History of enlightenment Essay Example for Free

History of enlightenment Essay (1) Newtonian theory vs. Einstein and Heisenberg The Newtonian theory refers to the work of one of the earliest scientists known as Isaac Newton who stated that, the laws of nature (gravity) controlled the stable movements of objects and also maintained the delicate balance that holds things firmly to the ground. However, since then this theory has been subjected to many conflicting philosophical views and opinions that have either challenged or supported it. The emergence of Albert Einstein and his genius in physics, for instance, gave way for heated debates about the credibility of the Newtonian theory of natural law and gravity. Albert Einstein in his proposed theory of relativism helped to extend Newtonian dynamics to include motion at speeds of approaching than that of light. This new additional clause on the initial theories of gravity saw the revolutionary perception of the effect of motion on gravity. The new findings led to the disputation of the absoluteness of Newtonian theory in that, Einstein discovered some faults that made the Newtonian theory incomplete and questionable. Einstein was able to learn that some elements such as time, mass, energy, space, and even matter are not necessarily absolute in themselves, they can therefore be measured or altered by a person depending on the nature of his/her study variables. [Nick Strobel, 2001] Warner Heisenberg later emerged to add his findings on what he called â€Å"quantum† mechanics that described motion on a subatomic scale. In his findings Heisenberg, asserted that the universe was full of uncertainties that made it not an obvious phenomenon to ever understand. â€Å"The more precisely the position is determined the, the less precisely the momentum is known at this instant, and vice versa† The work of these two scientists heralded the genesis of new studies that sought to provide insights on initially abstract theories, the Newtonian one included. [Mr. Edmondson, 2000] (2) Social Darwinism and Hitler The theories of social Darwinism, provided for a healthy competition among individuals, groups, nations, and the global world as a whole for purposes of achieving social evolution amongst human societies. Social Darwinism is a derivative from the Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Natural selection according to Darwin is the process of speciation in populace that is brought about by competition between individual mortals for limited resources a phenomenon called, â€Å"survival for the fittest†.   [Johnson, D. Paul, 2008] In his book, â€Å"Main Krampf† Hitler expresses acknowledgement of both the principals of social Darwinism and natural selection, this he exhibits by asserting that the world should be classified to people’s ancestry, a classification that will involve with some people being placed on higher classes than others, he quoted the example of Germany Aryans as more superior than the blacks, Jews, and gypsies as belonging to a lesser class. Again, Hitler is seen as acting beyond the dictates of social Darwinism or even the principal of natural selection with his racial attitude towards the Jews whom he accuse of abetting racial dilution tactics in order to bring about equality. His perception of social Darwinism and natural law was about the political, social, and economic struggle between the mainstream Aryans and the minority Jews. His racialism attitudes led him to the gassing and brutal murdering of millions of Jews as a way of satisfying his own â€Å"social Darwinistâ €  theory. [Mein Kampf, 1939] (3) Sigmund Freud vs. John Locke According to john Locke, â€Å"self† is the conscious thinking thing which is in itself reasonable or conscious of pleasure and pain and proficient of cheerfulness or melancholy, and so is concerned for itself, as far as that awareness extends. In other words to him self is a character awareness and self thoughtful awareness that is fixed in the body.   [Locke, Essay, 1997] In his work â€Å"some thoughts concerning Education† he indicates it is education that fills the rather â€Å"empty human mind†, by asserting that out of the ten men he meets with nine of them are what they are, morally upright or morally rotten, useful or not, good or evil, chiefly due to their education. [Locke, Some Thoughts, 1996] Further he argued that little and almost insensible impressions we make when we are young having lasting impacts to ourselves simply due to the fact that they were the foundations of the self. [Locke, Some Thoughts, 1996] On the other hand Sigmund Freud differed vehemently with Lockean theory in that he argued that human beings behavior is controlled largely by their unconscious minds. He argued that the understanding of conscious thoughts and behavior is determined by revisiting the unconscious mind. He developed â€Å"repression† as key factor that determined unconscious, out of belief that far many people repress painful memories into their unconscious minds. He further clarified that the very process of repression took place within an individual’s conscious mind but rather in the unconscious one, and therefore many people are unaware that is happening on them. [Barlow DW, Durand VM, 2005] Finally Freud stubborn stance on the unimportance of both education and treatment to the alleviation of violence or suffering can be attributed to his changing of the system of unconsciousness and modeling it into the concept of Ego, super-ego, and id.   Super ego is ability to psyche ones morals and not taking in to account circumstantial morals situations, while Id was derived from William James early works. It is in light of this that Freud vehemently disputed the notion that the success of the population relied on education.   [Barlow DW, Durand VM, 2005] Freud model of mind has been a great challenge to the enlightenment model of rational agency which then was a core element in modern philosophy.

