Knowing Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience is some form of knowledge, belief or research that claims (or appears) to be scientific, but is not actually following a scientific method.   Peer review and independent research by others may fail to prove the claims.   Superficially, such claims may appear scientific to people. Some of the techniques mentioned in the article that are used by the website to sell their products include:- 1. The research findings or market findings provided by the pseudo-scientists appears to be unprofessional and sloppy.   They may often quote newspaper reports, media coverage, people’s gossip, ancient books, and other pseudoscience books. 2. Pseudoscientists provide facts that emotionally appeal to the audience and provide spectacular results to problems experienced by them.   They may even provide facts to support these results. 3. Pseudoscientists often make people indulge in an irrational form of thinking known as ‘magical thinking’ which is an age-old human habit.   Scientific investigations conducted to prove such facts may be unsuccessful. 4.   Pseudoscientists provide evidence that is different from those provided by systematic studies.   Often a lot of importance is given to unverifiable testimony from people and eyewitnesses, stories, real-life experiences, rumors, gossips, anecdotes, etc.   Studies conducted by professionals are ignored, misinterpreted or even proven wrong. 5. The pseudo scientists do not give reference to previous systematic studies and investigations conducted.   The only give false facts directly, which often cannot be proven right.   They may not allow their claims to be put to a more meaningful test, but may instead suggest some unscientific crazy experiments. The website claims that the tapes can make the individual achieve ‘anything and almost everything’ and ‘As you grow, a series of events occur which build your personality†¦.and your whole self†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚   The article says that pseudoscientist often make extraordinary claims that may be not scientifically true.   Repeated scientific experiments conducted independently by others fail to prove such clams. They also try to influence the individual by encouraging him/her into magical thinking (belief that one’s thoughts, words or action will create results that will defy the laws of nature).   Magical thinking is an old human habit, and often unknowingly we tend to indulge in it.   Pseudoscience may begin by providing facts that emotionally apply to the audience, and provide spectacular results to people’s problems.   They may even provide evidence to support their results. The Websites claims appreciation from renowned organizations and references such as the Russian Government, CNN, Boston University, etc.   The Russian Government may not be able to monitor implementation of ‘Subliminal messages’, as Private TV channels are free to broadcast what they want.   The website gives a positive comment by CNN. However, it did not give the exact person or the date on which these observations and comments were made.   The article says that pseudo-scientists often quote newspaper articles, press reports, collect rumors and gossips, and may even quote other books or organizations that are false or even non-existent.   The research done by the pseudo-scientists usually appears to be unprofessional and careless. The website gives testimony’s of several ‘satisfied customers’ (as claimed by the company) such as George Montgomery, Philadelphia; Joe Martin, Tampa, Florida; Carole Dallas, Portland; Paul Smiley, Richmond; Sherry Fusco, Bois; etc.   Often pseudo-scientists do not give importance to systematic studies provided by professionals and instead give undue importance to the views and testimony’s from unverifiable customers.   They may not permit their products to be subjected to true scientific studies. The website also offers a one-year guarantee for their products.   The Website has not quoted any proven studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products.   Guarantee may be a method of compensating for this (to attract the customers into buying their products). References: Coker, R. (2001). Distinguishing Science and Pseudoscience. Retrieved December 17, 2006, from Quack Watch Web site: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/pseudo.html Subliminal Self-Improvement.com. (2006). Home. Retrieved December 17, 2006, from Subliminal Self-Improvement Web site: http://www.subliminal-tapes-self-improvement.com/index.html      

Jane Austen – Sense and Sensibility

Class, society, and politics in the home, on an interpersonal level among the characters, are themes of outmost importance in the novel â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† by Jane Austen. In this short essay, we shall discuss these themes in relation to the characters, as presented in the novel. Austen presents these social conditions throughout the story, as they were dominant in the society of her time. Laws surrounding inheritance, and property, social etiquette, and money matters in a time were gender limitations were very apparent, signified a person's position in the social scale. The Dashwood women, as they appear in â€Å"Sense and sensibility†, suddenly find themselves in a humiliating situation, when the mother, Mrs. Dashwood, becomes a widow. They were immediately cast into a dire situation. They were deprived of their estate and income when Mr. John Dashwood, became the legitimate heir of all of Mr. Dashwood's fortune, and decided not to support the Dashwood women financially. Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, Marianne, Elinor and Margaret had no entitlement to any of Mr. Dashwood's wealth. Having no income resources, they depended on John's charity for support. This was a standard practice of the eighteenth century legal system. In Victorian times, women had, by law, no rights on property. They were seen as dependent on men not only to survive, but also in order to keep their status and respectability. Class divisions, social status and the struggle for its gaining and maintenance are important themes in the novel. All characters in the story come from wealthy, upper class backgrounds. They all belong to high society and their interests and occupations imply this. Sir John Middleton seems to symbolise the best of upper class society. Like the majority of upper class people, his occupation and marital status defined his high position within his social circle. His occupation is hunting, his wealth is inherited, and his wife's only occupation is to raise children. Lady Middleton gathers all the characteristics of the ideal upper class woman: she stays in the home, marries, and is very formal and extremely polite, perhaps to the point of irritation. Characters constantly seem to compete for financial and social power. Inherited wealth is presented as the trademark of high social status. The Dashwood women become deprived of both. As a result they are driven into hardship when they have to give up their house in Norland and all its comforts and luxuries and move to smaller, less luxurious premises in Devonshire. By using this relocation theme, Jane Austen could imply their descent from a high social position to a lower one. It seems almost as if the Dashwoods were â€Å"expelled† from Norland's â€Å"paradise† to Barton Cottage's â€Å"hell† merely because of their female nature. In Austen's world, being a woman in a man's world is a harsh, cruel reality. Marriage for status is an issue of great importance in Sense and Sensibility†. It was seen as a common way in order to gain status. What is more, it was not seen as a choice, but a necessity. Men would seek status through inheritance and/or a wealthy marriage. Edward Ferrars is a typical example of this type of a man in the story. Women would not only opt for handsome and educated men, but mainly for wealthy ones, like Lucy Steele. Wealthier women were also more likely to be legitimate for marriage depending on the dowries they could offer. This put Marianne and Elinor in immediate disadvantage to other women in the novel (i.e. the Steele ladies), and subsequent pressure, in terms of their legitimacy. Their strife for successful marriages mainly stemmed from a desire for social settlement and a restoration of their loss of status. However, in Marianne's case, the main motive for marriage seems to be love (sensibility) and not money (sense), unlike Elinor. Nevertheless, she seems to be almost pushed in a â€Å"proper† marriage with Colonel Brandon in the end. Men seem to have a lot more space for manoeuvering through suppressive social rules than women do in the novel. Society appears to allow them more freedom in marriage and age issues; Colonel Brandon makes a good example in this case. His advanced age did not eventually stop him from getting married to Marianne. In Jane Austen's world as presented in the novel, social integration and acceptance depends on one's status and his/her sensible, controlled behaviour. There seems to be very little room for individuality and deviance. Elinor, Edward Ferrars and the Middletons make fine examples of sensible, controlled characters. As Austen describes: â€Å"Elinor †¦possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment†¦She had an excellent heart; her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong: but she knew how to govern them† (p4-5). Edward's propriety and the Middletons' formality also signify their extreme level of political correctness and adherence to strict codes of conduct in order to be accepted in society. Social etiquette, formal code of conduct, and discretion to the point of concealment of one's feelings, are also important features in the novel. Desire for social advancement is also evident. Mrs. John Dashwood, for example, was fast to install herself â€Å"mistress of Norland†. In the struggle for financial and social power, women appear to act within their own sphere of action: the home. Women like Mrs. J. Dashwood and Mrs. Ferrars, use domestic and financial politics to ensure their control over situations, within and outside their home environment. Financial and domestic politics seem to be the only means women can use to have their own way in the world of the novel. Ironically enough, even though the story is set in a male-dominated society, the male characters possess little power over women like, for example, Mrs. J. Dashwood and Mrs. Smith and Ferrars. In terms of politics in the home environment, it almost seems as if under the surface of a male-dominated society, what is actually going on is beyond what eyes can see. Austen successfully conveys this idea.

