Analysis of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus

Analysis of Emma Lazarus' Statue of Liberty Poem X Maxwell Wallace Maxwell Wallace has been a professional freelance copywriter since 1999. His work has appeared in numerous print and online publications. An avid surfer, Wallace enjoys writing about travel and outdoor activities throughout the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science in communication and journalism from Suffolk University, Boston. â€Å"The New Colossus† is a sonnet by the late American poet, Emma Lazarus (1849-1887). . Significance * In 1903, â€Å"The New Colossus† achieved exceptional notoriety and perdurable fame when the last four lines of the piece were engraved on a large bronze plaque underneath the Statue of Liberty, located on Ellis Island in New York, New York. About the Author * Considered by her contemporaries as a dignitary of American letters, Emma Lazarus was one of the first successful Jewish-American authors in history. The New Colossus† exemplifies many common themes found in her c atalog of work, most notably sympathy for emigrants seeking exile from harsh regimes and those who enduring prejudice — both of which were commonplace during her lifetime. History * Construction on the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886, however the pedestal of the statue remained unfinished for some time. Lazarus wrote the piece in conjunction with a movement by a group of New York artists and writers who were trying to raise money for the pedestal's completion. Considerations * The poem describes the millions of immigrants who had already passed through Ellis Island, as well as lauding those who had yet to make the journey. Significance * The images of freedom and redemption in â€Å"The New Colossus† only further solidified the feelings of hope and rebirth experienced by immigrants who passed through Ellis Island

Comparing Fermentation Rate of the S. Cerevisiae Yeast in the Presence of Mgso4, Naf and Sodium Pyruvate

Syl Rogers Bio 210 Comparing Fermentation Rate of the S. cerevisiae Yeast in the presence of MgSO4, NaF and Sodium Pyruvate Hypothesis In the fermentation of rate of yeast, S. Cerevisiae, there will be a higher/ faster rate of ethanol production, However, using catalytic enzymes would make the rate more faster, and MgSo4 will have a higher rate of CO2 than that of NaF and Sodium pyruvate as it act as a more better catalytic enzyme than the others. Methods Preparation of Tubes A solution of yeast and glucose was prepared with different concentration of enzymes.In All the tubes water, 0. 3M glucose and yeast was placed; with the exception of some tubes in which 0. 2M MgSo4 and 2. 5mL and 1. 4ML 0. 2 NaF was placed respectively. In another tube was placed both MgSO4 and NaF. The different solutions were prepared and placed in separate tubes for the experiment. A 45oC water bath was setup to be used for the fermentation process. Data acquiring The tubes were placed in the water bath. A s top watch was used which aids in determining the reaction time.After Every 15 min, data was collected from all tubes by measuring the amount of CO2 being produced. This process continued for a total of 75min allowing enough time for Fermentation to occur in all tubes. Result For the first 15min, In the tube containing 8. 5mL water and 2. 5mL yeast only, the rate of the reaction was 0mm/min whiles the tube with the glucose has a rate of 233. 864mm/min. This is followed by the tube containing 2. 5mL of MgSo4 which has a rate of 165. 8573mm/min. The tube containing the MgSo4 and NaF has a rate of 69. 5mm/min which is followed by the 1. 24mL NaF tube that has a rate of 40. 63mm/min followed by 2. 5mL NaF tube which has a rate of 31. 08mm/min which was the lowest. After 30minutes, the tube containing only water and yeast has a rate of 0mm/min whiles the tube with the glucose has a rate of 208. 97mm/min. This is followed by the tube containing the MgSo4 which has a rate of 174. 1137mm/min . The tube containing the MgSo4 and NaF increased to a rate of 169. 59mm/min which is followed by the 1. 24mL NaF tube that has a rate of 57. 77mm/min followed by 2. mL NaF tube which has a rate of 35. 08mm/min which was the lowest. After an hour of reaction time, the MgSo4 and NaF tube has increased to a rate of 193. 17mm/min which is followed by the glucose tube with a rate CO2 rate of 176. 52mm/min followed by the MgSO4 Tube with a rate of 171. 73mm/min. The 1. 4mL NaF tube has increased to 61. 68mm/min followed by the 2. 4mL tube which was the lowest with a CO2 rate of 31. 31mm/min. For the final 15min of the experiment, the glucose tube has a rate of 176. 48mm/min followed by the MgSO4 and NaF tube with a rate of 169. 7mm/min. the MgSo4 tube has a rate of 157. 40mm/min which is followed by the 1. 24NaF tube with a rate CO2 rate of 57. 46mm/min followed by the 2. 5mL Tube with a rate of 29. 34mm/min which was the lowest CO2 production rate. Fig 1: Rate of CO2 production in the f ermentation of Glucose by S. cereviae Discussion: The fermentation of glucose by S. cerevisiae, which yields equal molar amounts of carbon dioxide and ethanol, showed higher production levels of carbon dioxideunder controlled conditions than any other implying the same for production of ethanol.Fermentation affected by a magnesium sulfate solution ranked second in carbon dioxideproduction while sodium fluoride yielded the least amount of carbon dioxide. These results suggest that magnesium has a positive influence on the production rate of carbon dioxide during the fermentation process and that the control contained an amount of magnesium that was neutralized by the presence of the fluoride anion. Though mean production was lower for the magnesium sulfate solution than the ontrol, a few specific results overlapped suggesting the addition of magnesium sulfate had no affect for those instances. A lower mean value for the magnesium sulfate solution suggests either that the fermentation process was supersaturated by magnesium or that the sulfate anion adversely affected the production of carbon dioxide. Further experimentation should be performed to determine the affects of magnesium sulfate in comparison to other magnesium and non-magnesium containing salts such as calcium sulfate or magnesium chloride to determine which ion has the greatest affect.Unknown variables such as the age of the S. cerevisiae samples may have affected the outcome of this experiment. Verification of S. cerevisiae batch age would allow for additional experiments to determine whether magnesium supplementation affects yeast of a certain age differently than that of another. Additionally, the experimental test tube/vial container allowed for some of each solution to be pushed out of the experimental test tube as the level of carbon dioxide increased.Further experimentation should utilize a better method of measuring the production of the entire original solution, not a fraction of the soluti on as a function of time. An alternative would be to attach a balloon to the tip of the solution-filled test tube, measure the diameter of the balloon, let an hour elapse and then measure the diameter again to determine carbon dioxide gas production. Decreased carbon dioxide production levels for S. erevisiae in the presence of a sodium fluoride solution suggest that an absence of available magnesium during fermentation results in an inefficient fermentation process; some level of magnesium is required in order for the process of fermentation to operate at maximum efficiency. Additional magnesium does not guarantee a faster or more efficient means of fermentation/ethanol production and can have an adverse affect on the fermentation process.

Literary Analysis Outline

1. Which question will you be addressing? Write it here:â€Å"Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Which particular attitudes or traditions does Orwell wish to modify? Analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s or audience’s views. Avoid plot summaries.†2. Write the question in your own words. This is a chance for you to â€Å"unpack† your essay question. Is there a particular angle that you will be pursuing? Do you need to define any key terms? Think of this as explaining the question to someone who is not as well-versed in literary analysis as you are.In 1984, what social or political traditional is modified? Analyze the techniques that are used to influence the reader’s views.I. Thesis Statement:Orwell modifies the social and political traditions of today’s society in order to persuade the reader using strong imagery and word choice, setting, and lack of ind ividualism.II. Your first point:The abundance of strong imagery and word choice throughout this book paints clear visions in the reader’s mind, influencing the reader to have a changed view on social and political traditions.A. Example #1â€Å"Never show dismay! Never show resentment! A single flicker of the eyes could give you away.† Page 36.1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quoteThis gives the image in the reader’s mind that even the slightest look in one’s eyes or face could give away a person, and it give the imagery that all the party members must be blank faced, or having hatred towards Goldstein, at all times.B. Example #2â€Å"A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  page 141. Briefly describe what you will say about your quote This strong word choice in this quote paints the image in the reader’s mind of how the government is filing the party members with hate and violence.C. Example #3â€Å"The party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that event- it never happened- that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death.† Page 34.1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quoteThis paints a picture in the reader’s mind of how the inner party could use people as a puppet in order to control the rest of the citizens.III. Your second point:Orwell’s use of setting helps persuade the reader to change their views on social traditions.A. Example #1â€Å"But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are mat work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother.† page 267.1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quoteThis sets the stage for a very dark, sterile, and emotionless life. It is appalling to the reader, and it sets the reader off of the idea.B. Example #2 â€Å"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.† (1.5.23, Syme)1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quoteThis shows that the government is attempting to set the stage and mind of all the people in the CONTROLS SOCIETY AND PEOPLE’S VIEWS/ATTITUDES IN THE BOOKC. Example #3â€Å"There were times when his nerves so forsook him that he began shouting for mercy even before the beating began, when the mere sight of a first drawn back for a blow was enough t o make hum pour forth a confession of real or imaginary crimes.† Page 2911. Briefly describe what you will say about your quoteThis sets the scene of violence and fear, and what more, it is the government system that is putting this fear and violence into the citizens when they disagree with them.IV. Your third point:The lack of individualism effectively influences the reader to change their mind about social and political traditions.A. Example #1 The Inner Party members wear black overalls, the Outer Party wears blue overalls, and Proles wear regular clothing.1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quote This constricts and conforms the party members, not letting them express any individualism to their appearance.B. Example #2 The thought police1. Briefly describe what you will say about your quote The thought police are there to point out anyone that is thinking against the government, and they then have them vaporized. If anyone thinks or even dreams about being an individual, away from the party, the government subjects them to torture in order to brain wash them to be like everyone else.C. Example #3 â€Å"Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard.’’ Page 91. Briefly describe what you will say about your quote Winston, even in his own room, is never allowed the privacy to say/do what he feels or wants to. There are always people monitoring everything that the party members say/do.V. What will be the â€Å"knockout punch† that you include in your conclusion? 1984 is a warning for the future, a warning for what a totalitarian government could really mean. (but more eloquent†¦)

Risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Risk management - Essay Example There is a growing recognition that flood risk can be mitigated making space for water through sustainable management. Management of Flood has started considering dilemmas, challenges, and problems† (Begum, et al., 2007). Vulnerability and Flood risk is increasing due to changes in land use and development in flood prone districts as a result of socio-economic demand, changes in climate and rainfall pattern, increasing frequency of extreme events (Begum, et al., 2007). Jeddah is the most cosmopolitan and second-largest city in Saudi Arabia and the gateway to millions of Muslims who want to go to the holy city of Makkah. Jeddah city, which is the main porter of the country’s wealth, the largest seller of oil in the world at all times, and which has paved the way for single currency in the Gulf with its emergence as the second largest bloc in the monetary world, was affected by heavy rains. The rains which lasted for no more than two days caused massive flooding. This flood caused the deaths of more than 120 citizens (al-Ahmed, 2009). To lessen the embarrassment caused by these deaths, spokesperson and media reports reduced the number of flood deaths in the first four days to less than 80 citizens. (Abumansour, 2009) This massive flood was the strongest natural calamity that Saudi Arabia has seen in its history which is less than 100 years old. However the actual reason for destruction and death that occurred in November 2009 is the corruption in some of the sectors of the municipalities in Jeddah. More than four million citizens live in this city and the city still lacks treatment facility and a sewage system. Hundreds of bodies were found during flood rescue operations and some were registered as missing. The main street going to the Holy City was blocked with hundreds of cars floating in the water. The cars were dragged by the water that could not

The Local Islamic Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Local Islamic Center - Essay Example After talking with Nazredinne, he informed me that he was presently cleaning the mosque. Summary of Experience I had made plans to meet Nazredinne at the mosque around six o’clock on a Friday evening. As I entered the mosque on the first floor, I saw piles of shoes lying upon the floor. So, following what other men were doing, I also took my shoes off and proceeded up the steps. Nazredinne served as my host and translator for the rest of the evening. After telling me that he had a few things to finish doing, he led me into the main room of the mosque and told me that he would be right back. As I looked around, I saw about 30 Middle Easterners sitting around the room, and it became very quiet. It was most uncomfortable. However, some of the men approached me out of hospitality to introduce themselves and their country of birth. Soon after my arrival, I was invited to partake of the fellowship meal. This is something that is done every evening of the day of prayer. The meal cons isted of lamb, rice, dates, eggplant, and many other Arab foods and delicacies. After going through the line to get my food, I then joined many of the other men who were sitting in lines on the floor of the prayer room eating their meal. All of the conversation, unless it was directed at me, was done in Arabic. Occasionally, Nazredinne would tell me what he and the others were talking about. After the meal, everyone helped out to clean up. While the men were cleaning up, Nazredinne and another Arab man took all of the male children to one corner of the prayer room in order to conduct Arabic lessons. These lessons were centered around readings from the Qur’aan, which I could not touch until Nazredinne took me to perform the ritual cleansing. After the lessons, the children left the room and everyone gathered around Nazredinne, who was standing at the front of the mosque. He delivered a sermon from the Qur’aan, and he talked much about the Prophet Noah. I only know this because Nazredinne had asked his Palestinian friend to translate the sermon for me. The pace of the sermon was so fast that I understood little, even with a translator at my side. The sermon lasted about twenty-five minutes, and it was timed perfectly so that at the conclusion of the sermon, the prayers could begin. I was permitted to stay in the prayer room during their performance of the Salah, as long as I did not speak and stayed in the back of the room. The prayer lasted much longer than what I would have thought, and Nazredinne of course led the Muslims in attendance through the ritual. Of course I did not understand what was being said, but I could feel the devotion within the room. Everyone knew exactly what to do, and everyone knelt and rose in one accord. At the conclusion of the time of prayer, everyone stayed around to talk and fellowship with one another. Up to this point, many of the Muslims in attendance had not come up to me to introduce themselves. However, once the ritual prayers were over, almost all of the Muslims came up to me and introduced themselves, and even offered their contact information in case I ever had any questions about Islam and its practices and beliefs. By this point, I am sure that everyone knew that I was not a Muslim, and for that reason they considered me a

The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age Research Paper - 1

The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age - Research Paper Example Netizens, a term coined for active users of the Internet (Netizen), are complaining about how websites make private information such as their names, phone numbers, addresses, etc. available to the public. The issue of privacy over the Internet has become very serious that lawmakers have been forced to create regulations to safeguard users (Lyons, 2012) against websites that provide access to an individual’s private information. Search Engines for Citizens’ Private Data Intelius.com is a search engine that specializes on people searches. On the website, a researcher can choose to look up an individual through several ways. There are links to search via email, social networking sites, property records and the basic people search which yields the person’s relatives, age and the various cities and states in the USA the individual may have resided in. Getting a report would require a fee. Supposedly, the report would contain â€Å"some or all† of the data such as the person’s full name, age and date of birth, phone numbers, aliases, relatives, email address(es), property records, marriage & divorce, lawsuits, criminal records, and so on. For people search and background check services, Intelius supposedly provides a researcher his money’s worth because of the accuracy of its reports. ... These have corresponding fees. Prices are from $2.45, $19.95 and $39.95. The most expensive report includes a State Criminal Search, Properties, Enhanced Relatives, Associates Plus and Marriages/Divorces. As with Intelius, the number of items listed in each report is not guaranteed. Zaba Search is one of the many people search engines on the Internet. Once the first and last names are entered, the user can search all the 50 states in America or a specific state. The results include the person complete address and phone number, including a marker on Google map for the user’s reference. Zaba also offers reverse phone lookup, background checks and searching via phone numbers. Curiously, when the results appear, an advertisement by US Search shows with the same person’s name, age and the cities and states the person has lived in. Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Access Public access to private information can bring about positive and negative outcomes to the researche r and the topic of the research. Although public access does help researchers find more information for social or educational purposes, these information may not be current. Having a citizen’s private data available on the Internet makes the person an easy victim of identity theft or other related crimes. Nevertheless, it also makes it possible for long-lost friends and family to get in touch with the person. For the person being researched, there are a couple of reasons public access can be bad. One is identity theft which has become a significant offense in the United States with around 10,000 groups involved in the activity. (White, 2012) There are several ways to commit identity theft and all of these require personal information such

Essay on International business finance report

On International business finance report - Essay Example REPORT TO IBF Respected Directors, IBF London (U.K) Introduction IBF Supplies Plc is a London based large manufacturer and distributor of office supplies. A recent forecast shows decline has been shown in the demand for office supplies in the UK. At the same time it is anticipates a strong demand for office supplies in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa over the next several years. Hence, executives of IBF have started exploring the overseas markets and are planning to establish foreign subsidiaries in new markets. Before entering the market certain aspects are to be considered. These aspects include: Financial and non-financial factors The potential risks and possible external strategies to manage such risks. Other strategies available other than establishing a foreign subsidiary Financial and non-financial factors First of all it is to be made sure that whether the selected countries are going to produce the desired results or not. It is a good thing that IBF has anticipated a strong demand in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa for the type of goods it manufactures but again a detailed research needs to be done before taking any final decision. Developing a foreign subsidiary means establishing company’s branch outside the country to run as a separate entity than IBF the parent company itself.  There are a lot of things that need to be considered like the political stability of these selected countries, their legal systems, the fiscal policies, the monetary policies, availability of labor that is skilled, logistics infrastructure etc (Terpstra and Sarathy 2001). It is a good thing that IBF has a proactive approach but still there are a lot of things that are of utmost importance before any final decision can be taken. The financial situation of the company happens to be one very important factor to be considered before IBF can take any decision. The tax bracket is to be kept in mind before actually deciding to expand the business to a new area. The net wor th and the objectives of the company happen to be of critical importance. The level of risk that the company can afford to take is also a point of significant importance. While considering the financial factors, IBF needs to take a decision regarding choosing one of the two financing techniques or may be both the techniques. These two financing techniques are debt and equity financing. If IBF chooses debt financing to raise funds it means that the company will borrow money from another source like bank. IBF will have to return the loan with interest and it can be short term or long term. The other way is that of equity financing. In this way IBF can raise finance by selling off its business part to some other party like the investors or the venture capitalists. The company need to decide whether it is going to be generating funds locally or by the parent company. A detailed PESTEL Analysis is required that includes things like political factors etc. The forecasting regarding the exc hange rates and the taxation agreement needs to be done before taking any final decision. It is to be kept in mind that these foreign subsidiaries are going to be exposed to volatility of exchange rates. IBF will need to evaluate its risk associated with exchange of foreign currency through monitoring

Recruiting and Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recruiting and Selection - Essay Example Also, a good time manager is a measure often required when recruiting a right applicant in the executive director position. In past years, nonprofit making organizations started using interim directors as an approach of avoiding non-qualified applicants in the field. The employers use the approach since there is a small, but growing body of knowledge around the executive director position. Also, employers look at the experience of the applicant in order to assist in the transition development of the organization. Legality, reliability, and validity are my best standards that meet the requirements and measurement of being a right executive director. In order to be hired as an executive director in an organization, legal documents play an important role as a ticket to be given the job. Legal documents such as curriculum vitae will help me in identifying my skills and experiences as an executive director. The legality of being an executive director will depend not only on the legal documents, but also the skills and experience I have learnt from the previous job position. Also, the validity of my documents will help me in securing the executive director position. Employers consider valid documents and claims before recruiting new applicants into their organizations. This implies that without a valid claim of being an executive director, a panel can automatically disqualify an application. In addition, reliability is an important standard, which work hand in hand with the experience, skills, str ength, and capability measures. An executive director is supposed to be reliable. A theme in the performance appraisal focus on the attitude of an employee is integrity, dependability, and reliability. Reliability of an employee improves the performance of an organization (Monroy & Zwerling, p. 421-422). I have learnt that legality is an important standard to be considered in any selection process of being an executive director in an organization. In his case, a

Currency exchange futures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Currency exchange futures - Research Paper Example F) may be traded in any of the three ways: 1) At an Exchange regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) 2) At an exchange regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). 3) Off-Exchange, also known as Over the Counter (OTC) Market. A buyer interacts directly with a seller and there is no exchange or clearing house to support the transaction. CEF being part of Foreign Exchange trading begins Monday morning in Sydney, Australia (Sunday afternoon in the United States) and moves around the globe as business days begin in financial centers from Tokyo to London to New York, ending with the close of trading Friday afternoon in New York. Anything that happens anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night affects the Forex market immediately without waiting for an exchange to open before the effects can be seen. The Forex market is always open for trading. CEF can be traded electronically and hence positions can be opened and closed in realtime. CEF has the advantage of High leverage, the margins are low and hence small amount of investment can give control of sizeable position. With a minor positive movement would result in higher returns on investment. The disadvantage being that a minor negative movement would result in erosion of your funds. The most popular currency futures market is the EUR futures market, which is based upon the Euro to US Dollar exchange rate. The most popular currency futures are provided by the CME Group (formerly the Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and include the following futures markets: Currency futures trade Futures Contracts that are worth a specific amount of the underlying currency. For example, the EUR futures contract is worth $125,000. Date of delivery is also pre-determined like third Wednesday of jan, march, June,etc. The specifications of each contract in the currency futures market states the contract value, minimum price change (tick size) and the price change value (tick value). For Individual

Analysis the market environment of Dairy crest Essay

Analysis the market environment of Dairy crest - Essay Example Government use the following methods to support dairy industry: In spite of the fact that dairy industry operates in friendly environment, it has been facing some legal hurdles. For example, dairy makers could not under the law of the United Kingdom assert that their products could treat or prevent diseases, however could claim that their products had some useful benefits once the evidence to this effect had been provided. Economic factors. Dairy industry of the UK is highly competitive. The UK is the third producer of milk in Europe. There are several large purchasers of milk on the market, and Dairy Crest is one of them. British economy is growing at the rate of 3% and there is strong demand on health food products; however dairy industry and Dairy Crest in particular suffers from several unfavorable economic factors: Social factors. Social factors are one of the most important factors in the development of marketing strategy of Dairy Crest. British population is more health conscious, and Dairy Crest has already been trying to adapt itself to this trend by launching new updated version of its diary product St Ivel Gold and Clever Milk, both are enriched with beneficial oils. So far the expansion into health-food market has been successful; the company claims that the growth in this niche of the market has been more than three times higher than in the market of usual dairy products. UK has ageing population and it might not be an encouraging news for the producers of some of the dairy products, such as milk; however if the industry manages to produce more health-beneficial products, especially those that can help cure or prevent age-related illnesses, the ageing factor might be an advantage . Technological factors. One might not expect some revolutionary technological innovations on the market, however taking into account the fact that demand on the health food has been growing steadily, one can expect the rising in the expenditures on the R&D to produce more beneficial diary products.