Supervisory Approaches in Education

Supervisory Approaches in Education In this chapter a review of related literature on instructional supervision and its relationship with professional development is provided. The chapter is divided in to four parts as to enable the reader to follow a logical sequence that includes: history of school supervision, overview of supervision approaches, teachers perception of supervisory processes, and the relationship between supervision and professional development. 2.1 History of School Supervision In many developed countries, such as United Kingdom (UK) and United States, much more attention has been given to inspection than school supervision (Lee, Dig Song, 2008). The Inspectorate of Education had originated from France under Napoleons Regime at the end of the 18th century, and other European counties followed the idea in the 19th century (Grauwe, 2007). For example, in UK, the first two inspectors of schools were appointed in 1883 (Shaw, Newton, Aitkin Darnell, 2003) and in the Netherlands it was started in 1801 (Dutch Education Inspectorate, 2008). The terms inspector and inspection are still being used in various developed and developing countries , including United Kingdom (UK), United States, European countries and some African countries such as Lesotho, Senegal, Tanzania and Nigeria (Grauwe, 2007). Traditionally, inspection and supervision were used as important tools to ensure efficiency and accountability in the education system. Later adherents of the terminologies of inspection and supervision are used by different countries in different ways. As outlined by Tyagi (2010), inspection is a top-down approach focused on the assessment and evaluation of school improvement based in stated standards, where as supervision focus on providing guidance, support and continuous assessment to teachers for their professional development and improvement in their teaching- learning process. Nevertheless, since the demand of teachers for guidance and support rendered from supervisors has increased from time to time, some countries changed the terminology and preferring the term supervisor over that of inspector. According to Grawue (2007), some countries have recently developed more specific terminologies: Malawi, uses education methods advisor, and Uganda teacher development advisor. The concepts of supervision and inspection have been changed frequently in Ethiopian education system and the reason was not clearly pedagogical (Haileselassie, 2001). In 19 42, educational inspection was practiced for the first time, then it was changed to supervision in the late 1960s , again to inspection in mid 1970s and for the fourth time it shifted to supervision in 1994 (Haileselassie,2001). Haileselassie stated that: Apart from perhaps political decisions, one could not come up with any sound educational and pedagogical rationale to justify the continuous shift made in the name. With the name changes made we do not notice any significant changes in either the content or purpose and functions. (Haileselassie, 2001, p. 11-12) From 1994 onwards, supervision has been practiced in Ethiopia decentralized educational management. According to the Education and Training Policy (1994), educational supervision is recognized at the center (Ministry of Education), Regional, Zonal, District (Woreda) and School levels. Instructional supervision at school level is practiced by principals, deputy principals, department head, and senior teachers. However, since the Woreda is the lowest administrative level and had a direct contact with schools, more practical support and guidance are expected from the assigned supervisors at this level. As it is clearly mentioned by the Educational Management, Schools Organization, Finance, and Community Participation Guideline (MoE, 2002), supervisors have the following key responsibilities: Ensuring whether teacher -student relationship is healthy and democratic, teachers are properly executing their tasks, education is based on the needs of students, the relation between schools and community, mobilizing community, ensure the existence of help and respect sprit between teachers and students, provide professional support, follow up and training for teachers. (p. 30-32) 2.2 Overview of Supervisory Approaches According to Blasà © and Blasà © (1998), although many supervisory approaches are collaborative in nature, for long time, supervisory of instruction has been viewed exclusively as an inspection issue. Sergiovanni (1992) described supervision as a ritual they [supervisors and teachers] participate according to well established scripts without much consequence (p. 203). This author continued that today, supervision as inspection can be regarded as an artifact of the past, a function that is no longer tenable or prevalent in contemporary education (p. 204). He explained that though functioned for a considerable span of time, this type of supervision caused negative stereotypes among teachers, where they viewed as subordinates whose professional performance was controlled. Supporting this idea, Anderson and Snyder (1993) stated, because of this, teachers are unaccustomed to the sort of mutual dialogue for which terms like mentoring, peer coaching collegial assistance are coming in to u se (p.1). It should be clear, however, that traditional supervisory approaches should not be removed completely because supervisory authority and control are essential for professional development. Mitchell and Sackney (2000) explained this as much of past practice is educationally sound and should not be discarded (p. 37). Having said this, it is important to differentiate instructional supervision from evaluation. Authors described the former as a formative approach and the later as a summative approach (Poole, 1994; Zepeda, 2007). Poole (1994) stated that instructional supervision is a formative process that emphasizes collegial examination of teaching and learning (p. 305). In this regard, participants