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay

Ethics and corporate responsibility in the workplace and the world is becoming a center of attention. There are many things going on in the workplace that different agencies and people are looking into while placing the blame on the appropriate source. In this paper, a scenario is presented. The scenario involved PharmaCARE and its subsidiary, CompCARE are reviewed and certain questions are being asked for clarity. The paper will look at the stakeholders in this scenario. The paper will do it best to analyze the ethics of PharmaCARE’s treatment of the Colberia’s indigenous population and its rank-and –file workers versus that of its executives. In additionally, the paper will look at the situation concerning three workers, Donna, Tom, and Ayesha under the supervision of Allen. The study of how whistleblowing, opportunities, and protection could help Allen stop the unethical of CompCare. An assessment of PharmaCARE’s environmental creativity with the Colberian activities. The paper will address the original purpose of and changes to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The paper will now look at the shareholders in this scenario. The shareholders are major players in an organization or corporation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a â€Å"shareholder as one that holds or owns a share in a company† (Shareholder, 2013). A synonym of a shareholder is stakeholder and this is someone who has interest in the company. Therefore, the shareholders of this scenario are Allen, Donna, Ayesha, Tom, CompCARE, PharmaCARE, WellCo, and the Colberians. Allen, Donna, Ayesha, and Tom are employees of CompCARE. They are stakeholders in this scenario because they work for CompCARE and this is how they make their living. They want the company to be successful, but at what cost will it cost them. The Colberians are the people who labor to make the drug, while getting paid $1.00 a day and living in poverty. PharmaCARE is the mother company of CompCARE and its goal is to profit off of CompCARE by any means necessary. WellCo brought the  CompCARE from PharmaCARE seeing the profit it could make in this deal. Each shareholder plays a significant part in making sure the CompCARE is successful. The paper will now look analyze the ethics of PharmaCARE treatment of the Colberians. PharmaCARE has a company in African and found people there willing to share information about local remedies and could supply workers willing to work for $1.00 a day. PharmaCARE probably look at this as a coal mine and struck the deal. This process is unethical in every way. One reason it is unethical, the employees at PharmaCARE is not working for a $1.00 a day wage nor are they living in primitive huts. The employees of PharmaCARE have electricity and running water while the Colberians do not get to enjoy this luxury. The World Trade Organization, WTO established guidelines concerning labor rights and standards. â€Å"Moreover, precisely because third world workers are terribly exploited, their employees will pass on much of the cost of improvements in labor standards achieved through international trade treaties to their employees in the form of lower wages† (Global Issues, 2013). PharmaCARE knew the way it was treating the Colberians was not ethical; the company could not behave in this fashion in the United States. PharmaCARE teamed with some toxic leaders in fatting its profit margin. The welfare of the Colberians did not concern them in any way. Hellriegel and Slocum noted a concern for a global team. The global team would have benefited PharmaCARE tremendously. â€Å"The global team helps to define common features of goods and services that will appeal to customers in different countries. The global team members from different countries can provide insight into an input about these unique market needs and requirements for specific attributes of goods and services† (Hellrigel & Slocum, 2011, p.360). A company wants to be correct in dealing with foreigners because if anything is done wrong eventually the world will find out. In this scenario, the executives profit, while the workers receive scraps. The paper will now turn it focus on the workers insi de CompCARE and could termination be consider legal in this scenario. The workers are Allen, Ayesha, Donna, and Tom. Allen is the manager and was responsibility to make sure his staff was not in any health nor safety  threat. In the case with Ayesha, she wanted to be promoted and nothing happen. She filed a complaint with the EEOC. â€Å"The EEOC was created to increase job opportunities for women and minorities and to help end discrimination based on race, color, religion, disability, gender, or national origin in any personnel action† (Boone & Kurtz, 2012, p. 61). Allen could have avoided this by putting Ayesha on a supervisor track. Allen could have been a role model for Ayesha, while showing her the responsibility of a supervisor. Allen should have talked to Ayesha and giving her pointers on what she needed to do to be considered for a supervisor job. In the case of Donna, she never was one to stay out of work. She had a perfect attendance until the discovery of mold was found. She became ill because nothing was done to rectify the mold problem. Therefore, Allen do not have a just cause to fire Donna knowing the reason of her illness. She continued to work until she could no longer and filed for worker compensation. â€Å"Any employee, irrespective of their length of service, who is dismissed or subjected to a detriment for certain health and safety reasons, would have a potential claim against their employer† (Calcott, 2011, p.12). In the case of Tom, he wanted something done about the mold problem. Tom was a supervisor at CompCARE and he reported to Allen. Tom noticed how all the workers were getting sick and took action. He informed Allen about the sir quality in the lab. Tom did the right thing in reporting all problems to his superior. The assumed Tom waited and went to Allen again to do something about the air quality. The problem gotten worsen and Tom threatened to turn the company in to OSHA. Tom would be consider a whistleblower. â€Å"A whistleblower exposes the misdeeds of others in organizations† (Schermerhorn, 2010, p.100). The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 prohibits an employee from getting fired for telling on unethical conduct. The paper will now look at how Allen could have benefit by supporting his employees and himself. Allen knew something was not right and yet he did nothing when the problem was not fix. â€Å"Employers are well aware of their extensive responsibilities to employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974† (Calcott, 2011, p.12). In the role Allen have, he was obligated and held the responsibility to protect his staff. Allen reported to his boss as to what was going on, therefore he should took the next steps in finding help for his employees. Allen could have benefited himself by having a clear conscious he did what was right.  He would have been free from any prosecution the employees would have filed on the company. He would have been protected under the Whistleblower Act as well. Allen’s health was just as much danger as his staff and this should have been enough to make him tell authority. PharmaCARE’s renders a purported environmental stewardship is worst and the company’s public stance should carry an obligation to be a leader in environmental matters. PharmaCARE should be more concern about Colberians’ environment. PharmaCARE should want to help the people who is producing their product. They could help with building homes for the Colberians, by knowing their conditions. The executives live in nice places with running water and electricity. PharmaCARE can set up a fund in order to educate the people of Colberia. Teaching and showing people how to be more efficient will help PharmaCARE profit more. The people will be loyal to the company helping them. PharmaCARE can help the Colberians to be more productivity in everyday life. When a company goes in a foreign country to do business it should make sure of the country’s policy. Companies move their business to foreign countries are still liable if something happen. The company should be willing to help build the area up the workers live in. Building roadways to carry PharmaCARE’s drugs is a significant matter. The WTO is cutting down on companies that are no treating foreigners’ right. This is in health and safety as well as in the United States. The WTO is an advocate for under privilege countries. It protects the right of the workers in poverty countries. There seem to be a big issue regarding children workers but this does not seem the case. However, WTO will not allow any injustice to come to workers in third world countries. â€Å"The WTO’s agreements permit members to take measures to protect not only the environment but also public health, animal health and plant health. However, these measures must be applied in the same way to both national and foreign businesses. In other words, members must not use environmental protection measures as a means of disguising protectionist policies† (WTO, 2013). The author believes now things are getting better because companies know someone is watching them. The next concern to look at concerning this scenario is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) à ¢â‚¬Å"is a liability scheme rather than a monitoring program† ( Halbert & Ingulli,  2012, p.207). According to the Environmental Protection Agency â€Å"the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress on December 11, 1980† (CERCLA, 2013). The CERCLA’s function were to assist others when a hazardous substances might endanger others or the environment. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act provided accountability of persons accountable for discharges of hazardous waste. It also established a trust fund to make available for cleanup when no guilty party could be acknowledged. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act do not support the PharmaCARE scenario. The PharmaCARE is a pharmaceutical company and CERCLA’s target is chemical and petroleum industries. CERCLA will assist when the responsibility people cannot be located. In this scenario the responsible party is known and could have done something about the matter before it got out of hand. The cleanup should fall on PharmaCARE and not CERCLA. There were signs and people to tell the story of what happen and how nothing was done to cease the problem. There were no transporters bringing the mold into the company. The mold grew and causing the air quality to be tamper with. PharmaCare is fully blame for this and should pay for the cleanup and compensate the workers on their health issues. PharmaCARE was bogus and should be made to buy back CompCARE from WellCo. WellCo is an innocent party while things were being withheld from the company. References Boone, G., & Kurtz, D. (2012). Contemporary Business (14th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Calcott, J. (2011). Don’t stumble over safety. Works Management, 64(8), 12 CERCLA. (2013). Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/cercla.html EEOC. Retrieved July 26, 2013from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/internal/eeo_policy_statement.cfm Global Issues. (2013). Retrieved August 16, 2013, from http://www.globalissues.org Halbert, T., & Ingulli, E. (2012). Law & ethic in business environment (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning Shareholder. (2013). Retrieved August 16, 2013, from www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J., W. (2011). Organization Behavior. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning WTO. (2013). Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.wto.org

Define the terms health care policy, health care law, regulatory body, Term Paper

Define the terms health care policy, health care law, regulatory body, and health care compliance. Provide an example of each wi - Term Paper Example Health care refers to the provision and preservation of all aspects of a person’s health via the services offered by health care professionals (American Heritage ® Medical Dictionary, 2007). The set of rules, regulations, legislations and policies which overlook the orderly and effective delivery of health care is referred to as health care policy. Such policies govern almost all arenas of health care including finances, operations and management, and public, preventive and long term health care (Hoffman, 2003). Most health care policies are based on the integral concept of the universal access to health care for all alike, irrespective of their race, caste, culture and socioeconomic status. Health care policies can be broadly classified into two main types, viz. single payer system and social insurance system. In the United States, the existing health care policy is an amalgamation of both these systems (Hoffman, 2003). Examples of health care policies include Medicare and Medicaid which are government based health care insurance programs (Hoffman, 2003).

Colour therapy (chromotherapy) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Colour therapy (chromotherapy) - Essay Example The electromagnetic energy is seen through our eyes. Color therapy is a process that applies color and light that is in the form of tools, verbal suggestions, and tools. All these forms are used to balance energy in different parts of the body that have been seen to lack vibrance whether it is physical, emotional, mental or even spiritual. Each color that is used has got different wavelength and energy (Sue & Simon, 25). The energy of the color affects us on all levels both cognitive and psychomotor. The color is absorbed eyes, the skin or the skull. Since every cell in the body requires light energy, color energy is known to have a widespread effect on the entire body. Color therapy is a non-invasive therapy. One should note color preferences so that it can help in finding possible problems. Working with different colors help in dispelling negative feelings and attitudes, free bocks and also helps to re-balance the body both emotionally and spiritually which translates to physical re-balancing (Vijaya, 24). Color therapy is very safe to use alone or can also be used alongside other types of therapy be it orthodox medicine or any other complementary therapy. Chromotherapy is also safe for both children and adults. The energy that relates to each of the seven colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet goes hand in hand with the energy of each of the seven main energy centers of the body (Sue & Simon, 47). The energy centers are also referred to as chakras. Each chakra needs to work smoothly with for one to be healthy. There should be a balance of the energies in each of the chakras to enhance wellbeing of the body. In color therapy, one is given the color he needs more or else the opposite of the color someone has in plenty. If one prefers certain colors, then it means that one uses the color to express himself. For example, one may choose green if he loves nature. Different types of color therapy can

Critical Thinking Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Thinking Application - Essay Example I agree that to the choice of the central issue as: Is it right for General Barry Norman to use the mycoherbicides to supposedly help Afghanistan and its people, and to save many American lives by ending the military action sooner? As compared to all the other ethical issues, the issue on determining if General Barry Norman is right to use the mycoherbicides is most critical in the case given that any action that would ensue from this issue would drastically affect a majority of people: the Afghanistan, the Americans, and even the international organizations who should be involved in the effects of mychoherbicides to mankind. In other words, this central ethical issue has enormous ethical implications. The other identified ethical issues only affect the party concerned (like for example, the first issue: â€Å"Is it right for the Taliban to protect and tax Afghanistan’s opium business, using drug profits to support its activities, including the fight against US and other forc es?† have ethical implications focusing on the interests of the Talibans – with repercussions to the United States. For the second issue: â€Å"Is it right for the Unites States to seek ways to destroy or reduce Afghanistan’s’ opium crop in order to cut off the source of Taliban’s money?† the ethical implications would revolve on benefits to the US and detriments to the Taliban. In contrast, the central issue does not only affect the Talibans, the United States, but other innocent people whose lives might be put in danger with the use of the mycoherbicides. The fact that there is a critical concern as to the stability of the mycoherbicides and the likelihood they may mutate and spread beyond our control attests to the veracity of it being the central ethical issue in the case. A central ethical issue of using mycoherbicides in Afghanistan’s poppy plants needs further research. A report conducted by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) entitled â€Å"Repeating Mistakes of the Past:

English writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English writing - Essay Example Based on the poor treatment that Catherine receives from her husband, she opts to use her beauty and wits to her advantage and also finds lovers for herself. Her plot is that of seizing power once the ruler of the time, Empress Elizabeth dies and Catherine forms secret alliances in preparation for this. At first opportunity, Catherine succeeds in taking the crown and she takes charge of the kingdom as he rules instead of her husband. Her quest is that of conquering more territories as a way of expanding the Russian kingdom, which was one of the visions that Empress Elizabeth had sought to achieve. Catherine faces the challenges of war and conspiracies that seek to undermine her role, but she manoeuvres by using all the power she has in order for her rule and control to survive. All this comes at a cost as she has to contend with being unhappy, which is the cost of being at the helm of a significant kingdom. Her past is overshadowed as she started as a pawn and rises to become the wife of the Duke and the Empress of the Russian kingdom making her to be more powerful. Her kingdom becomes modernized through her efforts and wits in which it grows to be an expansive and civilized one (Moss 267). In the end, the film title explains how Czar ended up becoming Catherine the Great as portrayed in the

