When AmericanS Think Of Education, They Almost Automatically

When American s think of education, they almost automatically think of public education. Through the years it is slowly changing. Many parents today are deciding to home school their children. Although most people think that a public education is better, most statistics and facts tend to show that homeschooling is beneficial in more ways. It is estimated that parents are now teaching over two million children at home, rather than in public or even private schools. Education in our public schools has been on the down slope for over twenty years now. Public schools have lost all values and biblical morality. This was what our country was founded on and it has been replaced with humanism. One example of humanism in our schools is that they†¦show more content†¦In the last ten years, research shows that infants raised in daycare are more prone to behavioral problems as young children than their home-reared cousins (Klicka 124). If you keep your child at home from the start, you will be able to discipline and raise your children with the right morals. Because so much time is spend trying to clean up and keep our schools safe, we are more or less falling behind in our education. American s are farther behind in educational status than countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and China. The teachers spend too much time on the little things and forget the real reason why the children are there. Not only that, but the textbooks hold inaccurate information and do not contain the whole story. Some textbooks stated that the atomic bomb ended the Korean War (instead of World War II) and that only 53,000, rather than 126,000 Americans, were killed in World War I (Klicka 24 25). One book summarizes Abraham Lincoln s and George Washington s life in approximately six lines each. Not only are the wrong things written in the textbooks, they teach the children wrong values. In public school textbooks, marriage is never mentioned as the foundation of the family, and yet these boo ks are supposed to be the textbooks that introduce the child to an understanding of American society. Abortion is another issue. Mel and Norma Gabler s document states, Abortion is discussed as an aspectShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The F Word By Firoozeh Dumas1736 Words   |  7 PagesAsk You Again and Again Because You’ll Think I’m Dumb or You Might Get Upset or Something’† (739). In the quote, Firoozeh satirizes the American who is close-minded. A close-minded person is someone who is not open to new ideas and has very rigid ideas. In Farsi, her name has a beautiful meaning. In Firoozeh’s eyes, in America, it stands for not going to talk to you because your name is too complicated and I don’t want to appear dumb. It shows how American’s are rigid and firm in their beliefs ofRead MoreWhat Money Can’t Buy by Michael Sandel Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagesissues in providing basic needs to your family. In today’s world, how much money you make is a big deal. Happiness is no longer the most important or easiest thing to achieve. Money, and how much of it you have, has taken over the minds of most American’s; they are starting to believe that the more money you have means the more things you can get. According to Sandel, rich Americans are taking advantage of jumping the queue. People have the option to pay more money to get better service at airportsRead MoreMulticulturalism in Malaysia1504 Words   |  6 PagesNow, let us narrow down the point of focus: the issue of multiculturalism in Malaysia. As we all know, Malaysian is mainly consisted of three differing races, and automatically, culture: the Malays, Chinese and Indian. Most of the population lived in harmony and tolerance, but does segregation truly disappeared from the hearts of its people? That is the central theme of the film ‘Sepet’, a film directed by Allahyarham Yasmin Ahmad, released to cinemas all over the country in 2004. The title literallyRead MoreThe American Dream By John Adams1721 Words   |  7 PagesDaija Daniels Professor Metz History 101 21 March 2016 The American Dream When people come to America, they come because the want to live the American dream. But what actually is the American dream? Does it truly exist? When one thinks of the American dream they instantly think of the Declaration of Independence because they too also believe that all men are created equal but also believe in the beauty of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. United States citizens as well as immigrants, believedRead MoreAbortions Tug of War Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pagesthe woman’s decision and tries to desperately talk her into an abortion. A majority of men feel the same way the American does; therefore, men should also have a say when a woman contemplates getting an abortion. Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been around since the dawn of men and has appeared in almost every culture. When the procedure is done right, it is one of the safest medical procedures there is. Throughout history though, numerous unsafe practices have been used for abortion.Read MoreRacial Racism And Racial Discrimination2091 Words   |  9 Pagespeople of color. Moreover, those who inflict racial microaggressions are often unaware that they have done anything to harm another person. Next, the different experience of racial microaggression. For instance, when a white couple passes a black man on the sidewalk, the women automatically clutches her purse more tightly, while the white man checks for his wallet in the back pocket. Also, a third generation Asian American is complimented by a taxi cab driver for speaking such good English. AlthoughRead Moreimpact of martin luther king on civil rights3162 Words   |  13 PagesHow much impact did Martin Luther King have in changing civil rights for black Americans? Eyes on the Prize, American’s Civil Rights years, 1954-1965, Juan Williams Eyes on the Prize, Juan Williams On the bus boycott â€Å"When the trial of the boycott leaders began in Alabama, the national press got its first good look at Martin Luther King Jr., the first defendant. Four days later, King was found guilty. The sentence was a $500 fine and court costs, or 386 days of hard labour. The judge explained thatRead More Inspiration is the Key to Achievement Essay3849 Words   |  16 Pages The road to success of every achiever is filled with ample inspiration, something more powerful than words can describe, something that unbelievably plays such an important role in how someone approaches their lifetime goal, in how someone thinks, how someone acts, and how times fly, and how the world spinning around someone is – whether it is dynamic, hectic, chaotic, moderate, or deliberate. Without this incredible thing that may seem to be imaginary and invisible to some people, life would beRead MoreEssay on Media Influence on Black Children5404 Words   |  22 PagesMedia Influence on Black/African-American Children Abstract: An overview of how media in the decades since the 1950s had influenced the education of Black/African-Americann Students. Media in the decades since the 1950s has dramatically influenced the education of Black/African-American children. The media, which includes television, newspapers, magazines, radio, advertising and the internet, is a vital part of constantly creating and reinforcing stereotypes. Media affects and influencesRead MoreHealth Care Policy10795 Words   |  44 Pageslack of coverage leading to debt and personal bankruptcy results in billions of dollars in uncompensated care that get passed through the health care system to taxpayers when the uninsured obtain care from hospitals (Reinhardt et al., 2004). Approximately, $100 billion was spent in 2001 to care for the uninsured, therefore, when considering the cost of covering the uninsured with meaningful health benefits, it is fundamentally justified to create policy solutions. (Reinhardt, 2003). One strategy

