Mary Shelley & the novel Essay

More quotes to indulge the reader’s thoughts of negative views for the monster are said by the doctor. ‘I turned loose into world a depraved wretch, whose delight was in carnage and misery ‘. Here Frankenstein says that the monster enjoys evil and gains pleasure from it. This gives a very negative appearance of the creature to the reader as they will think every act which is bad the monster loves it. From all the negative comments which were said by Frankenstein, seems to change the reader’s thoughts at the start of chapter 11. From the beginning of this chapter it clearly shows that the monster is not one to be judged at first sight. He says, ‘I saw, felt, heard, and smelt, at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses’. This speech which the monster says expresses a different light to the novel. He explains how the sense of sight, touch, hearing and smell were a new thing to him and how long it took for him to differentiate between the various senses he possesses. All these qualities fit for another being as well as the monster. A baby will also have these qualities when he/she enters the world for the first time. So this quotation shows how Mary Shelley compares the monster to a new born baby. She has done this because it’s another way to convey that the comments which were made by Frankenstein are just opinions not facts. She also gives the monster a chance to speak for him and tell his side of the story. Another way Mary Shelley presents the monster as a new born baby is when the monster describes his development. ‘I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid’. Now the monster describes how freely he can roam around places and how he is able to make his way through solid obstacles showing his improvement of eyesight. Mary Shelley presents the monster like this because she still compares the monster to a new born baby. Like the monster a new born baby would gradually learn how to walk and learn how he/she can see obstacles in their way. Further ways the author compared the monster to a new born baby is when the monster describes him having the same qualities as the baby. He quotes, ‘I felt tormented by hunger and thirst’ and ‘was overcome by sleep’. These two quotes are qualities of a baby. A baby would feel hungry and thirsty most of the time and would feel sleepy during the day and night. These actions the monster also felt. Also in another quotation, the monster describes himself as an infant instead of a baby. This quotation is, ‘In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain’. Here the monster had just found a fire which was left behind and in the cold he decided to make himself warm but seating by it. Overcome by joyful sensations he drove his hands into the flames making the fire extinguish. This shows he’s like an infant because when an infant would make a mistake, the infant would cry and weep. Similarly like an infant the monster made a mistake and cried in a painful manner.

Aldi †Crisps, Snacks & Nuts Essay

Exercise You have been asked by the Buying Director to visit a local Aldi store and critique the Crisps, Snacks & Nuts fixture. Your critique should take the form of a report or presentation in any format. However, we will not be providing laptops on the day so if you choose to produce a PowerPoint presentation we advise you print out your slides prior to the day. You may want to look at using a SWOT or PEST analysis. A SWOT analysis requires you to consider strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A PEST looks at external issues such as political, economical, social and technological factors. We have detailed a number of pointers that may be of help to you. You should consider short term and long term recommendations leading on from your analysis, taking into consideration any wider implications. The critique should cover areas such as: Quality Range Service Availability Packaging On the day of your Interview, you will have an opportunity to present your department critique to the Buying Director. In this exercise you will be assessed on: Your critical evaluation of the department and the reasoning behind any recommendations made The ideas you present Your consideration of the long term and wider implications

Emperor’s Club Essay

English question 5 â€Å"It is not living that is important, but living rightly and honestly. † The definition of success varies depending on who is defining it. By the end of the novel, Hundert and Sedgewick Bell each believe that they have reached success in their own lives. Sedgewick, following in his Dad’s footsteps of using and manipulating every situation and opportunity in order to advance his selfish goals, feels successful as a wealthy and powerful businessman. Sedgewick by the example, set by his distant, judgmental, and uncompromising father has learned that being honorable and having good character are qualities that are unimportant when measuring a man’s success. Just like his father who did not see the merit of developing a moral conscience, Sedgewick Bell rejects the moral guidance of his caring teacher, choosing instead to cultivate the cut-throat tactics his father instilled in him as necessary to achieve the fame and fortune vital for success. In contrast, Hundert is only able to feel successful when he has regained his dignity and honor by confessing his breach of trust and asking for forgiveness from the student he betrayed. Once Hundert does the honorable thing and tells Blythe about Hundert’s cheating during the selection of the contestants for the Emperor’s Club competition, Hundert is able to reset his moral compass, and move on with his life. Hundert comes to understand that it was his selfish desire to see Bell succeed that drove Hundert to disregard what he knew was right in order to avoid the truth – that Sedgewick Bell had no desire to become the honest and hardworking student Hundert â€Å"willed† him to be. Through this realization Hundert is able to see that even though he may not have succeeded with Bell, this one â€Å"failure† does not minimize the positive contribution he has made to the lives of his many other students. Hundert’s success is evidenced by the fact that even after 25 years, Hundert’s students throw him a party to show their appreciation of the advice, instruction, interest and guidance he gave them when they were students at St. Benedict’s. Hundert is considered by the majority of his students to be a mentor, and positive role model. It is this realization that helps Hundert see that his success lies in the fact that his students have taken his message of living a moral, and honest life with them into their world and used his words to help shape their own productive lives . s well as, that of their children. Hundert realizes that success should be measured not by the money in a man’s pocket, or the job he has, but by the positive impact he has in the world and on the lives of others. As the film progresses Hundert comes to terms with the fact that no matter how hard he tried he could never compete with the powerful negative influences that were present in the Bell home. Sedgewick was raised to view a successful man as being self-serving, untrusting, insensitive, and controlling. It was when Humdert tried to set a new moral example of success for Sedgewick that Humbert was driven to compromise his own beliefs. Hundert learned that when one compromises him for the sake of another the relationship is doomed to fail. It is when Hundert is able to accept that he is not responsible for the selfish, immoral man Sedgewick has become that he can rid himself of the feelings of failure that resulted in him leaving the profession he loved. When Hundert is rewarded by the positive comments of his students he understands that his success is in the fact that he has made the world a better place because he has educated a generation of kind, caring and moral men and fathers who will pass on his appreciation of honor, dignity, kindness, sensitivity, creativity and integrity to future generations. Hundert and Sedgewick each define â€Å"success† differently and it is up to each individual viewer to watch and listen to the movie carefully in order to decide which definition he/she will use to evaluate the â€Å"success â€Å" of his/her life.

Cultural Differences in the Light of Marx's Class Theory Essay

Cultural Differences in the Light of Marx's Class Theory - Essay Example There is a large social inequality in each society. "Social inequality" means a condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power. But the impact of social inequality may vary in different cultures - according to the main values of a certain society. In particular, in Western countries social values are the following: Also, either Western or Eastern society has a stable model of management, which is common and familiar for all its members. Thus, it is wrong to compare them on the main criteria "better-worse" or "fair - unfair". For instance, in the United States, the problem of the large gap between executives' and workers' salaries really exists, but there are many options of career growth so that one is able to change jobs and to make a rapid career in several companies. On the other hand, in Eastern countries, admission to the company means admission to a family or a community - for almost the whole life long. In such 'family' everyone is to participate in company problems solving and is to share corporative responsibility. The western world is dynamic, and it is not considered embarrassing to leave a job for another place with more suitable salary and conditions, while according to the Eastern moral values, leaving the ‘family’ means betraying it. Personal growth of an employee is quite slow, as the differential between managers’ and workers’ salaries are not so large.  

Business Operations and Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Business Operations and Systems - Essay Example However, the designing of a business model requires the effective use of human, tangible and intangible assets of the company. The conceptualization of a business model depends upon the efficiency of the manager and the employees. An effective implementation of a business model paves the path of success for the companies. A business model needs to change as per the changing market trends of the economy. A manager must possess certain qualities which can distinguish him/her form other managers of the companies (Birch, 2008). The managers should be able to perform activities within a particular time frame. The managers should be result oriented and be able to think in terms of results and not duties. The managers should be able to prioritize among various objectives and make effective decisions by examining various alternatives. The managers should be able to create learning atmosphere within the company to improve the knowledge base of the employees and translate visions into strategi es (Prahalad and Hamel, 1996). Leaders and managers are not synonymous because a manager may possess leadership qualities but a leader may or may not possess managerial qualities. A leader is an individual who influences the work and behaviour of his subordinates in group efforts towards the achievement of a certain goals and objectives. A leader motivates his subordinates to attain the goals and objectives in an effective manner. To attain the goals and objectives of a company the managers of a company need to establish a healthy relationship with their subordinates. Managers of the company should apply the â€Å"Social Capital† theory in their companies. The central point of the theory is that relationships constitute a valuable resource for the conduct of social affair. According to theorist Bourdieu, the application of social capital theory in the fields of management can help in harnessing the true potential of the employees (Bourdieu, 1993 cited in Lesser, 2000, p.121). Social capital theory helps in exploring the actual and potential intellectual capital of the employees. The manager of the company needs to utilize the human resource, tangible and intangible assets at the optimum level to determine the effectiveness of the company. Authors Hamel and Prahlad conceptualized the enterprise as a portfolio of knowledge, assets and resources and competencies. According to these authors, certain companies were more productive than the other companies because they utilized the knowledge, capacity and competence of their resources at the optimum level. The tangible assets of the company include fixed assets like plant and machinery, buildings etc and current assets such as inventory. Non tangible assets include patents, copyright etc. The human resource of the company includes the skill and competence level of the employees. The manager needs to establish juxtaposition between these three assets to achieve optimum level of efficiency. According to authors Hamel and Prahalad, resource leverage is defined as doing more (or adding more value) with what you have (Hamel and Prahalad, 1966 cited in Morden, 2007, p.445). One of the main task of the manager is to recruit qualified employees and give them proper training and guidance to utilize the company’s fixed assets and resources. The manager needs to ensure that the company has a right mix of skills and knowledge to meet the goals