Apply personel experiences to the text assigned and read Essay

Apply personel experiences to the text assigned and read - Essay Example Indeed, the broader aims and objectives of the education are to empower the students to make effective and rational choice in the personal and professional lives. While my personal experience has been contradictory to the ones portrayed by the authors, it has nevertheless, raised many pertinent questions regarding modern education system and the role of teachers, schools and environment. Does our education system really ensure equity amongst the emerging multicultural society and help equips the students with skills to make decisions based on informed choices? Gatto questions the validity of ‘schooling’ and questions whether ‘this deadly routine really necessary’? (71). Yes, it is necessary. It is key facilitating platform that provides one with the learning environment and routine so it could be promote wise use of it in one’s daily life. My father’s insistence on 100% attendance was but to inculcate a routine and an interest in the school activities. The school education helps us to utilize the knowledge gained in constructive manner to improve our lifestyle and living standard. My early education has remained the most significant part of life because it has taught me to explore new vista for improved results. I liked to engage in discussion with my peers and get new perspectives on issues and lessons taught in the class. The habit has become the strongest point of my character. The purpose of education is to exhort the students to apply informed choices in their decision making. Rose emphasizes that ‘through exceptional teachers†¦students learn to develop hypotheses and troubleshoot, reason through a problem, and communicate effectively - the true job skills’ (91). Indeed, good teachers are able to effectively tap the potential of the students. My personal experience corroborates with his view because the very system has taught me to understand the changing social values and helped me to widen my horizon of

Team and leadership db2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Team and leadership db2 - Essay Example used his decision-making skills on a multi-dimensional level to navigate his company through the ever-dynamic external and internal forces that drive the insurance business. With experience accumulated from 1997, he is able to predict market trends and align his employees with the least disruptions. This is helped by his personality strengths, which include resilience and ambition in a fiercely competitive industry. Further, he has the leadership skills to balance organisational relationships, even when it is in conflict with the interests of stakeholders’. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), effective CEOs must act as role models, communicate across boundaries and solve problems creatively (PWC, 2013). By emphasising on innovation and efficiency, Blair has set an example for his employees and supervisors to be creative. Involving all levels in an organizations hierarchy in conducting market research leads motivation simply by participating (Tittemore, 2003). Blair used that strategy, which resulted in the development of the supplemental benefits programs that realised record growth. He also insists on the organisation to hire and maintain the best professionals in the sector who are capable of, like himself, working with and inspiring all colleagues. The key legacy the CEO will leave behind is the organisational culture that encourages each employee to be a role model to colleagues, which promotes communication across all

Support for Israel is Good for the United States Essay

Support for Israel is Good for the United States - Essay Example The main reason for arguing against American support to Israel is an exaggerated claim that Israel is playing a role in bankrupting United States. On this basis, the large amount of money, given to Israel is unnecessary. Others argue that the financial aid given to Israel plays a great role in encouraging the anti-American sentiments amongst the Muslims, and facilitating the growth of the Israeli-Arab conflict. This is because the Israelis are using the money given to them for purposes of buying weapons. They use these weapons to kill Palestinians and their enemies, and this fuels religious conflicts in the Middle-East. In regard to anti-American sentiment, enemies of United States inaccurately use this aid to Israel to form a basis of attacking the interests of United States (Freedman, 2012). These attacks can be manifested through terrorism attacks on American and Israel interest on the various parts of the world. However, the American support of Israel is of great importance to the American economic, and physical security, and that of Israel. One of the reasons as to why the American government should support Israel is that it is a democracy. As democratic countries, Israel and the United States share a number of strategic interests, political and civil values (Blum, 2013). There is also a political, cultural and personal bond that occurs between the Israeli and the American people, based on their democratic values. On this basis, Israel is an important American ally in the Middle east, one in which the American people can depend on for military and economic support (Freedman, 2012). In fact, the American military has unlimited access to the Port of Haifa, which is one of the best ports in the world. As an American military ally, Israel collects intelligence information, which it shares with the American military (Blum, 2013). For example, between 1974, to 1990, Israel received

Leadership Styles and Their Effectiveness Essay Example for Free

Leadership Styles and Their Effectiveness Essay Peer Editor: Faculty: Certification of Authorship:I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I recieved in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in this paper.I also have citedd any sources from which I used data,ideas,or words,either quoted directly or parapharased.I certify that this paper was prepared by me espcifically for the purpose of this assignment,as directed. Praxis II Leadership Styles and Their Effectiveness Ike Hall EDAD-8021 Pro-seminar Leading Community Practice Dr.Duhon Praxis Paper Submitted Feburary 24,2008 in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education (ED.D.) Leadership Styles and Their Effectiveness Introduction The late Harold Geneen, man behind the success of the International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. (ITT), once said â€Å"Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned’. Essentially leadership is always tied to the individual who takes on the role. Throughout history, many great leaders emerged. They brought with them either positive or negative influence. They are considered great leaders because of their undeniable contribution in shaping the events of time. But what in their leadership style makes them great? There are many definitions of leadership however usually it is defined by the results it produces, both in the situation and the people under it. More commonly leadership is defined as the influence of one over those he leads (Clark 2007). There are many facets to leadership. In fact it is one of the most studied subjects around. Many researches have been conducted to tap it. Many programs have been designed to enhance it. Many individuals seek it. And many scholars have tried to explain it. One of the most common inferences of leadership is that leaders are made not born (Clark 2005). This paper will try to identify what makes a great leader. By studying the different styles of leadership, it aims to present a more concrete explanation of the subject. Going through the merits of the different styles will essentially broaden understanding. By assessing the different points of leadership, a clearer picture of its influence, particularly in the school setting will be achieved. While leadership remains subjective and relative (Bittel, 1989) this paper will seek to create a more objective view of the subject. It will expose its most important components. It will present a few of its tested formulae. By doing so, it will identify what are essential to becoming an effective leader today. Evidence from Literature A great number of books have been written on leadership. Experts have been very generous in sharing their thoughts about it. In fact, in the last 30 years alone there has been an influx of experts in the subject. No matter how it is explained, or what terms are used to describe it, the view on leadership remains essentially the same. Even John Maxwell, arguably the most popular expert in leadership summarizes it as simply the influence of one over others (1998). Not surprising, experts bring with them different views on leadership. They also encourage people to subscribe to their own brand or style of leading. However while there seems to be a whole lot of choices, leadership style can very well be broken down into three (Goodworth 1988) general classifications. These are Autocratic, Laissez Faire and Democratic (Vaccio 1988). Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership is defined as one that dominates (Bittel 1989). Its most common attribute is the all-encompassing rule over team members or followers. Most likely Autocratic Leaders will not admit they are. However, the reality of it is that it is the easiest and most common style in leadership. It is so common that usually individuals adapt to it more quickly. Even though this style is viewed as abrasive and often times unproductive as it stirs team members or followers toward passive resistance, it can be highly effective in situations requiring urgent action. The greatest dictators of history all possess autocratic leadership characteristics that they maximized to propel them to infamous success. One of the most obvious evidences of this particular style is it takes advantage of the weaknesses of team members or followers in every situation. While the Autocratic Leadership suppresses input of team members or followers, it is entire the opposite in Laissez Faire Leadership. Also named as Free Reign (Goodworth 1988), this particular style places decision-making on the hands of the team members or followers. It is described as having very little involvement from the leader. It gives little direction and motivation. This leadership style is ideal only in groups composed of individuals who are highly motivated with great initiative. Laissez Faire Leaders totally empower their members to achieve goals. It is important that the members are therefore worthy of empowerment. The third style is the Democratic Leadership. It is also referred to as Participative (Clark 2007). The Democratic Leader consults with team members or followers in decision-making without relinquishing control over the team. Participation is encouraged, hence the name. Similar to Laissez Faire, Democratic Leadership empowers members as well. The distinct difference between the two is that Democratic Leadership has more leader involvement. Although the team members and followers are given an active role in decision-making, final judgment still remains with the leader. The three general classifications otherwise known as leadership styles are very different from one another. Each has a set of good and bad points that makes them distinct. However no matter how different they are, they all define leadership the same way. Leadership is influence. This is one irrefutable fact of leadership that experts agree on. Critical Analysis It was mentioned in previous paragraphs that leadership is relative (Maxwell 1998). Its effectiveness depends on the individual who takes on the role. Each style of leadership offers up both positive and negative traits. Each is ideal in certain situations. Each has the capacity to achieve success. In a school set-up, leadership is often a combination of the three classifications. This is not an ideal practice however this is probably the most common. In many instances teacher and student have an autocratic relationship. Teacher speaks and students listen. Teachers give instructions and students follow. This practice however is slowly becoming old-school. Today, teachers and students have a free exchange of ideas. In fact there are times that teachers allow students to take control of discussions. Particularly in school teams, coaches are often accused of allowing their team to have a free reign during games. The trust level is so high that empowerment is effortless. Democratic style of leadership is one which is commonly desired. An open sharing of views and balanced decision-making are often claimed. In the school setting this style of leadership is evident in organizations. Teachers and students are leveled with each other. The school paper is the best example of this kind of leadership. Although teachers hold the final decisions in publications, students are given the opportunity to bring their point across without fear of being shut-down. School is the best place to exercise leadership. There are so many opportunities to try out different styles, put them together to create a more stable form. Schools encourage leadership. Exposure to the different styles allows students to decipher for themselves which are suitable for certain situations. Conclusion It has been mentioned time and again that leadership is influence. The school is an ideal place to hone leadership potentials of individuals. In other words, the school provides an opportunity for individuals to acquire skills in influencing others. Leadership style will always be relative to the individual. Even experts agree to this with their different takes on leadership. However in all the study of leadership one thing remains. No one leadership style is generic (Clark 2005) enough to be applicable in all situations and all individuals. There will always be a need to put two or three different styles to make it work. References Bittel, L. (1989). ‘The McGraw-Hill 36-hour management course’. US: McGraw-Hill. Clark, D. (2005). ‘Leadership styles’. Retrieved on February 17, 2008 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html Clark, D. (2007). ‘Concepts of leadership’. Retrieved on February 18, 2008 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html Goodworth, C. (1988). ‘The secrets of successful leadership and people management’. US: Heimann Professional Publishing Maxwell, J. (1998). ’21 irrefutable laws of leadership’. US: Thomas Nelson Publishing. Veccio, R. (1988). ‘Original behavior’. US: Dryden Press

Seattle Essay Example for Free

Seattle Essay Dr. Tom Kerns, Introduction to Bioethics, http://www. bioethicscourse. info/casesite/cs-torture. html GEPE 4040Â  Ethical Dimensions Contemporary Affairs Prof. : Milosz Mariusz Jacko, Ph. D. At 9:30am a phone call was received at The Seattle Times from a person claiming to have placed a bomb at an undisclosed location in downtown Seattle. The caller indicated the device was set to detonate at 2pm the same day. The device was described as a small yield nuclear device capable of massive collateral damage and loss of life for ten square blocks in downtown Seattle. The possibility of destruction, injury, and further loss of life outside the initial blast radius is apparent. The caller did not specify any demands before terminating the call after 20 seconds. The assumption of credibility is leant to this threat because over the past several weeks there have been a series of unsolved bombings. Before each of these prior bombings a similar phone call was reported. With this particular threat there are important and notable differences. This scenario has a grievous magnitude described by the unidentified caller and there is a suspect in custody of law enforcement. The suspect in custody has not yielded any information disclosing the location of the explosive device. For 90 minutes, the authorities in custody of this suspect have employed aggressive interrogation techniques in order to persuade the suspect to cooperate to no avail. The bomb is set to explode in the next 90 minutes. With time running out, it was suggested that the suspect be tortured in order to get the captured man to disclose the location of the nuclear device.

