Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The election of Federico Peña Essay Example for Free

The election of Federico Peà ±a Essay Both the election of Federico Peà ±a as Denver City Mayor in 1983 and the campaign of Victor Morales for US Senate in 1996 were considered as historic firsts: Peà ±a was among the first Hispanics to be elected as mayor of a major US city; while it was also the first time that the senatorial candidate of a major political party in Texas was of Hispanic origin, in the case of Morales. Apparently, these two cases have given renewed interest on the study of participation of minorities in a pluralist democracy, such as in this case, the Hispanics in the US electoral exercises. Not only that Hispanics seldom ran for elected office, it was also the general observation that they were less politically active and were also reluctant to exercise their rights to vote as seen in the pattern of low voter turnouts across the US.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the case of Peà ±a was historic not only because it was the first time that Denver had a Mexican American mayor, but also because of the record turnout in 1983. Peà ±a, as well as Morales, actively attempted to increase minority, particularly Hispanic voter turnout. To his credit, the high turnout which favored Peà ±a’s campaign did not consist solely of Mexican Americans, because he was able to build a liberal coalition of minorities which did not only include the ethnic and racial minorities but also cut across different socio-economic classes and interest groups. Morales, on the other hand relied heavily on the large Hispanic population in Texas. Even if the Morales campaign was able to encourage Hispanics to register – also at a record-high – only 45.4% of the registered Hispanic voters actually voted. Morales’ failure to lure more Hispanics to vote, compounded by his lack of appeal to the Anglo voters due to his disparaging racial remarks, resulted in his loss, albeit with a slim margin, to the incumbent re-electionist senator. On his part, Peà ±a was able to avoid a campaign divided on racial lines because his being active in Mexican American civic organizations and his stint as a legislator helped him project support to minority concerns without necessarily delving on racial issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As such, experience had increased the quality of Peà ±a as a candidate, in contrast to Morales. Peà ±a is a lawyer and was a member of the state House of Representatives before he ran for the mayoralty race; while Morales, who is a public school teacher, only had his formal political experience when he became city councilman and a Democratic Party precinct chairman. Political experience had also tremendous impact on their organizational and coalition-building skills. Although they both operated their campaigns on relatively limited funds, Peà ±a in 1983, was able to use his strong ties with the labor sector, neighborhood organizations, environmentalists, young professionals and other sectors, and was able to come-up with a dynamic, well-organized campaign supported by endorsements of important societal groups, his clear positions on issues, and a large number of able volunteers. Wide knowledge on different issues also worked to Peà ±a’s advantage; while the lack of it had been a discredit to Morales, especially as it was also one of the reasons why he was not able to establish sustainable rapport with the free media. Moreover, Morales had not been a member of any local Mexican American organization which could have provided him with the necessary grassroots or volunteer support and fund-raising skills. Morales even shunned the Hispanic political elites when he missed a meeting of state Hispanic elected officials a very influential group who could have given him all-out support only because he is Hispanic. Morales also had poor organizational skills as his campaign was described to be supported by inexperienced and underfinanced staff that could not even return calls or answer simple questions about their candidate’s campaign, mainly due to insistence of Morales to decide on almost every matter. The lack of funds had also wasted a lot of campaign time for Morales who insisted on traveling in his truck instead of by plane to his campaign appearances in different locations in Texas. This and his reliance on volunteers, made him resort to the inexpensive but time- and energy-consuming â€Å"block walking† in his campaigns. The ordeal of walking or traveling on truck around a large US State, however, was not present in Peà ±a’s bid for city mayor; although like Morales, Peà ±a also preferred open and face-to-face interaction, as in the latter’s â€Å"town meetings†, which he often held when he was elected as mayor of Denver City. Morales’ difficulty in funding could also be attributed to his fund-raising principles. For one, he did not accept contributions from business political action committees or entities associated with the tobacco companies. He also believed that his amazing win in the Democratic primaries, wherein he spent only $15,000, would carry him through the state elections. He also probably expected the Democratic Party to fund his campaign, which in turn, did not support him because it did not believe that he stood a chance against the incumbent Senator who had been in the position for 12 years and was supported by a campaign machinery that was at least six times bigger than his. Morales should have accepted the importance of money in a state-wide campaign and realized that he could not run a city campaign headquarters with just $200 (his monthly budget allocation for his Houston office). Lastly, even if the Democratic Party did not support Morales’ campaign financially, his nomination helped him obtain the Democratic votes, which contributed to his close bid in the senatorial race, despite the apparent Republican character of the Texas state at that time. Denver’s mayoralty race in 1983, was however, nonpartisan because Peà ±a’s strong contenders were also democrats, His party membership only mattered in 1987 when he ran for re-election against a Republican candidate, to which he almost lost because many of his constituents were already disappointed for his failure to make Denver a â€Å"great city† after his first term, and because Peà ±a could not focus on specific minority concerns since he was constrained to form effective governing coalitions. Ironically, Morales’ campaign became a legacy not only because of his unquestioned status as an outsider in the political game, but also because he was overcame only by a slight majority even if he had to battle all the odds during his unusual campaign.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