Ageing and managing health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ageing and managing health - Essay Example 5. Instruct the patient’s family members to keep all pathways in the patient’s home free from any cluster. 6. Intruct the patient’s family members to place a non-skid mat inside the patient’s shower room. 7. Encourage the patient to participate in gait training exercise programme once she has been discharge from the hospital. 1. Environmental factors such as dim light or poor lighting, unsafe stairways, irregular floor surface, and the presence of hazardous things like loose rugs, slippery or wet floors and telephone wires that scattered around the house will increase the patient’s risk of accidental falls (Timby, 2009, p. 424). 2. The installation of handrails or grab bars inside the shower room, around the bedroom, stairs, and bathroom will help reduce the patient’s risk of accidental falls (Timby, 2009, p. 424). 3. Placing a strip of light-colored adhesive tape on the edge of each stair will help increase the patient’s visibility of the stairs (Timby, 2009, p. 424). 4. Wearing non-skid soles will help reduce the risk of accidental falls (Timby, 2009, p. 424). 5. Freeing the pathways from clusters will reduce the risk wherein the patient’s Zimmer frame might accidentally touch other things causing her to loose her balance (Timby, 2009, p. 424). 6. The use of non-skid mat inside the patient’s shower room will help prevent the patient from falling (Gulanick and Myers, 2011, p. 63; Timby, 2009, p. 424). 7. Studies show that patients who are active in exercise can strengthen their muscles, improve their ability to balance and coordinate their body movements, increase their bone density which are all necessary in terms of reducing the patient’s risk for falls (Gulanick and Myers, 2011, p. 63). Problem Goal Intervention Rationale The patient... Discharge care plan is pertaining to the process of developing a plan for the transfer of patient from the hospital to his designated place to stay.It is equally important to know that the patient is no longer in pain at the time the patient is about to leave the hospital. It is equally important to know that the patient is no longer in pain at the time the patient is about to leave the hospital. To ensure that the patient is properly being taken cared of after being discharged from the hospital, the student nurse should focus on identifying continuing care that the patient will be needing to improve her overall well-being. After analyzing the case of Mrs. Jones, the following discharge care plan was created: Problem Goal Intervention Rationale Other than the history of falls, the patient is suffering from postural hopotension due to the intake of bendroflumethiazide. Postural hypotension increases the patient’s risk of accidental fall due to dizziness and inability to balance and coordinate her body movements. Other risk factors of accidental falls include: poor eye sight or impaired vision, neurological disorder, decreased lower muscle strength, brittle bones due to osteoporosis and ageing (Timby, 2009, p. 423). To reduce all factors that can increase the patient’s risks of falls. 1. Assess and teach the patient’s family members to modify the home environment of the patient by removing all things that can increase the patient’s risk of falling (Gulanick and Myers, 2011, p. 63). 2. The patient prefers to microwave and eat frozen meals for lunch. To ensure that the patient is receiving proper nutrition.

Final Exam - Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Exam - Case Analysis - Essay Example It is imperative that these professionals understand that once they incorporate the organization it will be operating under the laws regulating any other business entity and this therefore calls for critical scrutiny of the advantages and disadvantages of such a move. The group is likely to derive a number of benefits from the incorporation that include; Separate Legal Entity: an incorporated organization has a distinct legal personality from its members. In this respect it is can sue and be sued in its individual capacity. This is important to these professionals since they will be provided by a formal legal status. Incorporation will also lead to Limited Liability on the part of the members of the organization (Hopkins, 1417). In this case the professionals will not be personally liable for the debts and obligations of the organization with exception of some circumstances where the directors may incur personal liability. The organization is entitled to perpetual existence and in th is case even if members change, this noble organization will continue to exist unless dissolution is to be executed in line with the Companies Act. Once the members incorporate the organization they will be able to own property in the name of the organization’s name. ... s organization is likely to enjoy is eligibility to be exempted from some federal and state corporate income taxes in addition to other taxes (Hopkins, 21). Other miscellaneous benefits that can be derived from incorporating this group into a nonprofit making organization is possible real and personal property taxes exemptions, cheaper advertising rates, relatively cheaper postal rates and broadcast announcements and advertisements. The professionals also need to look into the demerits of incorporating this organization as a not for profit entity. Among the challenges the organization is likely to encounter are a lot of paper work in various forms. There is the cost of hiring legal officers to help in preparing the incorporation papers, energy and time required for compliance with the legal regulatory guidelines to grow the organization. The team will also have to grapple with restrictions on nonpayment of directors, no lobbying or engagement in political campaigns and when the organ ization is to wind up all the property are to be transferred to another nonprofit making entity (Hopkins, 21). The team of professionals in this case need to analyses and compare the merits and demerits and make an informed decision. This is a team of professionals offering educational services to various people in different social settings. As a nonprofit making organization it would be advisable to incorporate it as educational and literacy society. This will fit the educational and literacy services they offer as professionals in different disciplines in the society. This would be suitable and a viable venture since they have already undertaken field test and proved able with positive client feedback. It is mandatory that for them to incorporate the organization some legal procedure must

Design of a product or service prototype (BUS CATCHER) Essay

Design of a product or service prototype (BUS CATCHER) - Essay Example The paper tells that the use of public transport for commuting in the US is still very low compared to other countries. The estimated share of public transport market share (motorized travel) is less than 4% barring exceptions like New York (9.6%) and San Francisco (5.0%), being as low as less than 1% in more than half the states. Small as this may be, the total amount of fuel saved from public transportation use currently is estimated to be equal to 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline (based on 2004 figures), In terms of total barrels of crude oil, this would be the equivalent of 33.5 million barrels of crude oil. Increase of commuting is a desirable goal and has policy support. Apart from this reasons like congestion on the roads, savings in commuting time would be seen as the chief reasons for a commuter to prefer public transport over using own cars. Typically a product or a service that gives enhanced value for a customer would what make a customer to switch to a service or a produc t. There is a big opportunity here for bus operators to create this critical additional value through use of ICT to induce commuters to switch over in a big way to using public transport like buses. Bailey estimates that for an US population of 7.2 million non-drivers, 50% 0f which is people above the age of 654, public transportation is the only alternative, when they are going somewhere outside their immediate neighborhood. She also observes most U.S. residents still do not have the option of using public transportation to get places.

Eyewitness Memory and the Misinformation Effect Essay

Eyewitness Memory and the Misinformation Effect - Essay Example In comparison of both the events, the mugging event brought more correct responses than the shoplifting one. This is because the non-critical events which were being questioned later on were more diverse, well-spread and frequent in the shoplifting one; and hence the greater the probability for error. Whereas in the mugging event, there were less distractions within the same genre and sequence of the happenings for the viewer. The difference in performance was based on the settings and stimuli available. It is not significant as to how different the scores of people are in the two events, but actually the fact that there is a significant variation from the correct score because of misinformation and lapses in short-term memory. Whenever there would be previous information about a previously known object, then the same type of results would surface. Only in a totally new object would the circumstances actually turn out as different. This is because a totally new object would be viewed with full focus, and because there was no previous information to dilute the new concept. The essence lies not in distractions, but in wastage of learned stimuli as part of the memorizing process. For the same reason, learning is also referred to as a relatively permanent change in behaviour. The likelihood of reporting misinformation therefore shall always be there, as the human mind perceives due to varying abilities of attention and cognition - and this difference shall always prevail. The test group presented a lesser amount of 'wastage' in information, but nonetheless, it was still there. The reason is, that the greater the number of stimuli, the more the stress will be on the sensory processes; therefore, memorizing an event 'as it is' would become next to impossible. The controls though had lesser distractions, nonetheless, the fact that they did make mistakes due to their human limitations, makes this concept even more lucid. Also, there is the probability of the zone of 'transference' possibly originating in the testimony of the witness. This basically refers to the relationship the interviewer can have with the interviewee. This may be positive or negative. This can influence the testimony of the witness to sway in either direction, depending on the mood and relationship parameter he intends to adopts with the interviewer. Discussion The misinformation effect can be explained as a memory bias that happens when misinformation affects people's reports of their own memory. This implies, that a person who is experiencing the misinformation effect, is likely to 'pollute' and/or 'dilute' the actual event due to the information already present in the human beings' memory. Distinguishing and differentiating the memory slots, especially when the stimulus is being at a very high speed, then becomes a very difficult task. Loftus and colleagues elaborate this concept, by elucidating that there are two kinds of information which go into a person's memory of an intricate event. The first is the information obtained from perceiving the occurrence, and the second is the additional information supplied to us after the event has taken place. As time passes by, these events get interlinked and entwined with each other, thereby making it virtually impossible to separate the actual event from the previous memory of the individual. What is left in the end is one collective

