Discussion Board Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Board Questions - Assignment Example I therefore, believe that it will be self defeating for any proprietor to believe that it is the a customers responsibility to learn English, with it being a lingua franca. The customer is said to be a monarch in business. As such any proprietor who wants to succeed should come down to the level of the potential client and not vice-versa. Diversity in languages is vital as it gives the owners of the language a sense of belonging due to shared history and culture. Anthropology studies show that no language is superior to another. Accommodating other languages ideologies can also give a politician political mileage. This was evident in Barrack Obama’s 2012 presidential election victory where he garnered more votes in Florida, Nevada and Colorado states. These votes turned the tide in his favor. In a situation where individuals are forbidden to speak their native language it breeds resents. Personally I would be uncomfortable staying in such a nation or state. The disadvantage of diversity in languages is it can bread negative ethnicity where some languages are rendered insubordinate; this happens particularly where some groups form the minority. Such scenario hinder economic development due conspiracies propagated by different ethnic groups. If not well managed this may lead to civil strife. Stratification of ethnic groups occasioned by difference in language may lead to increased crime rates especially by the group that may feel shortchanged or marginalized economically (Schaefer, 2013). In my view Statehood for Native Puerto Rican residing in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico will greatly improve the life and economic status of the Puerto Ricans as the geographical restrictions and fiscal hindrances will be lessened. This will be beneficial more so because the number of them in America is higher than that in Puerto Rica. Independence will be more costly and as it

Lieducation in preliterate societies Essay Example for Free

Lieducation in preliterate societies Essay Education, History of, theories, methods, and administration of schools and other agencies of information from ancient times to the present. Education developed from the human struggle for survival and enlightenment. It may be formal or informal. Informal education refers to the general social process by which human beings acquire the knowledge and skills needed to function in their culture. Formal education refers to the process by which teachers instruct students in courses of study within institutions. Before the invention of reading and writing, people lived in an environment in which they struggled to survive against natural forces, animals, and other humans. To survive, preliterate people developed skills that grew into cultural and educational patterns. For a particular group’s culture to continue into the future, people had to transmit it, or pass it on, from adults to children. The earliest educational processes involved sharing information about gathering food and providing shelter; making weapons and other tools; learning language; and acquiring the values, behavior, and religious rites or practices of a given culture. Through direct, informal education, parents, elders, and priests taught children the skills and roles they would need as adults. These lessons eventually formed the moral codes that governed behavior. Since they lived before the invention of writing, preliterate people used an oral tradition, or story telling, to pass on their culture and history from one generation to the next. By using language, people learned to create and use symbols, words, or signs to express their ideas. When these symbols grew into pictographs and letters, human beings created a written language and made the great cultural leap to literacy. IIIEDUCATION IN ANCIENT AFRICA AND ASIA In ancient Egypt, which flourished from about 3000 BC to about 500 BC, priests in temple schools taught not only religion but also the principles of writing, the sciences, mathematics, and architecture. Similarly in India, priests conducted most of the formal education. Beginning in about 1200 BC Indian priests taught the principles of the Veda, the sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as science, grammar, and philosophy. Formal education in China dates to about 2000 BC, though it thrived particularly during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, from 770 to 256 BC (see China: The Eastern Zhou). The curriculum stressed philosophy, poetry, and religion, in accord with the teachings of Confucius, Laozi (Lao-tzu), and other philosophers. IVEDUCATION IN ANCIENT GREECE Historians have looked to ancient Greece as one of the origins of Western formal education. The Iliad and the Odyssey, epic poems attributed to Homer and written sometime in the 8th century BC, created a cultural tradition that gave the Greeks a sense of group identity. In their dramatic account of Greek struggles, Homer’s epics served important educational purposes. The legendary Greek warriors depicted in Homer’s work, such as Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Achilles, were heroes who served as models for the young Greeks. Ancient Greece was divided into small and often competing city-states, or poleis, such as Athens, Sparta, and Thebes. Athens emphasized a humane and democratic society and education, but only about one-third of the people in Athens were free citizens. Slaves and residents from other countries or city-states made up the rest of the population. Only the sons of free citizens attended school. The Athenians believed a free man should have a liberal education in order to perform his civic duties and for his own personal development. The education of women depended upon the customs of the particular Greek city-state. In Athens, where women had no legal or economic rights, most women did not attend school. Some girls, however, were educated at home by tutors. Slaves and other noncitizens had either no formal education or very little. Sparta, the chief political enemy of Athens, was a dictatorship that used education for military training and drill. In contrast to Athens, Spartan girls received more schooling but it was almost exclusively athletic training to prepare them to be healthy mothers of future Spartan soldiers. In the 400s BC, the Sophists, a group of wandering teachers, began to teach in Athens. The Sophists claimed that they could teach any subject or skill to anyone who wished to learn it. They specialized in teaching grammar, logic, and rhetoric, subjects that eventually formed the core of the liberal arts. The Sophists were more interested in preparing their students to argue persuasively and win  arguments than in teaching principles of truth and morality. Unlike the Sophists, the Greek philosopher Socrates sought to discover and teach universal principles of truth, beauty, and goodness. Socrates, who died in 399 BC, claimed that true knowledge existed within everyone and needed to be brought to consciousness. His educational method, called the Socratic method, consisted of asking probing questions that forced his students to think deeply about the meaning of life, truth, and justice. In 387 BC Plato, who had studied under Socrates, established a school in Athens called the Academy. Plato believed in an unchanging world of perfect ideas or universal concepts. He asserted that since true knowledge is the same in every place at every time, education, like truth, should be unchanging. Plato described his educational ideal in the Republic, one of the most notable works of Western philosophy. Plato’s Republic describes a model society, or republic, ruled by highly intelligent philosopher-kings. Warriors make up the republic’s second class of people. The lowest class, the workers, provide food and the other products for all the people of the republic. In Plato’s ideal educational system, each class would receive a different kind of instruction to prepare for their various roles in society. In 335 BC Plato’s student, Aristotle, founded his own school in Athens called the Lyceum. Believing that human beings are essentially rational, Aristotle thought people could discover natural laws that governed the universe and then follow these laws in their lives. He also concluded that educated people who used reason to make decisions would lead a life of moderation in which they avoided dangerous extremes. In the 4th century BC Greek orator Isocrates developed a method of education designed to prepare students to be competent orators who could serve as government officials. Isocrates’s students studied rhetoric, politics, ethics, and history. They examined model orations and practiced public