in the supervision process plan and implement a range of professional growth opportunities designed to meet teachers professional growth and educational goals and objectives at different levels. Teacher evaluation, on the other hand, is a summative process that focus on assessing the compete nce of teachers, which involves a formal, written appraisal or judgment of an individuals professional competence at specific time (Poole, 1994, p. 305). The supervisory (formative) and evaluative (summative) processes should go hand in hand (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). While supervision is essential for teachers professional growth, evaluation is essential to determine this growth and teacher effectiveness (Kutsyuruba, 2003; Wareing, 1990). The widely used approaches to evaluation are administrative monitoring, report writing, checklists, and self-assessment. On the other hand, approaches to supervision are categorized as clinical supervision, peer coaching, cognitive coaching, mentoring, self-reflection, professional growth plans, and portfolios (Alfonso Firth, 1990; Clarke, 1995; Poole, 1994; Reninan, 2002; Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007; Zepeda, 2007). Implementing different supervisory approaches is essential not only to give choices to teachers; it is also important to provide choices to the administrators and schools (Kutsyuruba, 2003). Each component of supervisory approaches are discussed as follows. Clinical Supervision According to Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007), clinical supervision is a face- to- face contract with teachers with the intent of improving instruction and increasing professional growth (p. 23). It is a sequential, cyclic and systematic supervisory process which involves face-to-face interaction between teachers and supervisors designed to improve the teachers classroom instructions (Kutsyuruba, 2003). The purpose of clinical supervision according to Snow-Gerono (2008) is to provide support to teachers (to assist) and gradually to increase teachers abilities to be self-supervising (p. 1511). Clinical supervision is a specific cycle or pattern of working with teachers (Sergiovanni Starratt, 1993, p. 222). It is a partnership in inquiry where by the person assuming the role of supervisor functions more as an individual with experience and insight than as an expert who determines what is right and wrong (Harris, 1985). Goldhammer, Anderson and Karjewski (1980) described the structure o f clinical supervision that includes pre-observation conference, class room observation, analysis and strategy, supervision conference, and post-conference analysis. Clinical supervision is officially applicable with: inexperienced beginning teachers, teachers are experiencing difficulties, and experienced teachers who are in need of improving their instructional performance. Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007) stated that clinical supervision is typically formative than summative in its evaluative approach in order to enable beginning teaches collaborate to research their practices and improve their teaching and learning (p. 233). As a result of this, the writers further described that the focus of clinical supervision is not on quality control, rather on the professional improvement of the teacher that guarantees quality of teaching and students performance (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). Collaborative Supervision Collaboration and collegially are very important in todays modern schools. According to Burke and Fessler (1983), teachers are the central focuses of collaborative approach to supervision. Collaborative approaches to supervision are mainly designed to help beginning teachers and those who are new to a school or teaching environment with the appropriate support from more experienced colleagues. Thus, these colleagues have an ethical and professional responsibility of providing the required type of support upon request (Kutsyuruba, 2003). In this regard, a teacher who needs collegial and collaborative support should realize that needs do not exist for professional growth, that feedback from colleagues and other sources should be solicited in order to move toward improvement (Burke Fessler, 1983, p.109). The major components of collaborative approaches to supervision which are especially needed for beginner or novice teachers are: peer coaching, cognitive coaching and mentoring (Shower s Joyce, 1996; Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007; Sullivan Glanz, 2003; Kutsyuruba, 2003). Peer coaching Peer coaching, according to Sullivan and Glanz (2000), is defined as teachers helping teachers reflect on and improve teaching practice and/or implement particular teaching skills needed to implement knowledge gained through faculty or curriculum development (p. 215). The term coaching is introduced to characterize practice and feedback following staff development sessions. According to Singhal (1996), supervision is more effective if the supervisor follows the team approach. This would mean that the supervisor should have a clear interaction with teachers and group of teachers, provide an open, but supportive atmosphere for efficient communication, and involve them in decision making. The goal of coaching as described by Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007), is to develop communities within which teachers collaborate to honor a very simple value- when we learn together, we learn more, and when we learn more, we will more effectively serve our students (p. 251). Thus, peer coaching provid es possible opportunities to beginner teachers to refine teaching skills through collaborative relationships, participatory decision making, and immediate feedback (Bowman McCormick, 2000; Sullivan Glanz, 2000). In this regard, research findings showed that beginning teachers rated experienced teachers who coached than as highly competent and the process itself as very necessary (Kutsyuruba, 