Contemporary Middle East History using books The Modern Middle East Essay

Contemporary Middle East History using books The Modern Middle East (Gelvin) and Sources in History of the Modern Middle East (K - Essay Example At the end of the 19th century, in light of this increasing anti-Semitism in Europe, Zionist leaders encouraged massive immigration to Palestine through the purchase of these lands using the Jewish National Fund. Soon the Arabs who were the predominant owners of this land started feeling aggrieved. This land dispossession of the Arab land by the Jews soon erupted into sporadic violence between the two communities (Smith, 2006). During the First World War both the Arabs and the Jews fought on the side of the British against the Turks who were allied to the Germans. Their reasons were however very different. On the side of the Arabs the British encouraged them to revolt against the Turks with the promise that after the war the British would establish nation states for them including for the Palestine territory which by then had huge numbers of Jews (Schindler, 2008). Jews on the other hand were also encouraged to revolt with the promise that after the war the British would establish fo r them a Jewish state. This was done through the Balfour Declaration to the Zionist leaders. Following the end of the war however the British could not simultaneously satisfy the promises made to both the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine which had been placed under its mandate. Meanwhile violence between the Arabs and Jews increased as more Jews continued emigrating from Europe into these Arab lands especially after the Nazi ascendance to power in Germany on an anti-Semitic platform. After the Second World War and in light of the Holocaust, the state of Israeli was formed 1948 resulting in war with the Arabs which have continued sporadically since then with major ones being in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 and 2006. The major stumbling blocks to the Arab-Israeli peace include the continued construction of Jewish settlement housing schemes in what the Palestinians consider their own territory. This has resulted in the Palestinians claiming that that the Israelis deliberately want to ensure that if they ever get a state then it won’t be a viable one (Fawcett, 2005). Another stumbling block is the refusal of powerful forces within the Palestinians like Hamas to recognize the state of Israel. There is also the contention of the state of Jerusalem on where exactly it should be given that it is considered a Holly City by both the Arabs and Jews. (Fawcett, 2005). The First World War is considered a turning point in the affairs of the Middle East. During the war the British had given both the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine promises it could not fulfil. The British, in a bid to defeat the Turks had encouraged both Arab nationalism and Zionism to spur both the Arabs and the Jews in fighting the Turks (Sachar, 1976). Following the defeat of the Turks Arab states were curved from the former Ottoman Empire while some became British Mandates. One of these mandatory states was the Palestinian state which was occupied by both the Arabs and the Jews. Since the Brit ish could give the land to neither the Arabs nor the Jews conflicts continued between the two groups especially after the influx of Jews continued to grow leading to severe pressure on the land. The influx was mainly due to the Russian Revolution and later on in the 1930s to the violent anti-Semitism in Germany which

Memories of the mentor Essay Example for Free

Memories of the mentor Essay Often in our lives comes a person who leaves us completely changed and different, even to ourselves. In my life such a role has been played by a number of individuals combined but one of them whose influence was maximum was late Mr. Salim, my English teacher during O Levels. May Allah bless him a place in Paradise. I have never met such a person in my life, so gentle, so broad-minded. Even now when I remember him smiling, a smile appears on my face as well and I pray for him. He was a unique man; unique in, perhaps, every sense of the word. I had known him before I came to O Levels. He had been my Oral English teacher during the 8th class but he took only one period every week and hence we knew very little about him. When I entered O Levels he was our Class Teacher as well as our English teacher. He was aware of the fact that we were not very good in English and that we needed a lot of hard work. He gave us a nice little lecture about the new challenges we were going to face and how we were going to deal with them. He told us that everyday for the first five to ten minutes one boy was to come in front of class and make a speech, on any topic he wanted to talk, in English. The students were to come roll-number wise. This was perhaps the most interesting items during my first year at O Levels. Everyday in the morning a boy would come, often reluctantly, and tell Mr. Salim what the topic was. Many times it happened that the student said that he had not prepared anything. Then he would say, with a matchless wave of his hand which I remember clearly, Well, then do it offhand. Go on, speak on anything you want, anything you choose. The thing which impressed me most was his vast knowledge. Before the student started his speech, he would give a little introduction on that topic, and no matter what the topic was he always knew something about it, even if it was like Eating insects for food in the Far-East! I was a shy student at that moment and I knew that the speech-process would help me in over-coming it. When my first speech was drawing nearer and nearer, I searched for a unique topic. I had taken it as a challenge to find a topic about which Mr.Salim would know nothing. After a lot of search I found one: Antimatter. This was, I think, the real beginning of my relationship with Mr.Salim. When I came to make my speech, he asked me about the topic and I told him. For the first time in my life I saw an expression of unawareness on his old face. Ah, well, he said, its something about modern Physics. And then he beckoned me to make the speech. Now I had become a person he recognized. In fact, I think, he was impressed. A few days after that he praised me for an essay I had written. I used to do assignments given by Mr.Salim with great zeal, perhaps just to hear a word of praise because when I did hear one by him, I felt myself elevated. I wouldnt say I was very bad at English but I was not very good either. I was just an average yet somehow, slowly and gradually, like the dawn on a wet day, I was converted into a person who could write a good piece of English. I owe a lot of it to him, a lot. He understood the way we worked. He knew that we were short of time and we had a lot to do, but he knew that if he applied too much stress we would break, and so he went slowly. At that time we thought that it was folly on his part that he took us gradually, while the other sections were covering their syllabus rapidly, but now after it is over, I realize it wasnt folly but wisdom on his part. And Im thankful to him for the fact that he made English for us a lovely subject. While telling us the meaning of adolescence he pointed towards me, as I had at that moment faint traces of a mustache. Although I have shaved off that mustache long ago, I can never erase that memory. During his last days he taught us the past papers and he would share with me my book of past papers, which I did with great pleasure. If it had been just the love of English, I would never have written this article. He gave us a lot more than that. The outstanding among them is the broadening the horizon of my way of thinking. He was old, but he was not orthodox or conservative. He was a liberal and modern person. He understood the requirements of the modern age and he spoke fluently about it. Often, his views on Islam created disturbance among the orthodox Muslims of our class. Topics like Music, Nationality, Hadood Laws and Taliban were a cause of heated discussion. He had a weak and gentle heart. He couldnt bear unjustice to anyone, even to his enemies. He was highly against the Maulvies and called them ,Semi-illiterate, half-educated mullahs, they want to keep us in the past, centuries back. He was aware of the fact that the people are apt to use their emotions rather than mind, especially in matters of religion, and this is, perhaps, his greatest contribution. He taught me to use my brain, not my emotions, for emotions are blind. He developed in me a hatred for rage and emotional acts. Yet, he was believer of freedom of speech, and whenever any student of the class objected on his views, he would allow them to say whatever they wanted to say. He would say to them, I respect your views but I do not agree with them. He never forced anyone to change his views. Once the topic of Basant was under discussion and a few students of our class were speaking against it for in their view it was against Islam. He said, Why dont you people understand, its just a regional festival, why involve religion in this? You dont want to celebrate it, fine, but why do you force others to do what you want? Live and Let live! All his life he wanted to gain more and more knowledge. Perhaps, the only field in which he was weak was modern Physics. A few days before he came to know about his disease, I was sitting in the class reading the book A brief history of time by Stephen Hawkings and he saw me reading it. He asked me if he could see it and I gave it to him. He then discussed with me a little about Stephen Hawkings. He said that there was another book by the same author in the market and I told him that I had read that one too. Then he asked me that if I had read it could I give it to him for reading, and I told him that he could take it for reading at that very moment for I was reading it for the second time. He thanked me and took it. But he never returned it to me because we learned only a few days later that he had stomach-cancer and was now on long leave from the school. A few months after that, he died. I dont feel anything bad about that book, in fact I feel happy that he had with him something I had given, when he died. I remember exactly the last day he spent with us. He was checking our assignments day and while he was checking mine, he asked me what the word mentor meant for I had used it in my assignments and he wanted to know whether I knew its meaning or not, and I told him that it meant a wise teacher. He gave me an A on that composition and I feel, I just feel, that the moment he wrote an A on my notebook it was written in my fate that I would get an A in English. When my result came and I had scored straight As, the person I remembered the most was Mr.Salim. He was a patient person and bore everything with courage and determination. His son had died in an accident but he had kept himself steady and carried on with his life. He adopted a son and he once told us about him. He was very nice with his students and gave us a lot of time to complete our assignments but when a student wouldnt do any work for months he would say, Show me your knuckles, show me your knuckles, and then he would give a blow on them with a wooden duster. I think I wont forget him my whole life. I remember him quite often; his words, his expressions, his speeches, his advises, his laughes and his smiles. He was a little hard of hearing and whenever he a person said something he couldnt understand, he would bring his hand to his ear and say with an unparallel expression, Pardon? I remember it clearly, every moment of it. He never gave me any special treatment, he treated me like any teacher would treat a normal good student but the way he has influenced me is astonishing. I love that person. His death was a big loss, a big loss. I sometimes feel that I never got the time to tell him how much thankful I was to him, and that how much I owed to him, and that how much I loved him but he went away, unaware that he had changed the whole life and way of thinking of a person. At times when I remember him, I feel that he can see what I am doing and that he is happy. I feel that somehow he knows that how much I loved him and how much I am grateful to him. I know that some of his ideas were wrong and in some points he misunderstood Islam but I also believe that it was all due to his gentle and nice nature and he had no bad intentions, and I also hope and pray that Allah would forgive him for his mistakes because he did them in good faith. I believe that Allah is gentle with gentle people, and Mr.Salim was certainly a gentle person. Through this article I just want to thank him because I feel that he is reading this article. I just pray that Allah blesses him with a place in Paradise.