Influence And Persuasion Are Important Leadership Tools Psychology Essay

Influence And Persuasion Are Important Leadership Tools Psychology Essay Influence can have a major impact on a persons life by how well one is able to influence others and how others influence the individual. By using specific techniques and methods one can greatly increase their level of influence on others. The first step is to assess ones own level of influence to identify personal areas of weakness. The second step is learning and understanding the roots of power in the workplace. The third is learning the strategies of influence and learn the methods of influence and persuasion. The final step is implementing these strategies in life and work to influence others and avoid being influenced. This report is intended to motivate individual(s) to perfect a better understanding of influence and persuasion and be able to implement these facets in life. Influence and persuasion are two of the most important skills required by successful leaders in the workplace today. A good working knowledge of influence and persuasion can help one person to change anothers attitude, beliefs, or actions. This knowledge can also help one to avoid being influenced or persuaded by another. Influence and persuasion can be used in almost all aspects of daily life, whether dealing with family, buying something at a store, or performing tasks at work. Social influence can be found in any environment where multiple people exist or anywhere there is interaction between people. Understanding it is essential for prosperity. In many situations, social influence and persuasion can represent the difference between success and failure. To be successful, one must also understand the relationship between power and influence and how to use power and self-empowerment. What is influence and persuasion? Influence investigates the causes of human changewhether that change is an attitude, behavior, or a belief. Inducing a change in behavior is called compliance. Inducing a change in attitude is called persuasion. Inducing a change in belief is called either education or propagandadepending on ones perspective3. Persuasion attempts to win the heart and mind of the target. Thus persuasion must induce attitude change, which entails affective (emotion-based) change. Although persuasion is more difficult to induce, its affects last longer because the target actually accepts and internalizes the advocacy3. Knowing these definitions create a foundation for learning and implementing tactics for both influence and persuasion. An effective leader must be able to influence and persuade others. This can be done by understanding how to assess ones own level of influence, finding sources of personal power, learning strategies of influencing and persuading people, and learning how to implement those strategies. Assessing Your Level of Influence: When accessing ones ability to influence and persuade, a collection of data must be gathered about the different areas involved with both topics. The collection of data is typically through questionnaires, surveys, or quizzes regarding the subject matter. These methods garner the opinions and ideas of the individual. In order to practice these ideas a person must know and understand the tactics, strategies, and how to implement both into the workplace. The information gathered consists of four main topics related to influence and persuasion. First, the individual needs to display information pertaining to gaining power. Gaining power can be in two forms: personal characteristics or positional characteristics. Personal characteristics explore topics like an individuals appearance, hygiene, or charisma in the workplace. Positional characteristics explore how an individual is perceived throughout the corporation. After gaining power in the workplace it is essential to evaluate how well does one exercise influence in the workplace. Implementing influence in the workplace is crucial. It is vital to evaluate how well an individual avoids using threats and manipulation when trying to influence others. When influencing or persuading does the leader emphasize reason and factual information in their approach, instead of tactics that are opinioned based? Another related topic that would be helpful in assessing is, how well the leader uses rewards when implementing influence. Does the individual reward where needed, do they never use the reward system, or do they reward when its not warranted? Finally, the assessment chain of thought deals with the idea of increasing authority. When one tries to increase authority does the individual try to convince upper management that the idea or issue at hand will benefit or hinder the entire organization if its not focused upon? While on the job how well is the person at stepping out of the normal realm of problems that deal with and taking on job tasks that go beyond their typical scope of work? The four areas of assessment are valuable to determine what level an individual is able to persuade and influence others in the workplace. During the assessment phase, an individual is examined about what their thoughts and ideas are on topics like gaining power, resisting influence, and how they exercise influence in the workplace. Power in the Workplace: Power in the workplace is the ability to influence others to do what you want them to do, when you want them to do it, and in the manner that is required. Power is directly related to control, especially in the work environment. For example, power can stem from an individuals charisma and skill set or the individuals position, can be exercised or not and directly or indirectly at a persons will. There are two types of power: positional power (formal authority) and personal power (acquired authority). Sources of positional power are divided into four categories, formal authority, centrality, flexibility, and visibility. Formal authority is the power directly given to you by your position; reward and penalties: having the ability to give rewards or penalties to other people in an organization. Centrality is where everyone needs you to get their job done because you are central to the organization. Flexibility is having the ability to improvise and innovate in a position and visibility always visiting other members of the organization and always being seen. Sources of personal power are also divided into categories of attraction, effort, expertise, and legitimacy. Attraction is having charisma or behavior that attracts other people to you. Effort describes when one constantly works to get ahead; giving consistent and hard work to do whatever it takes to get a task done. Expertise works related knowledge and through education or other means that other people in the organization may not have. Lastly, legitimacy is having the work done be accepted by others so that everything the person does and the person himself is legitimate to the organization. By following a few steps, a leader can greatly increase his/her power. These steps include: align your goals, ideals, and values, with that of the organization, develop a sense of obligation and accountability, encourage open communication with your co-workers, nurture creativity and innovation in your work environment, provide and welcome opportunities for personal development, demonstrate a high level of working knowledge and expertise, demonstrate trust and confidence in your co-workers, and give recognition to others for their work. Another aspect of power that a leader should remember is the ethics involved in the implementation of power. It is crucial to remember that the goals of the organization come before individual goals. Also, power should not be used to intimidate or coerce people into doing tasks. Strategies for Influence and Persuasion: Many scientists and psychologists have studied the areas of influence and persuasion and have found many sections, disciplines, tactics, clusters, and other descriptive words for the different items people have found. The strategies of discussion are the three types of influence, techniques for handling people, and lastly the continuum of influence. Across the board, there are three generally accepted types of persuasion. The first is Retribution, or command, which is forcing others to do what one says by means of intimidation or coercion1. Retribution is usually based around formal authority. A manager can threaten his/her employee directly to do a task or be fired. He/She can also indirectly force an employee to do something because of consequences at work by not following a superior. Advantages include quick and direct action by subordinates. Disadvantages include loss of creativity, resentment, and need for greater threats in the future. The second is Reciprocity, which is helping others want to do what one says through bargaining or ingratiation1. In this method, the main object is to satisfy the interests of both parties, even if you have to give something up. This is usually used when both parties have the same level of power. Advantages include low resentment and no requirement for justification. Disadvantages of this method include expectations of rewards or gifts to do work and it makes people feel that anything is open for negotiation. The third is Reason, which is showing others that it makes sense to do what you say though presenting facts or appealing to values and goals1. This method is the most powerful used most frequently in the work place. Leaders use this by trying to suggest and convince the other party they are right. Advantages includes the need for surveillance being enhanced. Disadvantages include the time it takes to develop trust and requires both parties having similar values and goals. Another strategy for gaining power and influencing people is described in Dale Carnegies, How to Win Friends and Influence People. He discusses the fundamental techniques in handling people. The first technique is to not criticize, condemn, or complain to the person. For example, if a manager wants an employee to perform a particular task he/ she should not condemn the subordinate for doing the task incorrectly, perhaps the instructions were unclear. According to Carnegie, instead of condemning people, try to understand them. Try to figure out why the employee does what he/ she do. The second technique described is to give sincere appreciation. People want to feel appreciated and recognized for what they accomplish. There are several ways to recognize a person through rewards whether monetary or non-monetary, verbal affirmation, or perhaps, find out how the employee prefers to be rewarded. Carnegie states that the big secret in dealing with people is to make them want to do what you ask. This concept is easier said then done because people have a tendency to forget the power of influence and appreciation. The influence of an alliance is often greater than the sum of the influence of individual allies. In building an alliance, you strengthen your power base and increase the force of your proposals through a network of supporters. Discreetly build the alliance through a series of one-on-one contacts, letting prospective allies know that you need their support and possibly mentioning who else is on board. Ensure that prospective allies agree with your purpose or at least have something to gain by helping to achieve it. Alliance can be hard to form. They require time and energy to maintain. However, members of successful alliances tend to be more receptive to future alliances. Appealing to Friendship Appealing to friendship (asking for assistance based on friendship or membership in a group) relies on the natural human tendency to help friends. We are inclined to grant the request of people we feel similar to. This tactic is powerful but it is hard for some people to use and can damage relationship if overused. Appealing to values Appealing to values is a way to influence people based on their values, feelings, and emotions. You make such an appeal by conveying a strong vision (of excellence, achievement, etc.) or by presenting your case with enthusiasm and conviction: We can achieve our goals if we believe in ourselves and set our own standards higher than anyone expects us to. This tactic can be highly influential and it can reach a large number of people at once. Its good for stimulating extraordinary efforts. However, it takes great skill to do it. Consulting Consulting is influencing through collaboration- inviting the prospective participants to contribute to the approach, concept, proposal, or strategy. When people contribute to the plan, they feel some ownership of it and are more committed to it. You can use consulting by asking for someones advice on solving a problem and then asking or encouraging them to implement their recommendations. This form of consulting is especially effective when senior people use it with more junior people. Exchanging is trading something of value for the support or cooperation of others. In other words, it is negotiating as a form of influence. You ask a person to do something for you and offer an incentive: If you will support my reorganization proposal during the next meeting, I will work over the weekend on your financial analysis and have the figures for you on Monday. Legitimizing is using authority to influence. Authority includes customs, laws, organizational rules and procedures, regulations, traditions, and various symbols of authority (uniforms and badges as well as formal dress). You can also legitimize by citing higher authorities. Legitimizing is the easiest form of influence if you have role power. It can result in quick compliance. But it can also appear heavy-handed and will not work with people who resist authority. Stating is possibly the simplest influence tactics of all. It means, simply, saying what you want or what you think. Gain cooperation by making polite but a direct statement of what you want or what while asserting your position with confidence. Please review and sign this travel request. Remember to leave no room for negotiation or refusal. Avoid tentative phrases like I think, I feel, I was hoping you would, if you dont mind, etc. dont phrase your statement as a question (would you mind, dont you agree, can I ask you, etc.). Resist the urge to be overly polite or apologetic. Clearly stating your needs, wishes or intentions helps to eliminate misunderstanding.