Police Corruption In The United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Police Corruption In The United States - Essay Example Police corruption acts are increasing with the passage of time and everyday we comprehend and share our views regarding police unlawful acts, what is published in the newspaper. "In New Orleans, 11 police officers were convicted of accepting nearly $100,000 from undercover agents to protect a cocaine supply warehouse containing 286 pounds of cocaine. The undercover portion of the investigation was terminated when a witness was killed under orders from a New Orleans police officer." (General Accounting Office, Report to the Honorable Charles B. Rangel). Police departments participating in the five-year study were drawn from a pool of more than 4,000 police departments throughout the United States. Only sixty-nine supplied the necessary personality, background, and offense data and met all of the prerequisites for inclusion in the study (each had to administer a personality test to applicants and had to have had at least one incident where a screened officer engaged in a substantiated corrupt act, for example). Overall, the study examined 439 officers who had engaged in corrupt acts (such as bribes and information breaches) and 439 who had not. Police corruption exists in two forms: Internal corruption and External Corruption. Internal corruption refers to all those crimes, which are held within the boundaries of the police department, i.e., corruption that resides among policemen whereas External corruption escorts to those unlawful acts that apprehend police dealings with the public. Example of an Internal crime can be any officer who is involved in drug or cocaine violence along with other officers or staff or any officer who has taken excessive advantage over the authority given to him by harassing one of his colleague or member. A 1998 report by the General Accounting Office states, "The most commonly identified pattern of drug-related police corruption involved small groups of officers who protected and assisted each other in criminal activities, rather than the traditional patterns of non-drug-related police corruption that involved just a few isolated individuals or systemic corruption pervading an entire police department or precinct." (General Accounting Office, Report to the Honorable Charles B. Rangel) When we talk about external corruption, it is obvious to do something with public prosecution and it is a widespread predicament often found in our everyday lives. Example can be any police officer (or civilian) found engaged in the persuasion of common public. Like I have often observed in New York City, some cops take unnecessary advantage of wearing a five star badge uniform. As an example of police corruption, the GAO cites Philadelphia, where "Since 1995, 10 police officers from Philadelphia's 39th District have been charged with planting drugs on suspects, shaking down drug dealers for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and breaking into homes to steal drugs and cash." (General Accoun

Current Trends in the War on Terror Essay Example for Free

Current Trends in the War on Terror Essay As the world is cowering in terror from the 9/11 attacks and the bombing incidents in Indonesia and other parts of the world, the world’s attention is shifted now to where the attacks may occur next and what can be done to address the situation. Some suggest that the answer lies in being able to suppress and perhaps eliminate all of the terrorist cells all over the world. The problem there, however, is that any attack that is targeted at eliminating terrorist cells would necessarily involve any host country where they may be located and in any Middle Eastern country, such an attack could prove disastrous (Campbell Flourney 372). The more practical and ideal solution to this problem therefore lies at a more fundamental level; a more basic level wherein the country has more controls and no international liability (Kochler 37). The solution to this problem is by improving border security in order to prevent the occurrence of these terrorist attacks while the international community seeks for answers to address this problem at a global scale. At this point in time, domestic policies would be the best option in fighting the war against terror. This short discourse will therefore seek to shed light on the issue of terrorism and the crucial role that the border security plays in such. To gain a better understanding of the problem, it is important to first analyze the current trends that have been taken relative to border security to ensure the safety of the public from terrorist attacks. This will then be supplemented by an explanation on how border security can take an even larger role. The most crucial aspect in relation to border security and its role in the war against terror concerns the aviation industry. Since the 9/11 attacks, the public confidence with regard to air travel has greatly been shaken (Taylor 2). The attacks had the effect of sending a message that now, even airplanes could be used as missiles to target buildings regardless of whether there were people on board the aircraft of not. Every plane crash that is reported on the news is suspected to have been caused by a terrorist attack rather than just an equipment malfunction or a pilot error. In response to these attacks, security has been considerably increased in airports all over the world. Every passenger is now subject to a full body search and every hand carried and checked in item is thoroughly inspected for any suspicious objects that can either cause an explosion or aid a hijacker in gaining control over the aircraft (Campbell Flourney 52). The impact has not been limited to airport security as even airplane manufacturers and airlines have resorted to installing devices and taking precautions with regard to what to do in case an airplane is hijacked. One of the safety measures that have been suggested and is highly debated is the issuing of arms for the pilots so that they may be able to defend themselves against any terrorist hijackers that are able to force themselves into the cockpits (Lott 1). The current controversy with regard to airline security concerns the proposal to equip the pilots of airplanes with weapons in order to protect themselves from any hijackers that manage to enter the cockpit (Taylor 2). This proposal is of course faced with a lot of opposition because of the implications of allowing pilots to be armed in aircrafts. There is a lot of concern with regard to the security of the other passengers on board just in case the armed pilots do decide to turn on the other co-pilots and hijack the aircraft themselves or hold passengers as hostages for whatever purpose. The proponents for arming the pilots argue that it is the best option because the pilots need to defend themselves against the terrorist hijackers (Keeler 151). The problem with this is that it negates the training of the pilots which is that in times such as hijackings they are not supposed to deal with the terrorists but instead secure the cockpit and land the plane as soon as possible (Will 1). The concern here is that the plane should be landed right away in order to protect not only the passengers but also the people on the ground who may become targets or victims as the 9/11 experience has shown. The duty of the pilot is not concern himself with whatever goes on in the cabin but instead make sure that the plane is safely on the ground where there are more units who can deal with the situation properly. Pilots are not adequately trained to deal with hijacking situations in terms of dealing directly with the terrorist hijackers (Will 1). Another argument for the arming of the pilots is that such a measure is only designed to protect the pilots from terrorist hijackers who succeed in gaining entry into the cockpit (3). While there as some merit to this precautionary measure, there is no guarantee that the armed pilots will do just that. There are instances when certain people, pilots included, enter a â€Å"cowboys or renegade† mode (Will 1). Most of the pilots have received a degree of military training as fighter pilots and there is some truth to the profiling of fighter pilots â€Å"live wires and risk-takers† (Will 1). The end result in these situations could be that instead of protecting the cockpit and landing the plane like they are supposed to, a number of these former fighter pilots could engage the terrorist hijackers.