2003). Cognitive coaching According to Costa and Garmston (1994), cognitive coaching refers to a nonjudgmental process built around a planning conference, observation, and a reflecting conference (p. 2). Cognitive coaching differs from peer coaching in that peer coaching focuses on innovations in curriculum and instructions, where as cognitive coaching is aimed at improving existing practices (Showers Joyce, 1996). As Beach and Reinhartz (2000) described, cognitive coaching pairs teacher with teacher, teacher with supervisor, or supervisor with supervisor, however, when two educators are in similar roles or positions, the process is referred as peer supervision. The writers further identified three components of cognitive coaching: planning, lesson observation, and reflection. Costa and Garmston (1994) described three basic purposes of cognitive coaching, namely: (1) developing and maintaining trusting relationship; (2) fostering growth toward both autonomous and independent behavior; and (3) promoting learning. In a cognitive coaching process, teachers learn each other, built mutual trust, and encouraged to reach at a higher level of autonomy- the ability to self-monitor, self-evaluate, and self-analyze (Garmston, Linder Whitaker, 1993). Mentoring Mentoring as defined by Sullivan and Glanz (2000) is a process that facilitates instructional improvement wherein an experienced educator agrees to provide assistance, support, and recommendations to another staff member (p. 213). Mentoring is a form of collaborative (peer) supervision focused on helping new teachers or beginning teachers successfully learn their roles, establish their self images as teachers figure out the school and its culture, and understand how teaching unfolds in real class rooms (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). Sullivan and Glanz (2000) stated the works of mentors as: The mentor can work with a novice or less experienced teacher collaboratively, nonjudgmentally studying and deliberating on ways instruction in the class room may be improved, or the mentor can share expertise in a specific area with other educators. Mentors are not judges or critics, but facilitators of instructional improvement. All interactions and recommendations between the mentor and staff members are confidential. (p. 213) Research projects and publications revealed that mentoring has clear connections with supervision and professional development which serve to augment the succession planning and professional development of teachers (Reiman Thies-Sprinthall, 1998).In addition, Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007) described that the emphasis of mentoring on helping new or beginner teachers is typically useful for mentors as well. By helping a colleague (beginner teacher), mentors able to see their problems more clearly and to learn ways to overcome them. As a result, mentoring is the kind of relationship in which learning benefits everyone involved. Self-Reflection As the context of education is ever changing, teachers should have a professional and ethical responsibility to reflect on what is happening in response to changing circumstances. Thus, they can participate in collective reflection practices such as peer coaching, cognitive coaching, or mentoring, as well as self-assessment reflective practices (Kutsyuruba, 2003). According to Glatthorn (1990), self- directed development is a process by which a teacher systematically plans for his or her own professional growth in teaching. Glatthorn further described that self-directed approaches are mostly ideal for teachers who prefer to work alone or who, because of scheduling or other difficulties, are unable to work cooperatively with other teachers. Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007) considered this option to be efficient in use of time, less costly, and less demanding in its reliance on others. Thus, the writers indicated that in self-directed supervision teachers work alone by assuming responsi bility for their own professional development (p. 276). Furthermore, Glatthorn (1990) suggested that self-development is an option provided for teachers that enable them to set their own professional growth goals, find the resources needed to achieve those goals, and undertake the steps needed to accomplish those outcomes (p. 200). In addition, this approach is particularly suited to competent and experienced teachers who are able to manage their time well (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). Portfolios As teachers want to be actively participated in their own development and supervision, they need to take ownership of the evaluation process (Kutsyuruba, 2003). The best way for teachers to actively involve in such practices is the teaching portfolio (Painter, 2001). A teaching portfolio is defined as a process of supervision with teacher compiled collection of artifacts, reproductions, testimonials, and student work that represents the teachers professional growth and abilities (Riggs Sandlin, 2000). A portfolio, according to Zepeda (2007), is an individualized, ongoing record of growth that provides the opportunity for teachers to collect artifacts over an extended period of time (p. 85). Similarly, Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007) stated that the intent of portfolio development is to establish a file or collection of artifacts, records, photo essays, cassettes, and other materials designed to represent some aspect of the class room program and teaching activities. As Sullivan and Glanz (2000) stated portfolio documents not only innovative and effective practices of teachers, but also it is a central road for teachers professional growth through self-reflection, analysis, and sharing with colleagues through discussion and writing (p. 215). The writers further described that portfolio can be used to support and enrich mentoring and coaching relationships. Professional Growth Plans Professional growth plans are defined as