Strategic Leadership in Action

Summary of the Article The title of the article under discussion in this paper is ‘Google building android game console’. The article is authored by Amir Efrati and Ian Sherr and published in the wall street journal. The article is about Google’s competitive strategy in the information and communication technology industry. The company plans to introduce two new products (wristwatch and video game console) to the market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Leadership in Action specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These products will be powered by Google’s android software launched in 2008 and will aim at combating Apple’s future devices and give the company (Google) a competitive edge. The two devices will also aim at expanding the usage of the android software beyond tablets and smart phones. Apart from the two devices, Google also plans to launch a second version of android c alled Nexus Q, which is used for live streaming of information. Statement of the intentions of the paper The paper intends to identify and elaborate some aspects of competitiveness which the authors did not address in the article. The only aspect of competitiveness addressed by the authors in the article is rivalry among existing competitors. However, they have not addressed bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products and services, product positioning and differentiation. Threat of new entrants In order to gain a portion of a market and build trust with the customers, new entrants usually come with unique approaches in any given industry. In most cases, they use pricing as a strategy of entering the markets. They do this by setting the prices of their products at low levels than those of the incumbents. Others may focus on improving the quality of their products so as to attract customers (Hill and Gareth 3). The r eduction of price and quality improvement makes the industry very competitive for the incumbents and sometimes they may be forced to quit the industry especially if the new entrants posses huge capital. In a reaction to price reduction and quality improvement, the incumbents may come up with strategies of putting barriers aimed at preventing new entrants from entering the industry. For example, they may adopt very sophisticated technologies which are not easily available. They may also consider putting barriers to the access of the distribution channels so that new entrants may be scared away by the restricted access to supply channels (Hill and Gareth 3). Another reaction by the incumbents is what is referred to as ‘supply-side economies of scale’ which enables the incumbents to produce large quantities of goods at relatively low costs per unit. Supply side economies of scale also cushion the incumbents from the threat of lowered prices by the new entrants. It also dis courages new entrants especially those who are not able to use price reduction as a strategy to penetrate the market and dislodge the incumbents (Hill and Gareth 3).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Bargaining power of suppliers In some industries, there are monopolies in terms of supply of goods or services. In such industries, the powerful suppliers are able to manipulate the prices of goods or services the way they want. A supplier is regarded as powerful if for instance, he or she does not depend on a particular industry for revenues and therefore, he or she can do without that particular industry. A powerful supplier is also one who supplies goods and services which are unique or one who has established a long term business relationship with certain companies. Powerful suppliers are also those who supply goods and services which cannot be substituted. A good example is p ilots and the aviation industry. This is because it is not easy to get well trained and qualified pilots within a short notice and therefore, the pilots’ unions may have a big bargaining power (Hill and Gareth 4). Another example is the Microsoft computer giant. It can decide to increase the price of operating systems. When this happens, the other computer dealers have no option other than cutting of their profits. In some cases, some powerful suppliers can also threaten to enter the markets themselves if the customers are not willing to purchase the goods at their desired prices. Companies may overcome this by having large capital base so that they can become suppliers themselves (Hill and Gareth 4). Bargaining power of buyers In some industries, there may be few but large buyers who purchase certain goods or services in bulk. Such buyers usually have a bargaining power to lower the price of goods or services in question because if the suppliers do not comply, they end up wi th minimal sales and profits. Buyers usually have power when the cost of switching suppliers is low and when the products in question are undifferentiated or are standardized. The bargaining power of buyers can affect the profitability of an industry because they may lower buying prices and then lower their selling prices. When this happens, the people who suffer are the other small dealers in the industry and the suppliers. Buyers can increase their competitive strategy by teaming up and setting the buying price of the products at a certain level. This can cushion them from unscrupulous suppliers and new entrants (Hill and Gareth 5). Threat of substitute products or services A substitute is a product which plays similar function as the original product. Examples of substitutes include the electronic mail as a substitute for sending letters by mail, video conferencing as a substitute of actual conferences and the use of plastics instead of aluminum products. Substitutes usually act as a threat to some industries, especially when they are priced in a friendly manner than the original products and when the cost of switching vendors is relatively low. Companies can guard themselves from the threat of substitutes by differentiation of their products and by teaming up to influence government policy on the introduction of substitute goods in the market (Hill and Gareth 6).