Parable of the sower theme of Weakness and Strength - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 318 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2018/12/27 Category Sociology Essay Type Book review Level High school Tags: Community Essay Novel Essay Did you like this example? The parable of the sower has a wide range of themes developed. Among the themes that the author has tried to feature in the work is the theme of weakness and strength. The novel integrates the two themes in a manner that it is possible to tell similarly to a real world event. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Parable of the sower: theme of Weakness and Strength" essay for you Create order The themes are not straightforward as one wound expect them to be. More importantly in a world where violence prevails (Gerhardsson 167). The Laurens group may be viewed as a weak group. However, the team has some strength. For instance, a large number of the women in the novel have the knowledge on how to use a gun. These women include Zahra, Lauren, and Natividad. Moreover, the novel also show that the children have hiding skills, which is a notable strength inhibited by the group. The team is also strong as they are able to decide on a better way to get through the police. They fail to present threat, a quality that makes it easier for them to pass without being suspected by the police. The author tries to show the theme of strength through Laurens brother. The young man (Keith) has the determination to prove his manhood by trying to be part of a violent gun. However, his struggles makes him end up being brutally murdered (Gerhardsson 180). Also the community walls that appeared strong get breached leading to the community being destroyed. Also, the theme is displayed through Lauren, when she makes her decision to venture on the road (open) which is a dangerous place to be in; she gets the opportunity to constructing the community, a situation that had been her life-long dream. Which is a dangerous place to be in; she gets the opportunity to constructing the community, a situation that had been her life-long dream. Works Cited Gerhardsson, Birger. The Parable of the Sower and its Interpretation. New Testament Studies? 14.2 (1968): 165-193.

Kenneth Lay, The Founder Of Enron - 1662 Words

Kenneth lay, the founder of Enron, did not start his life as a deceiving criminal. He was born in Missouri in 1942. He went to school at the university of Missouri where he got a master’s degree in economics. After serving briefly in the us navy he got into the Gas business starting a career working for Exxon predecessor Humble Oil Refining. He quickly moved up the ladder and found himself as president and CEO of Houston Natural Gas Co in 1981. Four years later his company merged with InterNorth, a pipeline company from Nebraska, and Enron was born. Kenneth Lay was made CEO of Enron not long after the merger. (1) Enron went into debt during the merger. Enron right from the start was forced to come up with a new way to make money and pay off their debts. Enron shortly after lost its exclusive pipeline rights and Kenneth Lay had a huge problem and need a solution, he enlisted the help of Jeremey Skilling from Mckinsey Co to help come up with a solution. His solution was to build a ‘Gas Bank’. This was a concept that Enron would buy gas from network suppliers then sell it directly to consumers under a contract which would guarantee supply and price. This revolutionary idea lead to Skilling’s Employment at Enron in 1990 in a new division called Enron Finance Corp. Enron Finance Corp. had the responsibility of gaining access to suppliers and getting clients to sign contracts. They began to dominate the market and with such market power they were able predict future pricesShow MoreRelatedEnron : The Smartest Guy Essay799 Words   |  4 Pagesscandals to come to mind would be t he bankruptcy of Enron Corporation. If we apply and analyze the skills of a negotiator like Founder and Chairman Kenneth Lay, CEO Jeffery Skilling, and CFO Andrew Fastow it becomes clear how and why the actives of Enron were perpetuated for as long as they were. â€Å"This wasn’t about the numbers Enron was publishing, but rather it was about the people. This was a human tragedy† (Gibney). As expressed in the documentary, â€Å"Enron: The Smartest Guy’s in the Room,† the core issueRead MoreEnron Corporation : The Largest Energy Trading Essay1131 Words   |  5 PagesEnron Corporation is the largest energy-trading located in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Kenneth L. Lay in 1985. Enron has been form through the merger between Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth Incorporation and initially named it as HNG/Inter-North Incorporation, before renames it as Enteron. In 1986, the company name has been shortened to Enron Corporation. At the beginning of the operation, Enron only involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas throughout the UnitedRead MoreThe White Collar Crime By Edwin Sutherland Essay1254 Words   |  6 Pageskey information, offering bad advice, and acting on inside information. Kenneth Lay was the founder of Enron in 1985 and was the chief executive officer for over 15 years. In 1990 Jeffery Skilling joined the company and later on became the chief executive officer in February 2001. However quickly resigned months later for â€Å"family reasons.† In despite of Skilling leaving the company, they were both credited in building Enron into a powerhouse in its creative management. In the near future whenRead MoreEnron Accounting Scandal1706 Words   |  7 PagesThe Enron Accounting Scandal of 2001 There are many accounting scandals that have occurred throughout United States History. Many scandals occur even without outsiders knowing anything that had occurred. Companies try their best to keep many of the accounting scandals quiet. Everyday, there are political and business fraud happening, and most of it goes unnoticed. No company wants to admit that there was a problem or that people within the company are not trust worthy. However, when executivesRead MoreWhy Enron Became A Middle Man Company1133 Words   |  5 Pagesbusiness. Enron, originally known as a â€Å"natural gas pipeline company [started by Kenneth Lay in 1985], soon became known as an energy-trading corporation that bought and sold gas as well as electricity.