individual goal-setting activities, long term projects teachers develop and carry out relating to the teaching (Brandt, 1996, p. 31). This means that teachers reflect on their instructional and professional goals by setting intended outcomes and plans for achieving these goals. In professional growth plans as part of instructional supervisory approach, teachers select the skills they wish to improve, place their plan in writing including the source of knowledge, the type of workshop to be attended, the books and articles to read, and practice activities to be set. In this regard, Fenwick (2001) stated that professional growth plans could produce transformative effects in teaching practice, greater staff collaboration, decreased teacher anxiety, and increased focus and commitment to learning (p. 422). Summative Evaluation There is a clear link among instructional supervision, professional development and teacher evaluation (Zepeda, 2007). Teacher evaluation involves two distinct components: formative evaluation and summative evaluation (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). The writers differentiated formative teacher evaluation as an approach intended to increase the effectiveness of ongoing educational programs and teachers professional growth, where as summative teacher evaluation is designed to judge and rate the quality of ones own teaching and level of professional growth. In this regard, the purposes of instructional supervision are formative- focused on teachers ongoing professional development, and the intents of evaluation are summative- assessment of professional performance which leads to a final judgment (Zepeda, 2007). However, Sergiovanni and Starratt (2007) stated that both formative and summative teacher evaluations cannot be separated, for each contains aspects of the other. Summative evalua tion, therefore, uses various techniques such as, administrative monitoring, report writing, checklists, and self-assessment tools (Kutsyuruba, 2003). 2.3 Teachers Perception of Supervisory Processes From laypersons conducting school inspection in the 18th century, up to the practice of neo-scientific management, instructional supervision in most schools of the world has focused on inspection and control of teachers (Alemayehu, 2008). According to Sullivan and Glanz (2000), historically the evaluation function of supervision was rooted in bureaucratic inspectional type supervision (p. 22). The writers further described that teachers view supervision for the sake of evaluation as often being anything other than up lifting. In a study of supervision and teacher satisfaction, Fraser (1980) stated that the improvement of the teaching learning process was dependent upon teacher attitudes toward supervision (p. 224). The writer noted that unless teachers perceive supervision as a process of promoting professional growth and student learning, the supervisory practice will not bring the desired effect. Kapfunde (1990) stated that teachers usually associate instructional supervision with appraisal, rating, and controlling them. In Ethiopia, many teachers resent or even fear being supervised because of the history of supervision, which has always been biased towards evaluation or inspection (Haileselassie, 1997). Regarding the challenges of teachers, it is stated in various literatures that beginning teachers face more challenges than more experienced teachers. Teaching has been a career in which the greatest challenge and most difficult responsibilities are faced by those with the least experience (Glickman, Gordon Ross-Gordon, 1998, p. 21). At least 30 percent of beginning teachers leave the profession during the first two years (Casey Mitchell, 1996). For many less experienced teachers, supervision is viewed as a meaningless exercise that has little value than completion of the required evaluation form (Sergiovanni Starratt, 1998). The writers further described that no matter h ow capable are designated supervisors, as long as supervision is viewed as doing something to teachers and for teachers, its potential to improve schools will not be fully realized (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007, p. 5). Teachers do not perceive supervision as helpful for their teaching and professional growth when its approach is focused on teacher appraisal and efficiency (Acheson Gall, 1992; Zepeda Ponticell, 1998). Various literatures identified supervision to be unfamiliar with most teachers because of its evaluative structure (Acheson Gall, 1992). According to Smyth (1991), the cause for resistance to supervisory practices by most teachers is the hierarchical and explotative form of teacher evaluation introduced by some types of supervision. In line with this, Acheson and Gall (1992) said that the hostility of teachers is not towards supervision but the supervisory styles teachers typically receive. Thus, selecting and applying supervisory models aimed at teachers instructional improvement and professional growth is imperative to develop a sense of trust, autonomy, and professional learning culture (Hargreaves Fullan, 2000). 