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Leadership in Action specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Differentiation and Positioning In marketing, differentiation can be defined as the process of distinguishing a product or service from the rest through describing the major differences between the product or service and other products or services. As mentioned earlier, differentiation is one of the aspects of competitiveness done with a view of creating a market niche for a particular product or service. Differentiation seeks to cr eate a positive image of a particular product among the targeted consumers so as to ensure that they perceive it as unique and different from other similar products (Armstrong and Kotler 26). Product differentiation prevents the targeted consumers from comparing a particular product with others thus giving that particular product a competitive advantage over the others. When doing differentiation, the marketing departments of companies mainly use advertisement, promotions, improved product quality, lowering or increasing the prices of products and ignorance of the consumers regarding the price and quality of the product being differentiated (Armstrong and Kotler 26). Some companies may differentiate several products at the same time with the aim of acquiring a certain number of customers for the differentiated products or services; a concept called positioning. Positioning entails the use of various strategies like promotion, distribution of products or services and production of un ique products with unique pricing to build an identity of a particular company or organization in the minds of particular consumers. Through positioning, companies are able to stabilize and retain the positions of differentiated products thus retaining the competitive advantage of the company in regard to those products. In order for a company to create and maintain a particular position in a market, it needs to do a thorough research and be consistent in monitoring of market trends so as to modify or readjust the differentiation and positioning strategies for its respective products. Conclusion From the above discussion, it has emerged that competitiveness is a multidimensional concept. Many companies usually focus on their rivalry with existing competitors in designing their competitive strategies. This is the case with Google Inc. as featured in the article ‘Google Building Android Game Console’ by Amir Efrati and Ian Sherr and published in the wall street journal. H owever, there are other aspects of competitiveness which can enhance a company’s position in a certain industry. These include bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products and services, product positioning and differentiation. When all these aspects of competitiveness are taken into consideration, companies are able to enhance their competitiveness in their respective industries.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Armstrong, Gary, and K. Philiph. Marketing. An Introduction, Prentice Hall: Pearson Education Company, 2009.Print. Hill, Charles, and J. Gareth. Strategic management: an integrated approach. Boston: Enfield Publishers, 2007.Print. This essay on Strategic Leadership in Action was written and submitted by user Albert Coffey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Theatre

Youth theatre is described as a performance whose main purpose is to enrich the audience’s lives in some way during the course of the production. â€Å"How Da B-52 cockroach learned to fly† is an excellent example of a performance for youth theatre. The play is based on an award-winning children’s book by Lisa Matsumoto. Although the book was written for a younger audience, both children and adults alike find humor and educational value in â€Å"How Da B-52 Learned to Fly.† With the help of exuberant performers, unique props and a creative set, the story of how the B-52 cockroach was a successful example of what youth theater should be. The play is centered on Kimo the cockroach and his brothers. The play is done in story form with two narrators, one who is telling the story and the other who is listening and asking questions about the major characters. The major conflict that Kimo encounters is trying to fit in and gain acceptance amongst the rest of the insects in the insect kingdom. The insects all view the cockroaches as being lazy with no good traits that could help out there society. Kimo travels through out the insect kingdom in search of a task that he and his brothers could do to gain respect and be accepted into the animal kingdom. Kimo and his brothers try to do all kinds of tasks like be movers with the ants, or deconstruct workers with the termites but they are never really able to pull off those tasks. Kimo comes close to giving up because it seems as though there is nothing that they can do to help the insect kingdom. In the end Kimos persistence pays off he is given wings and he and his brothe rs create there team of human attackers and for all there hard work the queen bee honors them. Dialogue of the play is almost entirely spoken in pidgin. The story is told from a young girl to a boy. By making pidgin the dominant language it made the play unique. When I think of plays, I usually think of Shakespe... Free Essays on Theatre Free Essays on Theatre Youth theatre is described as a performance whose main purpose is to enrich the audience’s lives in some way during the course of the production. â€Å"How Da B-52 cockroach learned to fly† is an excellent example of a performance for youth theatre. The play is based on an award-winning children’s book by Lisa Matsumoto. Although the book was written for a younger audience, both children and adults alike find humor and educational value in â€Å"How Da B-52 Learned to Fly.† With the help of exuberant performers, unique props and a creative set, the story of how the B-52 cockroach was a successful example of what youth theater should be. The play is centered on Kimo the cockroach and his brothers. The play is done in story form with two narrators, one who is telling the story and the other who is listening and asking questions about the major characters. The major conflict that Kimo encounters is trying to fit in and gain acceptance amongst the rest of the insects in the insect kingdom. The insects all view the cockroaches as being lazy with no good traits that could help out there society. Kimo travels through out the insect kingdom in search of a task that he and his brothers could do to gain respect and be accepted into the animal kingdom. Kimo and his brothers try to do all kinds of tasks like be movers with the ants, or deconstruct workers with the termites but they are never really able to pull off those tasks. Kimo comes close to giving up because it seems as though there is nothing that they can do to help the insect kingdom. In the end Kimos persistence pays off he is given wings and he and his brothe rs create there team of human attackers and for all there hard work the queen bee honors them. Dialogue of the play is almost entirely spoken in pidgin. The story is told from a young girl to a boy. By making pidgin the dominant language it made the play unique. When I think of plays, I usually think of Shakespe...