speaking. Isocrates’s methods of education directly influenced such Roman educational theorists as Cicero and Quintilian. VEDUCATION IN ANCIENT ROME While the Greeks were developing their civilization in the areas surrounding the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Romans were gaining control of the Italian peninsula and areas of the western Mediterranean. The Greeks’ education focused on the study of philosophy. The Romans, on the other hand, were preoccupied with war, conquest, politics, and civil administration. As in Greece, only a minority of Romans attended school. Schooling was for those who had the money to pay tuition and the time to attend classes. While girls from wealthy families occasionally learned to read and write at home, boys attended a primary school, called aludus. In secondary schools boys studied Latin and Greek grammar taught by Greek slaves, called pedagogues. After primary and secondary school, wealthy young men often attended schools of rhetoric or oratory that prepared them to be leaders in government and administration. Cicero, a 1st century BC Roman senator, combined Greek and Roman ideas on how to educate orators in his book De Oratore. Like Isocrates, Cicero believed orators should be educated in liberal arts subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, and astronomy. He also asserted that they should study ethics, military science, natural science, geography, history, and law. Quintilian, an influential Roman educator who lived in the 1st century AD, wrote that education should be based on the stages of individual development from childhood to adulthood. Quintilian devised specific lessons for each stage. He also advised teachers to make their lessons suited to the student’s readiness and ability to learn new material. He urged teachers to motivate students by making learning interesting and attractive. VIANCIENT JEWISH EDUCATION Education among the Jewish people also had a profound influence on Western learning. The ancient Jews had great respect for the printed word and believed that God revealed truth to them in the Bible. Most information on ancient Jewish goals and methods of education comes from the Bible and the Talmud, a book of religious and civil law. Jewish religious leaders, known as rabbis, advised parents to teach their children religious beliefs, law, ethical practices, and vocational skills. Both boys and girls were introduced to religion by studying the Torah, the most sacred document of Judaism. Rabbis taught in schools within synagogues, places of worship and religious study. VIIMEDIEVAL EDUCATION During the Middle Ages, or the medieval period, which lasted roughly from the 5th to the 15th century, Western society and education were heavily shaped by Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. The Church operated parish, chapel, and monastery schools at the elementary level. Schools in monasteries and cathedrals offered secondary education. Much of the teaching in these schools was directed at learning Latin, the old Roman language used by the church in its ceremonies and teachings. The church provided some limited opportunities for the education of women in religious communities or convents. Convents had libraries and schools to help prepare nuns to follow the religious rules of their communities. Merchant and craft guilds also maintained some schools that provided basic education and training in specific crafts. Knights received training in military tactics and the code of chivalry. As in the Greek and Roman eras, only a minority of people went to school during the medieval period. Schools were attended primarily by persons planning to enter religious life such as priests, monks, or nuns. The vast majority of people were serfs who served as agricultural workers on the estates of feudal lords. The serfs, who did not attend school, were generally illiterate (see Serfdom). In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Arabic learning had a pronounced influence on Western education. From contact with Arab scholars in North Africa and Spain, Western educators learned new ways of thinking about mathematics, natural science, medicine, and philosophy. The Arabic number system was especially important, and became the foundation of Western arithmetic. Arab scholars also preserved and translated into Arabic the works of such influential Greek scholars as Aristotle, Euclid, Galen, and Ptolemy. Because many of these works had disappeared from Europe by the Middle Ages, they might have been lost forever if Arab scholars such as Avicenna and Averroes had not preserved them. In the 11th century medieval scholars developed Scholasticism, a philosophical and educational movement that used both human reason and revelations from the Bible. Upon encountering the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers from Arab scholars, the Scholastics attempted to reconcile Christian theology with Greek philosophy. Scholasticism reached its high point in the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Dominican theologian who taught at the University of Paris. Aquinas reconciled the authority of religious faith, represented by the Scriptures, with Greek reason, represented by Aristotle. Aquinas described the teacher’s vocation as one that combines faith, love, and learning. The work of Aquinas and other Scholastics took place in the medieval institutions of higher education, the universities. The famous European universities of Paris, Salerno, Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, and Padua grew out of the Scholastics-led intellectual revival of the 12th and 13th centuries. The name university comes from the Latin word universitas, or associations, in reference to the associations that students and teachers organized to discuss academic issues. Medieval universities offered degrees in the liberal arts and in professional studies such as theology, law, and medicine. VIIIEDUCATION DURING THE RENAISSANCE The Renaissance, or rebirth of learning, began in Europe in the 14th century and reached its height in the 15th century. Scholars became more interested in the humanist features—that is, the secular or worldly rather than the religious aspects—of the Greek and Latin classics. Humanist educators found their models of literary style in the classics. The Renaissance was a particularly powerful force in Italy, most notably in art, literature, and architecture. In literature, the works of such Italian writers as Dante Aleghieri, Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio became especially important. Humanist educators designed teaching methods to prepare well-rounded, liberally educated persons. Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus was particularly influential. Erasmus believed that understanding and conversing about the meaning of literature was more important than memorizing it, as had been required at many of the medieval religious schools. He advised teachers to study such fields as archaeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and Scripture. The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century made books more widely available and increased literacy rates (see Printing). But school attendance did not increase greatly during the Renaissance. Elementary schools educated middle-class children while lower-class children received little, if any, formal schooling. Children of the nobility and upper classes attended humanist secondary schools. Educational opportunities for women improved slightly during the Renaissance, especially for the upper classes. Some girls from wealthy families attended schools of the royal court or received private lessons at home. The curriculum studied by young women was still based on the belief that only certain subjects, such as art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry, were suited for females. For working-class girls, especially rural peasants, education was still limited to training in household duties such as cooking and sewing. IXEDUCATION DURING THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION The religious Reformation of the 16th century marked a decline in the authority of the Catholic Church and contributed to the emergence of the middle classes in Europe. Protestant religious reformers, such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Huldreich Zwingli, rejected the authority of the Catholic pope and created reformed Christian, or Protestant, churches. In their ardent determination to instruct followers to read the Bible in their native language, reformers extended literacy to the masses. They established vernacular primary schools that offered a basic curriculum of reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion for children in their own language. Vernacular