Education in Schools Essay Example for Free

Education in Schools Essay The Inspectorate wishes to thank the following for the use of photographs: Clonakilty Community College, Clonakilty, Co Cork Saint Mark’s Community School, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Saint Mac Dara’s Community College, Templeogue, Dublin 6W Scoil Barra Naofa, Monkstown, Cork Scoil Nano Nagle and Talbot Senior National School, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 Whitechurch National School, Whitechurch Road, Dublin 16  © 2008 Department of Education and Science ISBN-0-0000-0000-X. Designed by Slick Fish Design, Dublin Printed by Brunswick Press, Dublin Published by Evaluation Support and Research Unit Inspectorate Department of Education and Science Marlborough Street Dublin 1 To be purchased directly from Government Publications Sales Office Sun Alliance House Molesworth Street Dublin 2 or by post from Government Publications Postal Trade Section Unit 20 Lakeside Retail Park Claremorris Co Mayo â‚ ¬20 Contents Foreword Executive summary xi xiii Part 1 Introduction Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary education in Ireland 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3. Introduction Background ICT policy and investment in education 1. 3. 1 1. 3. 2 1. 3. 3 1. 4 1. 4. 1 1. 4. 2 1. 4. 3 1. 4. 4 1. 5 Policy for ICT in education ICT in the curriculum Investment in ICT in education Computers in schools Other ICT equipment in schools Expenditure on ICT and technical support Other areas covered in the census 1 2 3 6 6 9 11 12 12 14 15 16 16 17 18 18 20 21 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 30 30 30 30 30 ICT infrastructure census in schools (2005) Summary Evaluation methods Chapter 2 2. 1 2. 2 2. 3 2. 4 Introduction Approaches to evaluating ICT in schools Overview and aims of the evaluation National survey of primary and post-primary principals and teachers 2. 4. 1 2. 4. 2 2. 4. 3 2. 4. 4 Survey sampling methods Survey research methods Response rate Comparison of respondents and population 2. 5 2. 6 Case-study school evaluations 2. 6. 1 2. 6. 2 Primary schools Post-primary schools Observations during classroom inspections (primary) and subject inspections (post-primary) 27 2. 7 2. 8 On-line evaluation Evaluation outputs and terms 2. 8. 1 2. 8. 2 2. 8. 3. Outputs Junior and senior classes Quantitative terms used in this report iii ICT in Schools Part 2 Chapter 3 3. 1 3. 2 3. 3 3. 4 3. 5 ICT infrastructure and planning in schools ICT infrastructure in primary and post-primary schools 31 32 33 37 38 41 41 42 45 45 49 53 56 57 59 59 61 64 64 66 69 70 70 72 73 75 79 80 81 90 98 99 99 101 102 102 105. Introduction The ICT advisory service ICT and funding ICT maintenance, technical support, and obsolescence Access to computers 3. 5. 1 3. 5. 2 Access by teachers Access by students Organisation of ICT facilities in case-study primary schools Organisation of ICT facilities in case-study post-primary schools 3. 6. The use of computers in schools 3. 6. 1 3. 6. 2 3. 7 3. 8 3. 9. ICT peripherals Software Use of e-mail 3. 10. 1 3. 10. 2 3. 11. 1 3. 11. 2 The learning platform The school web site Main findings Recommendations ICT planning in primary and post-primary schools 3. 10 The on-line environment 3. 11 Summary of findings and recommendations Chapter 4 4. 1 4. 2 Introduction The planning process 4. 2. 1 4. 2. 2 4. 2. 3 4. 2. 4 The ICT steering committee The ICT co-ordinator The ICT plan The acceptable-use policy Teachers’ professional development Using ICT in classroom and lesson planning and preparation Planning for using ICT in teaching and learning Principals’ priorities for ICT development Teachers’ priorities for ICT development Main findings Recommendations. 4. 3 Implementation of ICT planning 4. 3. 1 4. 3. 2 4. 3. 3 4. 4 Forward planning 4. 4. 1 4. 4. 2 4. 5 Findings and recommendations 4. 5. 1 4. 5. 2 iv Part 3 Chapter 5 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 ICT and teaching and learning in schools ICT and teaching and learning in primary schools 107 108 108 111 111 112 113 114 116 120 126 127 127 127 128 129 130 131 133 134 134 134 135 135 137 139 140 141 141 145 148 149 151 152 153 155 163 167 Introduction Teachers’ ICT qualifications and skills Classroom practice and ICT 5. 3. 1 5. 3. 2 5. 3. 3 5. 3. 4 5. 3. 5 5. 3. 6 5. 3. 7 Planning Frequency of ICT use Organisation of ICT use Focus of ICT use Use of resources and applications in the classroom Quality of provision Provision for students with special educational needs by mainstream class teachers Access to ICT Planning for the use of ICT Frequency of ICT use Focus of ICT use Use of resources and applications Quality of provision 5. 4 ICT in special education 5. 4. 1 5. 4. 2 5. 4. 3 5. 4. 4 5. 4. 5 5. 4. 6 5. 5 5. 6. Assessment Developing ICT in the classroom 5. 6. 1 5. 6. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the curriculum Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the curriculum Main findings Recommendations ICT and teaching and learning in post-primary schools 5. 7 Findings and recommendations 5. 7. 1 5. 7. 2 Chapter 6 6. 1 6. 2 Introduction ICT qualifications and skills 6. 2. 1 6. 2. 2 Teachers’ ICT qualifications and skill levels Students’ ICT skill levels Timetabling of dedicated ICT lessons Curriculum and content of dedicated ICT lessons School principals’ support for the use of ICT in the classroom ICT in practice in the classroom Quality of provision 6. 3 Dedicated ICT lessons 6. 3. 1 6. 3. 2 6. 4 Classroom practice and ICT 6. 4. 1 6. 4. 2 6. 4. 3 6. 5 ICT and special educational needs v ICT in Schools 6. 6 6. 7 Assessment Developing ICT in the classroom 6. 7. 1 6. 7. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the classroom Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the classroom Main findings Recommendations. 168 168 168 170 172 172 174 6. 8 Findings and recommendations 6. 8. 1 6. 8. 2 Part 4 Chapter 7 7. 1 7. 2 Summary of findings and recommendations Main findings and recommendations 177 178 179 179 181 182 184 184 186 188 188 189 191 194 197 Introduction Main findings 7. 2. 1 7. 2. 2 7. 2. 3 Infrastructure ICT Planning ICT in teaching and learning ICT infrastructure Professional development needs of teachers ICT infrastructure in schools Planning for ICT in schools ICT in teaching and learning 7. 3 Main recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisors 7. 3. 1 7. 3. 2 7. 4 Main recommendations for schools 7. 4. 1 7. 4. 2 7. 4. 3 References Appendix vi Abbreviations. AP AUP BOM CAD CEB CESI CPD DES ECDL EGFSN ERNIST ESI EU FETAC ICD ICT ISC LC LCA LCVP LSRT MLE NCC NCCA NCTE NPADC OECD PCSP PISA SCR SDP SDPI SDPS SDT SESE SESS SIP TIF VEC VLE WSE assistant principal acceptable use policy board of management computer-aided design Commercial Examining Board Computer Studies Society of Ireland continuing professional development Department of Education and Science European Computer Driving Licence Expert Group on Future Skills Needs European Research Network for ICT in Schools of Tomorrow Education Services Interactive (Project). European Union Further Education and Training Awards Council in-career development information and communications technology Information Society Commission Leaving Certificate (Established) Leaving Certificate—Applied Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme learning-support resource teacher managed learning environment National Competitiveness Council National Council for Curriculum and Assessment National Centre for Technology in Education National Policy Advisory and Development Committee Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Primary Curriculum Support Programme Programme for International Student Assessment student-computer ratio school development planning School Development Planning Initiative (Post-primary). School Development Planning Support (Primary) special-duties teacher Social, Environmental and Scientific Education Special Education Support Service Schools Integration Project Telecommunications and Internet Federation Vocational Education Committee virtual learning environment whole-school evaluation vii ICT in Schools Tables Table 1. 1 Table 1. 2 Table 1. 3 Table 2. 1 Table 2. 2 Table 2. 3 Table 2. 4 Table 3. 1 Table 4. 1 Table 4. 2 Table 4. 3. Table 4. 4 Table 4. 5 Table 4. 6 Table 5. 1 Table 5. 2 Table 5. 3 Table 5. 4 Table 5. 5 Table 5. 6 Table 5. 7 Table 5. 8 Table 5. 9 Funding of ICT in education policy initiatives Student-computer ratio (SCR) in each school sector in given years Proportion of schools having at least one fixed and one mobile data projector Comparison of survey sample. and population, primary schools Comparison of survey sample and population, post-primary schools Number and level of lessons observed, post-primary schools Quantitative terms used in the report Awareness and use of NCTE and ICT advisory services among teachers Teachers’ attendance at NCTE and ICT advisory service training courses Professional development preferences of post-primary teachers, by subject Teachers’ use of internet resources in planning and preparation for teaching Primary principals’ views on the strategic development of ICT Post-primary principals’ views on the strategic development of ICT Teachers’ priority areas for the development of ICT Proportion of primary teachers who rated their proficiency in ICT skills as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced†. Proportion of primary teachers who rated their ability in each of three ICT tasks that facilitate teaching and learning as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† Inspectors’ observations on the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in classrooms Teachers’ use of software and the internet to facilitate learning Most frequently used applications in the teaching of individual curricular areas Applications used by members of special-education support teams to promote the development of skills. Most frequently used applications to promote the development of individual learning priority areas Comparison of inspectors’ ratings of the quality of ICT provision in supporting children with special educational needs in mainstream and special-education support settings Table 5. 10 Table 6. 1 Table 6. 2 Table 6. 3 Sample of inspectors’ comments on the quality of ICT use in special-education support settings Proportion of post-primary teachers who rated their proficiency in ICT skills as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† Proportions of post-primary teachers who rated their ability in each of three ICT tasks that facilitate teaching and learning as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† 144 Timetabled dedicated ICT lessons in post-primary schools 149 142 133 132 131 130 113 117 117 111 109 12 13 14 24 25 29 30 36 83 88 93 100 100 102 Inspectors’ comments on the quality of use of ICT observed in teaching and learning 123 viii Table 6. 4 Table 6. 5 Table 6. 6 Table 6. 7 Table 6. 8 Table 6. 