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order Research Paper

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order - Research Paper Example The adoption of federal constitution perhaps had presented a challenge in that many political philosophers did not immediately know the extent to which the application of the new constitution will sustain what had become the order of the day or to what extent was it going to effect changes and to whose favor or disfavor. In the understanding of crucial role that the constitution was going to play, the most respected constitution architects of that time had carefully observed the situations, and agreed as leaders of the most fundamental states then that it was permissible that the many should have perfect representation, both being afraid of Monarchy and aristocracy as had been witnessed from continental Europe. Federalists’ essays, though not having a lot of public support, had begun exploring the nature of citizens in line with the provisions in the constitution that could have been perceived as inappropriate then. This is just to introduce the very rise of federalists. Quest ioning of Mans Moral Capacities One of the most fundamental concerns in federal constitution was the institution of the presidency. ... However we find Publius crafting another complex system in Electoral College and sufficiently argues out that anyone who passes grilling of the Electoral College will definitely be a man of good morals. Besides, we can also observe that this goes hand in hand with the creation of the senate whose joint power supersedes that of the institution of presidency in critical aspects. Publius draws a comparison of political institutions then and justifies that people’s concerns are well taken care of. By crafting the duties and obligations of the president to give him a parliamentary status of membership, morality of office bearer is further monitored through provision of impeachment by the house so as to protect the interest of the majority in the event that there is questionable abuse of office. Although giving so much power to this institution, Publius cannot entrust political governance of the people without checks and balances (Carey and MacClellan, 231). Equally important is the realization by Publius that if morality of the judiciary remains at a political stake, then the whole concept of moral justice will be lost. It becomes apparent that separation of powers and independence of each institution takes center stage. Publius notices that for a judiciary to be legitimate, it must have trust of the people from whose mandate it was created through the constitution. Abuse of powers and political influence on judicial decisions were very common then. The first fundamental step that Publius takes is to insulate the morality of office bearers by providing for life tenure. We realize that by possessing neither will nor force but only judgment, it was really vital to have a satisfied judiciary that cannot

Product or Service Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product or Service Design - Research Paper Example However, I shall be using the example of two very famous products and services around us. Firstly, I shall be describing the iPhone. This smart gadget, manufactured by Apple Inc, is more than just a phone and has revolutionized the communication and entertainment world around us. Secondly, I shall describe about a famous service that most people are addicted to. This is Facebook, the social networking website that has become one of the most popular websites of all times with millions of members from around the world. Competitive advantage refers to the advantages a product or a service enjoys over its competitors. In the context of iPhones, the product has a great competitive edge on its competitors. Firstly, when the product was launched, the iPods (another entertainment product by Apple Inc) had already captured the market. Hence, when Apple combined all those features into a phone, the product itself developed a competitive edge and became unique. Moreover, Apple provided the option to the users to install applications of their own choice. This option was never provided before in any phone, hence this also made the iPhone a unique product. Besides this, the sleek design and the touch interface also made apple acquire a competitive edge in the market. iPhone faced its biggest competition with well established brands in the communication market such as Motorolla and Nokia. Both these companies have launched their products in competition to the iPhone introducing almost the same features. Facebook, in order to get a competitive advantage, targeted the service only for college students initially. They allowed college students within a network to interact with each other. This created their demand amongst the social networking websites. Besides, Facebook also allowed users to use applications of their choice. When Facebook entered the social networking market, it faced its greatest competition from Myspace and Orkut. Both these websites had

Write about your religion (islam) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Write about your religion (islam) - Essay Example This paper will discuss my life in the religion and how I share my ideas and leave with the world. I was born in a family that has always been part of the religion. I have always been encouraged by my family’s commitment in the way it attended the five prescribed daily prayers. I am glad I followed suit in the teachings of Islam and took up the challenge of to reading the Quran. As a Muslim, the faith has taught me that human beings exist for the core purpose of serving and loving God. The faith has also taught me that Allah is the only God and comparable to none (Quran 112:1-4). The words of the Quran are of divine origins that Allah revealed from Himself. It contains His words which already existed before creation and can, therefore, not be subtracted, added or amended (Brown 185). Unlike it is wrongfully believed by non Muslims, the Quran is not made up of Prophet Muhammad’s words because it was there before him. To enable Muslims get a deeper insight and understanding of the Quran and the life of Muhammad, a collection of traditions, known as Hadith, was compile d into comprehensive literature by various people. Muslims, just like Jews and Christians, believe that in death, the spirit departs from the body then waits for resurrection on judgment day (Quran 21:19-20). The three faiths’ doctrines on heaven and hell, angels, the devil, morals and the last judgment are very similar. This forms a strong basis of sharing the ideas of religion with the world. The best way of working with the world and conveying my ideas of religion is by convincing non Muslims to shun the stereotyping that every Muslim is an extremist or terrorist. There is a whole lot of genuine Muslims around the world that can be considered mainstream. It is my duty and responsibility as a Muslim to take an oath, follow the Five Pillars and uphold the Six