No Magic in William Shakespeare’s Words Essay -- Biography Biographies

No Magic in Shakespeare’s Words A good work of fiction is greater than the sum of words the author invested in it. Shakespeare is a "great" playwright because his plays bear the load of much speculation and creativity from all its interpreters, not because he thought of every possible last detail and symbol and elucidated it clearly. The collaborative flexibility of a play is especially valuable to plays that predate the emphasis on originality and copyright that became more important to writing in the 18th century as authors like Coleridge and the other Romantics began to extol the virtues of imagination and personal creativity. In Shakespeare’s time, one’s work was not one’s own. When a work was sold to a publisher, it belonged to the publisher to be edited and altered how he chose. When writing for a theatre, like Shakespeare, the play was fair game for anyone in the company to edit and "fix." An acting company bought the play just as a publisher would. Plays were also frequently written in teams for speed, since in the late 1580’s and early 1590’s when Shakespeare was starting out, the canon of English drama was less than a decade old, all plays were premiere plays, with new ones being introduced every fortnight. Alterations were made constantly, as overworked actors added or transposed lines from others of the twenty roles they were performing at the same time, scenes were added to allow time for costume changes, or the censors required line or plot changes. The author, or one of the authors who each had written an act or parceled out scenes from the outlines play, or perhaps one of the actors or another playwright was on hand during the rehearsal process to make emendations to the play. The second half of Sha... ... This way, Shakespeare can remain our cultural hero, and what doesn’t work need not be completely cut, but is understood as the detritus of the time period in which he lived remaining in the work. Thus, "it is not so much that Shakespeare appears as a part of Elizabethan culture, but rather that Elizabethan culture appears as a part of Shakespeare"(Shepherd and Womack, 92). Theatre is collaborative in the extreme, and modern attitudes about authorship and originality cannot change that fact. Thus, it is not Shakespeare that preserves Shakespeare’s works as the English language’s greatest works; it is the people that continue to produce his plays. No matter how the work is performed, cut, altered, updated, this is what keeps Shakespeare alive. There is no magic in Shakespeare’s words that his readers did not bestow on it. We create or break a work’s greatness.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Research Paper: Marjane Satrapi Essay

Beset with the unthinkable, the Islamic Revolution defines turbulent times for many Iranians (Tehran). Numerous females including Satrapi were robbed of their social rights due to westernizing and secular efforts (Tehran). In turn, the Islamic Revolution undermined the younger Satrapi’s ability to come to terms with her own identity; nevertheless, she now writes to share her experience with oppression and her later journey towards cultural integration. It is a historical dispute that woman did not have their share of say in the revolutionaries’ political agenda (Mouri). In the months following the Revolution, obligatory hijabs were decreed (Mouri). Girls of every age rank were forced to wear a veil. Several active Iranian female revolutionists discharged into the street protesting what soon became the law of the land. Their male comrades did not offer support believing that the time was not appropriate. Instead, they simply encouraged solidarity with the new government in order to display a united front before their international enemies (Kar). Consequently, wearing hijab became mandatory, and the lack of it was disciplinary (Kar). Satrapi was 10 at the time, experiencing her first instances of Iran’s social and political transformations. (Kutschera). The compulsory hijab eventually assumed a government-sponsored and aggressive position (Kar). Various female and liberal minded organizations were marginalized and strip ped of their supremacy. The regime suppressed these crowds through methods such as coercion, enticements, deportation, and brutal force. Years later, Satrapi was spared the oppression of an Islamic regime at the peak of its worst (Leith). Her lack of unwavering obedience and expressive nature would have caused her immense trouble with government. Thus, afraid she’d be a victim of the regime’s repression and prejudice, her parents sent her to Vienna (Kutschera). Unfortunately, she was challenged with preconceived notions held by Europeans (Leith). While attending a boarding school ran by nuns, Marjane was expelled for calling the chief mother a prostitute when she claimed that Iranians were â€Å"uneducated† (Hattenstone). Marjane’s life eventually plummeted leading her to homelessness, bronchitis, and drug abuse (Hattenstone). Defeated, she escaped the havoc by returning home, ultimately surrendering herself to the lifestyle she once rejected (Hattenstone). Unfortunately, the hijab and restricted style options weren’t Satrapi’s mere concern. Upon her arrival home, Satrapi dealt with more prejudice than she had originally anticipated. She was known as the Western Iranian, which made her cultural transition in Iran especially difficult. Her later diagnosis with depression fostered even more mayhem within her life resulting in suicidal attempts. Her early 20’s were indeed tempestuous times as she struggled to establish and integrate herself into foreign customs. The end of the Islamic Revolution didn’t necessarily mean that the essence of corruption and repression were eradicated. In fact, the bitterness lingered for another 30 years shaping a void for many Iranian women. The marriage age for females was lowered to nine, and they lacked the rights to obtain divorce. Meanwhile, their male counterparts were able to assume full custody of their children, obtain unilateral divorce, and have as many wives as they desired. In all, females received a lot of harsh treatment if they failed abide by the restrictive nature of Islamic rule. For a female foreigner like Satrapi, simply bearing a different style of clothing or thought was enough to galvanize unwanted attention. It was remarkably problematic having to assimilate into a culture she had to escape from in the first place. In the end, Satrapi realized that although Iran is her home, the social oppression outweighed that one factor. She eventually returned to Europe to pursue an art degree and take on the next chapter of her life, Persepolis. Persepolis was written in efforts to share her experience regarding the Islamic regime. It is often a misconception that Iranians were religious fanatics versus being traditional, and for that, Satrapi wrote to bring light and understanding into the situation. She wanted to clarify that what people saw in the news didn’t bear the whole picture. Her other renowned writing projects such as Chickens and Plums and Persepolis II also entail political elements along with personal experiences. It is ultimately her way of preserving an evolutionary truth that could have succumbed had she not taken the time to share. Consequently, Satrapi’s story is now one of the most popular books known for embodying a realistic coming of age story during the Islamic Revolution. She undertakes a realistic portrayal of how private life and public life can be drastically assailed by political upheaval.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Amyloplast Definition and Function