schools in England, for example, used English to teach their pupils. As they argued with each other and with the Roman Catholics on religious matters, Protestant educators wrote catechisms—primary books that summarized their religious doctrine—in a question and answer format. While the vernacular schools educated both boys and girls at the primary level, upper-class boys attended preparatory and secondary schools that continued to emphasize Latin and Greek. The gymnasium in Germany, the Latin grammar school in England, and the lycee in France were preparatory schools that taught young men the classical languages of Latin and Greek required to enter universities. Martin Luther believed the state, family, and school, along with the church, were leaders of the Reformation. Since the family shaped children’s character, Luther encouraged parents to teach their children reading and religion. Each family should pray together, read the Bible, study the catechism, and practice a useful trade. Luther believed that government should assist schools in educating literate, productive, and religious citizens. One of Luther’s colleagues, German religious reformer Melanchthon, wrote the school code for the German region of Wurttemberg, which became a model for other regions of Germany and influenced education throughout Europe. According to this code, the government was responsible for supervising schools and licensing teachers. The Protestant reformers retained the dual-class school system that had developed in the Renaissance. Vernacular schools provided primary instruction for the lower classes, and the various classical humanist and Latin grammar schools prepared upper-class males for higher education. XEDUCATIONAL THEORY IN THE 17TH CENTURY Educators of the 17th century developed new ways of thinking about education. Czech education reformer Jan Komensky, known as Comenius, was particularly influential. A bishop of the Moravian Church, Comenius escaped religious persecution by taking refuge in Poland, Hungary, Sweden, and The Netherlands. He created a new educational philosophy called Pansophism, or universal knowledge, designed to bring about worldwide understanding and peace. Comenius advised teachers to use children’s senses rather than memorization in instruction. To make learning interesting for children, he wrote The Gate of Tongues Unlocked (1631), a book for teaching Latin in the student’s own language. He also wrote Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658; The Visible World in Pictures, 1659) consisting of illustrations that labeled objects in both their Latin and vernacular names. It was one of the first illustrated books written especially for children. The work of English philosopher John Locke influenced education in Britain and North America. Locke examined how people acquire ideas in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). He asserted that at birth the human mind is a blank slate, or tabula rasa, and empty of ideas. We acquire knowledge, he argued, from the information about the objects in the world that our senses bring to us. We begin with simple ideas and then combine them into more complex ones. Locke believed that individuals acquire knowledge most easily when they first consider simple ideas and then gradually combine them into more complex ones. In Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1697), Locke recommended practical learning to prepare people to manage their social, economic, and political affairs efficiently. He believed that a sound education began in early childhood and insisted that the teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic be gradual and cumulative. Locke’s curriculum included conversational learning of foreign languages, especially French, mathematics, history, physical education, and games. XIEDUCATION DURING THE ENLIGHTENMENT The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century produced important changes in education and educational theory. During the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, educators believed people could improve their lives and society by using their reason, their powers of critical thinking. The Enlightenment’s ideas had a significant impact on the American Revolution (1775-1783) and early educational policy in the United States. In particular, American philosopher and scientist Benjamin Franklin emphasized the value of utilitarian and scientific education in American schools. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, stressed the importance of civic education to the citizens of a democratic nation. The Enlightenment principles that considered education as an instrument of social reform and improvement remain fundamental characteristics of American education policy. XIIEDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY The foundations of modern education were established in the 19th century. Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, inspired by the work of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, developed an educational method based on the natural world and the senses. Pestalozzi established schools in Switzerland and Germany to educate children and train teachers. He affirmed that schools should resemble secure and loving homes. Like Locke and Rousseau, Pestalozzi believed that thought began with sensation and that teaching should use the senses. Holding that children should study the objects in their natural environment, Pestalozzi developed a so-called â€Å"object lesson† that involved exercises in learning form, number, and language. Pupils determined and traced an object’s form, counted objects, and named them. Students progressed from these lessons to exercises in drawing, writing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and reading. Pestalozzi employed the following principles in teaching: (1) begin with the concrete object before introducing abstract concepts; (2) begin with the immediate environment before dealing with what is distant and remote; (3) begin with easy exercises before introducing complex ones; and (4) always proceed gradually, cumulatively, and slowly. American educator Henry Barnard, the first U. S. Commissioner of Education, introduced Pestalozzi’s ideas to the United States in the late 19th century. Barnard also worked for the establishment of free public high schools for students of all classes of American society. German philosopher Johann Herbart emphasized moral education and designed a highly structured teaching technique. Maintaining that education’s primary goal is moral development, Herbart claimed good character rested on knowledge while misconduct resulted from an inadequate education. Knowledge, he said, should create an â€Å"apperceptive mass†Ã¢â‚¬â€a network of ideas—in a person’s mind to which new ideas can be added. He wanted to include history, geography, and literature in the school curriculum as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Based on his work, Herbart’s followers designed a five-step teaching method: (1) prepare the pupils to be ready for the new lesson, (2) present the new lesson, (3) associate the new lesson with ideas studied earlier, (4) use examples to illustrate the lesson’s major points, and (5) test pupils to ensure they had learned the new lesson. AKindergarten German educator Friedrich Froebel created the earliest kindergarten, a form of preschool education that literally means â€Å"child’s garden† in German. Froebel, who had an unhappy childhood, urged teachers to think back to their own childhoods to find insights they could use in their teaching. Froebel studied at Pestalozzi’s institute in Yverdon, Switzerland, from 1808 to 1810. While agreeing with Pestalozzi’s emphasis on the natural world, a kindly school atmosphere, and the object lesson, Froebel felt that Pestalozzi’s method was not philosophical enough. Froebel believed that every child’s inner self contained a spiritual essence—a spark of divine energy—that enabled a child to learn independently. In 1837 Froebel opened a kindergarten in Blankenburg with a curriculum that featured songs, stories, games, gifts, and occupations. The songs and stories stimulated the imaginations of children and introduced them to folk heroes and cultural values. Games developed children’s social and physical skills. By playing with each other, children learned to participate in a group. Froebel’s gifts, including such objects as spheres, cubes, and cylinders, were designed to enable the child to understand the concept that the object represented. Occupations consisted of materials children could use in building activities. For example, clay, sand, cardboard, and sticks could be used to build castles, cities, and mountains. Immigrants from Germany brought the kindergarten concept to the United States, where it became part of the American school system. Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened a German-language kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1855. Elizabeth Peabody established an English-language kindergarten and a training school for kindergarten teachers in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1860. William Torrey Harris, superintendent of schools in St. Louis, Missouri, and later a U. S. commissioner of education, made the kindergarten part of the American public school system. BSocial Darwinism British sociologist Herbert Spencer strongly influenced education in the mid-19th century with social theories based on the theory of evolution developed by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Spencer revised Darwin’s biological theory into social Darwinism, a body of ideas that applied the theory of evolution to society, politics, the economy, and education. Spencer maintained that in modern industrialized societies, as in earlier simpler societies, the â€Å"fittest† individuals of each generation survived because they were intelligent and adaptable. Competition caused the brightest and strongest individuals to climb to the top of the society. Urging unlimited competition, Spencer wanted government to restrict its activities to the bare minimum. He opposed public schools, claiming that they would create a monopoly for mediocrity by catering to students of low ability. He wanted private schools to compete against each other in trying to attract the brightest students and most capable teachers. Spencer’s social Darwinism became very popular in the last half of the 19th century when industrialization was changing American and Western European societies. Spencer believed that people in industrialized society needed scientific rather than classical education. Emphasizing education in practical skills, he advocated a curriculum featuring lessons in five basic human activities: (1) those needed for self-preservation such as health, diet, and exercise; (2) those needed to perform one’s occupation so that a person can earn a living, including the basic skills of reading, writing, computation, and knowledge of the sciences; (3) those needed for parenting, to raise children properly; (4) those needed to participate in society and politics; and (5) those needed for leisure and recreation. Spencer’s ideas on education were eagerly accepted in the United States. In 1918 the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, a report issued by the National Education Association, used Spencer’s list of activities in its recommendations for American education. XIIINATIONAL SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION In the 19th century, governments in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries organized national systems of public education. The United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries in North and South America also established national education systems based largely on European models. AIn the United Kingdom. The Church of England and other churches often operated primary schools in the United Kingdom, where students paid a small fee to study the Bible, catechism, reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1833 the British Parliament passed a law that gave some government funds to these schools. In 1862 the United Kingdom established a school grant system, called payment by results, in which schools received funds based on their students’ performance on reading, writing, and arithmetic tests. The Education Act of 1870, called the Forster Act, authorized local government boards to establish public board schools. The United Kingdom then had two schools systems: board schools operated by the government and voluntary schools conducted by the churches and other private organizations. In 1878 the United Kingdom passed laws that limited child labor in factories and made it possible for more children to attend school. To make schooling available to working-class children, many schools with limited public and private funds used monitorial methods of instruction. Monitorial education, developed by British educators Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell, used student monitors to conduct lessons. It offered the fledgling public education system the advantage of allowing schools to hire fewer teachers to instruct the large number of new students. Schools featuring monitorial education used older boys, called monitors, who were more advanced in their studies, to teach younger children. Monitorial education concentrated on basic skills—reading, writing, and arithmetic—that were broken down into small parts or units. After a monitor had learned a unit—such as spelling words of two or three letters that began with the letter A—he would, under the master teacher’s supervision, teach this unit to a group of students. By the end of the 19th century, the monitorial system was abandoned in British schools because it provided a very limited education. BIn Russia Russian tsar Alexander II initiated education reforms leading to the Education Statute of 1864. This law created zemstvos, local government units, which operated primary schools. In addition to zemstvo schools, the Russian Orthodox Church conducted parish schools. While the number of children attending school slowly increased, most of Russia’s population remained illiterate. Peasants often refused to send their children to school so that they could work on the farms. More boys attended school than girls since many peasant parents considered female education unnecessary. Fearing that too much education would make people discontented with their lives, the tsar’s government provided only limited schooling to instill political loyalty and religious piety. CIn the United States Before the 19th century elementary and secondary education in the United States was organized on a local or regional level. Nearly all schools operated on private funds exclusively. However, beginning in the 1830s and 1840s, American educators such as Henry Barnard and Horace Mann argued for the creation of a school system operated by individual states that would provide an equal education for all American children. In 1852 Massachusetts passed the first laws calling for free public education, and by 1918 all U. S. states had passed compulsory school attendance laws. See Public Education in the United States. XIVEDUCATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY At the beginning of the 20th century, the writings of Swedish feminist and educator Ellen Key influenced education around the world. Key’s book Barnets arhundrade (1900; The Century of the Child,1909) was translated into many languages and inspired so-called progressive educators in various countries. Progressive education was a system of teaching that emphasized the needs and potentials of the child, rather than the needs of society or the principles of religion. Among the influential progressive educators were Hermann Lietz and Georg Michael Kerschensteiner of Germany, Bertrand Russell of England, and Maria Montessori of Italy. AMontessori Montessori’s methods of early childhood education have become internationally popular. Trained in medicine, Montessori worked with developmentally disabled children early in her career. The results of her work were so effective that she believed her teaching methods could be used to educate all children. In 1907 Montessori established a children’s school, the Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), for poor children from the San Lorenzo district of Rome. Here she developed a specially prepared environment that featured materials and activities based on her observations of children. She found that children enjoy mastering specific skills, prefer work to play, and can sustain concentration. She also believed that children have a power to learn independently if provided a properly stimulating environment. Montessori’s curriculum emphasized three major classes of activity: (1) practical, (2) sensory, and (3) formal skills and studies. It introduced children to such practical activities as setting the table, serving a meal, washing dishes, tying and buttoning clothing, and practicing basic social manners. Repetitive exercises developed sensory and muscular coordination. Formal skills and subjects included reading, writing, and arithmetic. Montessori designed special teaching materials to develop these skills, including laces, buttons, weights, and materials identifiable by their sound or smell. Instructors provided the materials for the children and demonstrated the lessons but allowed each child to independently learn the particular skill or behavior. In 1913 Montessori lectured in the United States on her educational method.