2.4 Relationship between Instructional Supervision and Professional Development The overall purpose of instructional supervision is to help teachers improve, and this improvement could be on what teachers know, the improvement of teaching skills, as well as teachers ability to make more informed professional decisions (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). According to Zepeda (2007), there must be a clear connection of instructional supervision to professional development and teacher evaluation. She added that the various models or approaches of instructional supervision such as clinical supervision, peer coaching, cognitive coaching, mentoring, etc. bridge instructional supervision and professional development. Instructional supervision, with its focus on collegiality and professional improvement, is an important tool in building an effective teachers professional development. Instructional supervision is an organizational function concerned with teacher growth, leading to improvement in teaching performance and greater student learning (Nolan Hoover, 2008, p. 6). It is clear that continuous improvement in methods and skills is necessary for every professional, and so the professional development of teachers has become highly important (Anderson Snyder, 1998; Carter, 2001; Zepeda, 2007). Professional development is an important part of an ongoing teacher education concerned with improving teachers instructional methods, their classroom management skills, their ability to adapt to instruction to meet students needs, and establishing a professional culture which is important in teaching and learning (Wanzare Da Costa, 2000). Professional development gives emphasis on the development of professional expertise by involving teachers in a problem solving and action research (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). Sullivan (1997) on the other hand, stated that as fields of educational development, instructional supervision and professional development are interlinked and can and should overlap as needs and local preferences dictate (p. 159). From the supervisors view point, professional development emphasizes providing teachers with the opportunity and resources they need to reflect on their practice and to share their practice with others (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007, p. 216). Instructional supervision and professional development are linked in several ways. As McQuarrie and Wood (1991) noted one connection to be through the use of data obtained from supervisional practices used in planning and implementing staff development as part of instructional improvement and helping teachers improve their skills. The writers further stated that both instructional supervision and professional development: (1) focus on teacher effectiveness in class room; (2) may be provided by teachers, supervisors, and administrators; (3) are judgment-free practices that improve teachers instructional activities in a collaborative ways; and (4) promote in their participants a sense of ownership, commitment, and trust toward instructional improvement. Anything supervisors can perform to help teachers develop and strengthen becomes an investment in promoting professional development (Sergiovanni Starratt, 2007). And thus, professional development allows teachers to make their own decisions regarding their knowledge and skills improvement and to assume personal accountability (Retting, 1999; Kaagan, 2004). Professional development needs of beginner teachers differ from those experienced teachers, and special supervisory approaches should be developed to meet these needs (Kutsyuruba, 2003). According to Glatthorn (1990), beginning teachers are characterized by their preferences for certain types of supervisory approaches. Most importantly, they need intensive assistance of clinical supervision. Similarly, they need mentoring, peer coaching, cognitive coaching, and other collegial supervisory approaches. The writer further noted that experienced teachers also have their own special professional development needs and preferences. Most experienced teachers can benefit from collaborative and self-directed supervisional practices which will foster continuous professional growth and development. In general, instructional supervision is an ongoing process which enables teachers the opportunity to develop professionally and different supervisory options should be provided for different teachers based on their experience and level of difficulty.

Advertisement Analysis :: Marketing Advertising Business

Advertisement Analysis The United States has some of the most intelligent citizens and some of the most advanced technologies and medicine, yet our illiteracy rate has still not diminished. According to a recent government report form The National Institute for Literacy, â€Å"There are many adults with low literacy skills (approximately 44 million) who lack the foundation they need to find and keep decent jobs support their children’s education and participate actively in civic life†. This advertisement was done to inspire people, and perhaps specifically minorities, to read, by using a celebrity influence. This work shows that reading provides new ideas and a greater depth of knowledge, by utilizing deep space and contrast. The artist conveys his or her message by creating a deep and high space. One views this photograph from a very low vantage point, so we are looking up at essentially all of the objects in this work. The lines on the right wall are vertical,and point up to the bright light above. The line from that point travels back due to the other six light in the hallway. The lights hover in space like ideas over our heads. The fashion, in which they take your eye deep into the photograph, is like the path that a story leads us down, or the path of learning that our brain follows. This representation of deep spaceis symbolic of the vastness of information there is to be gained by reading. The artist uses high contrast to emphasize lightness and darkness. The fact that there are definite and distinct light and dark areas attract one to look at it. The highest contrast of value is the lightthat is furthest away. This extremity of white against black is the focal point of the piece, and aids in creating the depth. The contrast between light and dark, are symbolic of the contrast of ignorance and enlightenment. Another way the artist captures the idea of ignorance versus enlightenment is by having Whoopi Goldberg reading in a hallway. One does not generally associate hallways with open space, but because there are a series of doorways that run on the left side of the hall, it is as if it is saying there are multiple regions of information to discover. It represents one thought leading to another. Doorways in the hall eliminate the tension in the room and really help to open it up.