Louis XIV: The Greatest Leader of France :: Biography Biographies Essays

Louis XIV: The Greatest Leader of France The Days of Elegance The term "splendid" is one that most English speaking people are familiar with. To most of those people it has a meaning related to the overall appearance or feeling of what ever is being described. Webster's dictionary defines the term as: 1. magnificent and sumptuous. 2. distinguished or glorious. Splendor is more that that. It is an adjective that could be used to describe something so great and breath taking that one is left awed. The word splendid is often associated with the palace of Versailles, which was built Louis XIV. In the production of this grand structure there was no cost spared. It became a symbol of France, and a model by which all other palaces would be judged. Louis XIV received a great deal of criticism from onlookers as he used the French equivalent to millions of dollars to built this outstanding structure. There is still some speculation as to whether or not this was a good investment. It has been argued that the money could have gone to the poor or needy. The palace of Versailles was controversial, but in high insight, it is clear that Louis XIV made a sound decision in its erection. As Louis XIV took the throne, he was faced with several problems. He knew that he did not want to reside and rule in Paris, so against the will of his advisors he chose a hunting chateau as the site of his new palace. He also knew from history that the nobles of his domain had in the past and would continue to cause trouble in the form of uprisings and other conflicts. Louis XIV sought absolute power, and he knew that he would not be able to obtain this if preoccupied by civil conflicts. His solution to this problem was building Versailles and inviting all of the nobles to reside there. This was a brilliant scheme to keep the nobles out of the politics of the country. He preoccupied them with tasked normally associated with chamber maids, thus allowing him to rule as an absolute monarch. The splendor of the palace was a key factor in this plan because with out it, the nobles would not have a willing to leave their homes and move to Versailles. The historical account, The Splendid Century , written by W.H. Lewis is a very useful tool in understanding the life of Louis XIV. It tells of his life, his goals, his motives, and the means by which he achieved those

Second Language Acquisition in Childhood Essay -- Language

Children acquire their native language, which fall within a wide range of languages, at a very early stage of development. During development, a child begins to show signs of verbal communication, usually starting out as cooing, babbling, recognizable words, and later two or more word sentences. This occurrence is also seen in the development of second languages. Second language acquisition is the study of how second languages are typically developed. The process of acquiring our native language is very similar and influential to the development of a second language. The development of a second language has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Today more people are growing up with appropriate resources to acquire a second language, which can be seen from the vast numbers of bilingual individuals. As previously stated, â€Å"Second language acquisition is the study of how an additional language is developed within a child’s life† (Gass & Selinker, 2008). According to researchers David and Wei (2008) â€Å"evidence seems to suggest that bilingual children’s language development is by and large the same as that of monolingual children†(p.599), meaning these children go through the same process beginning with babbling, followed by one-word sentences and progressing towards a more develop multiword stage. They way in which a child develops his/her first language becomes a guide for the development of a second language. Children may use their language skills acquired during L1 (first language) learning to help them obtain foreign languages. Research has shown that â€Å"both L1 and L2 are tools that serve complementary and sometimes overlapping functions† (Kohnert, 2008). Whether to use first language verse second language m... ... Acquisition vs. Learning of a Second Language: English Negation. Philologica Jassyensia, 5(2), 89-94. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. David, A., & Wei, L. (2008). Individual differences in the lexical development of French-English bilingual children. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 11(5), 598-618. doi:10.2167/beb478.0 Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course. Google Books. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fhnbMj597-4C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=second Kayser, H. (2004). Biliteracy and Second-Language Learners. The ASHA Leader. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from http://www.asha.org/Publication Kohnert, K. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: Success Factors in Sequential Bilingualism. The ASHA Leader. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from http://www.asha.org/Publication

Explication of Theme in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find

In Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† a family of six set out on a vacation to Florida while an extremely dangerous criminal is on the loose. The family takes the grandmother, who is outraged that the family is traveling while The Misfit is scanning the countryside. Throughout the short story, O’Connor drops many hints to the reader, ultimately leading to the terrifying climax. Foreshadowing is more commonly noticed the second time a story is read as opposed to the first. Readers will pick up on the hints that foreshadow the events to come. Foreshadowing is used when grandmother mentions The Misfit in the opening paragraph, when grandmother dresses formally in case of an accident, and when the graves are noticed in the cottonfield.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foreshadowing is first used when grandmother tells the family about The Misfit when discussing the vacation destination. â€Å"‘Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose.’† (393). O’Connor throws the idea of The Misfit up in the air for the reader to grasp. â€Å"aloose from the Federal Pen and headed towards Florida,† suggests that the family may in fact have a run-in with The Misfit while in Florida. O’Connor leaves the audience with the feeling that the criminal is dangerous and commits unspeakable c...

My Cultural Identity

Defining my own cultural identity by Stefanie A–ttl Culture is one of the most difficult concepts in the human social sciences and there are many different ways of defining it. It is often argued that culture is a learned behaviour pattern shared by a specific group of people. Culture is about shared meanings, and language is the privileged medium in which meaning is produced and exchanged. People sharing one culture interpret the world in roughly the same way. Defining my own cultural identity seems to me quite difficult. I actually have to admit that I am not quite sure which culture I belong to.I was born in Austria but my father comes from South Tyrol, the northern part of Italy, where Italian and German are spoken. Therefore I have Italian nationality but I have only some basic knowledge concerning the language. Although I live in Austria, there are still some traditions and cultural aspects in my family that are not Austrian. Not only is there some Italian influence, but also Canadian due to the fact that my motheraâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s stepmother is British but emigrated to Canada. I havenaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t got Canadian nationality, but I was brought up bilingually (German/English).Furthermore I spent half a year living in Chile and therefore I was influenced by the Chilean way of life. Understandably I sometimes get quite confused about which culture I really belong to. There are several parameters for defining oneaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s culture, such as nationality, language, the country you live in, gender, social class, occupation, interests, educational levelaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. But the question is, which of these parameters is to be considered the most important. I have Italian nationality, but due to the fact that I donaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really know the language I donaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really feel Italian or aâ‚ ¬? Southern Tyrolianaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢.And although I am not Canadian by citizenship I sometimes feel more at home there because of the language. Still, con cerning some traditional aspects, I am more familiar with the aâ‚ ¬? South Tyrolianaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ ones but I donaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really feel that I belong there because I donaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know Italian nor do I really speak German with a aâ‚ ¬? South Tyrolianaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ accent. I believe that not knowing the language could be seen as a barrier keeping me from really experiencing Italian culture. I strongly believe that one can somehow adopt a culture by learning specific behaviour patterns, values, moralities or more precisely, a certain way of life.I experienced this while living in Chile and I can say for sure that it was far more difficult to adjust to a new way of living and learn how to react in certain situations than learning the foreign language. Despite all these influences of different cultures, I still feel very Austrian due to the fact of actually living in this country. The parameters which I believe to be very important in order to define your culture are first of all the is the country you live in because your culture depends very much on what is happening around you.The second important aspect is language through which thoughts, ideas and feelings of a certain culture are represented. The least important thing in my opinion is the nationality because I believe this to be a very official way of defining your culture. But, as I already mentioned, I sometimes donaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really know which culture I really belong to. I believe I am a mixture of all of them. Understanding home by Michael Pelitz â€Å"the night is your friend, your only friend the center stage, a moonscape as you walk. alk your head is a thread; your head’s a thread the eye of the needle becomes indistinct we’re just a sadder song away we’re just a sadder song away the mountaintops, the rainbow drops the fires from the temples and palaises. hurray the hierarchy that swallows me the pavement emptied out by night we’re just a sadder son g away we’re just a sadder song away we’re off to understanding home we’re off to understanding home we’re off to understanding home we’re just a sadder song away†Just as I reached Radetzkyplatz, passing by the Hotel Garni Lind, aâ‚ ¬? Understanding Homeaâ‚ ¬? ept rotating in my disc player. aâ‚ ¬? aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦The center stage, a moonscape as you walkaâ‚ ¬?. The display warns: aâ‚ ¬? BATTERY LOWaâ‚ ¬? , but Alexaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ apartment is right across the square, so I decided not to worry about it. I suddenly remembered a letter I read on the internet, written by an Austrian social worker after his return from his social service year at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Detroit: aâ‚ ¬? When being abroadaâ‚ ¬? , he wrote, aâ‚ ¬? you become a true patriotaâ‚ ¬?! He stayed in the U. S. during the international crusade against the Austrian government in 2001.I started to remember all these artists who cancelled their concerts in Austria, and every single e-mail I had to send to my American friends, explaining aâ‚ ¬? the situationaâ‚ ¬?. And I had to think about all these desperate and aggressive anti-Moslem e-mails my mum received from a friend of hers who lives in Virginia, fearing that her son might not return from Iraq safely. I glanced over my shoulder to check on the traffic lights. Red. Suddenly I was confused, even a bit aggressive. I felt terribly blank despite the music, or maybe, because of the music. The whole world (including me) seems to be talking about sending, I thought!Sending e-mails, sending troops, sending messages, sending money, sending support, sending social workers. Mobility is the keyword of our times. Nobody seems to be talking about the sense of belonging. aâ‚ ¬? You become a true patriotaâ‚ ¬? , returns to my mind. I thought of how much I detest the concept of patriotism. To me, patriotism leads to flag-waving, flag-waving gives beautiful pictures, beaut iful picture are very likely to be shown in the news, satellites enable worldwide broadcasts within milliseconds, and the media have an incredible manipulating impact.I know the concept underlying the word aâ‚ ¬? patriotismaâ‚ ¬? is not that easy, but I am sure that patriotism is a great source of misunderstandings. The next moment I pictured myself at the soccer stadium singing the national anthem. Again, it leaves me confused. I felt exhausted. It has been a long day. An estimated 750 metres, the way from the U4-metrostation LandstraAYer HauptstraAYe to here, lay behind me. Another two and a half miles to the 23 rd district, where Iaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve parked my car, 102 kilometres to MA? zzuschlag, my hometown, an additional 87 kilometres to Graz, the city where I live, and yet another 8944 km to Portland/Oregon, the place where I spent the most wonderful year imaginable, describe my route. I think about my travels, the times I was sent, the times I mobilized. The batteries ra n out on the final lines of the song.I would have loved to listen to the outro and the repetition of the chorus. I pushed the doorbell and heard the buzzing of reality. Maybe all of this is not as contradictory as I thought. Maybe the understanding of our cultural identity needs to aâ‚ ¬? travel lightaâ‚ ¬? in order to find its way back home. And in its backpack it carries all the concepts we fear, detest or treasures so much. aâ‚ ¬? Weaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re off to understanding homeaâ‚ ¬? , I repeated, as suddenly the front door opened and I entered the building. Cultural Identity by Ana Flac A couple of years ago I found myself wandering between cultures, customs and different traditions. At the beginning of this â€Å"cultural voyage† I was torn between contradictions which forced me to ask myself: Who am I? What makes me a Croatian? Six years ago a specific incident happened in Osijek which triggered off these thoughts .Morete mi reci da ide vlak za Cakovec? (Could you tell me when the next train goes to Cakovec? ), I asked a railway man as I was on my way home, after I had taken my entrance exam at Osijek University in 1998. The friendly man smiled and begged my pardon. He did not quite understand me. At this point I realized that I was no longer in my home town in Medjimurje and that all the competence I had in speaking my dialect which I’m so proud of could constitute a burden rather than a merit. This was the first time I perceived myself as being different from other people in Croatia.Some of my fellow students in Osijek rejected their dialect but I was proud of it and it made me somehow stand out from the crowd so I could be easily identified by it. I realized that my Medjimurian dialect was a part of my cultural identity. As time passed by I got to know many different people from the Slavonic region, their customs and their way of living. Since this region was greatly affected by the war, a very critical attitude towards Serbs h ad developed there. Most of the inhabitants often expressed their fury mostly against Serbs and emphasized Pan-Croatian nationalism.I noticed I wasn’t prepared to emphasize a Pan-Croatian position and I didn’t want to perceive the whole Serbian nation so destructively. I just couldn’t identify myself with all this Pan-Croatian nationalism and I mainly disagreed with people who had this kind of attitude. I kept my distance and withdrew into my regional cultural frames. After having spent two years in Osijek, I continued my studies in a completely different country, in Austria. I was very much excited about the new faces and new culture I was about to meet. And then one day I encountered a girl on the campus and we started talking.I found the conversation quite neat. Apart from other things, she wanted to know where I come from so I told her I was from Croatia. Ah, aus Kroatien.. those were the next words she said. They sounded strange, as if she got the whole pic ture of me when she found out about my origin. At this moment I realized there was not only no place left for my Medjimurian identity, which I am extremely proud of, but there was also hardly even any left for my Croatian identity. I was differentiated from other students by labels such as another ex-Yugoslavian or inhabitant of the Balkans.For the first time in my life I felt ashamed of my nationality. And from that moment on I was somehow torn between my Medjimurian pride and the feeling of shame for who I was in Austria. I was trapped in some generalized prejudices about myself that I did not want to have anything to do with. My identity was on the verge of being formed by some stereotypic views which I could not accept. But inspite of all these confrontations and contradictions I had to face and which scared me and disoriented me at first, they were also the one that gave me strength and motivated me to figure out who I really am.My Cultural Identity by Camilla Leimisch If someo ne asked me if I was proud to be Austrian or Finnish, I would not answer aâ‚ ¬? Yesaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ right away. Iaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always felt that proud was not the appropriate word to describe my feelings towards the country where I was born or the country where I grew up, because I find it hard to be proud of something that I did not decide or that I did not achieve on my own. But I do not want to be misunderstood: I am proud of my parents to whom I owe my bilingualism and who introduced me to both cultures right from the start (Finnish from my mother and Austrian from my father).I am also happy to have kept this bilingualism and I consider myself lucky to have two native countries. Although I was born in Finland and I was only two years old when my family moved to Austria, I have never considered Finland to be my second home country, in the sense of second best. This is because I have a family there, too, and I spend every summer in Finland. This is also because my mother took care that I did not forget my Finnish roots in Austria, so I could develop feelings of the same value for both of the countries, as well as an understanding of cultural awareness that is closely connected to the feeling of home.As I see it, not only my nationality is an important part of my cultural identity, but also what I have done and what I am doing in my country and in its society. Austria is the country where I live and study. As my main subject is music, and Austria is a country of great musicians, music has become a big part not only of my personal but also of my cultural identity. I also appreciate Austrian folk music which I consider a very relevant and unique cultural tradition in the country. With Finland, itaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s different. Iaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d rather identify myself with Finnish people than with Austrian people.It is not easy to explain why. All I can say is that Finnish people are very attached to nature, and that I often share their moments of melancholy wh ich are even more intense when they are far away from their own country. Iaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve already said that I am happy about my bilingualism. In fact, language is an important parameter for defining my cultural identity, because other people also define or identify you by the way you speak. Certainly you become most aware of your language when you find yourself in a foreign country where no-one speaks your language.What Iaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve noticed is that if you are among people who do not only speak differently, but also behave differently and look different from you, you suddenly distinguish yourself culturally from the others, and your cultural identity becomes much more evident. The frequently asked question about whether I feel more Austrian or more Finnish is not easy to answer. I am not 100% Austrian and not 100% Finnish. But I think that this diversity which has shaped my personality is also the key to my cultural identity.