9. Commonly taught topics in dedicated ICT lessons Principals’ descriptions of how ICT is used in some subjects Principals’ views on the impact of ICT on teaching and learning Location of lessons observed during subject inspections ICT resources available in the classrooms of lessons observed Use of the internet and software in teaching and learning 151 153 154 155 155 161 Diagrams Fig. 2. 1 Fig. 2. 2 Fig. 2. 3 Fig. 3. 1 Fig. 3. 2 Fig. 3. 3 Fig. 3. 4 Fig. 3. 5 Fig. 3. 6 Fig. 3. 7 Fig. 3. 8 Fig. 3. 9 Fig. 3. 10 Fig. 4. 1 Fig. 4. 2 Fig. 4. 3 Fig. 4. 4 Fig. 4. 5 Fig. 4. 6 Fig. 4. 7 Fig. 4. 8 Fig. 4. 9 Fig. 4. 10 Fig. 4. 11 Fig. 4. 12 Fig. 4. 13 Fig. 5. 1 Fig. 5. 2 Fig. 5. 3 Survey response rates Mainstream lesson observations in primary schools Subjects reviewed at post-primary level Teachers’ ratings of NCTE and ICT advisory services Access to computers by primary teachers Access to computers by post-primary teachers Access to computers by fifth-class students Access to computers by fifth-year students Frequency of use of ICT peripherals by primary teachers Frequency of use of ICT peripherals by post-primary teachers Provision and use of e-mail address by subject taught, post-primary schools. The primary school web site: teachers’ responses The post-primary school web site: teachers’ responses Contents of ICT plans, primary schools Contents of ICT plans, post-primary schools Staff ICT training in primary schools within the previous three years Staff ICT training in post-primary schools within the previous three years Principals’ and teachers’ views on ICT training requirements, primary schools Principals’ and teachers’ views on ICT training requirements, post-primary schools Use of computers for lesson preparation Resources provided by mainstream primary teachers using ICT Use of the internet in planning and preparation for teaching, by subject Scoilnet visits by teachers. The most popular sections of Scoilnet among teachers Teachers’ ratings of Scoilnet Teachers’ views on what Scoilnet should contain Use and related proficiency of applications in teaching Extent to which mainstream teachers plan for the use of ICT Organisation of teaching and learning during use of ICT 23 28 29 34 41 42 43 44 54 54 58 62 62 77 77 81 82 86 87 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 110 112 113 ix ICT in Schools Fig. 5. 4 Fig. 5. 5 Fig. 5. 6 Fig. 5. 7 Fig. 5. 8 Fig. 5. 9 Fig. 5. 10 Fig. 5. 11 Fig. 5. 12 Fig. 5. 13 Fig. 5. 14 Fig. 6. 1 Fig. 6. 2 Fig. 6. 3 Fig. 6. 4 Fig. 6. 5 Fig. 6. 6 Fig. 6. 7 Fig. 6. 8 Fig. 6. 9 Fig. 7. 1. Frequency of ICT use to promote learning in curricular areas Frequency of ICT use among mainstream and special class teachers to facilitate development of skills Frequency of use of individual internet resources by internet users Inspectors’ rating of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning Students’ proficiency in individual tasks Level of ICT support for students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms Level of access by students with special educational needs in special-education support settings. Extent to which special-education support team members plan for the use of ICT Inspectors’ observations of the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in special-education support settings Frequency of ICT use in special-education support settings to facilitate development of skills Inspectors’ ratings of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning observed in special-education support settings Proficiency and use of applications in teaching Students’ use of computers Students’ ICT skill levels Use of ICT in the planning and preparation of observed lessons Main uses of ICT in teaching and learning in the subjects inspected, as reported by teachers. Frequency of use of computers in teaching Settings in which ICT is used in classrooms Use of the internet and applications, by subject area Inspectors’ rating of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning observed International student-computer ratios from PISA 2003 114 115 119 122 125 126 127 128 128 129 132 143 146 147 156 157 158 159 162 164 179 x Foreword. Information and communication technology has brought profound changes to almost all aspects of our lives in recent years. It has transformed activities as basic as how we work, communicate with each other, treat illnesses, travel, shop and enjoy our leisure time. The pace of change shows no sign of slowing: indeed, the development of ICT and its applications to areas such as the integration of media, are continuing at even faster rates than heretofore. In a relatively short period of time, ICT skills have become as fundamental to living a full life as being able to read, write and compute. Ireland has been a leading player in the development of the ICT industry. We have been a leading exporter of ICT hardware and software, and many of the key businesses in the industry have important bases here. Like other countries, we have also recognised that if our young people are to live full lives in a world transformed by ICT, they need to have opportunities to acquire and develop ICT skills from an early age. Since the late 1990s, we have made considerable investments in ICT infrastructure in schools, and in training for teachers and other professionals. Until now, little national research evidence has been published on the impact that the new technologies have had on schools and especially on teaching and learning. This report examines the extent to which ICT has been used in schools at both primary and post-primary levels and, more importantly, assesses the impact that ICT has had on teaching and learning, including the ways in which ICT is used to support the learning of students with special educational needs. The evaluation shows that while much progress has been achieved in the roll-out of ICT in schools, considerable challenges remain. The report presents findings and recommendations that will be of interest to teachers, principals, school support services, curriculum developers and policy-makers. I hope that it will inform debate and policy decisions on how we can ensure that young people have the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to benefit from the opportunities presented by this powerful technology in the years ahead. Eamon Stack Chief Inspector xi ICT in Schools xii Executive summary xiii ICT in Schools Executive summary. An evaluation of the infrastructure, planning and use of information and communications technology in teaching and learning was conducted by the Inspectorate in primary and post-primary schools during the school year 2005/06. The objectives of the evaluation were: †¢ to examine the extent to which ICT was used in primary and post-primary schools †¢ to evaluate the impact of ICT on teaching and learning †¢ to assess the ICT skills of students at selected points in the education system and to obtain their views on their experience of ICT in their schooling †¢ to obtain the views of principals and teachers on their ICT skills and their opinions of the impact and future role of ICT in education †¢ to make recommendations for policy development regarding ICT in schools. xiv Executive summary. The evaluation methods comprised: †¢ a national survey of primary (234) and post-primary (110) principals †¢ a national survey of primary (1,162) and post-primary (800) teachers †¢ case-study school evaluations by inspectors (32 primary schools, 20 post-primary schools) †¢ observations during classroom inspections (77 primary schools) †¢ observations during subject inspections (111 post-primary schools) †¢ a follow-up on-line survey of teachers in case-study post-primary schools. Summary of main findings The findings and recommendations are summarised here and are elaborated in chapter 7. Infrastructure †¢ The student-computer ratio (SCR) in Irish schools is 9. 1:1 at primary level and 7:1 at post-primary level. Information available from the OECD suggests that countries that have taken the lead in the provision of ICT in schools are aiming for or achieving a SCR of 5:1. †¢ In the main, schools make effective use of the grants provided by the DES for developing their ICT systems. However, schools generally spend considerably more on ICT than the sums made available through these grants schemes. †¢ The lack of technical support and maintenance is a significant impediment to the development of ICT in schools. †¢ At primary level, computer rooms are generally a feature of the larger schools. However, access by students to computers was found to be superior where the computers were located in the classrooms. At the post-primary level there is a greater permeation of computers in specialist rooms than in general classrooms. †¢ Schools were found to use a limited range of ICT peripherals, mainly printers, scanners, and digital cameras. Digital projectors were found in post-primary schools. At primary level, interactive whiteboards were present in a small number of schools. †¢ Schools that made dedicated computer facilities available to teachers reported that it led to the use of more high-quality and creative teaching resources in classrooms. xv ICT in Schools Planning †¢ Responsibility for ICT in a school can lie with an ICT steering committee, the principal, the deputy principal, an ICT co-ordinator, or a combination of these personnel. Greater efficiency is achieved where a named person has responsibility for ICT within a school and where their role is clearly defined. †¢ The majority (71%) of primary schools surveyed, but fewer than half (46%) of post-primary schools, were found to have a written ICT plan. These plans tend to concentrate more on infrastructural issues than on how ICT can be used to enhance teaching and learning. †¢ Most schools (83% of primary schools, 87% of post-primary schools) were found to have an acceptable-use policy (AUP). This is a product of the requirements of the Schools Broadband Access Programme and the safety-awareness initiatives of the NCTE. It is also an indication of the seriousness that schools attach to the risks associated with the use of the internet. †¢ The majority of teachers make some use of ICT in lesson planning and preparation. Newly qualified teachers are more likely to use ICT for this purpose than their more experienced colleagues. However, fewer teachers were found to plan for the use of ICT in teaching and learning. At the post-primary level, planning for the use of ICT in teaching varies between subjects. The programmes for Transition Year, LCVP and LCA specifically encourage planning for the use of ICT in teaching and learning. Teachers of these programmes regularly reported that their involvement also encouraged them to use ICT in their teaching with other class groups. †¢ School principals and teachers identified the provision and maintenance of hardware in schools and the provision of professional development opportunities in ICT as being strategically important for the development of ICT in their school. Generic programmes of professional development, because of their wider appeal, were found to have a greater take-up among teachers than topic-specific programmes. Teaching and learning †¢ Only 30% of primary