An amyloplast is an organelle found in plant cells. Amyloplasts are plastids that produce and store starch within internal membrane compartments. They are commonly found in vegetative plant tissues, such as tubers (potatoes) and bulbs. Amyloplasts are also thought to be involved in gravity sensing (gravitropism) and helping plant roots grow in a downward direction. Key Takeaways: Amyloplast and Other Plastids Plastids are plant organelles that function in nutrient synthesis and storage. These double-membrane, cytoplasmic structures have their own DNA and replicate independently of the cell.Plastids develop from immature cells called proplastids that mature into chloroplasts, chromoplasts, gerontoplasts, and leucoplasts.Amyloplasts are leucoplasts that function mainly in starch storage. They are colorless and found in plant tissues that do not undergo photosynthesis (roots and seeds).Amyloplasts synthesize transitory starch which is stored temporarily in chloroplasts and used for energy. Chloroplasts are the sites of photosynthesis and energy production in plants.Amyloplasts also help to orient root growth downward toward the direction of gravity. Amyloplasts are derived from a group of plastids known as leucoplasts. Leucoplasts have no pigmentation and appear colorless. Several other types of plastids are found within plant cells including chloroplasts (sites of photosynthesis), chromoplasts (produce plant pigments), and gerontoplasts (degraded chloroplasts). Types of Plastids This image of vertical section of a leaf was taken with a scanning electron microscope. Chloroplasts (green plastids responsible for photosynthesis) and other organelles are seen inside the cells. Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd./Corbis Documentary/Getty Images Plastids are organelles that function primarily in nutrient synthesis and storage of biological molecules. While there are different types of plastids specialized to fill specific roles, plastids share some common characteristics. They are located in the cell cytoplasm and are surrounded by a double lipid membrane. Plastids also have their own DNA and can replicate independently from the rest of the cell. Some plastids contain pigments and are colorful, while others lack pigments and are colorless. Plastids develop from immature, undifferentiated cells called proplastids. Proplastids mature into four types of specialized plastids: chloroplasts, chromoplasts, gerontoplasts, and leucoplasts. Chloroplasts: These green plastids are responsible for photosynthesis and energy production through glucose synthesis. They contain chlorophyll, a green pigment that absorbs light energy. Chloroplasts are commonly found in specialized cells called guard cells located in plant leaves and stems. Guard cells open and close tiny pores called stomata to allow for gas exchange required for photosynthesis.Chromoplasts: These colorful plastids are responsible for cartenoid pigment production and storage. Carotenoids produce red, yellow, and orange pigments. Chromoplasts are primarily located in ripened fruit, flowers, roots, and leaves of angiosperms. They are responsible for tissue coloration in plants, which serves to attract pollinators. Some chloroplasts found in unripened fruit convert to chromoplasts as the fruit matures. This change of color from green to a carotenoid color indicates that the fruit is ripe. Leaf color change in fall is due to loss of the green pigment chlorophyll, whi ch reveals the underlying carotenoid coloration of the leaves. Amyloplasts can also be converted to chromoplasts by first transitioning to amylochromoplasts (plastids containing starch and carotenoids) and then to chromoplasts.Gerontoplasts: These plastids develop from the degradation of chloroplasts, which occurs when plant cells die. In the process, chlorophyll is broken down in chloroplasts leaving only cartotenoid pigments in the resulting gerontoplast cells.Leucoplasts: These plastids lack color and function to store nutrients. Leucoplast Plastids This false-color transmission electron micrograph shows an amyloplast (large central body), a starch- containing plastid, found in a cell from the root cap of an onion. Amyloplasts contain large quantities of starch (blue globules). Dr. Jeremy Burgess/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Leucoplasts are typically found in tissues that dont undergo photosynthesis, such as roots and seeds. Types of leucoplasts include: Amyloplasts: These leucoplasts convert glucose to starch for storage. The starch is stored as granules in amyloplasts of tubers, seeds, stems, and fruit. The dense starch grains cause amyloplasts to sediment in plant tissue in response to gravity. This induces growth in a downward direction. Amyloplasts also synthesize transitory starch. This type of starch is stored temporarily in chloroplasts to be broken down and used for energy at night when photosynthesis does not occur. Transitory starch is found primarily in tissues where photosynthesis occurs, such as leaves.Elaioplasts: These leucoplasts synthesize fatty acids and store oils in lipid-filled microcompartments called plastoglobuli. They are important to the proper development of pollen grains.Etioplasts: These light-deprived chloroplasts do not contain chlorophyll but have the precursor pigment for chlorophyll production. Once exposed to light, chlorophyll production occurs and etioplasts are converted to chloroplasts.Proteino plasts: Also called aleuroplasts, these leucoplasts store protein and are often found in seeds. Amyloplast Development This image shows starch grains (green) in the parenchyma of a Clematis sp. plant. Starch is synthesized from the carbohydrate sucrose, a sugar produced by the plant during photosynthesis, and used as a source of energy. It is stored as grains in structures called amyloplasts (yellow). Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Amyloplasts are responsible for all starch synthesis in plants. They are found in plant parenchyma tissue which composes the outer and inner layers of stems and roots; the middle layer of leaves; and the soft tissue in fruits. Amyloplasts develop from proplastids and divide by the process of binary fission. Maturing amyloplasts develop internal membranes which create compartments for the storage of starch. Starch is a polymer of glucose that exists in two forms: amylopectin and amylose. Starch granules are composed of both amylopectin and amylose molecules arranged in a highly organized fashion. The size and number of starch grains contained within amyloplasts varies based on the plant species. Some contain a single spherical shaped grain, while others contain multiple small grains. The size of the amyloplast itself depends on the amount of starch being stored. Sources Horner, H. T., et al. Amyloplast to Chromoplast Conversion in Developing Ornamental Tobacco Floral Nectaries Provides Sugar for Nectar and Antioxidants for Protection. American Journal of Botany 94.1 (2007). 12–24.Weise, Sean E., et al. The Role of Transitory Starch in C3, CAM, and C4 Metabolism and Opportunities for Engineering Leaf Starch Accumulation. Journal of Experimental Botany 62.9 (2011). 3109––3118., .

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Relating Race to the Top with my Personal Philosophy of Education - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2375 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Education Essay Level High school Tags: Philosophy Of Education Essay Did you like this example? In 2009, under the direction of President Barack Obama, the United States Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As a part of this act, a competitive grant fund was established for individual states. This Race to the Top (RttP) grant fund was to be used to implement or improve public schools in four key areas. These included: Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy, Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction, Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most, and Turning around our lowest-achieving schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). The Current Purpose and Motivations of American Education Data has shown over several years that there is an extensive achievement gap in our nations public school system between Caucasian students and non-Caucasian students. In a time when we not only have to compete for jobs and industry nationally but also internationally, this fact that a good percentage of U.S. youth are not leaving high school ready for college or sustainable employment is a real threat to our nations future. In healthcare, nursing students are taught that even upon admission to the facility, the end goal of discharging the patient is always to be kept in the forefront of any healthcare decisions. American educational systems have the same theory that the end goal is always at the forefront. Even from preschool, the goal of education is to develop skills that will make our students successful, not only in their future school years, but also as functioning adult contributors to the well-being of America. This is evident with programs such as Race to the Top which aims to give each and every student, no matter where in America, or which school district they live in, the opportunity to have the teachers, curriculum, support, and education that will ensure their future success in life. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Relating Race to the Top with my Personal Philosophy of Education" essay for you Create order Twenty-first century Americans are no longer simply affecting each other. With the instantaneous nature of technology, the competition for trade partners, corporations that are internationally based, and the race to be the first to develop new technologies and solutions, Americans in this day and age must be prepared to compete with each other and their international counterparts. Prior to the Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States was in a bubble. The Industrial Revolution had brought our country into the realm of international trade and competition, but the reality of that competition hit home for the average citizen when Sputnik was launched. In each and every decade since then, new skills and competencies have been stressed for students and adults to support our nations viability as an international powerhouse. We must develop adults who can think through a problem and provide multiple creative solutions. Technology has become the cornerstone of current societ y; Americans must understand how technology works, how it can be implemented, and what new solutions could be developed to augment current technologies. What is most troubling to me is that children must have a solid understanding of basic reading, math, and writing to move forward into the skills and knowledge that higher level competencies require. Those basic skills must become second nature to a child before he can comprehend, debate, support, analyze, evaluate, manipulate, or create new information, skill sets, and proficiencies. If we fail at making sure those foundations are strong, we are setting up our students to fail in school. Instructional Methods and Curriculum There is no one instructional methodology or curriculum that can be used by every teacher in every classroom that would meet the needs of every student. Children come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, home lives, situations, and learning styles. What is suitable for one group of children may not work at all with another group, even within one classroom. The challenge for educators is to find and implement a curriculum that is suitable for their demographics. The same can be said of student assessment. We cannot assess urban kids using analogies about farm animals, just as we cannot assess rural students using urban situations. Should our students be exposed to these situations? Absolutely. My husband often says, You can lead a horse to water, but that doesnt make it a duck. He says it in jest, but it really rings true in education. We can expose our students to so many situations and concepts, but the reality is that we must make our teaching and assessments real-world for our students. Therefore, I reiterate that there is no one instructional methodology or curriculum that can be used by every teacher in every classroom that would meet the needs of every student. The Utopian Classrooom In a perfect world, every student would enter the classroom with the same skillset, knowledge, and understanding. In my first grade classroom, that