The Sub Processes Of Perception

The Sub Processes Of Perception The perceptual process of individuals passes through several sub-processes. They are stimulus or situation, registration, interpretation, feedback, behavior, and consequence. Stimulus or situation is the first sub-process in the process of perception. Here people are confronted with an external or internal stimulus. As a result, they might experience an immediate sensual stimulation or the confrontation may take place with the entire physical and socio-cultural environment. In Registration, the individuals record in their minds the stimulus they have received from the environment. Physiological mechanisms such as listening, hearing, etc. play an active role in the perception of individuals. During Interpretation, people analyze the stimulus they have received. It is a cognitive process that is influenced by learning, motivation, and personality. Feedback is the response individuals receive from the stimulus i.e. environmental situations. Feedback has an impact on the perception of individuals. For instance, if employees receive appreciation (feedback) from the manager for their work, then they perceive that the manager is satisfied with their performance. Registration, interpretation, and feedback occur within a person and are in response to a given stimulus from the external environment. These sub-processes lead to a certain behavior by the individual, which again leads to a certain consequence. Role of perception in decision making in manufacturing sector Manufacturing is the backbone of any industrialized nation. Recent worldwide advances in manufacturing technologies have brought about a metamorphism in the industry. Fast-changing technologies on the product front have created a need for an equally fast response from manufacturing industries. To meet these challenges, manufacturing industries have to select appropriate manufacturing strategies, product designs, manufacturing processes, work piece and tool materials, and machinery and equipment. The selection decisions are complex as decision making is more challenging today. Decision makers in the manufacturing sector frequently face the problem of assessing a wide range of options and selecting one based on a set of conflicting criteria. Decision Making in the Manufacturing Environment will be very useful to decision makers in the manufacturing sector as it makes decision making easier, more logical, systematic, efficient and effective. It is intended for designers, manufacturing engineers, practitioners, managers, institutes involved in design and manufacturing related projects, applied research workers, academics, and graduate students in mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering. Organizations rely heavily on the choices made for their success. The right choices can bring triumph and negative choices can cause failure. Perception plays a very important role in the choices individuals make. People make decisions every day, every hour and every minute based on the perceptions they interpret. Perception can cause several people to make wrong choices based on false information. In an organization incorrect decisions can cause a great deal of negative effects. Perception plays a vital role in the choices humans make. People make decisions every day, every hour and every minute based on the perceptions they construe. Each individual perceives situations, places, people and so forth with ones own five senses. However, what one perceives is not always accurate. Peoples perceptions can be misleading and can cause negative effects. Perception can cause numerous people to make the wrong choices based on non-factual information. In organizations wrong decisions can cause a tremendous amount of negative effects. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand perception; how ones perception of others impacts an organizations behavior; the positive and negative effects of using perceptive shortcuts when judging others; how decisions in real world organizations are made; and how perceptions shape ones ethical decisions. Q1. Whether companies consider perception before decision Making? Ans.: Direct Attention Thinking Tools (DATT) is now Power of Perception. DATT gives us 10 simple strategies for sharpening an individuals perception and focusing our thinking in a more comprehensive, effective, and efficient way. DATT tools will enable us to have a broad and inclusive viewpoint. Using the DATT tools helps we can create a framework for defining a situation and improves our ability to consider consequences before we take action. So companies should consider perception before decision making with the help of DATT. Q2. How does perception affects decision making? Ans.: 1. Individuals in organizations make decisions; they make choices from among two or more alternatives. Top managers determine their organizations goals, what products or services to offer, how best to finance operations, or where to locate a new manufacturing plant. Middle- and lower-level managers determine production schedules, select new employees, and decide how pay raises are to be allocated. Non-managerial employees also make decisions including whether or not to come to work on any given day, how much effort to put forward once at work, and whether or not to comply with a request made by the boss. A number of organizations in recent years have been empowering their non-managerial employees with job-related decision-making authority that historically was reserved for managers. Decision-making occurs as a reaction to a problem. There is a discrepancy between some current state of affairs and some desired state, requiring consideration of alternative courses of action. The awareness that a problem exists and that a decision needs to be made is a perceptual issue. 