie theatres, restaurants and amusement parks. Through the effective system, the company is able to achieve 1.7 billion sales in a day.FEMSA is the largest bottler in the world, the percentage of the company’s Unite Case Volume is 10%, and Coca-Cola Company has 32% ownership of the interest. Hellenic is the second biggest and has a Unit Case Volume of 8%, Coca-Cola has a percentage ownership of 23% of the interests made. Amatil is believed to be the third largest and has a Unit Case Volume of 2%. Coca-Cola has an ownership of 30% of the interest made