† (Fox, 1). With over 20,000 employees and 40 worldwide businesses, The Houston, TX Corporation soon became a prodigy of the times. Originally it made its profit by promising to deliver a particular amount of gas to certain businesses at market price on particular days. (O’Harrow Jr.). Soon, Enron becameRead MoreEnron , The Natural Gas Provider Essay923 Words   |  4 Pages Enron, the natural gas provider turned trader of natural gas commodities and in 1994, electric, was once touted as the seventh largest company in America. Kenneth Lay, founder, began changing Enron from just a provider into a financial energy powerhouse. Lay took advantage of the dot-com boom of the late 1990’s by creating Enron Online, an internet trading platform. Internet stocks were valued at astronomical prices and were all the rage on wall street, who accepted the increasing prices as normalRead MoreDefining The Corporate Veil Its Legal And Ethical Boundaries Essay1558 Words   |  7 Pagesrecognizing the corporation and shareholders as separate entities would give court approval to fraud or cause an unfair result. The Enron scandal is a good example as to why a corporate veil would be pierced or lifted. The Enron scandal had place the economy in financial turmoil when the companied filed for what would forever be the largest account for bankruptcy. Enron misreporting their profits, mislead many investors to believe the company were profiting better than they were. What they were doingRead MoreWhy Enron Failed So Miserably1119 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis The reason Enron failed so miserably was due to the failure to meet the important ethical challenges and dilemmas in its corporate environment, the majority of the liability falls upon Kenneth Lay, the company founder, chief financial officer Andrew Fastow and Kenneth Lay’s successor Jeffrey Skilling. Enron’s CEO Mr. Lay failed to act responsible and also take necessary action, like for example when Fortune reporter Bethany McClean started inquiring about the validity of the financialRead MoreManagement Organization1074 Words   |  5 Pagespaper will discuss Enron, and the business failure that occurred. At one time, Enron was one of the largest energy providers in America, based out of Houston, Texas. This paper will explain how specific organizational behavior theories could have predicted Enron’s failure. Also provide a comparison and contrast how leadership management and organizational structures contributed to the failure. Enron History Enron was founded in 1985 by Kenneth Lay. Enron was formed by Mr. Lay† merging togetherRead MoreEnron And The Natural Gas Industry1542 Words   |  7 PagesEnron Background: Enron, based in Houston, Texas, was founded by Kenneth Lay as an energy and pipeline company in 1985 from the merger of two natural gas pipeline companies, Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth. The impetus for Lay to start Enron was the deregulation of the natural gas market in the mid 1980’s, which relaxed the rules on natural gas prices and allowed for more flexible agreements between natural gas producers and pipeline managers. These changes essentially eliminated the practice

The American Revolution Can be Blamed on Enland Essay

Prior to the Revolutionary War, during the 1760s, the contradicting opinions among the colonists living in England’s thirteen colonies separated them into two major groups, those loyal to the king and to Great Britain and those patriotic to colonial America. While the loyalists were content to be English subjects and wanted to remain under the protection of England, the patriots felt that it was essential that the colonies obtain their liberty from England. Some colonists were strongly opinionated, while others were undecided. However, a series of events, including the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Acts, the Townshend Duties, the Quartering Acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts, caused the majority of colonists to desire†¦show more content†¦However, the colonists felt a strong antipathy and umbrage towards this explanation because they felt that England was trying to keep its colonies contained on the Atlantic coast. This theory is due to the fact tha t if the colonies all were located on the eastern coast of the Americas, it would be easier for England to keep control then if the colonists began moving into western territories. It also required that all lands within the Indian territory occupied by Englishmen were to be abandoned. Because the England sided with the Indians in the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists perceived England’s interests as against what was best for the colonial Americans. Thus began the extensive atrocities committed by England that created tension and distrust between the colonies and its motherland. As more and more colonists were undecided on whether to be loyalists or patriots, the various acts and duties, such as the Stamp Act, passed encouraged many to agree with the patriots. Passed on March 22, 1765 by the Stamp Act imposed a tax on the colonists by placing a stamp on items that were to have a tax including printed papers, including ship’s paperwork, legal documents, licenses, deeds, certificates, newspapers and other publications, as well as common household paper items, such as playing cards and dice. Though the Stamp Act was mild in its direct effects, it alarmed many colonists because of

Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner Free Essays

PA is attending an adult numeracy class because he was sent by his employer. His employer completed his Level 2 National Test last year and is now insisting that all his employees follow suit. Non-completion will result in no promotion and no annual pay rise Initial assessment The key implications here are that PA is currently working at Entry Level 3 in most numeric areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner or any similar topic only for you Order Now He should be able to increase his ability level and undertake Level 1 without too many problems. However he needs to achieve Level 2 in order to gain his pay rise and promotion so this will put him under a lot of preasure and additional stress. According to Tennant (1988), PA, as a 36 year old, is in his midlife transitional period and will be â€Å"Adopting a changing time perspective and revising career plans†; this can be substantiated as PA is attending a numeracy course because of changes that are taking place at work. His employer has stated that the course must be completed and the Level 2 National Test must be passed or PA will not receive a promotion or his annual pay rise. This is an unusual situation, as according to Charnley Jones (1987), â€Å"Getting a pay rise as a direct result of tuition is extremely