teachers and 25% of post-primary teachers rated their ability as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† with regard to using teaching and learning methods that are facilitated by ICT. Recently qualified teachers had a higher perception of their ICT skills than more experienced teachers. †¢ At the primary level, the inspectors reported evidence of the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in 59% of the classrooms visited. However, the inspectors observed ICT actually being used in only 22% of the lessons observed. Nearly a quarter of all inspections showed a competent or optimal level of performance in relation to the use of ICT in the classroom. xvi Executive summary †¢ Where ICT is used in primary classrooms it predominates in core curricular areas, such as English and Mathematics, and in Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE). †¢ The evaluation found that many fifth-class students in primary schools do not have the competence to complete basic tasks on the computer. While most students reported being able to perform many of the most basic computer tasks, such as turning a computer on and off and opening or saving a file, more than 30% reported that they were not able to print a document or to go on the internet by themselves. Almost half (47%) reported not being able to create a document by themselves. The majority did not know how to create a presentation (72%), use a spreadsheet (86%), or send an attachment with an e-mail message (88%). Competence in the use of ICT is limited for the most part to basic ICT skills, centred on the use of word-processing. †¢ Only 18% of the post-primary lessons observed by the inspectors involved an ICT-related activity. Students’ interaction with the technology was observed in only about a quarter of these instances. The most common ICT-related activity observed was the use of a data projector to make a presentation to a class group. Inspectors judged that effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning was occurring in approximately half of the lessons in which the use of ICT was observed (i. e. in approximately 11% of all lessons observed). †¢ Dedicated ICT lessons at the post-primary level are more prevalent among first-year classes, and are provided less frequently as students progress towards the Junior Certificate. The majority of schools concentrate on providing students with such lessons in their Transition Year, in the LCVP, and in the LCA. †¢ High levels of integration of ICT were found at the post-primary level in the science and applied science subjects and in subjects in the social studies I group. 1 Subjects were also identified that rarely made use of ICT, the most notable being Irish. †¢ The evaluation found that fifth-year students in post-primary schools had the confidence to perform many basic computer operations by themselves, for example saving, printing, deleting, opening and editing a document. However, it also found that they generally needed some assistance to perform more complicated tasks, such as moving files, copying files to external storage devices, and writing and sending e-mail. A relatively low proportion of these students reported being able to create a multimedia presentation. Students required most help with attaching a file to an e-mail message, constructing a web page, or dealing with computer viruses. While the post-primary inspectors generally commented positively on the students’ ICT work that they observed, they were also concerned that the tasks undertaken by the students were largely word-processing and presentation tasks. 1 Social Studies I group includes History; Geography; Art, Craft, and Design; and Music. Social Studies II group includes Religious Education; Physical Education; Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE); and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE). xvii ICT in Schools †¢ ICT is widely used to facilitate the provision by schools of special education. Generally, ICT is used more frequently by members of the special-education team rather than by mainstream class teachers. The emphasis in students’ engagement with ICT in special-education settings is mainly on the support of literacy. Support for ICT †¢ The level of awareness among teachers of the ICT advisory service is generally low, with fewer than half the respondents at both the primary and the post-primary level reporting an awareness of it. Awareness is higher, however, among ICT co-ordinators than among other teachers. †¢ The use of the ICT advisory service is also low. At the primary level only 22% of all respondents reported having used the service, while at the post-primary level the corresponding figure was 15%. Summary of key recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisors †¢ The level of ICT infrastructure in schools needs to be improved. Specifically, Ireland should be working towards equipping not just all schools but all classrooms with an appropriate level of ICT infrastructure. Consideration should be given to equipping all classrooms with a computer for use by the teacher, broadband internet access with adequate bandwidth, and a fixed data projector and screen for use by the teacher in presentations. Furthermore, to ensure appropriate access to ICT by students, Ireland should strive to reduce its student-computer ratio (SCR) from the present 9. 1:1 in primary schools and 7:1 in post-primary schools. International evidence suggests that countries that have taken a lead in this area are aiming for or achieving a ratio of 5:1 or less in all schools. †¢ Improvements in ICT infrastructure will need to be supported by the introduction of a national ICT technical support and maintenance system for schools. Schools also need to be provided with the capacity to regularly upgrade their own ICT infrastructure. †¢ The pedagogical dimension of the ICT advisors’ role in an education centre could be more appropriately provided by the relevant school support services, in liaison with the ICT school coordinators. The technical dimension of the ICT advisors’ role could be provided in a number of ways, including for example, by having a commercially supplied ICT maintenance and support for schools. With an effective IT maintenance system in place, the pedagogical role of ICT coordinators within schools could be enhanced and supported with appropriate training. xviii Executive summary †¢ Support services should give priority to the integration of ICT in teaching and learning. There is an opportunity for such services to work more closely with schools, and with school ICT coordinators in particular, to determine staff training needs and assist in organising appropriate professional development courses for teachers. Support service personnel should aim to be proactive in providing examples of how ICT can be used to facilitate teaching and learning in any programmes provided. Furthermore, course organisers should take greater account of the wide range of ICT abilities and experiences commonly found in groups of teachers and should provide differentiated ICT learning experiences for course participants. †¢ Additional guidance should be provided to schools and teachers of students with special educational needs so that the needs of learners may be matched more appropriately with the technology available. †¢ There needs to be an increased emphasis on the application of ICT in teaching and learning in teacher education at pre-service, induction and continuing professional development stages. It is recommended that teacher education departments in third-level colleges should provide student teachers with the skills necessary to effectively use ICT in teaching and foster in them a culture of using ICT in their work. Consideration should also be given to extending and expanding significantly the current range of professional development courses available for teachers. A major focus of such an initiative should be on how ICT may be integrated fully in the teaching and learning of specific subjects and curricular areas. The ICT Framework for Schools, which the NCCA will issue in the near future, will be a further assistance to schools in this regard. Key recommendations for schools †¢ Schools and teachers should regularly review the use of ICT in their work. In particular, they should strive to ensure greater integration of ICT within teaching and learning activities in classrooms and other settings. †¢ Teachers should exploit the potential of ICT to develop as wide a range of students’ skills as possible, including the higher-order skills of problem-solving, synthesis, analysis, and evaluation. †¢ Principals should encourage and facilitate suitable ICT training for teachers. Schools should liase with relevant support services and should endeavour to establish mechanisms to facilitate the sharing of good practice among members of the staff. †¢ Schools should endeavour to provide all their students with an  appropriate and equitable level of experience of ICT at all class levels: at the primary level and at both junior and senior cycle at the post-primary level. xix ICT in Schools †¢ Schools should plan for the maintenance and upgrading of their ICT systems. †¢ Computer rooms, where they exist, should be used to maximum effect. Staff members and students should be provided with adequate access to the internet. Post-primary schools in particular should aim to increase the permeation of ICT in general classrooms. †¢ A designated staff member should be responsible for ICT development. An ICT plan should be developed, using a consultative process, and an appropriate-use policy (AUP) should also be established. †¢ Teachers should endeavour to integrate ICT more in their planning and preparation for teaching. †¢ Schools need to ensure that ICT is used to support students with special educational needs in the most effective and appropriate way. Schools need to ensure that they match students needs to the most appropriate technology available, and that ICT is used to support not only the acquisition of literacy but the widest range of students needs. †¢ Schools should exploit the benefits to be had from ICT in their assessment procedures and also in their administrative practices. xx Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary education in Ireland Part 1 Introduction 1 ICT in Schools †¢ Part 1 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction Information and communications technology (ICT) is an accepted element in all our lives and has a central role to play in education. Since the appearance of the first Government policy on ICT in education in 1997, a substantial investment has been made in ICT facilities and training in Irish schools. In Ireland, as in other countries, the debate about ICT in education concentrates on the potential impact of ICT on teaching and learning and on the measures that need to be adopted to ensure that the potential of ICT to enrich students’ learning experience is realised. This Inspectorate report presents the findings of a major evaluation of the impact of ICT on teaching and