Terrorism And Society

Although ‘terrorism† originally referred to acts committed by a gwernment, currently It usually refers to the killing of innocent people for political purposes In such a way as to reate a media spectacle. This meaning can be traced back to Sergey Nechayev, who described himself as a â€Å"terrorist†. Nechayev founded the Russian terrorist group ‘People's Retribution† in 1869. In November 2004. a United Nations Secretary General report described terrorism as any act ‘†intended to cause death or serious ph population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act†.Pejorative Use The terms â€Å"terrorism† and â€Å"terrorist† (someone who engages in terrorism) carry strong negative connotations. These terms are often used as political labels, to condemn violence or the threat of violence by certain actors as immoral, indiscriminate, unjustified or to condemn an entire segment of a population. Those labeled â€Å"terrorists† by their opponents rarely identify themselves as such, and typically use other terms or terms specific to their situation, such as separatist, freedom fighter.On the question of whether particular terrorist acts, such as killing civilians, can be Justified as the lesser evil in a particular circumstance, philosophers have expressed different views: while, according to David Rodin, utilitarian philosophers can (in theory) conceive of cases in which the evil of terrorism is outweighed by the good which could not be achieved in a less morally costly way, in practice the â€Å"harmful effects of undermining the convention of non- combatant immunity is thought to outweigh the goods that may be achieved by particular acts of terrorism†.Among the non-utilitarian philosophers, Michael Walzer argued that terrorism can be morally Justified in only one specific case: when â€Å"a nation or community faces the extreme threat of co mplete destruction and the nly way it can preserve itself is by intentionally targeting non-combatants, then it is morally entitled to do so. Motivation Of Terrorism Attacks on ‘collaborators' are used to intimidate people from cooperating with the state in order to undermine state control.This strategy was used in the USA in its War of Independence and in Ireland, in Kenya, in Algeria and in Cyprus during their independence struggles. Attacks on high profile symbolic targets are used to incite counter-terrorism by the state to polarise the population. This strategy was used by A1 Qaeda in its attacks on the USA in September 2001. These attacks are also used to draw international attention to struggles which are otherwise unreported such as the Palestinian airplane hijackings in 1970 and the South Moluccan hostage crises in the Netherlands in 1975.Abraham suggests that terrorist organizations do not select terrorism for its political effectiveness. Individual terrorists tend t o be motivated more by a desire for social solidarity with other members of their organization than by political platforms or strategic objectives, which are often murky and undefined. Religious Terrorism Religious terrorism is terrorism performed by groups or individuals, the motivation of which is typically rooted in faith-based tenets.Terrorist acts throughout the centuries have been performed on religious grounds with the hope to either spread or enforce a system of belief, viewpoint or opinion. Religious terrorism does not in itself necessarily define a specific religious standpoint or view, but instead usually defines Terrorism in India A common definition of terrorism is the systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, r ideological change.Terrorism in India, according to the Home Ministry, poses a significant threat to the state. Terrorism in India are basically two types external and internal, external terrorism emerge from neighbouring countries and internal terrorism emulates from religious or communal violence and Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. Terror activities involve either Indian or foreign citizens. The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Central India (Naxalism) and the Seven Sister States(independence and autonomy movements).