rare†. Patterns of adult learning reflect class divisions in society and the different expectations and perceptions resulting from those divisions. Factors such as social class, gender and race impact on decisions to learn, as each is associated with particular cultural pressures and norms. According to Maslow (1973) once physiological needs have been met safety or security becomes predominant. In other words, there is a need for self-preservation and a common concern for the future e. g. , will we be able to maintain our property and our job in order to provide shelter and food tomorrow and the next day? It is likely that this is the stage PA is at particularly as he knows that if he does not pass the relevant exams he will not get a pay rise or promotion. Peer and reference group influences can also be extremely strong (Evans, 2000). People who are habitual learners tend to belong to groups where education is seen as a normal activity. They also tend to be involved in other forms of social participation. Non-learners belong to groups for whom engaging in learning is not part of normal behaviour – this is certainly true of PA who would not have engaged initially in numeracy earning through his own choice, and who, until recently would not engage in any social activity e. g. attending a school fund raising evening. Among male manual workers, for example, there is a strong culture of group conformity and solidarity. To engage in education that is not immediately job-related is seen as what women or children do and is, therefore, not a masculine activity (McGivney, 1996). Social class continues to be the key discriminator in understanding participation in learning. Over half of all upper and middle class (AB) respondents are current or recent learners, compared with one-third of the skilled working class (C2) and one quarter of unskilled working class people and people on limited incomes (Gallup Survey 1996). However, what and how much is learned can be influenced by the learner’s motivation (NIACE, 1997) and, from my own experiences within the post-compulsory education sector, I would have to agree with this. However, motivation to learn could be, in turn, influenced by an individual’s emotional states, beliefs, interests and goals, and habits of thinking. PA’s current, positive, beliefs about himself as a learner and the nature of learning appear to have had a marked influence on his motivation. It could be said that the rich internal world of thoughts, beliefs, goals, and expectations for success or failure may enhance or interfere with the learner’s quality of thinking and information processing. Motivational and emotional factors may also influence both the quality of his thinking and information processing as well as his individual motivation to learn. Positive emotions, such as curiosity, generally enhance motivation and facilitate learning and performance. Mild anxiety can also enhance learning and performance by focusing the learner’s attention on a particular task. However, intense negative emotions (e. g. , anxiety, panic, rage, insecurity) and related thoughts (e. g. , worrying about competence, ruminating about failure, fearing punishment, ridicule, or stigmatising labels) generally detract from motivation, interfere with learning, and contribute to low performance (Evans, 2000). This could be seen during PA’s recent Numeracy Level 1 National Test when he experienced mild anxiety, but was extremely motivated and positive about the experience and his ability – and he passed first time! Motivation is, therefore, not a simple issue, since individual motives and action are strongly affected by where people are located (socially, culturally and spatially) and the constraints or incentives that operate on their choices (NIACE). PA blames his current lack of knowledge and qualifications in numeracy on his underachievement at school. If we look more closely it becomes apparent that, because of his age, PA would have been attending school during the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was during this time that the early underachievement of boys first became evident, as large scale studies of children’s achievements at Primary school pointed to the fact that girls consistently out-performed boys (Myers, 2000). Therefore there was a shift away from public concern about girls’ achievement to boys’ achievement, or underachievement, at school in exams. The concern about ‘boys’ underachievement’ has been characterised in educational policy initiatives at national, local and school levels, most significantly in the imposition of the national literacy and numeracy strategy (Barrs and Pidgeon 1998). However, overall improvements in achievement are often ignored and gender differences are ascribed to the detrimental effects of ‘the feminisation of teaching’ (Epstein et al, 1998). The concern for boys’ underachievement was highlighted by Murphy and Elwood (1998) who argued that improvement in female achievement is not shared by girls from low socio-economic backgrounds and may not be apparent in some subjects. Similarly, Epstein et al (1998) questioned the global application of the category of boys’ underachievement’ by asking, ‘†¦ hich boys? At what stages of education? †¦ according to what criteria? ‘ We could say that by definition, gender roles are the social norms that dictate what is socially appropriate male and female behaviour (Tobias, 1997), and are part of the socialisation process of human beings. These roles are also influenced by each individual’s cultural and economic background (Tobias, 1997). It could be said that gender roles influence women and men in virtually every area of life, including family and occupation. This is certainly true for PA, who feels that it is his duty to provide for his family and to have the greater earning capacity regardless of his lack of formal qualifications. Everyone recognises that there are significant differences between male and female, even if they are only physical. However, others see not only the physical but also the social, emotional and intellectual differences. In addition there is belief that, by the age of sixteen, females have matured more than boys by up to as much as two years (Skelton, 2001). This could mean that girls have an advantage by viewing exams in a far more responsible way and recognising the seriousness and importance of the academic and career choices in the future. PA agrees with this as he did not take his schooling seriously and, quite possibly due to the fact that PA knew he was underachieving and he was unmotivated, he left school at 16 with no formal qualifications. He has only recently started to regret his actions. The figures from the 1996 Gallup survey could also be used to illustrate this as more adult men (25%) are currently learning compare to adult women (21%). Now that he is within the adult education sector, PA appears to see learning numeracy as a process of liberation. This may be because PA now feels that the educational process is not static and that his learning is a cultural action for freedom. It