3. Every decision requires interpretation and evaluation of information. The perceptions of the decision maker will address these two issues. Data are typically received from multiple sources. Which data are relevant to the decision and which are not? Alternatives will be developed, and the strengths and weaknesses of each will need to be evaluated. Q3. Why perception is included in the process of decision making? Ans.: Perception is a cognitive process by which individuals organize, interpret, and understand their surroundings and environment which also includes impressions formed objects, events, and people. In the process of making decisions, we must fully understand the situation along with its facts to come to a resolution. Without consuming all the factors, the wrong decision may be made. Every decision requires interpretation and evaluation of information. The perceptions of the decision maker will address these two issues. Perception in manufacturing sector Indias manufacturing sector has registered a balanced growth across different industries over the last six months with even the old economy companies turning the corner, says a new study. The CII manufacturing-ASCON survey, carried out by the Associations Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), states that 65 percent of the companies in 125 sectors tracked have been registering growth during the last six months. The Indian economy is poised to reap the benefits that come with a strong manufacturing base in an economy. The relentless emphasis that Indian companies have placed on continuously enhancing design and engineering skills, building new capabilities for product and technology innovation and in leveraging resources from around the world to provide value to customers are contributing in transforming Made in India into a global brand. The India advantage is fast changing from that of cost arbitrage to include sustainable factors such as skilled labour, design and research and development capability, a large consuming middle class, besides a growing and liberalizing economy, states the survey for April-September 2006. The manufacturing sector is clearly benefiting from this changing perception. In fact, manufacturing in India is now acquiring a whole new dimension. While many low-end jobs are being outsourced to India, the manufacturing sector is also turning into the design and manufacturing hub of the world. Be it industrial robot manufacturer Gudel or auto giant BMW or South Korean consumer goods giant LG, India has become a key manufacturing destination for a large number of global players. It is already a preferred destination for the manufacture of auto components, bulk drugs and producer services such as software, finance and several others. The manufacturing sector had recorded a growth of 9.1 percent in 2005-06, compared to 9.2 percent in the previous year. This is being strengthened quarter-on-quarter during the current fiscal. The manufacturing sector seems set to enhancing its share in the GDP to the targeted 30 percent. CONCLUSION The Perception and Reality of Business Effectiveness The Perception of Business Effectiveness Lets talk about the perception and reality of business growth. You know the difference between perception and reality. Perception gives you an impression. Reality is the experience of the truth of the matter. Reality is what counts. Perception/impression may not to give you results that you would expect, or like. The perception of where your company is with regard to growth is based on your increasing sales and profitability, the company perspective of itself, and it as compared to your competition and industry standard. You could ask yourself What is the perception of my corporate growth?, Is my corporate growth bringing me the long-term results I am looking for? And, what are the costs of my company not fulfilling its growth potential? It is important to note here that the reality of a companys achievement and growth could be quite different based on another perspective. The perception of your business condition could be deceiving, and could include a number of unseen losses. Your perception is verified by its comparison to another perspective. Opportunity Analysis We can focus on a companys position by asking these questions What is the perception of how we are doing as a company? How can I see what to do to know where to go to do better? What would it take to improve the outcome of my results? What would the reality look like of what I could achieve? How would the improved results put the company in a more profitable and secure position? Am I committed to produce the results I envision? What can I do now to start gaining better business results? What we are addressing here is turning a perception into a new reality by understanding where we are at and creating a path to a reality of improved business development and greater profitability results. The Reality of Business Effectiveness Cutting Costs and Building Profitability As we know building profitability can often be focused on cutting costs. The problem and limitation to building profitability by cutting costs is that you can only cut costs until you have no more costs to cut, and then you might be out of business. Obviously you cannot build company growth on out of business; you cannot build company growth on cutting costs. You can build on opportunities. The key is seeing the opportunities and knowing how to address them. In perceiving opportunities the forest and the trees, the being to close to see it, can come into play. The advantage of an outside business development professional is that they can see the opportunities clearer. A business development professional unveils possibilities for companies by revealing business building opportunities through the background of extensive business experience and a natural talent in business clarity and ideas, coupled with a valuable outside perspective, that creates business results that are effective looking in from outside of the current perception. Creating improved business outcomes for company growth requires a prudent combination of successful cost consciousness and business building that provides the most effective long-term profitability results. At a last, perception is very important for decision making in manufacturing business it also help in sustaining and attaining goals of business ..