Kindergarten Curriculum Essay

I. INTRODUCTION â€Å"The first years of life are important because what happens in early childhood can matter in a lifetime. † (Harvard, 2009) The Department of Education (DepEd) having been a strong advocate of early childhood education has implemented various programs for preschoolers for decades now. The Department further strengthens this through the inclusion of kindergarten in the K to 12 basic education curriculum in the country. DepEd believes Kindergarten is a transition stage between informal literacy and formal literacy (grade 1-12). This is the period of greatest growth and development, when the brain develops most rapidly, almost at its fullest. It is a period when walking, talking, self- esteem, vision of the world and moral foundations are established. Children at this stage should be immersed with activities, games, and plays to naturally acquire the skills/competencies appropriate for their holistic development as emergent literates and be ready for formal school. According to National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) kindergarten is a critical year where children’s experiences nurture positive approaches to learning and prepare children for the more rigorous academic expectations of the primary grades (NAEYC, 2009). Therefore, kindergarten teachers should guide the learners using an engaging and creative curriculum that is developmentally appropriate. Republic ACT 10157 also known as the Kindergarten Education Act which was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III on Jan. 20 makes kindergarten â€Å"the first stage of compulsory and mandatory formal education. † For public schools, the kindergarten education program will be free of tuition and other school fees. With the Kindergarten Education Act, the kindergarten education program will be comprised of one year of preschool education for children aged five and above. The act also pushes for the conceptualization and development of a regular training program for kindergarten teachers to ensure that teaching styles, methodologies and approaches are always in line with modern trends in and issues on education. K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 1 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN II. FRAMEWORK The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework draws from the principles and goals of the K to 12 Philippine Basic Education Curriculum Framework. It is likewise aligned with National Early Learning Framework (NELF). It clearly depicts the developmental tasks and milestones of 5 to 6 year-olds and how educators can guide them to develop holistically. Figure 1. The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 2 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN The framework is composed of two parts. The rectangular figures show the teaching-learning theoretical bases, beginning with the comprehensive Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP), then moving up to the principles and leading to the approaches. The circle consists of three main components, (1) Developmental Domains, (2) Learning Areas, and the (3) Curricular Themes. At the center is the Filipino child who is envisioned to be functionally literate and holistically developed. A. PRINCIPLES A developmentally appropriate curriculum is one that is age-appropriate, individually appropriate and socio-culturally appropriate ( NAEYC, 2009) This Kindergarten framework considers the developmental benchmarks of Filipino five-year-olds, recommends the use of strategies that address needs and interests of the learners, and uses the mother tongue as medium of instruction. Kindergarteners are constantly developing in the different domains (cognitive, language, physical, creative and aesthetic, socio-emotional, and values and character). The National Early Learning Framework (NELF), formulated by the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, views the Filipino Child as the most important asset of the nation. NELF furthers its view of the Filipino Child as†¦ †¦as a human being who loves God, parents, and country; is proud to be a Filipino; honors the customs , traditions and good values of the people, knows his/her basic rights; respects other cultures and is able to live in peace and harmony with all. Thus beginning at an early age the child must be cared for and given all the opportunities to address current developmental needs and prepare him/her for lifelong learning. Kindergarten classrooms, therefore, should multi-level because kindergarteners will differ in their development in each domain. The following are situations that a kindergarten teacher should put to mind. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. every classroom is a multi-level classroom every teacher is a multi-level facilitator every learner is unique every learner has particular intelligence or intelligences every learner has his/her own learning styles every learner has his/her own particular needs a. cognitive b. physical c. socio-emotional 3 K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012. K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN 7. every learner has his/her own particular wants and interests 8. every learning has a right to develop uniquely from the others This framework upholds the sixteen (16) general principles of the NELF as guides on (1) child growth and development (2) learning program development and (3) learning assessment development: 1. ON CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT The following are the general guiding principles on child growth and development: 1. Every child is unique. Growth and development varies from child to child of which the first six years of life are most vital. He/she has an innate desire to learn and is best done through meaningful and real experiences. 2. Every aspect of growth and development is interrelated and interdependent. The child needs to be nurtured in a good and caring environment that enhances healthy and dependable relationships with other children and most significant adults. 3. The learning and development of every child involves a series of complex and dynamic processes that are best attended to in a more positive and responsive manner. 4. The child must be encouraged to aspire beyond one’s own level of achievements and to practice newly acquired competencies. 5. Every child is a thinking, moving, feeling and interactive human being able to actively participate in the learning and development of self in the context of one’s family and community including cultural and religious beliefs. 2. ON LEARNING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT The following are the general guiding principles on learning program development: 6. The learning program is child centered. It promotes the holistic way by which young children grow and develop; and recognizes the role of families and communities to support the child through various stages of growth and development. K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 4 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN 7. The learning program is appropriate for developing the domains of development identified in the NELF; and must sustain interest in active learning of all young children including those with special abilities, are marginalized and/or at risk. 8. The learning program is implemented by way of diverse learning activities that may be enhanced with technologies such as interactive radio and audio/video clips for learning areas. 9. The use of learning materials and other resources that are locally developed and/or locally available is encouraged. 10. The mother tongue shall be used as the child’s language of learning in the early years and shall be recognized as a bridge language of learning. 3. ON LEARNING ASSESSMENT The following are the general guiding principles on learning assessment development: 11. Assessment is done to monitor learning, know where the child and inform parents of the child’s progress. 12. Assessment is essential to identifying the child’s total developmental needs and does not determine academic achievement. 13. Assessment is best conducted on a regular basis so that a timely response may be made to improve learning areas. 14. The results of the assessment of learning of a child shall be kept strictly confidential 15. Ratings should be qualitative/descriptive and not only numerical. 16. The family and community may be informed of the general outcomes of learning in the early years so as to encourage further cooperation and partnerships The framework espouses teaching-learning approaches that are constructivist, integrative, thematic, collaborative, i n q u i r y – b a s e d and reflective, in order to be aligned with Developmentally Appropriate Practices, NELF and K to 12 Framework. K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 5 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN B. Component 1: The Developmental Domains and Benchmarks/Expectations Component 1 : shows the developmental domains represented by the six interlocked ellipses. They are arranged to form a flower in order to emphasize Erikson’s epigenetic principle. This principle states that development happens through a gradual unfolding. The child is seen as being in the process of blossoming, a little like a rose bud, that should not be hurried, lest it loses its chance to fully develop. These domains are the developmental tasks or milestones that kindergarteners are expected to attain. These includes: (1) Physical Health, Well-being and Motor Development, (2) Social-Emotional Development, (3) Character and Values Development (4) Cognitive/ Intellectual Development (5) Language Development, and (6) Creative and Aesthetic Development. The following are the six domains. 1. Physical Health, Well-being and Motor Development refers to a child’s physical growth, health and safety, and the development of skills related to the use of large and small muscle groups. Domain 1: PHYSICAL HEALTH, WELL-BEING AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT Sub-domain Physical Health †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Benchmarks/expectation from 5 to 6 year-olds The child demonstrates adequate growth (weight, head circumference) The child has adequate sensory systems to participate in daily activities. The child has adequate stamina to participate in daily activities. The child shows control and coordination of body movements involving large muscle groups. The child can control and coordinate hand and finger movements. o Copies a simple pattern of different basic shapes o Draws a human figure (head, eyes, mouth, trunk, arms, legs, etc. ) without prompts o Draws a house without prompts using geometric forms o Colors with strokes staying within the lines The child participates in basic personal care routines o Feeds self-using fingers without spillage o Prepares own food o Dresses without assistance, including buttoning and tying o Wipes/Cleans him/herself after a bowel movement 6 Gross Motor Skills Development Fine Motor Skills Development †¢ Personal Care and Hygiene K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN o o Brushes teeth after meals without having to be told Washes and dries face independently without having to be told 2. Social – Emotional Development refers to the child’s ability to know one’s self, express and understand feelings, and relate to others. Domain 2: SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sub-domain Emotional Expression †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Benchmarks/expectation from 5 to 6 year-olds The child expresses different basic emotions. The child demonstrates ability to self –regulate feelings/emotions and follows schedules as well as rules and regulations. The child comprehends and displays self-appraisal emotions (shame, pride, guilt). The child is receptive to the different emotions of other people and shows empathy. The child expresses knowledge of self and basic roles of people in his/her immediate environment. The child forms healthy attachments to primary caregivers and other significant adults and children in his/her life. The child plays and has positive interactions with other children. The child has positive relations and interactions with adults. The child takes social cues from the environment and adjusts his behavior accordingly. The child recognizes and respects similarities and differences in people, language, culture. Emotional (Receptivity to Other’s Emotions) Social (Emerging Sense of Self) Social (Forming Attachments) (Interactions with Other Children) Social (Interactions with Adults) Social (Sensitivity) Social (Appreciating Diversity) 3. Character and Values Development refers to a developing understanding of justice and fairness, right and wrong, love and respect for different arenas of the child’s life. Domain 3: CHARACTER AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT Sub-domain Personal Values (Honesty) †¢ Benchmarks/expectation from 5 to 6 year-olds The child demonstrates honesty in words and in actions. 7 K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN Personal Values (Responsibility) Interpersonal Values (Love of Family) †¢ †¢ The child takes on responsibility and accomplishes these as best he/she can. o Does his/her share of work in the classroom o Does and finishes assigned tasks without prompting The child loves, respects and feels he/she belongs to a family unit. Interpersonal Values (Pakikipagkapwa) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Nationalism (Love of Community) Nationalism (Love of Country) The child shows respect for others, children, and adults alike. The child demonstrates concern for others. The child opts for cooperative, non-aggressive means for achieving goals and resolving conflict. O Works well with others The child demonstrates knowledge and love for his/her community or neighborhood. The child shows respect and love for the Philippines. o Knows he/she is Filipino o Keeps during flag ceremony o Knows name of country The child shows interest in and wonder at nature. The child demonstrates a caring attitude towards nature’s creatures and its resources. The child shows respect and love for the Creator. Spiritual (Appreciation of Nature) Spiritual (Care for Nature and Its Resources) Spiritual (Love for the Creator) †¢ †¢ †¢ 4. Cognitive/Intellectual Development refers to a child’s ability to abstract, understand concepts and their logical relations, and to manipulate them to arrive at new ideas or conclusions. Domain 4: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Sub-domain Attention and Activity Level †¢ Benchmarks/expectation from 5 to 6 year-olds The child is able to sustain attention and modulate his activity at age-expected levels. 8 K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN o Sustains attention and concentration on a tabletop activity for 15-20 minutes o Can work on a school assignment with minimal supervision o Can work on a school assignment independently The child develops basic concepts pertaining to object constancy, space, time, quantity, seriation, etc. and uses these as the basis for understanding how materials are categorized in his/ her environment. o Can tell which is the left and right people facing him/her o Knows the difference between yesterday, today, and tomorrow o Understands the concept of number-quantity relations for 1-10 o Demonstrates concept of addition using finger or objects o Demonstrates concept of subtraction using fingers or objects The child is able to understand the cause –effect relationships. The child is able to recall people he has met, events, and places he has been to. The child is able to store verbal information in short and long –term memory. o Can recite the days of the week with some errors o Remembers lessons learned in school even after several days have passed o Can recite the days of the week with no errors o Can recite the months of the year with some errors The child is able to follow the logic of events (i. e. , reasons why these happen) and draw accurate conclusion by evaluating the facts presented to him. o Knows that certain elements remain the same even if their positions changes o Able to predict what will happen next in a story o Can predict how a story will end half-way through The child is able to plan and organize a simple, familiar activity. o Can plan how he/she will carry out an activity without adult guidance The child is able to generate new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. o Can draw things or scenes from experience but with no actual model or reference o Can draw or paint things that do not exist in real life The child is able to shift to more adaptive cognitive processing strategies in order to effectively deal with new and unexpected conditions in his/her environment, including problem situations. Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Concept Formation) †¢ Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Cause-Effect Relationships) Memory (Memory for Experiences: Episodic Memory) Memory (Memory for Concept-Based Knowledge: Semantic Memory †¢ †¢ †¢ Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Logical Reasoning) †¢ Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Planning and Organizing) Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Creative Thoughts) †¢ †¢ Higher-Ordered Mental Abilities (Cognitive Flexibility) †¢ K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 9 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN 5. Language Development refers to a child’s ability to understand and use language to communicate ideas, learn to acquire language skills in preparation for reading, writing and counting. Domain 5: LANGUAGE, PRE-READING AND PRE-MATH Sub-domain Receptive Skills Development Expressive Skills Development Pre-Reading and Pre-Math (Matching) Pre-Reading and Pre-Math (Rote Sequencing) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Benchmarks/expectation from 5 to 6 year-olds The child is able to understand both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. The child is able to use words and gestures to express his thoughts and feelings. o Draw and tells a story about his drawing The child is able to match identical objects, colors, shapes, symbols. Pre-Reading and Pre-Math (Copying Letters and Numbers) The child is able to recite the alphabet and numbers in sequence. o Sings the alphabet song perfectly o Names more than 5 letters o Associates 2 letters with their sounds o Counts from 1 to 10 perfectly o Associates more than 5 letters with their sounds †¢ The child is able to copy letters and numbers. o Prints complete name without model o Prints upper case letters with a model with no reversals o Prints lower case letters with a model with some reversals o Prints numbers 1-5 with a model with some reversals o Prints upper case letters without a model and with no reversals o Prints lower case letters without a model and with no reversals o Prints numbers 1-5 without a model and with no reversals 6. Creative and Aesthetic Development refers to the child’s awareness of and development of their innate talent and creative skills. The domain includes music, visual arts, drama, dance and creative movements. This domain is a recent addition because it is recognized as equally important as the other five domains in the development of the young learner. Thus, the benchmarks and expectations particular to this domain are yet to be finalized. K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 10 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN C. Component 3: The Curricular Themes Component 3 provides the curricular themes for integrating the five (5) learning areas to develop the six (6) domains for the holistic and functional development of the kindergartner. These curricular themes adheres to Brofenbenner’s Bio-ecological Theory, that defines â€Å"layers of environment, each having an effect on a child’s environment. † 1. Myself – concepts and ideas that help the learners understand himself/herself better so that he/she will develop as an individual. 2. My Family – concepts, ideas, practices that guides the child to be responsible and proud of himself and his family. 3. My School – concepts, ideas, practices, and situations that help the child understand how to be an individual and socialize with other learners, teachers, school personnel and other members of the school. 4. My Community– concepts, ideas, practices, situations, and responsibilities that the learner should acquire and understand so that he/she will become functional and responsive member of the community. 5. More Things Around Me – all other concepts, ideas, practices, situations, and responsibilities not covered by themes 1 to 4 but which may be relevant to the community, culture, and interest of the leaner. Figure 2 The Curricular Themes K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 11 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN III. OVERALL GOAL AND OUTCOMES A. Overall Goal: Five-year old Filipino children will be prepared for life. B. Outcomes: By the end of the KINDERGARTEN year, we will have children who are: effective communicators in their mother tongues; healthy and physically active; respectful, honest, God-loving; proud of themselves, their family, culture, heritage and country; creative and appreciative of the arts, and caring of the environment; inquisitive, enthusiastic and engaged learners. K to 12 Curriculum Guide – Kindergarten – version as of January 31, 2012 12 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN TRANSITION FROM KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 1 Figure 3. Kindergarten-Grade 1 Transition Paradigm Transition Paradigm Kindergarten Education generally addresses the different developmental domains of the 5-year olds. But, as mentioned earlier, the domains are amorphous or do not have shape; hence learning areas are identified. The learning areas transition the domain-based curriculum of kindergarten to the content-based curriculum of grade 1 to 12. This design allows for a smooth transition from Kindergarten to grade 1 thereby making it seamless. IV. CONTENT AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Domains : CHARACTER AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT Strand Content Standards Social –Emotional Development Ang bata ay †¦ ? Kagandahang Asal ? ? ? Nagkakaroon ng kaalaman sa pagpapahalaga sa sarili Nagkakaroon ng kaalaman ukol pakikipagkapwa Nagkakaroon ng kamalayan sa konsepto ng disiplina Nagkakaroon ng pagpapahalaga sa Panginoon Nagkakaroon ng kamalayan sa pananagutang panlipunan (tungkuling pantahanan at pampaaralan Nagkakaroon ng kaalaman sa sariling damdamin Performance Standards Ang bata ay inaasahang†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ nakapagpapakita ng paggalang sa sarili sa lahat ng pagkakataon nakapagpapakita ng katapatan sa kanyang ginagawa nakapagpapakita ng pagmamahal at paggalang sa mga kasapi ng maganak nakapagpapakita ng pagmamahal at paggalang sa kapwa nakatatanggap at naisasagawa ang mga itinakdang tungkulin nakapagpapakita ng pagmamalasakit sa kalinisan at kaayusan ng kapaligiran nakapagpapakita ng pagmamahal sa Panginoon nakikisali nang may sigla sa mga pangkatang Gawain nakakatulong sa mga gawaing tahanan at paaralan sa kanyang gawin ? ? ? Pagpapaunlad sa kakayahang sosyo-emosyunal ? ? Nakikilala at natatanggap ang nakapagpapahayag ng iba’t ibang damdamin sa tamang paraan nakapagpapahayag ng kakayahang mapigil ang mga damdamin at emosyon at nakasusunod sa mga pang-araw-araw na gawain/tuntunin †¢ nakauunawa at nakapagpapakita ng sariling emosyon †¢ nakapagpapakita ng pagtanggap at pag-unawa ng emosyon ng ibang tao K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN emosyon ng ibang tao †¢ †¢ ? Nagkakaroon ng mabuting pakikipag-ugnayan sa kapwa at nakatatanda †¢ †¢ †¢ ? Nagkakaroon ng kamalayan ukol sa pagkakaiba ng tao †¢at nakapagpapahiwatig ng pagdamay sa damdamin ng iba (empathy) naipahihiwatig ang akma at katanggap-tangap na reaksiyon sa damdamin ng iba naisasaalang-alang and damdamin ng iba at nakikisali sa kasiyahan / Nakikiramay sa kalungkutan ng iba nakapagsisimula ng laro naipadadama at naipakikita ang pagmamahal sa mga nakatatanda at mga bata nakikisalamuha sa mga kilalang nakatatanda sa pamamagitan pakikipag-usap at pakikipaglaro nakikilala at natatanggap ang pagkakaiba ng tao o wika o kasuotan o kagamitan o kakayahan o kulay nakikilala ang mga kasapi ng pamilya nailalarawan ang iba’t-ibang bahagi ng bahay natutukoy ang mga tao sa paaralan natutukoy ang mga lugar sa paaralan natutukoy ang mga katulong sa pamayanan(community helpers) Natutukoy ang mga lugar sa pamayanan naipapakita ang paggalang sa pambansang watawat at pambansang awit Pamilya Paaralan Pamayanan Bansa ? Pagkilala sa sarili bilang kabahagi ng pamilya ? Pagkilala sa sarili bilang kabahagi ng paaralan ? Pagkilala sa sarili bilang kabahagi ng pamayanan ? Pagkilala sa sarili bilang kabahagi ng bansa †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Domains: HEALTH, WELL-BEING AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT Strand Content Standards Physical Education and Health The learner†¦ Health ? acquires and practice sound health habits ? acquires attitudes, knowledge, and skills about physical activity for maintaining physically fit lifestyles Safety ? identifies and practices appropriate K to 12 Curriculum Guide Science – version as of January 31, 2012 Performance Standards The learner†¦ †¢ demonstrates health habits that keep their bodies clean and sanitary. †¢ shows sufficient energy to participate in daily activities (Physical Fitness) †¢ demonstrate safety practices at home, in school, at the playground and 15 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN safety procedures ? demonstrates fundamental gross motor skills properly †¢ †¢ †¢ ? Demonstrates competence in various fine motor skills ? demonstrates sensory perceptual skills †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ the neighborhood. demonstrates locomotor skills such as walking, running, skipping, jumping climbing correctly demonstrates non-locomotor skills such as pushing, pulling, turning, swaying, bending correctly. demonstrates receptive and projective (manipulative) skills such throwing, catching, kicking correctly demonstrates fine motor skills such as cutting, writing, drawing, using spoon and fork correctly demonstrates awareness of the position and movement of one’s body. (Body awareness) demonstrates visual discrimination skills like, identifying same and different, missing parts, which does not belong (Visual Discrimination) creates representations like shapes, letters, pictures (Form perception representations) Physical Education Sensory-perceptual Domains: CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT Strand Discovery Content Standards The learner†¦ ? appreciates the beauty of nature Exposure ? appreciates the different art forms (music, dance, drama and visual arts) ? evaluates music, dance, drama and visual arts ?uses a variety of materials, tools, techniques and processes in the arts (music, dance, drama and visual art) Performance Standards The learner†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ observes things and occurrences in nature shows interest in examining various things found in nature identifies the various art forms demonstrates interest and enjoyment in viewing, and listening to artistic performances and works of art chooses music, dance, drama and visual art that they prefer describes the characteristics of music, dance, drama and visual art that they prefer participates in the creation of music, dance, drama and visual art creates visual arts using different materials creates rhythm responds to different beat, pitch, melody, dynamics, tempo, mood, dynamics using creative movement role plays a story. Evaluation Production K to 12 Curriculum Guide Science – version as of January 31, 2012 16 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN Domains : LANGUAGES DEVELOPMENT Strand Listening and Viewing Content Standards The learner†¦ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? discriminates sounds listens for directions listens to stories expresses oneself asks and answers questions shares information tells stories gives directions analyzes meaning sounds (Phonemic Awareness) Performance Standards The learner†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ distinguishes different types of sounds follows simple directions comprehends simple and familiar stories increases his/her vocabulary for describing things and expressing ones feelings answers and responds to questions accordingly increases his/her vocabulary in sharing information narrates simple and familiar stories gives simple directions Identifies and distinguishes sounds distinguishes vowel and consonant sounds blends and segments words blends and segments words matches letters to their sounds (and vice versa) recognizes and names all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Decodes basic sight words identifies common words understands that printed materials provide information reads using correct directionality reads using proper intonation analyzes and comprehends simple narrative analyzes and comprehends simple information/factual texts writes words and phrases using a mix of invented and conventional spelling writes words and phrases using manuscript form composes own stories with a clear beginning, middle and end composes own stories using pictures composes informational/factual texts using own words composes information/factual texts using illustrations Speaking Reading ? decodes words ? Demonstrates book knowledge and print awareness ? comprehends simple texts Writing ? writes using the correct mechanics ? writes narrative and informational/ factual texts K to 12 Curriculum Guide Science – version as of January 31, 2012 17 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN Domains : COGNITIVE / INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT Strand MATHEMATICS Number Sense of Whole Numbers Content Standards The learner†¦ ? begins to understand the relationship between numbers and quantities up to 10. ? begins to understand, to describe simple addition and subtraction, and to use them to solve problems. The learner†¦ †¢ recognizes sets of objects up to 10 †¢ compares two or more sets of objects up to 10 †¢ recognizes, represents, matches, names, reads, counts, and writes whole numbers up to 10 †¢ compares and orders whole numbers up to 10 †¢ uses the words â€Å"put together,† add to,† and â€Å"plus† to understand the concept of addition †¢ uses the words â€Å"take away† and â€Å"minus† to understand the concept of subtraction †¢ uses manipulative to explore the concepts of addition and subtraction with sums or differences between 0 to 10 †¢ uses concrete objects to determine answers to addition and subtraction problems †¢ divides a whole into two or four equal parts. †¢ explores the environment to observe, identify, describe, and compare 2- to 3- dimensional objects †¢ compares shapes, sizes, and positions of 2- to 3-dimensional objects †¢ uses manipulative to create 2- to 3-dimensional objects †¢ observes sunrise and sunset to tell the time of the day (morning, noontime, evening) †¢ tells the number of days in a week and the months in a year †¢ measures and compares the length, mass, and capacity of familiar objects using non-standard units †¢ participates actively in gathering information about objects or events in their environment. †¢ makes a graph or chart based on the information gathered †¢ answer questions about the graph or chart Performance Standards Operations of Whole Numbers Number Sense of Fractions Geometry Measurement? understands the concept of dividing wholes into equal parts. ? begins to identify the common 2- to 3dimensional objects in the environment and describes their shapes, sizes, and positions. ? understands the concept of time, length, mass and capacity and the nonstandard units to ? Measures them. ? starts to make a graph or chart based on the information gathered about objects or events in their environment. Statistics K to 12 Curriculum Guide Science – version as of January 31, 2012 18 K TO 12 – KINDERGARTEN Strand SCIENCE Content Standards The learner†¦ The learner†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ Performance Standards Scientific Thinking and Practice †¢ understands the processes of scientific investigations uses observation and questioning skills in the science inquiry asks and answers questions about surroundings and share findings with classmates records observations and data with pictures, numbers and/or symbols People, Animals and Plants. Knows the similarities and differences of living things knows that living things are made up of parts that have specific functions knows the changes in living things over time †¢ Earth (Weather) †¢ knows that weather changes and that it affects people People †¢ identifies the similarities and differences of people †¢ identifies the body parts of living things and its specific functions †¢ identifies the five senses and how they are used †¢ uses the senses to observe surroundings and classifying objects observed.