The stages of early reading development

The stages of early reading development The sequence of teaching phonic knowledge and skills should be such that children should have every opportunity to acquire rapidly the necessary phonic knowledge and skills to read independently Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 86, page 28. The model below demonstrates the mechanism for early word recognition by using phonic rules of language and the memory of known words. However, as I often observe in class, pupils can read words but are often unaware of their meaning and so cannot fully comprehend or absorb knowledge from a text.(relates to Q10) http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/images/clip_image006_0002.jpg Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 50, page 86 Children tend to develop comprehension skills by first building an expansive vocabulary of words and their meanings through repeated exposure (visual or auditory) to a wide range of words. By understanding words in context with one another the reader can understand the meaning of the text. Comprehension occurs as the listener builds a mental representation of the information contained within the language that a speaker is usingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the listeners general knowledge and level of cognitive development will have a bearing on the comprehension of the message. To generate an accurate mental representationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the listener has to process the language and the concepts. Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 61, page 88 In 1998 the Searchlights Model describing reading was introduced as a way of explaining how a reader processes and comes to comprehend a text. The Searchlights model was incorporated into the National Learning Strategies framework (relates to Q3 and Q15) and designed to provide a simplified way to understand the teaching of reading. It formed the basis for much of the theory of reading which was to follow. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmeduski/121/12102.gif Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 2, page 73 The model indicates that a text is read by use of four areas of knowledge which act as searchlights to illuminate the text. However, the model indicated that all searchlights were of equal use and deficiency in one area would be compensated for by ability in another. Later findings indicate that both good language understanding and accurate word recognition are required if a reader is to understand the text. Clays model builds on and modifies the Searchlight model by identifying the four cues required for comprehension as phonological (the sound of the oral language), syntactic (sentence order), visual (graphemes, orthography, format and layout) and semantic (text meaning) (Clay, 1985; Clay and Cazden, 1990). Clay highlights that each of these cues are necessary to facilitate reading and understanding of text. Good readers have developed a number of strategies which focus on unlocking meaning of the text whilst poor readers have very few strategies to cope and they tend to have a lack of integration with the text. With the aid of an increasing pool of research into the cognitive processes of reading, the Simple View of Reading indicates the most recent description of understanding of a text. There are two necessary components which must be fulfilled to allow a child to read; Word Recognition (including understanding and pronunciation of words) and Language Comprehension (including understanding sentences and texts) The two elements are interdependent and often facilitate the other e.g. word recognition does not guarantee understanding of those words (ergo nor the text), whilst comprehension is useless without word recognition. Understanding sentences then provides the reader with context to recognise words which follow and subsequently the meaning of the text. The two components of reading have four outcomes in this model by Gough and Tunmer 1986. http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/images/clip1.jpg Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 31, page 81 This simple view of reading helps teachers to understand where there students are on the model and what strategies need to be applied to increase their capabilities in either or both areas to help them become good readers. To develop word recognition skills the teaching of phonics is important. Synthetic phonics is taught because our written system is alphabetic, so to be able to read you must first learn the alphabet and the single or combination of letters sounds (spoken letters sound). Children should then learn how to (i) segment words into their component sound to enable spelling and understand the meaning of words and (ii) the complementary process of blending sounds to read words in a process known as synthesis. Success here is clearly impacted by the childs recognition and understanding of the letters of the English alphabet and their corresponding pronunciation as a sound. It is equally important to teach and repeat high frequency words which cannot be sounded-out using phonics; this allows the word to enter the sight memory word bank. To develop language skills, the best ways are through speaking and listening activities, so that students have an opportunity to hear and speak words and understand their meaning in the context of the discussion, increasing their vocabulary and language skills. Considering the above, the Rose review 2006 provides a number of recommendations for best practise in teaching children to read which can be categorised into 5 main area (relates to Q14,15), as follows; Best practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The national strategies framework sets out guidance for the development of childrens speaking and listening skills and should be used as a guide for best practice should be expected in the teaching of early reading and synthetic phonics. Quality teaching of phonics would enable the student to develop the ability to decode and encode which is critical to reading and writing/spelling. Phonics work should be cross-curricular using all the strands speaking, listening, reading and writing. Cross curricular phonics teaching also aids students in accumulating a greater stock of words. The teacher must be able to assess progress and react accordingly to maximise the development of each child as an individual with individual needs. The Early Years Foundation Stageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Parents should be encouraged to read with their child before their child enters EYFS. Phonics should be taught from the age of five and should be a multi-sensory approach which captures pupils interests, is delivered in a motivating way by a competent pedagogue capable of reinforcing learning. Greater significance should be placed on word recognition and language comprehension as the key components of learning to read (as a development of the Searchlights model). The EYFS and the National Literacy Framework must work together to create a progressive continuous programme for delivery of phonics which is transportable throughout all years. Intervention if a child struggles to read, including those with SENà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. If a child is experiencing reading difficulties, it is important to check whether they have a sight or hearing problem which makes learning more complex. Provision of intervention should follow the Primary National Strategy three wave model for students with literacy difficulties. The first wave involves effective inclusion of all students with quality first teaching especially in phonics, wave 2 covers extra intervention to make sure that the student is working at age related expectations with small group intense phonics groups, wave 3 individual interventions make sure that students with extra needs are accommodated e.g. school action and school action plus. It is important to ensure that pupils are not excluded from the main learning goals and progress made during intervention sessions is maintained. Strong leadership and management should be provided in tandem with high staff competency, in terms of subject knowledge and skillsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Head-teachers and staff should make sure that phonics is given a priority within the planning for early teaching to read; staff training should be compatible with this ethos. Staff training must make sure that the phonics programme is delivered to a high standard. To aid this, a head of literacy with specialised knowledge would be beneficial. Passing on knowledge in this way improves phonics teaching overall, is cost effective (due to a dilution of course costs) and allows a specific individual to monitor for consistency of phonics teaching. Those who manage the school should be responsible for instilling an effective continual professional development programme for all staff. With phonics in mind they should oversee the consistency of phonics delivery and provide feedback to improve practice. Management must also monitor pupil progress and instil teaching policy which benefits all pupils by ensuring that they are able to achieve realistic learning goals. Furthermore, Rose suggests that initial teacher training should provide a demonstration of the need to focus on early-years phonics to bring about reading. When observing phonics in my base school I have found that children are grouped by ability for all sessions, with smaller intense groups provided for EAL children. The planning and teaching is undertaken in line with the Letters and Sounds resources in the following way (relates to Q25): First you review and revisit the previous weeks letters and sounds to ensure retention; sometimes the teacher will review the first 100 words using flashcards which the children race to read as many as they can in a minute. Next a new sound is taught, the teacher models how to write the sound and explains the phoneme family (other letter combinations with the same phonetic sound). Practise the new sound by first modelling the writing of a word using the subject sound and then instructing children to write different words which contain that sound. Applying the sound just learned, the teacher writes a sentence (normally something funny) which pupils are asked to read and write their own if time allows. This provides an understanding of the word in context (process two of Simple View of Reading). To bring about word recognition and comprehension the key features of the Simple View of Reading I have observed a number of methods in school; Children are given reading books to take home and practise reading with parents; comprehension and reading accuracy are checked before a child is allowed to change their book. Children are also encouraged to activity use the library facility to take home an extra book they wish to read themselves. This is to encourage them to foster the attitude that being able to read brings many benefits. Daily phonics lessons, taught according to the method described above. Children are given spellings to learn which relate to the phonics they are learning about. Guided reading groups are done regularly to teach the children how to decode and comprehend texts. The children are encouraged to sound out words to find the phonemes when spelling and reading. I have observed many sessions of phonics teaching which have been taught well by effective teachers. This has had a clear benefit to the children being taught and will allow them to become competent readers, an essential skill for success as an adult and fulfilment of the ECM goals which I should strive to satisfy for all pupils in my care. I will draw on the high quality teaching I have observed to provide such quality teaching. The simple view of reading provides a clear framework for success in teaching children to read. Considering Gough and Tunmers (1986) model in relation to a childs ability will allow me to modify my teaching to the needs of each child (relates to Q29). An on-going commitment to understanding research into the best ways for children to learn, and its effect upon best practice, will allow me to deliver teaching which caters for pupils for whom I am responsible. Unfortunately there has not been any indication from the current government regarding their opinion o f and for Literacy teaching. With this in mind, I will carry on with the phonics that I have started to teach. It is clear that I must plan Literacy sessions to include phonics lessons and build on the early learning provided by EYFS teachers. This should be undertaken in collaboration with parents as it is clear that reading from a very early age is most influential upon the childs ability to understand and grasp new knowledge i.e. a successful reader will find future learning easier. My planning and delivery must harness this ethos and the benefits of reading be highlighted to pupils. To allow pupils to gain this benefit, I must create an environment in which I can deliver content in an interesting way which captures the interest of pupils. This environment should also foster a welcoming feedback (relates to Q27) process to allow children to highlight areas where they are struggling and know that help will be provided; learning is best undertaken as a collaborative process by all involved. Bibliography and Reference list Clay, Marie M. (1985). The Early Detection of Reading Difficulties. Third Edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (ED 263 529) Clay, M., Cazden, C. (1992). A Vygotskian interpretation of reading recovery. In L.C. Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of socio-historical psychology (pp. 206-222). New York: Cambridge University Press. Gough, P. B. Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10. Rose, J (2006). Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading. Annesley: Department for Education and Skills.

Platos The Crito Essay example -- essays research papers

There are many instances in Plato's the Crito where Socrates gives reasons for himself to stay in Athens and face his death. Arguments range from that of him being too old to run, to the common response two wrongs don't make a right. The reason I intend to argue against is one Socrates expresses in regards to his obligations to the city he has lived in all his life, and thus the rules that he has subsequently followed throughout that time. In Athens just like any other city, one follows the rules that the respective city has laid down because he/she believes in those laws, or does not and keeps silent. In the stand Socrates takes, he argues that since he has lived in Athens all his life, he is required to stand his ground and take what's thrown his way, even if that punishment is death, "do you think you have the right to retaliation against your country and its laws?" (Crito, 53) Socrates was a master of words. It is easy to say that his intellect allowed him to make anyon e see all sides of an argument. Even Crito at times is confused about his decision to free his friend, think that he is making the right decision, "or do you think it possible for a city not to be destroyed if the verdicts of its courts have no force but are nullified and set at naught by private individuals."(Crito, 52) Socrates’ words are very convincing, but what he is not thinking about is the fact that this whole predicament was not meant to be. Socrates was supposed to be in all ...