Beginning with an examination of The Voice Essay Example for Free

Beginning with an examination of The Voice Essay Beginning with an examination of The Voice, consider some of the ways in which Hardy gives poetic expression to his personal grief.  Throughout much of Hardys poetry there are various different connotations of grief presented, whether it is grievance for his late wife Emma or the diverse accounts of war that are shown. The poetic expressions of these poems provoke emotion to the reader and help them to relate to Hardys personal grief in some way. One of the poems where this effect is apparent is The Voice. The extended metaphor of the wind has taken the naturalistic entity of the wind and changed it into Emmas voice haunting him and thus personifying it to be Emma. The wind also creates an idea of Hardys longing for her to return to him, this is portrayed by the way Hardy creates the effect of an echo, call to me, call to me not only does the repetition demonstrate an echo it also helps the reader to grasp the fact that Hardy feels hopeless in his searching for Emma, as whatever he does he will not be able to retrieve her. This poetic expression of the wind is displayed with various free and loose punctuation to create the idea of Emma being now free and changeable, like the wind itself, you had changed from the one who was all to me she is now illusive and cannot be seen, causing Hardys grief to increase as it is shown in the poem that he will not be able to see her again. The way in which the poem is written shows an obvious regret, this was that Hardy took what he had with Emma whilst she was alive for granted and now she is no longer around her loss has reawakened his romance with her and he now sees her as he did when they first met, which he knows, is now too late. He sees he in the air-blue gown that he did when he first met her, however, this also has another meaning, of how Emma is now all around and immortal, however, even though she is all around the grief of the situation is that Hardy can never see her. Knowing this, Hardy goes on to say that he will continue faltering forward as he knows that Emma is being ever dissolved, like the wind, her spirit is fading away. Comparing Emma with the wind shows how Hardy feels and how he senses that she is fading away from him, enhancing his grief and heartache. Throughout The Voice the poetic expression of nature haunting Hardy as though Emma has turned into the wind and has turned into the woman calling, creating the sense of insistence, that perhaps Emma wants Hardy to continue his search for her memory. The metaphor the wind presents shows that it has a hold over Hardy and also the power to move him, this emphasises his personal grief as he shows is helplessness due to the fact that no matter how hard he tried to recapture Emmas memory, he will never get her back. Similarly to The Voice, Beeny Cliff also mourns Emmas loss and shows Hardys personal grief over this fact. However in this poem it seems apparent that Hardy reluctantly accepts that Emma has gone and however hard he tries to reconnect to her, this wish will never come true. The poem itself begins with a regretful yearning tone that continues throughout, O the opal and sapphire of that wandering western sea the opening to the poem of O creates a yearning emotion that sets a theme for the rest of the poem, it is made very obvious that Hardy misses Emmas presence and the description of the precious stones, opal and sapphire reflect upon Hardys precious memories of his wife, however memories are all he has, which shows the grief given through his poetic expression as all he has left of Emma are his memories. He then continues to show his regret, the woman whom I loved so, and who loyally loved me this perhaps shows Hardys regret towards not showing Emma his true feelings towards her whilst she was alive, and also how he felt that she loyally loved him, yet he did not show the same loyalty.  Throughout the first three stanzas of the poem, it seems as thought Hardy is trying to elicit the emotion of memory so that he can bring back the happiness he felt when he was with Emma at Beeny Cliff. He uses various poetic expressions, for example, describing the scene to encapsulate the beauty of that day as to them both at the time it was idyllic, the waves seemed far away this however doesnt just help the reader understand the way the scene appeared, but also the atmosphere itself. It seemed as though their love for each other transported them so they were unaware of the world around them. The grief that Hardy now feels causes the day he is describing to become even more tragic as it seems he will never be that happy again. After Hardy has tried to recapture Emmas memory and realises that it will not work as no matter how much he tries to remember that day and how much he retells his feelings and regrets about Emma the memories of her will never bring her back to him. It is after this realisation that Hardy moves on to speak about how Emma has in fact gone from his life, and he knows this and describes a divide between them now, using the metaphor of the cliff itself, bulks old Beeny to the sky shows how there is barrier between the two. The description of the cliffs chasmal, which are the splits in the rocks are perhaps metaphorical to Hardy and Emmas relationship as it is now, and the barrier between life and death that forever puzzles Hardy. From this point on there is obvious wistful regret that Hardy will never be back at that place of beauty with Emma, however he then realises that all Beeny is, is a cliff and that no matter how much Hardy tries to reawaken that day there with Emma it will not bring her back. Hardys grief and heartache is apparent as he is tired of wondering where Emma is then therefore no longer questions this, and merely accepts that the woman is- elsewhere- the poetic expression of this phrase shows Hardys pause whilst he is thinking about where Emma actually is, and it also creates the idea that he doesnt know where she is but he does know he can never find her, illuminating his grief as he has now accepted the fact that he will never find Emma anywhere, even where he feels her memory is at its strongest. The ending of this poem also reflects how Hardy feels, as Emma nor knows, nor cares for Beeny, and will laugh there nevermore. Hardys grief is again emphasised as he will never recapture Emma as she is now completely indifferent to the word and her life with Hardy, and this allows him to finally accept that Emma is gone and finished, it is almost as though this revelation has given Hardy a sense of finality to his situation. In conclusion, Hardy uses many different ways to give poetic expression to his personal grief, ranging from personifying nature to represent Emma to finally allowing himself to believe that she is gone, and knowing that all he now has are his memories, and that no matter how hard he tries, they will never bring Emma back, which Hardy has finally accepted, no matter how much grief and anguish it may have caused him.