The Business Factor of McDonalds planning

The Business Factor of McDonalds planning MacDonald s is the largest food chain in the world and is number one in annual sales. MacDonald also offers a variety of products keeping in view the socio-religious factors. They also offer drive-through services for customers on the move, promoting itself as a time efficient company. Business factors Growth of MacDonald: McDonald s has been looking for a growth strategy for a very long time. And their foreign operation amount for more than half the company s revenue. McDonald has over 30,000 restaurants over 100 countries in the world today. And they maintain the top position in the fast food industry for the past 50 years. Their sale roses to 5.8% at the restaurant chains European outlets in 2006, boosted by the United Kingdom launch of a new bacon burger and a price game in Germany. MacDonald s performed strongly in other markets, reflecting its steady recovery from sharp sales down turn in 2002. They have added healthier option to its menu to try to attract more and new customers. Over the past few years, MacDonald has been offering a wider range of salads and fruits as well as premium strength coffee to gain more customers. The trading sales of Macdonald s have risen to 6.3% in the fourth quarter and were up 5.7% for 2006 as a whole. This was achieving through a better strategies by making the meals relevant and affordable to the customers. MacDonald Business Declines after 2006: The company was hit by the global economic slowdown and scarcer over the safety of beef in overseas markets. MacDonald faces a further criticism over the effect of its products on the health of consumer. But instead MacDonald continues to be ambitious with plans to add more than a thousand restaurants this year to its chain of 30,000 outlets worldwide. The company was critics about the product of their foods and how its affect the people health by contribution to the fattening of the people .this was a very serious case with lead MacDonald to think of a better strategy to retain their customer and also help the people on the health product. Business changes of Macdonald After going through allot of complains and critics about the product, the company sales started to drop down and the management now thought of a better strategy to retain their customer and also make them happy. The company now introduce a LOW-FAT yogurts and a choice of salads will be among the new lines on offer. Customer service will be improved and the firm will stop its rush to open new restaurant and concentrate instead on keeping customer and attracting new ones to existing branches. MacDonald labour cost control and business competitors: The company have tried to control their labour cost by employing the right people to do the job properly to over shadow their competitor. During the critic of their product, other little restaurant started coming out and crating names to them self. But now MacDonald get the right people with the right skill to provide a better customer services to their customer in other to retain them and get new once. They also provide a better technology that will make it quicker and easier to serve their customer and keep them happy. 2.2 Human Resources Requirement Before Macdonald would open a new branch, they have to take a good look on the following; ? Identifying personal requirement of every staffs should be the first thing. ? The numbers of staffs they need in the company at a particular time. The number of staffs can help improve the company sales. Companies don t like running short of staffs; there prefer having enough staffs that will provide a better services to their customers. Macdonald always knows the right time to get more staffs for assistance especially during lunch break. They make sure customers are served in a good way and a fast way. ? Skills: the skills of staffs can also be important. Employee skill can help the company to provide faster services and render a better customer services. ? Experience: working experience is another important Human resources requirement. Someone with a good working experience always does the job well because he/she has done the job before and was corrected before. Macdonald make sure their staffs under go through a special training before there can start serving the customer. This will help the company to render the best services to the people. ? Qualification: this is another human resources requirement that help to give the worker confident on what they are doing. The qualification of every staffs will determine how the staffs are going to render and learn more about the company. It will also determine how a staff can render a better communication with the customer and the managements of the company. Someone with a degree is going to have more self confident in doing the business than someone with a high school certificate. These are the requirement the organisation need to look into to achieve its objectives. The Human Resources Requirement can be very important in every organisation. Organisation Requirement: This can be internal or external; Internal: labour requirement can be is what the organisation should consider. The number of labour the organisation needs at a particular time and place. Labour can be very important in every organisation in other to render a better services. Skill Requirement: These are the skills the company need to provide to improve and increase their sales. With the skills, a good marketing strategy can be made and it will help to increase the sales of the company. Good working Environment: The working environment is another important human resources requirement. A good working environment will enable the worker to provide quicker and better quality goods and services to the customer. Good communication between the manager and staffs: They should be a better communication between the staffs and manager in other for the management to get the staffs opinions about the product and services they are rendering. In MacDonald, it is very hard for you to point out who is the manager and who are the staffs. The relationship with manage are so close that every worker keep smiling to themselves. The good relationship between the staffs and the managers can also help the company to get to their goals. EXTERNAL FACTORS: Government Policies: The government policies are big issues that affect every company. The government can make a change at any time and this will affect every business and the economy. Employment: Employment is a big issue that is hitting the United Kingdom economy now. The increase in VAT and the cut in benefit have also affected the people. So the increase of unemployment has raised more. Education: MacDonald providing Education for staff to give more ideas about the economic and organisation is very important. But not all organisations are willing to do that especially with the increase in fees and vat. Training: This is another important thing that most company love to do. Sending of staffs to special training, letting them to attend seminars.etc will also help the organisation to reach their objective because the staffs will know more about business and will be able to render better services. Demand for labour: with the increase in vat and the cut in benefit, we find out that the demand for labour became very high. Everybody wants to work to get money. Not allot of people are spending much now. Everyone is trying to save money. Supply for Labour: the demand for labour is high and the supply for labour is low. Not allot of company are willing to employ staffs now because of the changes made by the government. Every organisation is trying to lower their expensive and purchase.s 2.3 HUMAN RESOUCES PLANS FOR MAC DONALDS HR S ROLE Purpose STRATEGIC FRAME WORK MC DONALD PEOPLE MEASUREMENT Our role is to foster a high performance culture that is supported by our talented and engaged people and organisational resources essential for sustaining superior business performance. We will achieve this by designing processes, providing tools, and transferring knowledge to our leaders required for developing and continuously improving such a culture. Recruitment and selection Employment Experience /development Employee Talent/skills Rewards Employment images The overall aim is to obtain at minimum cost the number and quality of employees required to satisfy the human resources need of the organisation. Provides a positive employment experience through respectful employment treatment and compliance with labour and employment laws. and also developing the staffs by providing training and allowing them to attend seminars. Establish a strong talent management plan to identify and develop talent at all levels while creating a diverse workforce Implement the global total reward strategy to support a strong pay for performance culture Communicate a compelling Mc Donald s employment brand that tell our story and builds respect for Mc Donald s. Employee commitment External Best Employer Recognition Employee pride Customer experience-competitive advantage (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() These plans generally serve one of the two purpose either they provide direction for those organisation that have not integrated Human Resource Management into strategic plan or they are used as implementation plans which support Human Resources Management goals, Strategic, and Measures. These plans are particularly important to those organisations that do not integrate Human Resources Management into the wide plan because it helps them map out where they want the Human Resources. Most of these plans focus on internal Human Resources office program activities and the HR always try to accomplish their mission to enable them achieve their objectives. 2.4 How Human Resources plan contribute to meeting the MacDonald objectives: Staff retention: Macdonald tries to keep their staffs and give them promotions to enable them become a manager of a branch someday in the future. Staff retention is very important to most organisations. This will help the staffs to know what really is happening within the organisation and try to suggest a best opinion to fight that out. Employee development: this is another important human resource plan. Employee development is another best way to improve customer services in the company. Providing the employee with training and good skills on how to render a good service can keep the employee and customer happy. And it will help the organisation to reach its objectives. Up skilling: This is the act of providing worker extra training to make them better. For example sending staffs to additional training and meetings. Up skilling will also help the company to have the best staffs that will render the best services to their customers. Re skilling: This is the act of teaching someone something new especially an unemployed person. Re skilling will help the person to get ideas about the company and how to render better services. Macdonald Human Resource planning is concerned with getting the right people, using them well and developing them in order to meet the company goals. In order to meet their objectives, MacDonald aim successfully, it is necessary to identify the means of using people in the most effective way and to identify any question that are likely to occur for example recruiting the best people and coming with solutions. 3.1 THE PURPOSE OF STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN AN ORGANISATION In simple terms, an organisation s human resources management strategy should maximize return on investment in the organisation s human capital and minimize financial risk. Human Resource seeks to achieve this by aligning the supply of skilled and qualified individuals and the capabilities of the current workforce, with the organisations ongoing and future business plans and requirements to maximize return on investment and secure future survival and success. In ensuring such objectives are achieved, the human resources function purpose in this context is to implement the organisation human resource requirements effectively but also pragmatically taking account of legal, ethical and as far as is practical in a manner that retains the support and respect of the workforce. Recruitment and Selection: According to Edwin B. Flippo, Recruitment is the process of searching the candidate for employment and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation. Selection is the process that leads to employment of persons who possess the ability and qualification to perform the jobs which have fallen vacant in an organisation. The recruitment and selection has help MacDonald to bring in the best and right people to do the job well and lead them to achieve the objectives. Health and Safety: This is the procedure for identifying workplace hazards and reducing accidents and exposure to harmful personnel and exposure to harmful personnel in accident prevention, accident response, emergency preparedness and use of productive clothing and equipment. Equity and Diversity: These are two distinct concepts which work together to encourage a workplace that values difference in individuals and fairness. Workplace diversity maintains the basic principle of equity and therefore, includes measures of remedy any employment-related. Training and Development: it is very important that new employees are given adequate training. Macdonald provides the best training and development for their staffs to enable them to give out the best services to their customer. Pay: Macdonald is a big restaurant with so many branches around the world and help to reduce the unemployment around us. The Company give a good pay to their staffs and encourage them to work. Performance: The Company always chose a right time to check the performance of their workers. The performance of the worker can help the company to make the right changes at the right time and the right department of the workers. These has help MacDonald to build a better services. 3.2 THE REGULATORY REQUIRMENTS ON HUMAN RESOUCES POLICIES IN AN ORGANISATION: The Employment Act 2008 Strengthens, Simplifies and clarifies key aspects of United Kingdom employment law. The Act brings together both element of element of the previous government s employment relation strategy increasing protection for vulnerable worker and lightening the load for law abiding business. The Employment Relation Act 2004 is mainly concerned with collective labour law and trade union rights. It implements the fining of the review of the employment relations act 1999, announced by the secretary of state in July 2002. The centrepiece of the 1999 act was the establishment of a statutory procedure for the recognition of trade unions by employers for collective bargaining purpose. Employment Right Act 1996(ERA) was passed originally by conservative government 1996. It consolidated a number of previous statutes dating from the contracts of employment act 1963. It deals with right that most employees can get when they work, including unfair dismissal, reasonable notice before dismissal, time of rights for parenting, redundancy and more. Work and families: choice and flexibility, which was published in October 2005. It aims to establish a balanced package to right and responsibilities for both employers and employee In line with the government better regulations agenda. The work and families legislation will: Extend maternity and adoption pay from six months from April 2007, toward the goal of a year s paid leave by the end of the parliament. Extend the night to request flexible working to carer of adults from April 2007. The Equal pay act 1970 is an act of the United Kingdom parliament which prohibits and less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. It was passed by parliament in the aftermath of the 1968 ford sewing machinists strike. National minimum wage act 1998 : An Act to make provision for and in connection with a national minimum wage, to provide for the amendment of certain enactment relating to the remuneration of persons employed in agriculture; and for connected purposes.[31st July 1998] The Disability Discrimination Act 1995(c50) is an act of the parliament of the United Kingdom which has now been repeated and replaced by the equality act 2010. Formerly, it made it unlawful to discriminate against people in respect of their disabilities in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, education and transport. The EU working time directive (2003/88/EC) is a European Union Directive, which creates the right for EU workers to a minimum number of holidays each year, paid breaks, and test of at least 11 hours in any 24 hours work while restricting excessive night work and, a default right to work no more than 48 hours per week. It was issued as an update on an earlier version on 22 June 2000. Excessive working time being a major cause of stress depression and illness, the purpose of the directive is to protect people health and safety. Data protective Act 1998 an act to make new provision for the regulation of the processing of information relation11 to individuals including the obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information. [16 July 1998] How is Mc Donalds regulation policy management Under the employment right and responsibility MacDonald doesn t give equal right and selection. The prefer to employ the younger once rather than a old once due to the fact that young once are more energetic and fast than the older once and this is a discrimination.