would mean that each student would walk through my door on August 15th knowing the names of all the letters in the alphabet and the sounds each one makes and be able to count, read, and write numbers 0-100. They would each be able to tie their own shoes, write with the correct handwriting strokes, and speak in complete sentences. Every child would go home to a loving home where there is a parent who will sit next to him, read to him, feed him a healthy supper that night and breakfast the next morning, insist that he brush his teeth and take a bath. Unfortunately, we all know that is not the case. There is no utopia. Race to the Top tries to alleviate some of the school based inequalities students encounter. It attempts to ensure that all schools have an entire staff full of teachers who care and put in the effort to maintain their own skills so they can challenge and support their students. It attempts to provide an opportunity for all schools to have guiding standards and assessments which educators can use to structure lessons and concepts around. RttP attempts to provide incentives for all schools to be able to track and assess individual student data so that educators can further adjust lessons and concepts to bring students to mastery. In theory, by providing incentives to schools to implement all of those reforms, then Americas lowest performing schools will not be so low performing any longer. In theory, then all students at all schools would have the same basic skills and competencies to ensure their success in college and the workforce. It sounds like a wonderful idea. The proble m is, who funds these reforms? North Carolina received a Race to the Top grant and implemented all of the reforms. Their schools and students made progress. However, at the end of the grant program, many jobs that had been created to implement the reforms were cut due to lost funding. Now, the state is struggling to make the reforms permanent because the reduced money and staff arent able to support the schools that need the reforms the most (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015. p. 21). Measuring Student Growth I teach in a small rural school. Our town has a population of 1,360 and our schools K-12 enrollment is about 250 students. We use the Northwest Education Associations (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments three times per year to assess student proficiency and growth. I find this very useful data as it breaks it down into subsections and shows me exactly what concepts each student is struggling or excelling with. However, the MAP data is not a complete picture of my students growth throughout the school year. I also use formative data with each lesson and throughout the year. There are so many things that students do and achieve throughout their ten months with me that cannot be assessed on a standardized test. While I do compare each of my students MAP results with our district-wide results and the MAP national norms, I also use their daily work to measure growth and proficiency. One of the questions you have posed to us is whether or not international benchm arking would be useful. I am conflicted here. While I think it would be interesting to know what students in other countries who are the same age as my students are learning in their classroom, I dont think that we could use benchmarks to compare my six year olds to the six year olds in Spain, for example. However, I do think that those who create education policy in our country should look to other countries for guidance. If we are in such dire straits and our students are so far behind students in other countries, then logically, we should look to what those other countries are doing for their children. In fact, an article in the journal Gifted Child Today (Spring, 2010, p. 7) summarized research done by Ginsburg, et.al. where it was found that the Asian countries of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Korea do use an international standard for mathematics. All of these countries students are very high-performing in math. It may serve our students well to formulate math standards, sc ope, and sequence to emulate the practices of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Korea. We instruct our students to watch the teacher model the correct way to do, write, solve, and create every day in our classrooms. American policymakers should be instructed to do the same. Advantages and Limitations of the National Priorities of Education It goes without saying that as educators, we all want our students to succeed in school and in life. As citizens of the United States, we want to be safe in the knowledge that we will be globally competitive to sustain the economy and level of comfort that we are used to as Americans. As human beings, we all want to know that we will be taken care of in our old age. The accomplishment of all of this begins with assuring that our children receive the education they need and deserve in order to be fully functional, successful, forward-thinking, productive members of the society of the future. The major advantage of our national priority of ensuring success for every student is that national and state policymakers, governmental agencies, district level administrators, teachers, and the public all should know in what direction education is going and how we are going to achieve our goals for children. Achieving national priorities is difficult, however, because all of the programs co st money to implement. How to acquire funding is a major national debate. Should local school districts be allowed to raise their levies so that more property tax is paid? Should the funding come from the state level with funds from gambling institutions, higher income taxes, or sales taxes? Or should funds be allocated by the national government to states to distribute to local school districts? According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2018), public investment in education has stalled since the beginning of the century (p. 94) in the United States. Somehow, national, state, and local leaders must find ways to properly fund schools so that our students can be globally competitive. My Philosophy of Education I have always known that each and every child can learn something every day in my classroom. It may not be the same thing that her neighbor learned, but she will learn something every day. I believe that America needs to be reminded of child development. What was second grade material thirty years ago is now being taught in kindergarten. I dont believe that just because something is taught to a child, they will be able to learn it. Their brains are still forming; young children are not developmentally ready for all that we are throwing