Design And Construction Fundamentals Of Earth Dams Environmental Sciences Essay

Design And Construction Fundamentals Of Earth Dams Environmental Sciences Essay This paper focuses on earth dams, one of the oldest earth dams. Forming service reservoir for domestic water supply and irrigation purpose, earth dams comprise the most numerous class. The design and construction of Earth dams are complex because of the nature of the varying foundation conditions and the different properties of the materials available for the construction of the embankment. Last but not least, an understanding of the potential failure of Earth dams is important in the design and construction process of the Earth dams. Earth dams, also called earthen or earth-filled dams are generally built in or near drainage line which has the variety of purposes including domestic water supplies, agricultural irrigation, water for landscape improvement and others. One advantage of the Earth dams is because it can adapt to a weak foundation provided proper consideration is given to the foundation and design of the Earth dams. However, failure of any important part of the Earth dams such as seepage, structural and foundation will lead to the collapse of the whole dam. Types of Earth Dams Constructed as a simple homogenous embankment of well compacted earth, earth dams are classified as Homogenous Earth Dams, Zoned Earth Dams and Diaphragm Dams. A brief discussion of the types of dams is as follow: Homogenous Earth Dam is a kind of common earth dams which consist of two main components; the impervious to semi-pervious structure and the toe filter and the drain. The purpose of the filter and the drain is to provide a through way for seepage to exit the dam structure without causing erosion. This type of dam is usually built on an impervious foundation such as solid rock or clay. The next type of Earth dam is Diaphragm Dam. A diaphragm dam, can be used when there is no impervious layer below the dam and modification of the dam can be made to suit at an impervious layer. Besides, this type of dam is limited to a height of 8.0m in order to keep seepage forces at a safe level. Last type of Earth Dam is Zoned Dam. A Zoned Dam is known to be the most efficient use of soil as each material is used to its greatest potential. The slope protection protects the shoulder from erosion and wave action, the core retains the water and the shoulders stabilize the core. Lastly, figure 1 shows the 3 types of earth dams. Figure 1. Cross section of Homogenous Earth dam, Zoned earth Dam and Diaphragm Dams 2. DESIGN OF EARTH DAM Earth dam is built for the purpose of storing water and is made of compacted earth. It is usually more convenient when concrete is expensive and timber is scarce. 2.1 Foundation A site investigation should be conducted prior to construction so as to investigate the nature of the foundation. By knowing the actual foundation condition at site, the earth dam can then be designed according to it. A dam foundation is said to be adequate if it is capable of providing a stable support for the embankment under all condition of saturation and loading and that it provide enough resistance to seepage to avoid excessive loss of water (Bureau of reclamation 1987). According to Bureau of reclamation (1987), dam foundation can be generally classified into three types namely foundations of rock, foundations of coarse-grained material and foundation of fine-grained material. These foundations may need to be treated to stabilize any weakness as well as to reduce seepage. For instance, coarse-grained, pervious foundations present no difficulties in the matter of settlement or stability whereas a fine-grained, weak foundation is subject to settlement or displacement usually present no problem in seepage. Rock foundation on the other hand must be checked for erosive leakage and excessive uplift pressure. If such conditions exist, grouting to the foundation must be considered. 2.2 Soil Earth dam is usually built with clay, sand and gravel and hence is also known as earth fill dam. The type of soil used in the construction of an earth dam must be suitable to allow for optimum compaction as well to reduce seepage. Soil permeability is one of important criteria to be considered in dam design, seepage-confinement units, drainage and other structural elements (Goldin, AL Rasskazov, LN 1992). Seepage usually occurs in fine-grained soils such, with greater permeability, as well as in some coarse-grained soils (Goldin, AL Rasskazov, LN 1992). Higher frictional resistance and greater permeability in granular soils is the reason for its greater stability as compared to cohesive soils. Greater permeability permits rapid dissipation of pore water pressures resulting from compressive forces. 2.3 Embankment In determining the height of the embankment, it is necessary to allocate for a settlement between 5 to 10 percent. This is to prevent its height becoming lower than the spillway height (Figure 1) since settlement is unavoidable despite having a good compaction since air and water out are being forced out of the voids by the weight of the dam, hence causing consolidation (Shaw, R Smout, I 2009). During compaction, equal effort should be applied throughout the dam to prevent differential settlement. The minimum compaction effort should not be less than 95% of the Standard Maximum Dry Density (Department of Primary Industries and Water 2008). The stability of the embankment depends largely on its ability to resist shear stress which comes from internally applied loads such as the weight of the soil and the embankment slopes, and externally applied loads such as reservoir and earthquake loads. As mentioned earlier, steeper slopes can be adopted for granular soils since they are more stable. In contrast, a gentler slope needs to be applied for homogenous material with low permeability. Figure 1. Cross section of an earth dam 2.4 Spillway Spillway plays an important role in earth dam since it allows excessive water to flow without overtopping the dam wall. There are two types of spillway namely the cut spillway (Figure 2) and natural spillway. Figure 2. The position of a cut spillway In order to reduce water velocity and subsequently minimize erosion, a gentle slope for the spillway must be provided. However, for steep slope, loose stones or geotextile can be provided to reduce erosion. Apart from that, adequate capacity of the spillway must be provided to prevent overtopping and to enable the spillway to effectively handle run-off. 3. CONSTRUCTION ON EARTH DAMS Stripping Organic soil and vegetation must be removed from the area that will covered by the dam base. The removed organic soil are stockpiled and used on the downstream slope of the fill. Key trench Key trench which is also known as cutoff trench is excavated below the base of the fill to a minimum of three feet deep for dam with 10 to 12 feet height. The key trench is included in the dam design to secure the dam to the base material and to prevent seepage under the fill. Diversion tunnel Diversion channels are excavated before the dam can be constructed. This tunnel often lined with concrete. The tunnel is built around the dam construction area at one side of the valley. In the drill holes, explosive materials are placed and blasting will takes place. The