Skyscrapers Essay -- essays research papers

skyscraper architecture "http://www.coshe.com/search/" The architectural design of the 20th century skyscrapers has been redefined due to the advancement of our modern technology. Benny Louie Humanity 450 Dr. Maureen Schmid 17 May 1999 The architectural design of the 20th century skyscrapers has been redefined due to the advancement of our modern technology. In our modern society, the architectural design of skyscrapers is changing the downtown landscape of metropolitan areas. Due to the change of technologies, it has changed the architectural design of skyscraper dramatically in terms of the its function, design structures, heating and cooling systems and it social status in society. The basic function of the architecture is to provide a roof over peoples’ head. The main purpose of architecture is to act as a shelter for people to protect themselves against Mother Nature. As civilization development advances, we increased our knowledge and became more creative. Peo ple start to design buildings for means of displaying wealth and social status. The skyscraper fits the criteria to show the social status of such building with great height and elegance to the society. According to O’Gorman, â€Å"architecture is a form language, of communication.† (P.89) This communication is represented in the forms of texture, shape and style that reflects certain period of time. In the early period, architectures were associated with style and culture. â€Å"The Greeks built marble temples with Doric, Ionic or Corinthian columns. Egyptian architecture used heavy lotus columns, massive battered walls and pyramidal forms. The Gothic style used point arch, vast areas of stained glasses, pointed rib-vault construction.† (P. 92) Each had its unique characteristic feature to express its message. In the 20th century architectural design, architecture is no longer viewed as simple shelter to provide a roof over peoples’ head. Architectures a re designed with a more environmental conscious issue like cost, energy conservation and practicality of the structure. The interior environment is designed according to the space function of the structures. For example, â€Å"a dance hall, needs a large open-space with sufficient room for the band and a bar and maybe for tables and chairs around the edge so that people can sit and chat.† (Conway & Rowan) This concept always applies to real life s... ...e is a sense of prestige for having offices or shops in these skyscrapers. Modern skyscrapers are being redefined by the use of advance technologies. Due to the advancement in technology, skyscrapers are able to reach new height easily. It changes the way architects design the structure of these buildings. The new function of the skyscraper is to provide great views, house antennas for communications, telebroadcasting and for entertainment purpose. The use of computer climate control system made the building a more comfortable environment for everyone. The great height of the skyscraper like the Sears Tower, it associates itself with the prestige of being the tallest of all. With the rapid advancement of technology and the influence of fame and wealth, sky is limit for the next generation of skyscrapers. Work cited Bennett, David. Skyscrapers Form & Function New York 1995 Conway, Hazel and Rowan, Roenisch. Understanding Architecture: An introduction to Architecture and archit ectural History. London and New York: Routledge 1994. O’Gorman, James. ABC of Architecture Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998 Online www.infoplease.com May 15, 1999 Word Count: 1429

Me And Her :: essays research papers

We have been dating for 1 month and 8 days. Able to have her as a girlfriend is the greatest gift of all. Thinking back, I still can't figure out, what gave me the courage to ask her out, maybe it was my determine mind, which constantly reminds me that i want her. On the first day of our relationship, everything seemed normaly, too normal it made me think that we will never go beyond friends. That thought actually scared me a little, because it was like having something you have always wanted, but you can't hold on to it. We didn't get the chance to speak to each other the next day. I guess she found me too boring, or maybe she too, think that there's no way we are goign to go further than typical friends could. At that point, I did have the thought of letting her go, because I felt very unloved. On the same night I got to talk to Katherine, she was the girl i use to like. "Use to"?? Does that mean I dont' like her anymore? I don't know the answer to that question. At least I believe the answer is not important at that stage. Because what she said later on during our convesation, is what i considered to be most important. She said that she like me more than a friend. I was flattered, when i heard those words. I was happy and sad simultaneously. Happy because I have found someone that might love me. Sad because that person isn't my girlfriend. I did ask myself serveral times, why did those words came out of Katherine's mouth and not her's? But that question didn't stay in my head for long, because another question came up, and I believe this coming question is the most important one, and must be answered immediately. "Should I choose Katherine or my current girlfriend?" I was a confusing situation, even though half an hour ago I said that I was prepared to leave my girlfriend, I guess its true, that you won't know, how important someone or something is to you, until you are at the edge of losing them. A couple of days had gone by, I still haven't decided who i want. During this last couple of days, I didn't talk to Katherine, instead I talked to my girlfriend and told her the whole situation.

Global Citizenship Essay

As far as we know, many people throughout the world face different issues such as global warmth, pollution of environment, gap between wealth and poverty, discrimination, suffering of HIV/AIDS and so on. Therefore, more and more people are attracted to join in one community and solve global problems together. Nowadays, many people can be considered as citizens of our planet, or as Global Citizens. The main goal of Global Citizens is to create such conditions and solutions to problems in order to make the world around them a better place. All of them tend to have some specific qualities. I know enough people, who possess them and inspire me more to be a Global Citizen. Initially, I consider myself as a part of Global Community and as a Global Citizen because I try to help people that need it. For me, being a Global Citizen means not only enjoying our rights, but also bearing responsibilities and taking care for surrounding people and environment beyond one’s nation or territory, in order to create a virtuous society in the world. Open-mindedness