at them. In the countries of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Korea, mathematical content is taught to students in a progression of skills. New skills are not taught until previous skills are mastered. This allows for an adjustment of the grade placement of content to fit the learning pace of individual students within a common standards framework (Gifted Child Today, 2010). I agree with what Race to the Top was attempting to do. I believe in the idea of n ational standards of education so that all children are definitely taught what they need to know and be able to do by the time they are ready to enter the workforce. I dont think it is possible to be an effective teacher without tracking assessment data to inform my teaching. Effective collaborative data systems are the only way to gauge how we are doing as we are preparing our students for the future. I wholeheartedly believe that every child deserves a highly qualified, effective teacher to lead and prepare him for the future. I believe that if every school everywhere was able to implement the first three of the Race to the Top reforms, there would be no need for the fourth reform, turning around low performing schools, because there would be no low performing schools. My personal education philosophy is that every child who enters my classroom will learn and their knowledge and skill sets will grow. They will feel safe, loved, and smart. I strive every day to fulfill the Race to the Top goals. I correlate my lessons to our Nebraska State Standards and try to teach so that each and every child achieves mastery. Does mastery always happen for every student? No, but I keep trying. I use assessment data to guide my lesson planning and individual instruction. I try to be the best teacher I can be for my students every day, because that is what they deserve. References International benchmarks in mathematics. (2010). Gifted Child Today, 33(2), 7. Retrieved from https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ace.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/203257921?accountid=31683 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (2015). North Carolina Race to the Top Closeout Report. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/state-reported-sharing/ncexsumm.pdf OECD (2017). Economic Surveys UNITED STATES. 2018(14). OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved from https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-united-states- 2018_eco_surveys-usa-2018-en U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Race to the Top Fund. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Help for Sufferers of Discrimination and Harassment in the...

Civil Rights Act of 1991 Once upon a time our great nation was not so great. Blacks and women of every race did not have rights like we do now. They were not allowed to vote, work and get paid for equal work. Blacks and whites were separated, they were not allowed to do or go anywhere there was a white establishment. There were many protests at this time in our history and many people were hurt and/or died during political demonstrations. An epic moment in time was when John F. Kennedy brought forth the idea to pass an act that would protect all people from discrimination of gender, race, color, national origin and religion. It was a dark time to be a woman or black citizen in our nation. Thus the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.†¦show more content†¦In order to get compensation from a company for harassment you must have been employed with the company for at least 20 days or more, and depending on how many employees a company has is how much compensation they will receive (Bohlander, G.W., Sne ll, S. (2010). The Civil Rights Act of 1991 was amended so that employee that are victims of sexual harassment, are compensated for the damage, whether physical or physiological will receive money for their pain. The act also covers employee that are intentionally discriminated against. However this act has limitations like any law. If a company has 14 to 100 employees the compensation would be $50,000, for a company that has 100 to 200 employees that amount would be $100,000 and if a company has over 500 employees the amount would be $300,000. 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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Foundational Mangement

Question: What is the Foundational Management ? Answer : Introduction A classroom is a place where individuals are prepared to be futures great achievers. It is the responsibility of the teachers to exploit the potential of the students and shape their personality by giving them an effective learning environment. But the major challenge to an effective teaching experience is the disruptive behavior of students who not only by their actions and behavior hinder their own self learning experience but also of the whole class. Operant conditioning theory provides effective techniques to handle such behavior through the use of reinforcement and punishment. In the below described essay the focus is done on thesis statement, Positive reinforcement is very important to encourage favorable classroom behavior through the use of verbal praising and rewards, but in certain context punishment been seen as the effective remedy to control negative classroom behavior. Classroom Behavior of Primary school students It is quite common for teachers to witness behavior in the class that may be challenging for them and can affect the learning environment. There are various kinds of challenging behavior identified among primary school students. Withdrawn behavior: Withdrawn behavior refers to behavior among students to avoid involvement in the classroom activity. They either dont want to participate in learning experience or they feel that they dont belong here. There can be several reasons for such withdrawn behavior. The student is may be of shy in nature and isolates themselves from the rest of the class. Day dreaming is also a very common form of withdrawn behavior which though doesnt affect class learning but self-learning. Another reason can be the student is school phobic or they have witnessed a traumatic experience in school which often results in absenteeism and coming late to in the class (Sun Shek, 2012). Disruptive behavior: The disruptive behavior in the class can be seen as one of the most common type of student behavior that affect the teachers ability to teach and students ability to learn. It directly results in loss of teaching time, poor academic performance of the students who cause disruptions and other students also. It also results into low motivation among students to learn and engage in classroom activity (Vanderbilt University, 