Reflective Report On Clinical Education In Practice Nursing Essay

Reflective Report On Clinical Education In Practice Nursing Essay This assignment will critically reflect and analyse clinical supervision of third year dental students during their infield placement of Dental Public Health in a school environment, a module within Preventive Dentistry. Clinical supervision of dental surgery assistants during their short clinical placement at the Periodontology Section will also be delved into. The preparation, planning, implementation and evaluation of the supervised sessions will be incorporated, as also the rationale for the choice of particular learning, teaching and assessment strategies. Finally, I will conclude by outlining areas of personal and professional growth, identifying strengths and challenges and putting forward an action plan for my future professional development as a clinical supervisor. Dental public health placement of third year dental students. Description I was assigned direct supervision of ten 3rd year dental students by the Faculty of Dental Surgery for four, weekly sessions at schools of my choice. The objectives were to expose the students to public dental health within a school environment and develop some of the skills necessary to convey dental health education to children of different age groups. Their competence level in communication skills were to be assessed and a report sent to the consultant dental surgeon in public health. Preparation Heidenreich et al (2000) suggests priming students for activities by debriefing them prior to engagement. In view of this, and also bearing in mind that I had never even met these ten dental students, I organised a 45 minute discussion session in our department lecture room. I specifically asked them to prepare a plan of how they propose to organise such an activity of delivering dental talks to children of different age groups. I also suggested that they write down any fears and queries they might have. My intensions were two fold. I needed to familiarize myself with the students- who they were, how they process thoughts and ideas, their feelings and apprehensions towards public speaking and an overview of their knowledge, perceptions and communication skills. I also wanted to use a constructive paradigm as discussed by McMillan (2011), where the knowledge is not transmitted by direct instruction and imposed on the students, but rather were they are actively involved in shaping their own learning experience. When describing androgogy (adult learning), Knowles (1984), states that adults learn best when learning is self-directed. They learn because they chose to do so and thus are more motivated and more reflective. Therefore transformation of knowledge acquired is more permanent. These students were academically mature 21-24 year olds, with their own individual experiences and personal perceptions. I intended to promote a deep learning approach by stimulating their genuine desire to engage in this learning task and to appreciate its value, integrate the experience in the students own biography (Jarvis, 2005). Implementation and evaluation The discussion forum proved to satisfy all its purposes. The students came well prepared, so, after the introductions, I clearly conveyed the learning objectives of the placement as dictated by the faculty and the assessment criteria. However, I wanted to establish what they feel should be the outcome of this placement, what they expect to learn and what kind of feedback they think is most helpful for them. So, we discussed and negotiated these issues first. McGrath et al (2005) propose that in order to promote understanding the supervisor should guide students in contextualizing their theoretical knowledge, bridging the potential divide that exists between the theory they learnt in the lectures and what they actually need to use in practice. The in-depth knowledge studied had to now be broken down into blocks, simplified and used according to the scenario presented. The language by which we speak to young children to convey a message cannot be full of scientific jargon. All the students were actively involved in this open discussion. The two foreigners in the group had to be encouraged and prompted a little but they integrated eventually. As an empirical study by Sweet et al (2008) suggests, when the students worked together and talked about and criticised each others planned activities they learnt in a way that changed their perspectives. I was practically a non-participant observer except when some misconceptions had to be clarified and some fears and queries needed to be addressed. Throughout the discussion I had one of the students create a concept map identifying the salient points. This was used at the end of the session when I summarized their thoughts and together we established how we were going to work on the four placement days. The students felt more comfortable if they observed me giving the first dental talk, then we decided that they are to be grouped in pairs to give talks on the first day and progress in giving individual talks in t he 3 sessions after that. On the day, the sessions went as planned with only a few hiccups. After the students observed me delivering the initial talk I had 20 minutes to give feedback and to answer any questions. This proved to be vital. Most of the students needed reassurance and encouragement. In retrospect, the decision to work in pairs was very sound since this eased some anxieties. At the end of the day we regrouped and I gave feedback to each student individually. Kilminster et al (2007) propose that the supervisor should prioritise and balance the negative and positive feedback. They also suggest that brief and targeted feedback with reinforcement of correct behaviours is very important. I followed this line of thought during the short briefing after the session, pointing out their strengths and commenting on how what they could improve. The students comments suggested that they enjoyed this learning experience. As the students progressed through the rest of the placement they gained confidence and their communication skills improved. There was one student in particular who did not wish to give a talk to the 6year old children. He felt he could not cope with their short concentration span and restlessness and he was afraid that he was incapable of going down to such a simple level of explanation. I had a chat with him were we clarified some negative ideas and attempted to dispel them in view of the wider ramifications that can impact his performance even in a clinical setting in the future. After all, eventually, he will not be having a choice of who he is to treat. At the end, he did deliver this talk, but I suggested that he could make use of a cartoon to capture the childrens attention, and to his surprise he actually managed and enjoyed it. . Hattie and Timperley (2007) state that asking students for an appraisal of their own performance before giving feedback has the potential to develop self-assessment and self-reflective skills which are pre-requisites for becoming competent, independent practitioners. The students were, therefore, asked to write a short reflective account of their experience, after which I gave online feedback. I was not allocated any additional time to have another discussion with the students, which I would have preferred. This formative assessment had to be followed by a summative assessment which was interwoven with the learning process, so the students had the opportunity to demonstrate their competencies in communication skills in a variety of contexts within the school dental education program. First year student dental surgery assistants Description Dental assistants are given five, weekly sessions to learn some basic yet essential skills after attending lectures on the topics. When these students are given the clinical placement, they are simply ushered into the periodontal clinics with barely any introductions let alone learning objectives. I decided that this placement was going to be slightly different. Preparation I took the initiative and asked their coordinator what these students need to learn and what skills need to be mastered in this placement. I also asked for a rough overview of their theoretical knowledge. Jarvis (1999: 46-47) situates learning under the umbrella of practice when he summarises practical knowledge as being practical, dynamic integrated knowledge that has been legitimised in practice, through a combination of process knowledge and content knowledge. Hence, although the dental assistants would have been taught about the theory, they will still need to learn how to implement and practice these skills in a clinical context. I planned the five sessions so as to have some sequence in their learning, from simple to more complex, and not to overload these students with more information than they can process (Heinderlich et al, 2000). I had to keep in mind that these were 16-18 year olds with an average academic level. Implementation and evaluation I felt that my primary role with these novice students was to encourage them to first reflect on what they know and understand, then demonstrate the skills; finally they can perform the skills themselves. A lot of learning in our work context takes the form of experiential learning. Kolb (1984) states that students learn best when experiences are put into practice after observing and analysing possible outcomes, reflecting and assimilating the concepts and coming up with their own possible solutions. In view of this, it was up to me to create the necessary opportunities for the students to meet, observe, interact and consult with people who have more expertise. I made the necessary arrangements to allocate students to reliable clinicians. Bandura (1977) claims that affable and motivated role models compel replication of good practice. Students not only observe the carrying out of the skills but also learn prioritisation, time management, problem solving and how to build relationships with patients and other staff members. The actual practical part came later, since I needed to make sure that the students will perform safe practices. Ultimately I was responsible. I organized a meeting before the start of the placement. I tried to help the students set appropriate learning objectives and establish some ground rules. The students were passive, so I used simple open ended questions to make them feel comfortable. I needed to form a professional relationship of trust and of mutual respect with these students so that eventually they would have the confidence to ask questions, reflect on the practices observed, discuss openly and finally together we could amalgamate all they learn. Questioning also helped me establish their individual baseline knowledge which we linked to the skills they were about to practice. Their academic level varied. Some students could be challenged further with more thought-provoking questions, while others needed more repetition and guidance. I was informed that they use reflective journals throughout their course. So, I exploited this and suggested to the students to write a SWOT analysis. I offered that if they wished to go through it with me I would oblige and offer any assistance on issues which crop up. This was a way to encourage students reflect and think on their own learning process. . I also gave some tips on basic survival skills they need in the challenging setting of a clinic. I explained that empathic and ethical behaviour with the clients is imperative During the actual clinical placement, I made time for short discussions within the clinic itself. Here, I formed an outline of the students individual values, attitudes and beliefs and gained insight to the students preferred mode of taking in information. Some were visual learners, others auditory and others learn best through hands-on approaches. Some students were self-directed and learnt on their own, while others were more passive and need to be encouraged and guided. This directed my teaching style and interaction with individual students. During this time the students themselves had the opportunity to identify any difficulties and analyse the procedures they had seen. I think these short discussions provided a positive learning environment where the students felt unthreatened and free to address their own learning inconsistencies. I also found that after a patient procedure is completed, a few Socratic questions helped develop the students problem solving skills and verbalise their understanding or misunderstanding of concepts (Heidenreich et al, 2000). Some students were asked to look up further on the some of the issues presented and offer their views on a later date. When the observation part of the session was over, the students actively participated in the hands-on practice of the skills. It is through practice that students continuously build a body of knowledge about their own practice, through reflecting, doing, thinking and learning (Jarvis 1992). Although, psychomotor skills varied from one student to another not necessarily in line with the knowledge they had, all of them were given the same opportunity to practice skills in the clinic. Some were more enthusiastic than others, asked questions, used every opportunity to practice and even went further and looked up additional information. Eraut et al (2004) maintain that central to all learning is the confidence and commitment to try out skills and to be proactive in seeking learning opportunities and therefore, the ultimate control over learning rests with the student. My main goal was to gradually and systematically withdraw to a watchful distance while the students carried out the proced ures assigned, safely without jeopardising the health of the clients. Self-assessment I have embarked on a steep learning curve. Although I have supervised dental, dental hygiene and dental assistants students for more than a decade, I must admit that this was the first supervision experience that had true meaning and value I could truly explain the reasons for my actions and decisions and planned the supervision sessions while envisaging outcomes. Subconsciously, I continuously referred to the theories and strategies of teaching and learning sometimes even unintentionally. Today, I can identify problems and loopholes within the systems currently employed to teach the various professions within the dental team. We can give so much more to empower the students to face the challenges of a clinic and to support them in their journey of becoming competent professionals. However, faculty, management, supervisors and clinicians alike need to work together, change and adapt current protocols and be open to innovations. A competency based approach might be a way forward. Competency frameworks are building blocks of a transparent process with hopefully, an end product of a competent graduate. This approach can be used to establish common ground of qualifications in the increasingly mobile European health care work force (Adam, 2004). Reflecting on my role in all this, I realise that I have many hurdles to surpass. With perseverance, commitment, negotiation and continued education I hope I can bring about some changes. However, I need to become more self-aware, since I believe that this empowers me to believe in what I am doing and to be more assertive. I intend to work for a more systematically coordinated, constructive, student-friendly, objective system of clinical supervision within the dental team. Conclusion Learning can be accidental, but teaching definitely cannot. Supervisors need to make use of the various teaching strategies and techniques and adjust them to the student learning needs to reach the ultimate objective of helping in the formation of competent practitioners.