and willingness to commit good deals are the main qualities, which Global Citizen should have. Every person has different types of personality, some of them can make good teachers, some good creators, other good workers, and so on. Although they have different qualities and abilities, they are part of one community and take some responsibilities for surrounding people for making the world little bit better. Therefore, they can be considered as Global Citizens. They are joined by qualities such as kindness, love to every single person on the world, motivation to hard work, and responsibility for humankind. In addition, Global Citizens should have perseverance because the mission of being responsible for human beings faces many obstacles. Accordingly, Global Citizens should wish to improve lives of others and possess kindness, responsibility, and persistence. Global Citizens are not isolated from the world and think not only about themselves. People start to be such Citizens when they start to commit good deal toward strangers, who need help. No matter if they act alone or in teams, they are still Global Citizens. I have met many people that act as Global citizens. For instance, I know people, who deal with children that have oncologic diseases, or people, who take some activities to decrease the level of HIV/AIDS sufferers, or people that engaged in charity, or other that engaged in special communities, which deal with different issues in society. I, firstly, admire with my grandmother, who have small business, but always take time and money to engage in charity for orphanage. In spite of facts that she is retired and care about her children and grandchildren, she still work hard, has patience, and has desire to help other people, to make their lives better. This example proves that anyone can take even little action toward better humanity’s life and unintentionally become a Global Citizen. I believe, I will follow my grandmother’s example because from my childhood I am kind, responsible and strive to help people. I always wished, nobody should be upset. Therefore, when I saw sad person, I approached to him/her, tried to understand situation and attempted to help. Later on, I become part of different communities such as School Parliament, International Organization â€Å"Dance4Life†, Students’ Community â€Å"Enactus†, and some others. Most of my time I spent in School Parliament, so I will tell more about its activities. This little school organization took responsibilities for almost all events in school and some activities outside it. We regularly took part in charity for orphanage, support disabled people of our school, entertained people that had oncologic diseases, and conducted some events. We helped one family to collect some amount of money to child’s operation by selling some ribbons and conducting few times charity events. It was one of the biggest deals that we did in school time ourselves. After pupil’s operation, his parents thanked us and appreciated our activities. Thus, as studying in high school we started to participate in solving some problems outside of our lives, to help others, to improve surrounding people’s lives and performed as Global Citizens. Thereby, everybody can become a Global Citizen despite age, gender, and region. To be a Global Citizen means to take actions and fulfil some duties in order to improve someone’s life. Global Citizenship should not be focused on scale of an action because helping people starts from little steps, from helping even one unknown person. Therefore, most of people, who are helping others that need a support, can be considered as Global Citizens. The majority of these human beings understand that they somehow may effect on people, who live on the other side of the Earth. Thus, they think broadly and care about surrounding people and nature.

Speech Class Topic Proposal

Informative Speech Outline 1. Intro 2. 1 Attention Step: Wouldn’t it be cool to know how to do some stunts in Tekken? 2. 2 Involvement Step: The video game Tekken consists of many martial art disciplines like jeet kune do, street fighting, taekwondo, ninjitsu, sumo wrestling, aikido, judo, karate, and many more. These are the most common martial art disciplines people would think about when you say the word Tekken. But why don’t we focus on 2 certain characters namely Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro. These 2 characters are doing some martial art discipline that looks a lot like they are dancing it rather than martial arts.So did you know that the martial art disciplines Christie and Eddy are doing is called Capoeira. 2. 3 Indication Step (thesis statement): Capoeira is considered as a martial art discipline because it used for fighting, acrobatics, dancing, playing, and tradition. 2. Body 3. 4 Major point 1: Fighting, dancing, and tradition 3. 5. 1 Supporting detail: I t is considered one of the most comprehensive forms of physical conditioning and is an integrated balance of mind, strength, rhythm, poetry, agility, and harmony (Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines, 2012). 3. 5. Supporting detail: It is the maximum expression of liberty and keeps the art of the ancestors alive, being part of Brazilian and now, world history (Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines, 2012). 3. 5 Major point 2: Acrobatics, and playing 3. 6. 3 Supporting detail: The roda is the center of Capoeira (Rensselaer, n. d. ). Being the center of Capoeira, the roda has always been considered as the playing grounds of the Capoeiristas. It is where they practice their moves, styles, and forms. While two Capoeiristas play in the middle of a roda, everyone else watching them play is making music.Some will be in-charge of playing the instruments, while the rest will enjoy singing until it’s their turn. 3. 6. 4 Supporting detail: Capoeira is kind of similar to acrobati cs because of the movements involved in the martial art. Au de Cabeca  movement is essentially a cartwheel done on your head. We recommend you are comfortable with queda de rins and au before you try au de cabeca. Learning au de cabeca will be easier and quicker to learn and you will be equipped with the right skills needed in perfecting this specific au (Capoeira Universe, 2011). 3.Conclusion Capoeira is like any other recreational sports that help build our bodies and keep us healthy. So why not give it a try? References Capoeira Universe. (2011, June 11). Basic Capoeira Moves List. Retrieved from Capoeira Universe: http://capoeirauniverse. com/capoeira-moves/basic-capoeira-moves-list/ Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines. (2012). Capoeira. Retrieved from EBC Philippines: http://www. ebcphilippines. com/index. php/capoeira/ Rensselaer. (n. d. ). The Roda. Retrieved from Rensselaer: http://capoeira. union. rpi. edu/roda. php