Essay --

‘Clan Of The Cave Bear’ By Jean Auel Jean Auel wrote the book by the name of the â€Å"Clan of the cave bear† and it has been hailed as one of the bets pieces of all times. It was so good that even a movie has been made on the story line and much of the success of the movie can be accredited to the success of the book itself. The story is basically about this woman and her struggles in life and it is very broad because the story develops over the years and it encompasses a number of other characters and happenings in her life. It is about how things shape out in her life and many a reader may get the impression that it is herself that she is talking about and that she went through the similar period of turmoil and trouble in her own times. Life can be a funny thing and as the title of the play suggests that it is about a family which in this case is the family of the bear or his clan and the story deals with their lives and developments over the years. The story begins like any common novel but the way in which the language and expression can be felt is very deep rooted and the impact is very deep. It is able to interact with the people and the human values and human touch has been emphasized by the writer. She feels that the best way to interact with the reader is by giving them something that is new to them. Humane touch and the human element is something that has been missing in the books of recent times and that is what makes the American writers peculiar because their level of interaction and their inclusion of the human values in their works are very pronounced. The main character in the book is a female who is left stranded after a disaster and she is at a loss of words because she is still in her tender age. She is so young t... ...the prime focus of study in the book and the writer has not spared any thought about their description and she has done a remarkably wonderful job of making that link so effective between the two completely different worlds. The adoptive and the parental instincts as well as the human touch are apparently clear. The two worlds might seem equally ugly to one another from a naked eye. Ayla learns about new things and is able to understand the things that are not known to the outside world. There are social and moral taboos and she breaks them and she is allowed to do so and she ventures in the unfamiliar territory where no one else has been before. There is mystery and there may be evolution but moreover it is all about the way the things may interact and bring out the best from the ends where things might have been there but have always gone so unnoticed by us all.

Early learning studies Essay

In the first five years of life, a child has gone through rapid development in physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Around the time these children start kindergarten, their growth has slowed down. However, it is still vital for the kindergarten teacher to know how their students have developed and what they can do to further develop their students as a whole. According to â€Å"Educating Children in Nursery Schools and Kindergartens† by Lillian L. Gore, by the age of 5 children are learning how to relate to others in a positive manner. This skill forms the basis of all human relations (16). In general, kindergarten-aged children are beginning to develop their own self image and their likes and interests through sensory and other experiences (Gore 16). To a kindergarten-aged child, the world is big and mysterious. The combination of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development allow these children to explore and begin imposing basic order and control over their environments (Gore 16). Overall, these experiences allow children to understand and appreciate the world around them. When the teacher looks at the overall development of their kindergarten students, the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional aspects are relatively similar across each child. That is to say that each child experiences relatively the same development in all three areas. Physically, a kindergartener has two distinct developmental characteristics. #1 is the individual characteristics such as rate of growth, body build, and eye color (Gore 17). The teacher should respect each child’s unique characteristics and teach others to respect them as well. #2 is each kindergartener has a wide output of energy (Gore 17). A kindergarten teacher should expect their students to be fully active one day and inactive the next. Similarly, the activities the children participate in receive different levels of energy from day to day (Gore 17). Cognitive development in kindergarten in vital for a child to understand and experience all that school and the world have to offer. In Gore’s book, she notes two important cognitive developments that a kindergarten child experiences. #1 is the development of hand-eye coordination (Gore 17). At this stage, children are developing awareness for everything that needs both hands and eyes in order to function properly. As the teacher, you should be aware of the students and their surroundings. Particularly on the playground, the teacher should know the students inability to judge speeds and distances properly (Gore 17). To aid in the development of proper hand-eye coordination, the teacher should incorporate hand-eye coordination lessons and activities into the daily schedule. The second important cognitive development in kindergarteners is that