Jim Henson Essay -- Essays Papers

Jim Henson Jim Henson once said, â€Å"Follow your enthusiasm. It’s something I’ve always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing† (qtd. in Fionaurora). Jim did just that. He loved puppetry and made many others love it too. The creator and a performer of the Muppets, Henson is known worldwide for his creations, which include shows like Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and characters such as Grover, Elmo, Big Bird, the Swedish Chef, Bert and Ernie, and Miss Piggy to name a few. Jim’s most famous character was Kermit the Frog. Kermit remains the Muppet with which Henson is most closely associated. Through television and feature films, Henson developed the art of puppetry to new heights of popularity and storytelling capabilities, especially the ability to create sympathetic and emotional characters that are humorous at the same time. Jim Henson’s countless movies and television shows were loved by audien ces young and old, and they continue to have an impact on people nearly ten years after his sudden death. James Maury Henson was born September 24, 1936, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi. Jim was the second son of Paul Ransom and Elizabeth Marcella Henson. He grew up in nearby Leland, where his father, an agricultural research biologist, worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His father was busy working and his mother was more concerned with Jim’s brother Paul. As a result of this he was somewhat neglected. Jim turned to his grandmother, who he called Dear. She helped him develop his love of art and performing (â€Å"Biography†). He also enjoyed exploring the countryside near his house. He spent much of his time with friends by a little stream called Deer Creek. â€Å"Kermit always said he came from a small swamp in Mississi(WRITTEN BY ERIC G.*)ppi. Actually it wasn’t a swamp, it was a creek—Deer Creek† (St. Pierre 15). One of his childhood friends, nicknamed â€Å"Kermit,† would later become the n ame of Henson's most celebrated creation. When he was in fifth grade, his family moved to Maryland. At the age of fourteen, Jim’s life was changed forever after the Henson’s got their first television. He was fascinated. He once said, â€Å"I loved the idea that what you saw was taking place somewhere else at the same time" (qtd. in Collins). Jim loved puppet shows like Kukula... ...for his work that taught and entertained at the same tim(ERIC G.)e. His shows Sesame Street and The Muppet Show are two of the most watched shows ever. Jim Henson has touched three generations with his artistry and will continue to for many years to come. Bibliography: Andres, Natalie. â€Å"A Man of Great Imagination.† Jim Henson. 1997. Online. Internet. 3 Jan. 2000. Available http://www.avana.net/~bandres/Nat/jim_henson.html â€Å"Biography of Jim Henson.† Henson.com. 2000. Online. Internet. 3 Jan. 2000. Available http://www.henson.com/creators/biography/index.html Collins, James. â€Å"Time 100: Artists & Entertainers: Jim Henson.† Time.com. 1999. Online. Internet. 2 Jan. 2000. Available http://pathfinder.com/time/time100/artists/profile/henson.html Fionaurora. â€Å"Jim Henson Biography.† Fionaurora’s Jim Henson Page. 1998. Online. Internet. 29 Dec. 1999. Available http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/3108/henson.html Mc Farlin, Jim. â€Å"Jim Henson.† Detroit News. 17 May 1990, 1A. Roush, Matt. â€Å"Like Deaths in the Family.† USA Today. 17 May 1990: 1A. St. Pierre, Stephanie. Jim Henson, Creator of the Muppets. NY: Dell Publishing, 1991.

The California Justice System :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The California Justice System It is 3:14 in the afternoon here at University, prestigious institution of higher learning. Sitting here in my room relaxed and content [at least until I realize that midterms are around the corner], I gaze out onto the picturesque courtyard of my dorm, Lagunita Court; uniquely defined by its rich architecture and serene atmosphere. Like most days, the sun is shining brilliantly, radiating a positive energy across the campus, as if God had chosen life to spring from these very grounds. This type of â€Å"winter† weather is unquestionably exclusive to those lucky enough to live in California, justifying the choices made by many students, myself among them, to further pursue their educational goals as a Cardinal. As I continue to sit in my chair, I begin to stare at the reflection on the window. I notice behind me the small, cramped space I call my dorm room. I think about how I would not be capable of staying inside the vicinities of these four walls for an extend ed period of time, feeling confined with no opportunity to fully develop and meet my potential. Today I received a letter from my cousin Duc . It had been awhile since I last heard from him, so it was nice to find his name on a letter rather then â€Å"Chase Credit Card Billing/Payment†. The letter starts off, â€Å"Sup lil’ bro. Just wanted to write to say thanks for the photos from X-mas and your letter†¦sounds like you had a good holiday break. And I’m happy that school has been going well for you.† He continues on asking about my life eventually discussing news/current events [his favorite as of late has been the politics of Governator Schwarzenegger]. He ends the letter letting me know that he is doing fine. â€Å"There’s nothing much going on here. Just got off lockdown Thursday. Went out to yard once and have been kicking it ever since. Maintaining as usual. Keeping it short this time†¦Take care. Love you, Duc Ta.† My cousin Duc, 21 years old now, is in prison. He has called the roughly 10’x 8’ cells home for the last four and a half years. Currently, he is being held in the New Corcoran State Penitentiary, having been relocated from the Tehachapi Correctional Institution [a euphemism in every sense of the definition] a few months ago. The California Justice System :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays The California Justice System It is 3:14 in the afternoon here at University, prestigious institution of higher learning. Sitting here in my room relaxed and content [at least until I realize that midterms are around the corner], I gaze out onto the picturesque courtyard of my dorm, Lagunita Court; uniquely defined by its rich architecture and serene atmosphere. Like most days, the sun is shining brilliantly, radiating a positive energy across the campus, as if God had chosen life to spring from these very grounds. This type of â€Å"winter† weather is unquestionably exclusive to those lucky enough to live in California, justifying the choices made by many students, myself among them, to further pursue their educational goals as a Cardinal. As I continue to sit in my chair, I begin to stare at the reflection on the window. I notice behind me the small, cramped space I call my dorm room. I think about how I would not be capable of staying inside the vicinities of these four walls for an extend ed period of time, feeling confined with no opportunity to fully develop and meet my potential. Today I received a letter from my cousin Duc . It had been awhile since I last heard from him, so it was nice to find his name on a letter rather then â€Å"Chase Credit Card Billing/Payment†. The letter starts off, â€Å"Sup lil’ bro. Just wanted to write to say thanks for the photos from X-mas and your letter†¦sounds like you had a good holiday break. And I’m happy that school has been going well for you.† He continues on asking about my life eventually discussing news/current events [his favorite as of late has been the politics of Governator Schwarzenegger]. He ends the letter letting me know that he is doing fine. â€Å"There’s nothing much going on here. Just got off lockdown Thursday. Went out to yard once and have been kicking it ever since. Maintaining as usual. Keeping it short this time†¦Take care. Love you, Duc Ta.† My cousin Duc, 21 years old now, is in prison. He has called the roughly 10’x 8’ cells home for the last four and a half years. Currently, he is being held in the New Corcoran State Penitentiary, having been relocated from the Tehachapi Correctional Institution [a euphemism in every sense of the definition] a few months ago.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice Buzzwords or best practice?