no longer involves one person teaching another, but rather people working with each other to ensure each individual reaches their potential. This was also the understanding of Bruner (1973), who suggested that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas based upon their current / past knowledge. Adult learners also appear to be more receptive to learning if there is a context to the learning. Teaching adults numerical skills which ‘transfer’ means exposing â€Å"students to different contexts which have the same mathematical content† (Rees and Barr, 1984) e. g. electrical work, decorating, shopping or linked to employment. This is certainly true for PA who works better, and appears to have a deeper understanding, when he can see there is a relevance and context to what he is learning. According to Bruner (1973), the teacher and student should engage in active dialogue and the task of the teacher is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learners’ current state of understanding. During numeracy there are so many ways of doing and explaining one thing, one example would be the various descriptions used for the actions of ‘add’ and ‘subtract’, another example would be the various methods of teaching long multiplication. In addition, Bruner (1973) stated that the curriculum should be organised in a spiral manner, so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned, â€Å"The concept of prime numbers appears to be more readily grasped when the learner, through construction, discovers certain handfuls of beans cannot be laid out in completed rows and columns† (Bruner, 1973). When working with PA, as for all my learners, I ensure that I question his current method and understanding of each numeric topic before I go into the topic in depth. This way I am constantly building on his current knowledge and understanding. A high percentage of the learners at Rochford Adult Community College are White British and PA falls into this group, ‘Rochford has one of the lowest ethnic minority populations, well below half of the national average’ (Rochford District Council, 2005). However, according to the Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, the United Kingdom is a changing society and these socio-economic changes are reflected in our growing cultural and ethnic diversity. These changes bring many gains, but sometimes there are tensions and divisions that may lead to fracturing within, and across, local areas and communities. However, whatever the nature of community divisions, the basis of the solution is often the same; community cohesion. The Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, suggests that community cohesion may be achieved by raising awareness and understanding and developing shared values with mutual trust and respect. The Home Office describes a cohesive community as one where there is common vision, a sense of belonging, where diversity is valued and where there are similar life opportunities with â€Å"†¦ strong and positive relationships being developed between people from different backgrounds†¦ in colleges and in schools†¦ † (www. homeoffice. gov. uk, 2003). This is also the ethos of Essex County Council and consequently Castle Point and Rochford Adult Community College (www. essexcc. gov. uk, 2005). How to cite Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner, Papers

Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner Free Essays

PA is attending an adult numeracy class because he was sent by his employer. His employer completed his Level 2 National Test last year and is now insisting that all his employees follow suit. Non-completion will result in no promotion and no annual pay rise Initial assessment The key implications here are that PA is currently working at Entry Level 3 in most numeric areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner or any similar topic only for you Order Now He should be able to increase his ability level and undertake Level 1 without too many problems. However he needs to achieve Level 2 in order to gain his pay rise and promotion so this will put him under a lot of preasure and additional stress. According to Tennant (1988), PA, as a 36 year old, is in his midlife transitional period and will be â€Å"Adopting a changing time perspective and revising career plans†; this can be substantiated as PA is attending a numeracy course because of changes that are taking place at work. His employer has stated that the course must be completed and the Level 2 National Test must be passed or PA will not receive a promotion or his annual pay rise. This is an unusual situation, as according to Charnley Jones (1987), â€Å"Getting a pay rise as a direct result of tuition is extremely rare†. Patterns of adult learning reflect class divisions in society and the different expectations and perceptions resulting from those divisions. Factors such as social class, gender and race impact on decisions to learn, as each is associated with particular cultural pressures and norms. According to Maslow (1973) once physiological needs have been met safety or security becomes predominant. In other words, there is a need for self-preservation and a common concern for the future e. g. , will we be able to maintain our property and our job in order to provide shelter and food tomorrow and the next day? It is likely that this is the stage PA is at particularly as he knows that if he does not pass the relevant exams he will not get a pay rise or promotion. Peer and reference group influences can also be extremely strong (Evans, 2000). People who are habitual learners tend to belong to groups where education is seen as a normal activity. They also tend to be involved in other forms of social participation. Non-learners belong to groups for whom engaging in learning is not part of normal behaviour – this is certainly true of PA who would not have engaged initially in numeracy earning through his own choice, and who, until recently would not engage in any social activity e. g. attending a school fund raising evening. Among male manual workers, for example, there is a strong culture of group conformity and solidarity. To engage in education that is not immediately job-related is seen as what women or children do and is, therefore, not a masculine activity (McGivney, 1996). Social class continues to be the key discriminator in understanding participation in learning. Over half of all upper and middle class (AB) respondents are current or recent learners, compared with one-third of the skilled working class (C2) and one quarter of unskilled working class people and people on limited incomes (Gallup Survey 1996). However, what and how much is learned can be influenced by the learner’s motivation (NIACE, 1997) and, from my own experiences within the post-compulsory education sector, I would have to agree with this. However, motivation to learn could be, in turn, influenced by an individual’s emotional states, beliefs, interests and goals, and habits of thinking. PA’s current, positive, beliefs about himself as a learner and the