2016). The behavior includes talking or being out of own desk without permission, screaming in the class or refusing to follow instructions of teachers in the class. Violent and/or unsafe behavior: At times the behavior displayed by the students challenges the ability of the teachers to give the students a safe learning environment (University of Oregon, 2017). Their violent behavior often results into physical injuries to the other students. They not only harm the students but also can attack on the staff members. This type of generally includes verbal abusing, head banging, kicking, biting, involved in major fights with students , destroying school property or furnitures etc. Inappropriate social behaviors: Students in the primary classes are generally not aware about such kind of behavior. They dont really bother the other class fellows but as a teacher it is very important to make students aware about such socially unacceptable behavior. It includes engaging in inappropriate conversation with other students, stealing in the class, being over affectionate or attractive to the opposite sex. The age of primary school students is very vulnerable; exploring individuals sexuality is very common at this age. Children without realizing involved in touching each others private parts out of curiosity or masturbating. These issues should be handled by teachers carefully (Victoria State Government, 2016). This kind of primary classroom behavior results into an ineffective teaching experience on the part of teachers and ineffective learning experience on the part of the students. Teachers play a very active role in shaping the behavior of each and every student present in the class room. In order to ensure the academic growth of student, it is very important that they ensure each and every individual present in the class should become an active learner and it can only be possible by discouraging such disruptive behaviors and encouraging healthy learning practices. Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning theory also known as instrument conditioning was given by B.F. Skinner. It refers to a process of learning that focuses on modifying the behavior of individuals by the use of positive and negative reinforcement. The desirable behavior is rewarded and undesirable behavior is punished. There is a relationship forms between the behavior and consequences of individuals behavior. The major components of this theory are Reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement is mainly of two types: Positive and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement refers to praising or rewarding the individuals positive or desired behavior. This strengthens the possibility of such behavior in an individual in the future. The other type of reinforcement is the negative reinforcement which means removal of something unwanted or unacceptable for an individual after a favorable behavior seen in an individual. The main aim of both the type of reinforcement is to encourage a favorable outcome or performance in an individual. The second component of this theory is Punishment. Like the reinforcement, it is also of two types: positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive punishments are given to discourage the unacceptable behavior or outcome of any individuals actions. This usually includes negative or unfavorable situation for an individual. On the other hand negative reinforcement includes removal of something favorable for an individual after portrayal of unacceptable behavior of an individual (Stanic, 2015). The operand theory mainly works on a predefined notion that reinforcement given after the favorable outcomes will increase the possibility of occurrence of such behavior in the future. On the contrary punishing the actions and behavior of an individual will lower the probability of repeating such actions again in the future. Skinner classified two different type of behavior seen in an individual. The first one being respondent behavior that is occurs automatically or out of individuals reflex, they come naturally to an individual in certain situations (Domjan, 2003). The other behavior is operant behavior which is developed over a period of time and controlled and is directly related to an individuals learning process. There are certain strengths and weakness of this theory. Strengths: Implementing operant conditioning in an education institution can prove to be very effective to encourage effective learning environment. By rewarding and appreciating students, teachers can ensure participation from students. The approach of reinforcement and punishment is very practical and effective. By rewarding an individual behavior will ensure that it will occur again in the future and they will try to perform will in order to earn positive reinforcement. People know the difference in acceptable and non-acceptable behavior. Weaknesses The major weakness of this theory is that it only works in limited area or controlled environment. To discourage the unacceptable behavior punishment works as a demotivating factor and individual may repeat the action again. This theory does not take into account cognitive factors of an individual. Also in order to receive positive reinforcement, an individual may show temporary change in their behavior. Also, if an individual has been punished many times it will demotivate them. Skinner classified only good and bad behavior. Though the theory has many weaknesses but it is best suitable for an educational institutions. The components can be used effectively in order to encourage favorable behavior among students and discourage behavior that causes disruptions in teaching and learning experience. There other theories given by Kohlberg, Erikson, Piaget and Bandura. All these theories including the operant theory talks about the development of behavior in an individual. The operant theory believe that the an individual learns to adapt a behavior either through reinforcement or punishment but according to the theory given by Erikson in order to develop successfully an individual needs to go through the eight conflicts to receive a positive outcome (Fleming, 2004). Skinners theory focuses on changing the behavior of individual by reinforcements and punishment however Erikson believe that positive development behavior is done by passing through eight stages successfully. Another weakness of Skinners theory is the positive behavior is associated with reward, once the reward is gone in the above mentioned case the students may stop behaving in the desired manner. Theorist Bandura argued that an individual can learn a certain behavior even by observing others. Another weakness of Ski nners theory has been highlighted. He believed that an