soil or broken rock is then removed. The steps are repeated until the tunnel is completed. Figure : Building a diversion channel In Figure, after the dam construction is completed, the diversion channel is closed o allow the lake to begin filling. Figure : Closure of diversion tunnel Cofferdam In summer, the construction on diverting the river starts when the river levels are low. At the upstream of the upstream of the main dam construction area, small dam which is also called as cofferdam are built. It is built using earth-moving equipment. The cofferdam will acts as a barrier to the river and the water will flow to the diversion tunnels. The second cofferdam will be built downstream of the main dam construction area. At this area, the cofferdam will prevent the river flow to flow back into the construction area. Figure : Cofferdams act as barriers to the river Foundation Grouting Grouting consists of lines or a line of holes that are drilled into the dam foundation. The types of foundation grouting are curtain and consolidation grouting. Curtain grouting Curtain grouting consists of a single row of gout holes that are drilled and grouted in sequence by packer testing to the base of the permeable rock or to a depth that acceptable hydraulic gradients are achieved (Fell et al 2005). Based on Figure, primary holes are drilled first. The last hole spacing will normally be 1.5m or 4m, but also may be as close as 0.5m (Fell et al 2005). This approach allows control over the efficiency of the curtain grouting. Figure : Curtain and consolidation grouting (Fell et al, 2005) Figure :Grouting downstage with packer (WRC, 1981) Fill construction Earth dam is usually constructed from impervious material which is clay or clay-based material. The construction materials, taken from the surrounding area have to be placed and compacted horizontally in the fill. Dry soil are usually added with moisture and compaction equipment such as a sheepsfoot packer used to obtain the proper compaction. The construction started by filling the cutoff trench with well-compacted material and six inch layers is added until the maximum height is obtained. The top of the dam at the center of the draw is usually built 10 per cent higher than the design to allow settlement of the fill. Based on Figure, a riparian pipe is placed through the bottom of the fill and a frost-free valve is placed on the riparian pipe. This pipe and valve system function is to allow water to be released downstream to other water storage facilities during water shortages. Figure : Elevation view of dam 4. POTENTIAL FAILURES OF EARTH DAMS Potential failures of dams have always been great importance and much attention has been given to safety evaluation and research due to their disastrous effects. According to Fell, MacGregor, Stapledon and Bell (2005), 79% of Earth dams with less than 30m high suffer more failures than higher dams. This may reflect better design, monitoring and surveillance of larger dams. Potential failures of earth dam can be grouped into three categories: Hydraulics failure, seepage failure and structural failures. A detail discussion of the types of potential failure of earth dam is as follow: 4.1 Hydraulics Failure Hydraulics failure occurs by the surface erosion of the dam by water. Hydraulics failure is due to several reasons. One of hydraulics failure is overtopping of dams. Overtopping failure occurs when the level of the reservoir exceeds the capacity of the dam. According to Fell, MacGregor, Stapledon and Bell (2005), over-topping is one of the main causes of failure in Earth dams. Overtopping may also be caused by insufficient freeboard provided. Next, erosion of upstream force due to continuous wave action caused erosion of the dam. However, this can be avoided if the surface is protected by stone rip-rap and filter. The next reason is due to erosion of downstream slope by rain water. Although the downstream face of the embankment is not affected by reservoir water, it may get eroded by heavy rain flowing down the face of the dam, causing the formation of gullies and finally collapse of the whole dam. 4.2 Seepage failure Seepage failure is also known as piping failure. Seepage failures are generally caused by pervious foundation, leakage through embankments, conduit leakage and sloughing. All dams have seepage as the impounded water seeks path of least resistance through the dam structure and its foundation. If the surface seepage intersects the upstream face of the dam, erosion may occur which will lead to possible failure of the dam. Typical method used to control the quantity of seepage is rock fills installed at the downstream toe or gravel blankets to intersect the line of seepage before it reaches downstream toe as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Seepage through a dam or embankment with rock toe or gravel blanket. 4.3 Structural Failure Structural failure includes failure of the upstream, downstream slopes of the earth dam, foundation as well as cracking deformation and settlement of the dam structure that may lead to overtopping or seepage failure. Slides in Embankment occur when the slopes are too steep for the shear strength of the embankment material to resist the stresses imposed. Failure of this type usually cause by faulty design and construction. As for foundation failure, it occurs because of excessive pore water pressure which reduces the strength of the soil which it may not be able to resist the shear stresses induced by the embankment. Furthermore, damage caused by burrowing animals lead to structural failure. This causes seepage water to flow out quickly, carrying fine materials along which consequently leads to piping failure within the structure of the dam and finally lead to a complete collapse of the dam. 5. CONCLUSION

Rumors Essay -- essays research papers

Neil Simon's farce, Rumors, gives readers an in-depth look at the lives of ten wealthy individuals attending a dinner party. In an attempt to stay within the social crown, the characters start unsubstantiated rumors about their friends in an attempt to make themselves look better. The hosts of the party, Ken Gorman, and his wife Chris must cover up the fact that a friend of theirs, Charley Brock, has been shot in the ear lobe. They do not know how he got shot, but they decide that he must have tried to commit suicide, and thereby proceed to spread rumors about what they have heard in an attempt to avoid a possible attempted suicide scandal. They first lie to Charley's personal doctor, they lie about what happened to all of the servants, and they finally about a second gunshot heard in the house. When the Gormans first encounter Charley in his bedroom, they immediately call his personal doctor at the theater to tell him that Charley feels just fine. Chris relates the story to the doctor when she says, "Dr. Dudley, I'm afraid there's been an accident... Well, we just arrived here at Charley's house about ten minutes ago, and as we were getting out of our car, we suddenly heard this enormous... thud... It seemed Charley had tripped going up the stairs... no, wait, down the stairs. Down the stairs. But he's all right," (13). Finally, Chris manages to explain to the doctor that Charley had not really hurt himself in the first place and that she felt sorry to have bo...