Developmentally Appropriate Practice Buzzwords or best practice? By Jocelyn Smrekar and Andrea Hansen Teachers and parents are sometimes fooled into thinking that children must learn to read by age 5, usually in kindergarten. Consider this example: Jamie has trouble reading in kindergarten. Her teacher says it’s because she only played in preschool. In first grade, Jamie is called learning disabled because she still doesn’t read. By third grade though, Jamie is reading fluidly with her peers. Have teachers cured Jamie of a disability? No!Jamie’s reading development followed its own course and leveled into a lifelong skill and what teachers call â€Å"working at grade level. † Children develop at different rates in separate areas: physical, emotional, cognitive or intellectual, language, and social. Differences, including abilities and disabilities, affect the way and speed with which children develop skills. Genetic traits, temperaments, learning style, en vironment, cultural and racial expectations, and experiences influence learning. Some children learn to say words at 8 months, others not until they’re almost 2 or older.Many children learn to walk at 9 months, while others wait until they are 15 to 18 months. Charts of developmental milestones—walking, talking, running, or stacking three blocks, for example—are based on averages. Parents and teachers frequently worry when a child doesn’t have a skill at the targeted time. Most often, skills develop according to children’s interests and temperaments—that is, a child’s basic approach to people and events. Foundation for Further Learning Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a term coined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.It describes teaching techniques that identify and foster the developmental needs of children, both individually and in groups (Bredekamp, 1987). DAP is a set of guidelines suggest ing curriculum content and practice serving children birth through age 8. Simply stated, these guidelines encourage early childhood programs to provide an educational environment that responds to the needs and interests of children. In that environment, trained teachers use observation to plan for the class and the individuals in it. In DAP classrooms, children’s play is the primary vehicle for learning.This article will focus on DAP in school settings, prekindergarten through third grade. DAP deals with all the levels and stages children grow through, building a strong foundation for future learning. Children remember, classify, repeat, and modify their experiences as they learn about the world and the people in it. For example, Zach, age 6, is eager to put together a puzzle with 100 pieces. He has experience with puzzles—first with five-piece wooden puzzles in a frame, then with cardboard floor puzzles, and finally with boxed 60-piece puzzles.He knows that the pictur e on the outside of the box will be a guide as he separates the straight-edged pieces from the curved ones. He locates the four corners, looks for matching colors, and after 45 minutes of concentrated effort, completes the puzzle. He has used his past experiences to build new ones that include abstract tasks like classifying, matching, counting, sorting, identifying, and experimenting. He has improved his small motor skills, increased his ability to concentrate on a complex task, and learned the virtue of tenacity, sticking to the task until completion.Zack’s alert teacher notes his success and plans new ways to challenge his skills and foster new interests. A teacher’s understanding and use of DAP are keys to educational success. Learning experiences in a DAP classroom Children are active learners—they need opportunities to investigate and explore with objects, materials, and equipment in order to construct a base of information about their world. Through first hand experiences, children are able to connect what they already know with new, more complex information.Teachers who use DAP in their classrooms provide opportunities for children to interact with a variety of materials. They offer uninterrupted time to actively explore not only intellectual skills, but also social, emotional, physical, and language skills. Specific teaching techniques include asking open-ended questions, modeling, demonstrating, exploring, coaching, and direct instruction. These techniques extend learning and guide children to skill mastery (Bredekamp and Copple, 1997). Young children learn best and most when they actively and playfully explore materials and activities, using all their senses.Developmentally appropriate classrooms are set up so individuals or groups of children can become directly involved with materials. Children move between free or spontaneous play and organized play. In free play, for example, a puppet show evolves into a performance by childr en in dress-up clothes. In organized play, children might chart the favorite fruits of class members. Role of Play A central issue in DAP is the role of play in the curriculum. Because adults don’t depend on play to learn, they tend to dismiss it as a pleasant time spent without profit. In children, however, play is an essential part of a child’s education.Sometimes called children’s work, play supports a child’s development by providing the tools, equipment, and interpersonal experiences that help children grow. Through play, children acquire information, master activities, use concrete materials as symbols, organize previous learning, learn perseverance and focus, solve problems, and develop creativity. Are Children Really Learning? While many teachers agree that DAP helps children develop cognitive, social, emotional, language, and physical skills, parents often ask, â€Å"Is my child really learning? All I see is play. â€Å"Standardized tests given after second grade to children in both DAP and traditional classrooms have revealed little difference in general reading skills (Kostelnik, Soderman, and Whiren, 1993). Children in DAP classrooms scored significantly higher in tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, expressive language, and reading and writing mechanics in context. In standardized tests of math, the two groups showed similar scores in overall math skills, but the DAP children scored significantly higher in conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills than children in traditional classrooms.Children who had been in DAP classrooms for five years scored significantly higher in reasoning and problem-solving skills. Most importantly, children in DAP classrooms reported great enthusiasm for school and high involvement in the learning process. What Does a DAP Classroom Look Like? The physical setup of a DAP classroom indicates how learning takes place. The teacher’s desk is usually in an inconspicuous pl ace, not in the front of the room. Student desks, if provided at all, are clustered into learning centers. Most often, long tables replace individual desks, encouraging cooperative group work.Room arrangements and traffic patterns may change throughout the year as children grow and change intellectually, and they meet specific educational goals. Another difference in DAP classrooms is the way textbooks and worksheets are used. Often in traditional classrooms, printed materials are the primary source of instruction; teachers dictate the use of textbooks, worksheets, and other teaching materials. In a developmentally appropriate classroom, children learn through materials that are concrete, real, and relevant to their lives.In a kindergarten class that is studying insects, for example, the classroom is rich with pictures, colorful field guides, and posters. It may also have an ant farm with magnifying glasses, a box of silk worms spinning cocoons, a tomato plant with resident praying mantis, and a butterfly house. Children are encouraged to collect insects and sort them by size, color, function, or benefits to humanity. They use math skills like counting, estimating, and graphing in the daily routine. They have opportunities to draw and paint their impressions of insects as well as to sing and act out the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly.In a DAP classroom textbooks are resources, not the primary source of information. All equipment and supplies—including manipulatives, construction materials, art music, and role-playing props—are accessible to the children as they explore and discover answers and new questions. Teachers support learning by setting up centers and providing the materials and guidance necessary for the children to learn. DAP as Best Practice Teachers who have adopted developmentally appropriate practices consider each child’s uniqueness and skill level when planning activities.Allowing children to progress through the stages of development at their own rates is the best way to build the foundation for future learning. This philosophy is reflected in the classroom environment and activities planned. Learning takes place naturally, because it is child-centered and relevant. Children are constantly learning, building on what they know to create new ways of thinking and seeing their world. Isenberg, J. and N. Quisenberry. â€Å"Play: A necessity for all children,† Childhood Education, 64 (3), 138-145, 1988. Statements of Developmentally Appropriate Practice Space and Furnishings 1. Indoor spaceChildren need sufficient space that is well lit and has a comfortable temperature for learning and playing. Indoor space that is well maintained and in good repair sends a message to the young child that is welcoming and inviting. 2. Furniture for routine care, play and learning Children need appropriate furnishings to meet the demands of their daily schedules. Basic furniture such as cots, tables and c hairs should be sturdy and appropriate to the size of the children in the group in order for children to be comfortable, have proper body support, and focus on learning, playing, and routine activities rather than their own discomfort.Caregivers need easy access to routine care furnishings, such as cots, in order to maintain proper supervision and provide smooth transitions between activities. 3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort Children need space and opportunity to relax and rest. Soft furnishings and toys allow children opportunities for relaxation and comfort. Cozy areas provide a space for quiet activities to occur and should be protected from active play so children can snuggle, daydream and lounge. 4. Room arrangement Creative room arrangement promotes a child's positive self-image and encourages a wide variety of age appropriate activities.Well-defined interest centers where materials are accessible help children to understand about organization and returning materials to their proper place. 5. Space for privacy Some children experience unacceptably high levels of stress when exposed to constant activity and interaction. Places where children can escape from the pressures of group care promote positive self-esteem. Providing a child with opportunities, space, and time to be alone can contribute to positive classroom behavior. 6. Child related display Every child needs to know that others value his/her play or work.Artwork or other individual work that is created by the children should be displayed in the classroom at the child's eye-level. This promotes feelings of positive self-esteem and sends the message to the child that his/her work is valued and appreciated. 7. Gross motor play Children need daily opportunities to exercise large muscles, run in open spaces, and practice gross motor skills. (Safety is always a number one priority. ) Space to develop children's large muscles through a variety of play experiences should be made safe by providi ng adequate cushioning for fall zones.All play equipment should be safe and effective monitoring should be implemented to teach children safe play behavior and to safeguard against accidents. 8. Gross motor equipment Children need age appropriate stationary and portable equipment to promote a wide variety of skills that exercise large muscles while developing confidence and abilities. Equipment should be sound, sturdy, safe and accessible to children daily. Personal Care Routines 9. Greeting/Departing Parents and children need a warm, welcoming, and pleasant atmosphere to make the daily greeting and departing routine a happy one.Positive greetings help to promote the children's self-esteem and create a welcoming environment for parents. 10. Meals/Snacks Meals and snacks that follow USDA guidelines contribute to the health of children and provide a model for good nutritional habits for life-long practice. Proper hand washing along with careful food preparation teach children proper h ygiene and promotes sanitary conditions. 11. Nap/Rest Nap and/or rest time should be appropriately scheduled and supervised for the children in the group. Adequate separation of cots helps to prevent the spread of germs.Soft music or a soothing story helps to facilitate a peaceful rest time that is important in helping children to balance the day and renew their energy. 12. Toileting/Diapering Young children need appropriate supervision of the toileting process in order to care for basic needs and to teach the importance of good health habits. The schedule should be individualized. Provisions, such as soap and steps near the sink, should be convenient and accessible so that children can wash hands after toileting; this promotes self-help skills and good personal hygiene.Diapering should always be managed in a manner that promotes safety and good health practices. 13. Health practices Practicing preventive measures, such as washing hands after handling pets or wiping noses, help to e ducate children to achieve life-long health practices. Taking appropriate action when children are sick will minimize the spread of germs. 14. Safety practices Protecting children is critical in providing quality care, whether through adequate supervision or minimizing hazards both inside and outside. Caregivers should anticipate potential safety problems and demonstrate, model, and teach children safe practices.Language-Reasoning 15. Books and pictures The use of books and pictures is an important means of learning for children as they make sense of the world around them. Books, pictures, and language materials should be available in sufficient number both for independent use in a reading center and for use by a teacher with children in formal and informal settings. 16. Encouraging children to communicate Activities and materials that promote language development should be available for use throughout the classroom and the daily schedule. Teachers should establish an environment wh ere language exploration and usage is encouraged.17. Using language to develop reasoning skills Logical relationships and concepts should be presented in appropriate ways. Children learn through interaction with materials and people, both peers and adults, in the context of play and daily routines. Language provides the key tool for success and problem solving, as children are encouraged to talk through their thought processes. 18. Informal use of language Language is a way for children to expand understanding. Caregivers should engage children in give and take conversations for enjoyment and learning.They should support child-to-child conversations as well. Activities 19. Fine motor Children need a variety of age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate toys and materials that they can manipulate with their hands and play with at will. These activities strengthen fine motor control while encouraging skill development that contributes to academic readiness. 20. Art Children benef it from exposure to child-initiated art activities that are open-ended and process oriented. Children's art should be respected and appreciated as individual, creative expression.Materials and opportunities to create art projects at a beginning and more advanced level should be available as children are developmentally ready for them. 21. Music/movement Music and movement are valuable means of learning. Children need a supportive environment that includes a teacher and a variety of tools to encourage their self-expression through music and related activities. 22. Blocks Block play, with a variety of blocks and accessories, allows children the opportunity to explore spatial, mathematical, and role-play possibilities.Powerful block play requires sufficient space in a protected area and time to expand on concepts and ideas. 23. Sand/water Sand and water play gives children the opportunity to learn concepts through active exploration with their senses. The addition of interesting props extends the learning potential offered through sensory play. 24. Dramatic play Dramatic play gives children the opportunity to discover an array of roles and responsibilities. It provides a vehicle through which they make sense of their world. Dramatic play is enhanced by space, time, props, materials, and supportive teachers.25. Nature/science Science and nature activities and materials foster curiosity and experimentation benefiting the young learner through direct experience and application to other areas of learning. Concept and observation skills are strengthened through science procedures. 26. Math/number Math skills, when introduced through appropriate hands-on methods, form a foundation for school readiness and later academic success. Math skills can be taught effectively through routines, schedule, and play activities. 27. Use of TV, video, and/or computerTV/video viewing and computer use tend to be passive in comparison to active involvement with materials and people. The use of each should be confined to subject material that is age-appropriate and mentally stimulating. Time limits encourage more active learning. Participation should not be required. 