nature of learning appear to have had a marked influence on his motivation. It could be said that the rich internal world of thoughts, beliefs, goals, and expectations for success or failure may enhance or interfere with the learner’s quality of thinking and information processing. Motivational and emotional factors may also influence both the quality of his thinking and information processing as well as his individual motivation to learn. Positive emotions, such as curiosity, generally enhance motivation and facilitate learning and performance. Mild anxiety can also enhance learning and performance by focusing the learner’s attention on a particular task. However, intense negative emotions (e. g. , anxiety, panic, rage, insecurity) and related thoughts (e. g. , worrying about competence, ruminating about failure, fearing punishment, ridicule, or stigmatising labels) generally detract from motivation, interfere with learning, and contribute to low performance (Evans, 2000). This could be seen during PA’s recent Numeracy Level 1 National Test when he experienced mild anxiety, but was extremely motivated and positive about the experience and his ability – and he passed first time! Motivation is, therefore, not a simple issue, since individual motives and action are strongly affected by where people are located (socially, culturally and spatially) and the constraints or incentives that operate on their choices (NIACE). PA blames his current lack of knowledge and qualifications in numeracy on his underachievement at school. If we look more closely it becomes apparent that, because of his age, PA would have been attending school during the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was during this time that the early underachievement of boys first became evident, as large scale studies of children’s achievements at Primary school pointed to the fact that girls consistently out-performed boys (Myers, 2000). Therefore there was a shift away from public concern about girls’ achievement to boys’ achievement, or underachievement, at school in exams. The concern about ‘boys’ underachievement’ has been characterised in educational policy initiatives at national, local and school levels, most significantly in the imposition of the national literacy and numeracy strategy (Barrs and Pidgeon 1998). However, overall improvements in achievement are often ignored and gender differences are ascribed to the detrimental effects of ‘the feminisation of teaching’ (Epstein et al, 1998). The concern for boys’ underachievement was highlighted by Murphy and Elwood (1998) who argued that improvement in female achievement is not shared by girls from low socio-economic backgrounds and may not be apparent in some subjects. Similarly, Epstein et al (1998) questioned the global application of the category of boys’ underachievement’ by asking, ‘†¦ hich boys? At what stages of education? †¦ according to what criteria? ‘ We could say that by definition, gender roles are the social norms that dictate what is socially appropriate male and female behaviour (Tobias, 1997), and are part of the socialisation process of human beings. These roles are also influenced by each individual’s cultural and economic background (Tobias, 1997). It could be said that gender roles influence women and men in virtually every area of life, including family and occupation. This is certainly true for PA, who feels that it is his duty to provide for his family and to have the greater earning capacity regardless of his lack of formal qualifications. Everyone recognises that there are significant differences between male and female, even if they are only physical. However, others see not only the physical but also the social, emotional and intellectual differences. In addition there is belief that, by the age of sixteen, females have matured more than boys by up to as much as two years (Skelton, 2001). This could mean that girls have an advantage by viewing exams in a far more responsible way and recognising the seriousness and importance of the academic and career choices in the future. PA agrees with this as he did not take his schooling seriously and, quite possibly due to the fact that PA knew he was underachieving and he was unmotivated, he left school at 16 with no formal qualifications. He has only recently started to regret his actions. The figures from the 1996 Gallup survey could also be used to illustrate this as more adult men (25%) are currently learning compare to adult women (21%). Now that he is within the adult education sector, PA appears to see learning numeracy as a process of liberation. This may be because PA now feels that the educational process is not static and that his learning is a cultural action for freedom. It no longer involves one person teaching another, but rather people working with each other to ensure each individual reaches their potential. This was also the understanding of Bruner (1973), who suggested that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas based upon their current / past knowledge. Adult learners also appear to be more receptive to learning if there is a context to the learning. Teaching adults numerical skills which ‘transfer’ means exposing â€Å"students to different contexts which have the same mathematical content† (Rees and Barr, 1984) e. g. electrical work, decorating, shopping or linked to employment. This is certainly true for PA who works better, and appears to have a deeper understanding, when he can see there is a relevance and context to what he is learning. According to Bruner (1973), the teacher and student should engage in active dialogue and the task of the teacher is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learners’ current state of understanding. During numeracy there are so many ways of doing and explaining one thing, one example would be the various descriptions used for the actions of ‘add’ and ‘subtract’, another example would be the various methods of teaching long multiplication. In addition, Bruner (1973) stated that the curriculum should be organised in a spiral manner, so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned, â€Å"The concept of prime numbers appears to be more readily grasped when the learner, through construction, discovers certain handfuls of beans cannot be laid out in completed rows and columns† (Bruner, 1973). When working with PA, as for all my learners, I ensure that I question his current method and understanding of each numeric topic before I go into the topic in depth. This way I am constantly building on his current knowledge and understanding. A high percentage of the learners at Rochford Adult Community College are White British and PA falls into this group, ‘Rochford has one of the lowest ethnic minority populations, well below half of the national average’ (Rochford District Council, 2005). However, according to the Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, the United Kingdom is a changing society and these socio-economic changes are reflected in our growing cultural and ethnic diversity. These changes bring many gains, but sometimes there are tensions and divisions that may lead to fracturing within, and across, local areas and communities. However, whatever the nature of community divisions, the basis of the solution is often the same; community cohesion. The Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, suggests that community cohesion may be achieved by raising awareness and understanding and developing shared values with mutual trust and respect. The Home Office describes a cohesive community as one where there is common vision, a sense of belonging, where diversity is valued and where there are similar life opportunities with â€Å"†¦ strong and positive relationships being developed between people from different backgrounds†¦ in colleges and in schools†¦ † (www. homeoffice. gov. uk, 2003). This is also the ethos of Essex County Council and consequently Castle Point and Rochford Adult Community College (www. essexcc. gov. uk, 2005). How to cite Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner, Papers