Teenage Stress Essay -- essays research papers fc

Laura sits in her room surrounded by a stack of notes, cramming for a test that she entirely forgot about, while James stares blankly at a college application. He also has the knowledge that he must be at work in 20 minutes, and that his car hardly has any gas left in it. Both of these teenagers suffer from a common dilemma, stress. Stress is a reaction to external and internal pressure. It is a normal function that helps people in their daily lives ("Stress: Who"). Without some level of stress, individuals wouldn't have the motivation to meet deadlines or complete projects ("Stress: Who"). However normal stress can become a burden over a long period of time and this leads to chronic stress. Chronic stress is what people are referring to when they say that they are "stressed out" ("Spotlight"). Stress can become even more overwhelming if chronic stress goes into overload; this is what is known as distress (Romero, B1). Since stress is a reaction, there must be a trigger to cause that reaction. The items that cause the stress reaction are called stressors, and they can fall into three different categories: catastrophes, major life changes, and daily hassles ("Stress (psychology)"). A catastrophe can be described as a sudden calamity that pushes people to their outmost coping abilities. Some examples of catastrophes are: Ø Earthquakes, Fire, Flood, etc, Ø War/Torture, Ø Car accidents, Ø Violent physical attacks, Ø Sexual assault ("Stress (psychology)"). Catastrophes often affect the victim's mind long after the incident is over ("Stress (psychology)"). - The following form of stressor is major life changes. A few examples of this, is: Ã ¼ Death, Ã ¼ Divorce of a parent, Ã ¼ Imprisonment, Ã ¼ Disability/Illness ("Stress (psychology)"). The final class of stressor is the daily hassles. These may not appear very stressful but if experienced repeatedly over a long period of time may have very severe effe... ...espair can Spur Suicide, Experts say." Denver Mountain News. (Denver, CO). CD Newsbank. 23 October 2000. Seibold, Douglas. "The Kids are All Right." Our Children. April 1999: pp. 8-12. in Social Issues Research Series, Inc. Siegfried, Tom. "Adolescents' Risky Rebellion Reflects rewiring in the Brain." Dallas News. (Dallas, TX). CD Newsbank. 21 August 2000. "Spotlight on Stress." 17 November 2000. http://kidshealth.org/teen/mind_ matter/feelings/stress_p4.html. "Stress: Mental or Physical Tension?" 20 November 2000. http:www.pgcps.org /~wwict/teen/stress.html. "Stress (psychology)." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 1999. "Stress: Who has Time for It?" 17 November 2000. http://familydoctor.org/ handouts/278.html. "Teen Stress." 17 November 2000. http://library.thinkquest.org/13561/english/ teen_stress.html.

margaret mead Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Margaret Mead was born on Monday, December 16th, 1901 at West Park Hospital in Philadelphia. It was there that she recieved the honor of being the first baby born in that hospital. Growing up she felt different than others, she had been the only child who hadn't been born at home, and became very jealous. She also felt that living with rational parents made it very difficult for her to even identify with many people. Margaret went to school at Barnard and majored in psychology where she met Franz Boas, a great anthropologist who became her mentor. Later she earned a doctorate at Columbia. Mead really enjoyed anthropology, she believed it was a way to bring new understandings of human behaviour to bear on in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In September of 1923 Margaret married Luther. And in 1925 Mead did her first field work. She headed for American Samoa and focused on Manu adolescent girls and related them to American adolescent girls. She found that their culture influences personality, not genetics. It was then, when she wrote her first book Coming of Age in Samoa. On her way back from American Samoa, Margaret met anthropologist Reo Fortune and fell in love. Soon after, she divorced Luther and re-married. In 1929 Margaret travelled to New Guinea with Reo to study the play and imaginations of younger children, and how they were shaped by adult society. Her second book was puplished shortly after, it was titled Growing Up in New Gu... margaret mead Essay example -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Margaret Mead was born on Monday, December 16th, 1901 at West Park Hospital in Philadelphia. It was there that she recieved the honor of being the first baby born in that hospital. Growing up she felt different than others, she had been the only child who hadn't been born at home, and became very jealous. She also felt that living with rational parents made it very difficult for her to even identify with many people. Margaret went to school at Barnard and majored in psychology where she met Franz Boas, a great anthropologist who became her mentor. Later she earned a doctorate at Columbia. Mead really enjoyed anthropology, she believed it was a way to bring new understandings of human behaviour to bear on in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In September of 1923 Margaret married Luther. And in 1925 Mead did her first field work. She headed for American Samoa and focused on Manu adolescent girls and related them to American adolescent girls. She found that their culture influences personality, not genetics. It was then, when she wrote her first book Coming of Age in Samoa. On her way back from American Samoa, Margaret met anthropologist Reo Fortune and fell in love. Soon after, she divorced Luther and re-married. In 1929 Margaret travelled to New Guinea with Reo to study the play and imaginations of younger children, and how they were shaped by adult society. Her second book was puplished shortly after, it was titled Growing Up in New Gu...

Influence Change through Strategic Thinking Essay

Strategic Thinking can be defined as the learning process which entails many aspects of turning the innovative ideas into reality through team work, planning and organizing of resources. It includes the need to have problem solving abilities and critical analysis of situations. Strategic thinking can be used as a very effective tool to implement; manage and sustain the change in any organization and help organizations prosper under the scheme of change (Sanders, 1998). Why is Strategic thinking necessary? Strategic thinking when compared with strategic planning serves us with many differences. With an aerial view, both of ideas seem to be very similar, however, in actual organizational based scenarios, strategic thinking is quiet different from planning, and involves more rigorous activities. Strategic thinking only helps in shaping the future that is partial planning of the future. In the process, the ideas are not discreet and are interactive in nature. This helps to generate better outputs as the interaction gives other the chances to present their opinions. Strategic thinking provides lower level management to have their say in strategy making and development as it an interactive system of thinking. The involvement of the management at all levels is what gives it an edge over strategic planning. An organization is a system in which sub systems are present. These sub systems interact with each others and hence managers at all the levels come together to create a strategy viable for their organization. All the managers understand their positions and their roles in the organization know that they are correlated and are interdependent (Wootton & Horne, 2002). Strategic thinking has one important aspect i. e. , change. Change is inevitable when strategic thinking is in process. It is true that strategic thinking tackles the difficult part of implementing the change rather than sustaining and evaluating it. Change management is difficult and the toughest part of change management is implementing and managing change (Wootton & Horne, 2002). Strategic Thinking and Influencing Change However, strategic thinking assists in successful change implementation. Change management and transformation from one state to the other is involved with rigorous planning and with out planning, change management process would come out to be a failure. Hence, strategic thinks aids in making correct decisions as it an interactive system of thinking (Kotter, 1996). The important thing is to identify whether the change is at strategic, operational or functional level, and when change is identify, it must be made sure that in order to bring about the change a paradigm shift must come. The change that would come would bring a transformation current system and the way things are done in an organization. Innovative thinking and thinking that is out of the box clearly assists in planning and implementing a strategic change in an organization. Continuous improvements and evaluation is another critical success factor in implementing change with the aid of critical thinking. In order to bring about the change effectively, the mangers must challenge the current situation they are in. complacency should be avoided at all levels of change. All assumption must be confronted and must be checked against the current scenarios if they are applicable. All the assumptions must be checked against the evidences and must be characterized and prioritized (Kotter, 1996). The managers must make a clear distinction between their ends and the means they would achieve those ends. The ends must be clearly identified and the means and methods of achieving those ends must be done when ends are assessed and are understood. Change brings about resistance, and at this stage, managers must identify the means to handle the resistance and the consequences of the resistance (Kotter, 1996). All levels of the planning process must be utilized in strategic thinking when establishing change in any organization or at stage of organizational life. These levels are mega level, macro level and micro level. At all levels of organizational change and planning process a holistic approach should be employed and used. This would help the managers understand what change would consequently which part of the system and sub system. Interaction amongst those systems would clear away the hurdles that could come in the process of change, and better ideas come up to eradicate and overcome those barriers. Relationships should be established in strategic thinking to understand that the organization is not a stand alone entity but is well connected with the outside world (Sanders, 1998). Measurable objectives must be set so that they are evaluated at a later stage of change and when the change is needed to be sustained, the specific changes can be managed well if there is a slight disorder in them. Indistinguishable and ambiguous objectives should not be adhered to and should not be taken into account. Status quo must not be challenged but a change should be with in the status quo and achievable at all levels of the organization. The pros and cons must be measured. If the success of that particular change is made measurable then the failure and damages of that particular change should also be made measurable (Kotter, 1996). Ideal vision, even though difficult to achieve, always provides the possibilities that can be present to lead to that particular ideal vision. This is the basis of strategic thinking. Continuous improvement and incessant change is the key to organization’s success. Both amalgamated give a perfect strategy to come about a successful change action with minimized resistance and better results (Sanders, 1998).

Willowbrook Reflections

Twenty-Five Years After Willower People born with intellectual disabilities and/or special needs have always been a sensitive topic in society for as long as I can remember. I grew up with a friend with Cerebral Palsy and have known people with Down syndrome, and I know the burden both the individual and families carry. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and have lived here all my life; and I have never heard of ‘Willower the institution†. This film left me with many emotions: anger, sadness, concerned and most of all wary.Families entrusted Willower to do the right thing. Families were promised education, proper treatment, and essentially a better life for those who were Intellectually disabled. The conditions and reality wealth Holbrook were anything but that. The Individuals were treated with cruelty, negligence and a lack of compassion. With the overwhelming amount of patients, government cuts were made, creating an even worse environment. Many patients became sick. Cond itions worsen and some even died. Granted, in the sass's there was a stigma to â€Å"mental retardation† and ignorance to many disorders or conditions.However, this serves no justice in treating people in an inhumane fashion. Families did not know how to help their son or daughter, some were embarrassed and ashamed. These families felt Willower was the answer. I can't help but to draw a connection between Willower and our education system. Parents trust us teachers with their children and believe the school will take every measure to help their child succeed. Policies must be made to protect the rights of individuals with special needs. People like Patti, Luis, and Bernard are beautiful, amazing individuals. They require only patience, love, and compassion. GeraldRiviera said â€Å"All people need is humanity and compassion†, and special education needs reform and continue to improve. Willower Reflections By impreciseness Reflections on Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years A fter Willower here all my life; and I have never heard of â€Å"Willower the institution†. This film left intellectually disabled. The conditions and reality within Willower were anything but that. The individuals were treated with cruelty, negligence and a lack of made, creating an even worse environment. Many patients became sick, conditions many disorders or conditions. However, this serves no Justice in treating people in an