28. Promoting acceptance of diversity Children need to be exposed to the similarities and differences of people in positive ways through books, pictures, toys, materials, and interaction. This exposure encourages respect for others and lessens misunderstandings. Interactions29. Supervision of gross motor activities Caregivers should use gross motor activities as learning opportunities to promote positive social interactions and to encourage the development of skills and new experiences Diligent supervision of gross motor activities, whether indoors or outdoors, is critical to preventing accidents and insuring safe, active play. 30. General supervision of children (other than gross motor) During activities, caregivers must balance the level of supervision and control based upon the ages, abilities, and i ndividual needs of the children.Adequate supervision and awareness of the whole group is required for children's health and safety and in the recognition of accomplishments, which is necessary for children's emotional well-being. 31. Discipline The set-up of the environment, teacher expectations, available materials and opportunities, and daily schedule significantly impacts children's behavior in childcare. A classroom and curriculum geared toward developmentally appropriate practice will lead to generally good behavior that is the product of self-motivation rather than the result of punishment and control. 32. Staff-child interactionsCaregivers, who are nurturing and responsive, promote the development of mutual respect between children and adults. Children, who trust adults to provide for their physical, psychological, and emotional needs, develop their own sense of self-worth and self-esteem. 33. Interactions among children Because self-regulation, proper emotional expression, a nd positive social relationships are such essential skills for later schooling and life, teachers must encourage children to develop acceptable behaviors by providing a setting that encourages real opportunities for initiative taking and competence building.Providing opportunities for children to work and play together, to solve conflicts in productive ways, and to participate in group activities are ways teachers promote positive social relationships. Program Structure 34. Schedule Children thrive on having a consistent routine that provides a balance of activities designed to meet individual needs and foster physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Best practice promotes a daily schedule with large amounts of time for play, smooth transitions between activities, and a balance between child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. 35. Free PlayWhen children are permitted to select materials and companions, and, as far as possible, manage play independently, they practic e making decisions and having control of their world. Caregiver intervention should be in response to children's needs, an invitation, or an opportunity to expand play activities. 36. Group Time In group-care situations, the focus needs to be on meeting individual needs and guiding children as they interact in small groups. Whole group activities should be kept to a minimum and limited to gatherings that follow the interests and involvement of the children. 37. Provisions for children with disabilitiesMeeting the needs of children with disabilities requires knowledge of routine care needs, developmental levels, individual assessments, and the integration of the children in ongoing classroom activities. It also requires the involvement and establishment of a partnership between the parents and staff in setting attainable goals that will assist the child in reaching his/her full potential. Rutter, M. â€Å"Family and school influences on cognitive development,† Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 683-704, 1985. Maybe little Janie can't read or count because her teacher can't teach.Or worse still, maybe the teacher doesn't know enough about English or math or history to teach the subject. Mischievous speculation? No. It happens, as a result of a historically flawed system in America of educating mostly average or below-average students to be public-school teachers. As evidence continues to pile up that American children are not learning the basics in school, critics are quick to blame the youngsters, their parents, the schools, television, or the curriculum. But increasingly, the focus has shifted to the teacher, the most vital link in the education process.Now, a four-month study at teachers colleges by The Washington Times indicates that the problem of unsatisfactory classroom learning is rooted in the early selection and education of students who say they want to be teachers. These students then are being taught by professors who differ wild ly on what teachers need to know. â€Å"Schools of education are cash cows to universities,† says Dean Edwin J. Delattre of the Boston University School of Education. â€Å"They admit and graduate students who have low levels of intellectual accomplishment, and these people are in turn visited on schoolchildren.They are well-intentioned, decent, nice people who by and large don't know what they're doing. † Mr. Delattre is one of the harshest critics of schools of education. â€Å"It would be possible in terms of the quality of their research, the significance of their research, and the quality of their instruction to give an intellectual justification for perhaps three dozen of them – certainly no more than 50,† he says. There are about 1,300 schools nationwide teaching students to be teachers. Roughly 2 1/2 million public-school teachers are responsible today for the education of 46 million children in kindergarten through high school.Although many teach ers perform well, a significant number are products of an entrenched training system that almost guarantees mediocrity in the classroom. New initiatives are under way in some of the preparatory schools and colleges, but, for the most part, the old ways and faddish new ways are still shaping the teachers of tomorrow. To become a public-school teacher, graduates have to be certified by the state. A college student must take required courses, do a stint at student teaching, and pass a series of general-knowledge examinations.The passing scores for these tests vary from state to state but tend to be fairly low. Curiously, many aspiring teachers never get in front of a classroom until their final days in college – an experience that sometimes persuades many to seek other careers. A major in education has long been considered an easy route to a college degree. Elementary education majors were especially easy to spot on any campus. They were the ones cutting out letters of the alpha bet to make posters while the English majors worried over a paper on Shakespeare's treatment of religious themes. Rigorous academic training was seldom demanded.â€Å"You just had to love kids to become a teacher,† says J. Michael Davis, dean of the School of Professional Studies at 105-year-old East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Thirteen years ago, it was possible to graduate from East Stroudsburg with a major in elementary education without ever taking a math class, Mr. Davis recalls. Twenty years ago, some University of Maryland campuses gave short shrift to reading instruction. Serious concerns about teacher training surfaced in 1983 with the publication of â€Å"A Nation at Risk,† a landmark national report on the state of America's educational system.It found that too many teachers had poor academic records and low scores on tests of cognitive ability. Students who went into teaching programs scored below nearly all other majors on college entrance exam s, then graduated not knowing enough about the subjects they were teaching. Not much has changed in 15 years. Anyone who believes that the problem of unqualified teachers is overblown or confined to a couple of subject areas such as math and science has only to look at the experience of a New York state school district last spring when it tried to fill 35 teaching vacancies.The Connetquot district on Long Island got 758 applications in response to an advertisement. District officials decided to narrow the pool by asking applicants to take a short version of a multiple-choice reading comprehension test taken from the state's old 11th-grade Regents English exams. Just 202 applicants correctly answered at least 40 of the 50 questions. Such incidents keep teacher education in the public consciousness and on the radar screens of elected officials at the state and federal levels. Initially, state legislators turned to higher salaries to try to attract higher-caliber students.From 1981 to 1997, average salaries for public-school teachers rose from $17,209 to $38,611. That's for what is essentially a 180-day school year plus in-service days spread over nine months. Then, lawmakers linked salary increases to policies aimed at raising standards such as requiring new teachers to have more education and raising the passing scores prospective teachers must attain on standardized tests such as the National Teacher Examinations and its successor, Praxis. The teachers colleges responded with talk of â€Å"restructuring† teacher education, and some institutions actually did move to raise admissions and curriculum standards.East Stroudsburg has raised entry standards and toughened course requirements. Students still need to take 60 hours in general education, but they no longer have a smorgasbord of courses to choose from. The college recently raised the grade point average needed to get into elementary education from 2. 5 to 2. 75. In 1996, Boston University began to ta rget only teacher applicants with high SAT scores, resulting in a 17 percent drop in the inquiry pool. As a result, prospective teachers in last fall's freshman class had average SAT scores of 1,276, compared with 964 for all 85,442 self-declared education majors who took the 1997 SAT.George Mason University decided in 1989 that teachers should get a bachelor's degree first and then train to teach in a fifth-year graduate-level program. The Fairfax County school says it annually rejects half the applicants for elementary education training because they don't meet admissions standards. It takes a 2. 7 GPA to get into the University of Maryland College of Education at College Park and a 3. 0 to prepare for special education, a five-year program. â€Å"We're not getting the best and the brightest kids,† says University of Maryland Dean Willis D. Hawley. â€Å"We're getting some of the best and brightest.Some kids are really smart. What there aren't anymore are kids who are real ly dumb. † But the perception lingers, even among insiders, that a lack of academic rigor continues to plague the nation's teacher training programs. â€Å"The truth is, students get into colleges of education – particularly early-childhood education majors – because it's the easiest thing they can get into,† says John E. Stone, professor of education at East Tennessee State University and founder of the Education Consumers Clearinghouse – an Internet source for parents, taxpayers and policy-makers.â€Å"Here at ETSU, the schools of education are kind of at the bottom of the pecking order,† he says. â€Å"Students flunk out of nursing or business and come to Ed to get some kind of college degree. † Since the concept of a formalized vocational training program for teachers was established nearly 160 years ago, that training has combined lessons in subject matter with courses in methodology, or â€Å"how to teach. † The training a lso has included theories of child development and practical field experience. From the start, teaching preparation emphasized methods of teaching at the expense of the content of courses.Often the subject matter would be watered down and presented in courses tailored especially for teachers, instead of requiring teachers to take the same math, for example, that liberal arts majors were required to take. â€Å"Their focus is process, and that hasn't changed,† says C. Emily Feistritzer, who as president of the private Washington-based National Center for Education Information has conducted a number of studies of teachers and teaching. â€Å"Resistance to change is extraordinarily high at the same time there is a high level of conversation about change.† Many critics of teacher training programs argue that a solid grounding in the liberal arts with a concentration in the subject to be taught is all that is needed to teach math, science, history or English. But Mr. Hawley at Maryland's College of Education disputes that. Chances are, he argues, that a rocket scientist would make a terrible science teacher. â€Å"You have to have the ability to transfer knowledge,† he says. That ability generally has to be learned, says Dean Gary R. Galluzzo of George Mason's Graduate School of Education.He believes that only 5 percent of the population might be â€Å"born† teachers, while 65 percent have knowledge but need to learn how to impart it. Boston University recently doubled the amount of time its prospective teachers are required to spend in math class. It also requires juniors and seniors in education to take an ethics course that exposes them to the icons of Western civilization. â€Å"We try to make the fact that teachers are deeply involved in character and values formation obvious to our students,† says professor Kevin Ryan, who teaches an introductory education course.† `What is the right thing to do? ‘ is a question teachers need to ask the young. And we want them to see that America has a moral heritage. † Adds Charles L. Glenn, chairman of BU's Department of Administration, Training and Policy Studies, who teaches a course on the social and civic contexts of education: â€Å"Teachers have to be moral exemplars to students. We raise questions that are usually raised in a religious context. On what basis can you say certain behaviors are right or wrong? I don't know how you can send someone who hasn't grappled with those questions out to teach a 7-year-old.†Schools of education, reacting to social and political pressures, are perceived to be more interested in promoting equity, diversity and social justice than in transmitting knowledge. And many of the educational practices they encourage are often criticized as fads. East Stroudsburg's administrators, for example, proudly describe their teacher training program as focused on the learner and on â€Å"outcomes,† committed to â€Å"developmentally appropriate practice,† â€Å"modeling,† inclusion, and â€Å"hands-on† and cooperative learning.These are the buzzwords and the practices that permeate nearly all of the nation's teacher training institutions. â€Å"Schools of education are currently the origins of our problems, not their solution,† says E. D. Hirsch Jr. , professor of English and university professor of education and humanities at the University of Virginia. Testifying before Congress, Mr. Hirsch sharply criticized what's known as â€Å"developmentally appropriate practice† – the philosophy that a child should not be pressured to learn anything until he signals that he is ready and receptive.â€Å"The doctrine,† he said, â€Å"is drummed into almost all teachers who take early-education courses. The intention is to ensure caring treatment for young children, yet the ultimate effect of the doctrine is to cause social harm. To withhold demanding content from young children between preschool and third grade has an effect which is quite different from the one intended. It leaves advantaged children [who get knowledge at home] with boring pablum, and it condemns disadvantaged children to a permanent educational handicap that grows worse over time. â€Å"The schools that hire new teachers appreciate the increased attention college and university training programs are giving to practical experience. â€Å"Teaching colleges are getting a lot better,† says James Dallas, a Fairfax County support coach for new teachers. â€Å"They have begun to structure their programs to the needs of the school systems. † Where practical experience used to come in the senior year, it now begins at many places in the freshman year, where it can serve to weed out those who discover that life in an elementary classroom is not what they thought it would be.While there is general agreement among the deans about the value of practical exp erience, they part company on the ideal program to train elementary teachers. Mr. Galluzzo of George Mason would opt for a solid general education foundation in an undergraduate or graduate program. â€Å"You should be required to take a liberal arts major of about 80 [semester hours] or two-thirds of the college experience for general education plus major combined.Then you should study the four core disciplines – math, science, history and English – roughly 15 credits each. Spend the other 20 hours getting smart in one of these areas. And in the undergraduate program, the other 40 credits are in learning to teach those things, because now you have something to say. † In many programs, a lot of the basic discipline has to be taught in the methodology classes because the prospective teachers don't know enough math or science to stand up in front of a class and teach, he says.One of his concerns is that too many future teachers take a concentration in psychology i nstead of English, math, science or history, thinking it will help them understand children. In fact, psychology is a subject they will never teach in elementary school. â€Å"What does it mean to know your subject? † asks Maryland's Mr. Hawley, whose background is in the liberal arts and political science. â€Å"You probably don't need to understand quadratic equations to teach fourth-grade math, but you ought to understand algebra and calculus. â€Å"