individual can only learn behavior through reinforcement but Bandura said learning is a cognitive process (Bandura, 1974). Piagets theory also mentioned this fact that a child or an individual understanding of the environment on their own, by using their sensory and motor skills (Ojose, 2008). There is no intervention of the teachers and parents whereas in operant theory there is high dependency on rewards and punishment. Another theory of development which was given by Kohlberg states that a child behavior is developed by the fear of punishment or a selfish desire to avert punishment but on the contrary Skinners theory argued that a behavior of an individual is affected by reinforcement and punishment but the positive reinforcement has a favorable impact on developing positive child behavior (Fleming, 2005). Strategies to manage challenging behavior of primary school students Teachers in order to maintain discipline of the class should only resort to giving punishment and they think that it is one of the most effective remedy too but it should not happen always. Operant conditioning theory encourages the use of reinforcement techniques to be applied in the classroom. The use of positive reinforcements in situations like when Jane is done with her teaching lessons, she can say Thank you for the attention class, in order to encourage the good listening skills among students and divert their attention from unproductive behavior. In case students ask any question, a teacher should encourage them by praising verbally (Walter Frei, 2007). To discourage withdrawn behavior among student, Jane should try to engage them in learning experience by giving them prizes, smiley stickers and appreciating them in front of the whole class. To discourage disruptive behavior, Jane should put a behavior chart on the bulletin board which will include the name of every student and for every good act done by a student she should put a sticker in front of their name (Oliver, 2007). This will encourage good behavior in those student also who disturb the class. There are certain extreme cases when punishment is also important to maintain the discipline of the class. In case of violent behavior of students, Jane should use negative punishment (INTO, n.d.). She may retain those students who exhibit violent behavior at the end of the school and make them do some small chores like arranging desk, watering plants or arranging books etc. But the punishment should not be too harsh as it will frustrate the students and she may lose scope of improvements of those students. To discourage inappropriate social behavior it is very important to make them realize that they are doing wrong and after that use reinforcement techniques. The use of rewards should be less as it will create a situation of dependency among students rather Jane should encourage verbally (Harns et a l., 2014). Conclusion From the overall discussion carried out in the essay, it has been found that in order to maintain discipline in the class and cope up with the challenging classroom behavior so as to provide a fruitful teaching and learning experience, the use of positive reinforcement and punishment has been justified. The operand conditioning theory works well in the educational institutions and provides effective measures to deal with classroom behavior issues. However it should also be noted that primary class students are young and at are not aware about the consequences of their behavior on their future. Jane as a teacher holds a great responsibility of a teaching them the acceptable and non-acceptable behavior through the use of reinforcement and punishment but the thing that should be kept in mind is that rewards and punishment technique should not encourage a temporary change but rather a permanent learning behavior. The operant theory faces strong limitations from other theories given by Pi aget, Erikson and Bandura but it covers the weaknesses of Kohlbergs theory. References Bandura, A. (1974). Behavior theory and the models of man. Psychologist today. Retrieved from https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura1974AP.pdf on 14 March 2017. Domjan, M. (2003). The Principles of Learning and Behavior, Fifth Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Fleming, S.J. (2004). Eriksons Psychosocial Developmental Stages. Retrieved from https://swppr.org/textbook/ch%209%20erikson.pdf on 14 March 2017. Fleming, S.J. (2005). Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan, and Others on Moral Development. Retrieved from https://swppr.org/Textbook/Ch%207%20Morality.pdf on 14 March 2017. Harms, T., Korpershoek, H., Boer, D.B., Kujik, V.M Doolaard, S. (2014). Effective classroom management strategies and classroom management programs for educational practice. Retrieved from https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/files/15665813/PDF_GION_rapport_Effective_Classroom_Management.pdf on 14 March 2017. INTO. (n.d.). Guidance on Managing Challenging Behaviour in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.into.ie/NI/INTOStudentCentre/StudentPublications/Guide_managing_challenging_behaviour.pdf on 14 March 2017. Ojose, B. (2008). Applying Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development to Mathematics Instruction. The mathematician educator. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ841568.pdf on 14 March 2017. Oliver, M.R. (2007). Effective classroom management: Teacher preparation and professional development. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543769.pdf on 14 March 2017. Stanic, I. (2015). An introduction to operant conditioning. Retrieved from https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/learningdesign/wp-content/uploads/sites/1178/2015/06/OperanteBook.pdf on 14 March 2017. Sun, C.F.R. Shek, L.T.D. (2012). Student Classroom Misbehavior: An Exploratory Study Based on Teachers' Perceptions. The Scientific World Journal. Retrieved from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2012/208907/ on 14 March 2017. University of Oregon. (2017). Disruptive and Threatening Students. Retrieved from https://counseling.uoregon.edu/Topics-Resources/Faculty-Staff/Disruptive-Threatening-Students on 14 March 2017. Vanderbilt University. (2016). Perspective and resources. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/beh1/cresource/q1/p01/ on 14 March 2017. Victoria State Government. (2016). Student Behaviour. Retrieved from https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/participation/Pages/studentbehaviour.aspx on 14 March 2017. Walters, J. Frei, S. (2007). Managing classroom behavior and discipline. Retrieved from https://www.peoriapublicschools.org/cms/lib2/IL01001530/Centricity/Domain/4528/Sample%203.pdf on 14 March 2017.