Intercultural Experiences in Development †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Intercultural Experiences in Development. Answer: Introduction Self-assessment is something that everyone does and everyone should. For example, people tend to assess action to understand the unfavourable outcome. Some examples that we often come across, analysing the low mark that we got in the exam, what was said, to address the gathering in the social event, or maybe how we performed in the game of football on a given day. Self-assessment is all about having an outlook at the skills, motivation, goal, value, knowledge, and attributes of oneself. It is considered being both sensible and healthy, it is also critical to understand self- assessment as many people have a naive outlook or are too egoist to accept the flaws. Any career decision that we take and want to follow, need assessment before the same is executed (Boud 2013). It is important to understand and be aware of the interest, talent, and skill to make a sound decision. According to the career decision, one should take necessary steps to overcome an obstacle. Self-assessment is basica lly, assessing the past, present and the future to get an insight into what someone is capable of accomplishing. How to set a goal and what are the steps to be followed to achieve the career goal, need to be understood. It will give an idea of where someone is heading in an aspect of a career, or maybe in life such as relationship goals and life goals. It will determine the skill, value and attribute necessary for a given job role to make a reasonable career. Everyone possesses some particular skills and identifying these skills and enunciating them will set the path to career and personal success (Arends 2014). Self-Reflection Exercises It is quite surprising that in todays world knowledge is more powerful than anything else, even more than money and respect. Majority of the organization are keen on hiring the best to manage the security of the data, rival organizations are keen to acquire knowledge of its rivals to overthrow throw them and security of data have become the prime concern for any organization. Data have become more valuable than companies employees and data handlers, companies asset. IT has always fascinated me, as the age of computers has ushered advancement in communication technology; it had brought an information revolution all around the globe. Information Technology (IT) has become an integral part of the information infrastructure and has contributed on a global scale economically, culturally and socially. Apps, Computer software, Websites, Voice network, Servers, Mobile Data are part of a larger information ecosystem. According to a research article around more than 5.7 million people work as an IT professional globally in both technical and non-technical roles (Boud, Lawson and Thompson 2013). My eyes are focused on the role of Information security analysts, where one needs to be expert in networking and computer security. Information security analyst handles every aspect of network security such as firewall administration, network protocols, and data encryption security. They may also handle other responsibilities such as developing security policies, security audits or recommending an upgrade to data system security to avoid security breach and conducting a risk assessment. It will give me an edge to handle the security of an organization as well as will give me chance to explore the field of data security and risk management. The job role is vibrant, way far from monotonous, as new challenges will come across every day, and the role is an integral part of the security of an organizations data. The UK has recently been affected by a data breach, which affected the cou ntrys economy and made it vulnerable. Everyone should aim at the security of countries resources as it also raises alarm in countries security and integrity (Brown and Harris 2013). Employability Skills and Personal Attributes It is important to access personal attributes as it will determine the necessity of change and will help a person to formulate a strategy to accomplish these changes. By incorporating these changes, one can access and represent himself/herself to the employer. If someone does not know his or her capability how he/she can promote himself to the employer, it is also hard for the employer to figure the employee if he is not able to portray himself well. It is important for everyone to understand the requirement of developing or acquiring certain skill set, to develop a personality that will help to create the first impression on the employer. This personality attribute can range from communication skill to software knowledge, which will determine and articulate the person and the capability one has to complete a given task. Personal skills will help the employees to interact with the employer and express themselves it will also help the employees to manage themselves. As per my understa nding and self-evaluation, what I understood that I have certain abilities that will make me a potential candidate and the best employee in IT field (Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison 2014). The Employability Skills that I feel gives me an extra edge over other candidates is as followed: Critical Thinking Dependability Flexible Interpersonal skill Motivation To achieve companies goal one need personal skills, these skills are in context to me are outlined below: Ambition Confidence Honesty Innovation Optimism Resourceful Versatility Ethics Identified strengths Ambition: Ambition helps a person to achieve the unachievable. It is the reason that a person is capable of doing the unthinkable. Ambition is necessary to achieve certain goal that sounds unreasonable; my ambition at school was to lead my football team to victory as I was leading the team as captain. Now my ambition is to be an entrepreneur after gathering enough skill and experience in the field of Information technology (Lysaker et al. 2013). Confidence: Self-confidence