Phaedrus Essay -- essays research papers

Purposely difficult and intentionally obsessive, Plato’s Phaedrus is an exceedingly difficult read that defies all conventional logic as a piece of discourse. The text is extremely subjective, open to interpretation and individual creativity as to what or whom the narrative is about. Written by Plato, a close disciple of Socrates, this text is set along the Illissus river where Phaedrus and Socrates meet for a day of speech, debate, rhetoric and okay†¦flirting. Phaedrus leads of the day and recites a speech by his close friend Lysias, who Phaedrus considers to be a top speechmaker. Socrates then, after chiding by Phaedrus unleashes two speeches of his own that overshadow and refute Lysias claim so boldly that Phaedrus is so taken by the power of Socrates, that Phaedrus I think misses the point of the entire speech. I think the main idea of the Phaedrus is that Plato’s purpose in writing the document, and using Phaedrus as an example of the reader of this dialogue, is to develop a mad passion to pursue wisdom because of the way Socrates hints, and later describes his definitions of madness, pursuit of wisdom, and critical thinking. For it were a simple fact that insanity is evil, the saying would be true; but in reality the greatest blessings come to us through madness, when it is sent as a gift of the gods (465). I think that one of the most powerful claims in the entire text is that of how madness is essential to pursue virtually everything, including Phaedrus’ beloved wisdom. In the quote Socrates is not suggesting or insinuating an aspect of his lesson; he is not merely attempting to get Phaedrus to think, as he so often does in this text, but right here in this quote Socrates declares his love for the ability to be mad. The ability to want something so bad, so vehemently, is what Socrates flat out told Phaedrus, is nothing short of god-like. Socrates said this after his first speech when I believe Phaedrus is just starting to â€Å"fall under the spell† that Socrates is attempting to blind him with. Speak without fear (465) Phaedrus says to Socrates just a moment before Socrates, I my opinion gives a little more information than he wants to, so early in the text. The quote on page 465 was also very strong because it was unexpected by I think both Socrates and Phaedrus. Socrates is very adamant about madness, and how it is necessary. Necessary for all aspe... ...rough proofs that I thought Socrates later detailed how to pursue wisdom, fueled by this mad passion that I feel Socrates felt had to illogical. I made the comparison of Bill Parish and Socrates because I felt that the same way the old, wise Socrates was teaching Phaedrus that it was the mad pursuit that makes life worth living; Bill Parish was doing the exact same thing to his daughter Susan. It was another movie though that drove me to the point of madness, even irrational thought; one that Plato wrote, Socrates directed, and Phaedrus acted in, that in the end proved my own main idea. ---- On a personal note, I would like to personally thank you for â€Å"turning me on† to classic Greek literature. Especially all the encouragement you have given me in making this paper my own, and becoming literally addicted, passionate even, about the Phaedrus. I get the feeling though, that I can read and re-read this for 10 years and still not fully â€Å"get† everything that I could or should. But I guess that is the purpose of a text of this magnitude. I really hope enjoyed reading my thoughts on this, because I can honestly say I have had a great time writing it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Malicious Vengeance: The Ghastly Acts of Murder Essay examples -- essa

Malicious Vengeance: The Ghastly Acts of Murder   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Cast of Amontillado,† and Louise Erdrich’s essay, â€Å"Fleur,† have prominent themes about revenge, Poe focused on the act of Revenge, whereas Erdrich focused more on the events leading up to the horrific act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe’s short story of revenge discusses how the main character, Montresor, abuses the victim’s trust to ultimately kill him. The story starts out with the victim, Fortunato, and the avenger, Montresor, joking and drinking merrily while walking through a carnival together. Then, Montresor lies to Fortunato about having a rare wine, in a hidden location, that he would love to share with him. Fortunato, an avid wine connoisseur, is pleased to follow him due to his drunkenness, and also for the chance to taste such an exquisite wine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By this time, Fortunato is so drunk and trusting of Montresor that he blindly follows Montresor deep into the back of a catacomb. During their journey Montresor gives Fortunato plenty of chances to turn around; Montresor tells his victim at one point â€Å"we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed.† (Poe 1316) Upon reaching the end of the cavern, Montresor does not explain himself, and does not gift his enemy with a bottle of wine, but instead sentences him to a slow and horrific death. In his short story, Poe describes the act of revenge almost as a dark insanity that plagues the main character. Montresor’s madness is shown when he goes from friend to foe. He gives the impression that he is worried about Fortunato’s health at first, but towards the end takes satisfaction in hearing the cries of his helpless victim. Montresor even told the listeners of his story â€Å"I ceased my labors and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption.† (Poe 1318) Poe views the act of vengeance as a solemn, sinister, and deranged work of hatred. I hold this to be true because he portrays an image where the murderous avenger can look into the victim’s eyes while burying him alive behind a wall of brick and mortar. Montresor can also continuously hear â€Å"the furious vibrations of the chain.† (Poe 1318) After finally... ...ble by any means. I believe that nature will act upon the â€Å"eye for an eye† belief by its self without me interfering. I also think that if I take my revenge on a person, or group of people, I will also suffer bad karma from nature. I believe that revenge comes from hatred, and living with an excess of hatred throws off one’s balance in life, like the ying-yang idea. Even though I disagree with acts of revenge, I still battle with those undesirable thought. Just today, November 2, 2004, my car was stolen while in Reading class, and I would love to meet the people that stole it. I have thoughts racing through my head about how much I would enjoy making that person, or group of people suffer. I am so angry; I even have thoughts of inflicting pain to anyone that just looks at me wrong. Even though I am very angry about what this person has done to me, I would not do anything outside of my moral and ethical point-of-view to that particular person. Poe’s and Erdrich’s story styles were very different, even though both stories accomplished the same goal of showing the act of murderous revenge. I enjoyed Poe’s story of horror much more then the tame story of revenge that Erdrich showed.