according to me, is when someone enjoys what they are doing rather than being concerned about the outcome. Passionate about the work in hand will bring out the best. Acceptance of weakness and trying to overcome it is the true nature of a confident personality. I was asked to host the annual fest of high school, as the boy who was to host the fest fell sick on the very day. I had no formal experience or knowledge, I was given a list of the itinerary and an hour to prepare myself. I did host the show and found my confidence and courage played a major part for the success (Verbert et al. 2013). Honesty: Honesty is a virtue, the way I was brought up have deep influence on me so far. Honesty has always been the prime focus of my parents and it can be said that I find this trait to be hereditary. Innovation: I always had a creative outlook about the way a project is to be done. To do things differently and finding ways to complete a task effectively and efficiently, has always been my prime focus. If a given task is, perceived differently, keeping few factors in mind such as unarticulated needs, better solutions to meet new requirements and existing market need, then completing the task will be less laborious with extraordinary outcome. Winning the best innovative mind at my school is what I considered to be an achievement (Tilson and Simonsen 2013). Optimism: Having an optimistic outlook, has helped me in grievous situation to gather myself and come out with a solution, it had helped me to muster courage to take challenges and completing the task with flying colours. Because of optimism I like to take work an extra mile as I know, putting on extra effort never harmed anyone but can show appellant result. Resourceful: Because of resourcefulness and Public relation, I was asked to hold events for community service and high school events. This made me acquainted with different steps of organization an event (Tymon 2013). Versatility: In the current market one need to be versatile to overcome obstacle and be productive. It also helps one to thrive, gather knowledge, and be dynamic in any given situation. My familiar with both IT software as well as graphics designing software, on top of that I have done a brief course on editing software for both 2D and 3D objects and motion graphics will give me the versatility that i require in the field of IT. Ethics: favouring biasness has never been in my character along with that, having ethics is what makes a person different from other person in a good way. I remember if found a 5-dollar note on the road which was of someone else and I did not to earn that. Therefore, I gave that money to a beggar, who needed the money, the most in that way I kept my ethics clean and my conscience clearer (Jones 2013). Professional Development To be the best in the IT industry in is necessary to have certain skills in the kitty to give an extra edge over other candidates. However, it is quite important to keep up-to date of the latest trend and technology to grow in the industry. Certain skills are mandatory and used by employees in every field, which are also necessary from an employer point of view. Communication skill: The communication skill is one field where I have to improve a lot as at times I am too introvert and it would be hard for the colleagues and the manager to have an effective communication with me. To acquire this skill I will be joining Communication classes (Rao 2014). Coding: I know the basic knowledge of coding but in-depth knowledge of the subject will help me grow in the industry. To help myself I will join classes for HTML and C++, in order to get in depth knowledge of coding. Time management: Time management is an important trait, which helps an individual to effectively work and segregate different task based on priority. As I want to grow and acquire more knowledge in the field, time management will help me to learn and earn along with managing my personal and professional life. For this, I will arrange task based on priority and will try to complete it in given period (Carland, Carland and Carland III 2015). Some of the employment skill that needs attention: Team building: Any organization wants its employees to have leadership quality, as it will be easy for the organization to develop and harness from new set of people, required to lead the organization. Team building will help me grow within the organization, as it is one of the basic requirements of an organization (Haff and Triplett 2015). QA (software quality assurance): To give quality product and service to the organization, one needs to have sound knowledge of the product and the service. It requires both analytical skills and technical ability to be effective in the field. I have planned to go to seminars conducted by different organization on how to deliver quality and consistence. Database Management: As I aspire to move onto security, I have to be acquainted with every nuance of database. From its structure to management, to top this I will be taking classes in database management (Webber and Porter 2016). To summarise to reach to the dream designation, I have to give onto a whole lot, in my personal development as well as technicality of the job. I know what I am passionate about and where my strength lies. I will work with my strength to reach to the position I want and the organization I will work with will be benefitted by harnessing my strength and skills. However, I have certain skills that are going to help me to master other skills, required for this job. After acquiring the skill, I will gather enough knowledge and experience in the industry to know every niche of the sector. It will help me network as well as keep myself updated. It will also develop my overall skill thus, road to reaching my dream designation will be clear. Reference Arends, R., 2014.Learning to teach. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Boud, D., 2013.Enhancing learning through self-assessment. 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Rao, M.S., 2014. Enhancing employability in engineering and management students through soft skills.Industrial and Commercial Training,46(1), pp.42-48. Skovholt, T.M. and Trotter-Mathison, M., 2014.The resilient practitioner: Burnout prevention and self-care strategies for counselors, therapists, teachers, and health professionals. Routledge. Tilson, G. and Simonsen, M., 2013. The personnel factor: Exploring the personal attributes of highly successful employment specialists who work with transition-age youth.Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation,38(2), pp.125-137. Tymon, A., 2013. The student perspective on employability.Studies in higher education,38(6), pp.841-856. Verbert, K., Duval, E., Klerkx, J., Govaerts, S. and Santos, J.L., 2013. Learning analytics dashboard applications.American Behavioral Scientist,57(10), pp.1500-1509. Webber, S.C. and Porter, M.M., 2016. Reliability of ankle isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic strength and power testing in older women.Physical therapy,90(8), pp.1165-1175.