they want to grow and learn (Gore 19). Kindergarten is a stepping stone into what school will be like for the rest of their lives, and the fact that each student wants to grow and learn makes the teacher’s job easier because the students are intrinsically motivated. To further their enjoyment of learning it is important for the teacher to provide conditions for each student to explore, discover, and feed their sense of wonder at their own pace (Gore 19). Teachers should also allow students to think and solve problems at their own pace as well (Gore 19). By letting each student work at his or her own pace, the student feeds their desire to grow and learn and also learns that they are capable of many things. One of the most important developments that kindergarten children make is social and emotional developments. Both these developments aid children in forming friendships, relationships and emotional maturity as their lives continue. Two social developments are highlighted in Gore’s book. #1 is that children will fluctuate their patterns of social growth and they may regress at times (Gore18). This is a natural process that children go through and navigating it can be tricky. As a teacher, we should encourage children to proceed in and out of groups at will (Gore 18). This will allow children to experience many different people and form many friendships. As teachers we should also encourage students to relate an experience with one group of students to experiences with another group (Gore 18). This will allow each student to mentally process each experience and decide which experiences they prefer to have, which in turn leads to them having friends of similar beliefs and interests. Above all, kindergarten children learn how to cooperate with others when they choose which group of students to associate with. The second social characteristic that kindergarten children develop is their preference of children of the same sex as playmates and friends (Gore 18). As a teacher we should support this development and help each child learn appropriate sex role with their peers. In addition, kindergarten teachers should also encourage children of the opposite sex to interact. When it comes to emotional characteristics of development, the #1 characteristic is that children in kindergarten are learning how to accept and give affection (Gore 18). This developmental characteristic is vitally important because if children do not learn how to give and accept affection, then all their relationships with others will be short-lived. We as teachers can help foster this important characteristic by providing warm relationships for emotional growth in the classroom and individually with your students (Gore 18). In addition to the developmental characteristics, a kindergarten teacher must also be aware of how they arrange their classroom. Utilizing space and organizing the classroom to best suit the needs of the students allows each kindergartener to maximize their use of the classroom. In Doris Fromberg’s book â€Å"The Full-day Kindergarten†, it is important to know both the teacher’s and the student’s views on four elements relating to classroom organization. Those four elements are; â€Å"Choice: what the students will be doing. Space: where the students will be engaged. Pacing: when the students will be participating. Social Activity: how and with whom the students will interact† (Fromberg 62). These elements are also applicable to what the students are doing in a kindergarten classroom and what activities they participate in. By understanding when and where to implement these four elements, the classroom experience will be enhanced for all the kindergarten students. In a kindergarten classroom, the students are capable of making choices that are relevant to the school-day procedure (Fromberg 62). When a kindergarten student, or any other person, chooses what to do, their attention is higher to that activity than if they had not chosen. However, this is not to say that kindergarten students enter into an â€Å"anything goes† classroom (Fromberg 62). The teacher has preselected and screened everything that is already in the classroom to ensure that it is safe and educationally-sound. The teacher also screens the materials that students bring from home on the same criteria (Fromberg 62). By ensuring that all materials in the classroom are on the same level and that the children decide what they want to do, they will establish a routine of making independent choices knowing that what they choose will spark their interests and be educationally appropriate. The space and organization of the classroom is an important concept to consider when in a kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten students enjoy moving around and being independent, but also need a sense of stability and security. How the classroom space is organized reflects four characteristics about the teacher and the classroom in general: 1) How independent the students are expected to be. 2) How responsible the students are expected to be. 3) Relays what activities are valued in the classroom. 4) How students will spend their time in the classroom (Fromberg 64). When organizing the classroom, it is important to keep materials where they will be used and in limited-use sections. By creating a section of the room only for writing, or art, or reading, children will be more focused on that activity or feel part of a small group (Fromberg 64). Limited-use sections also help the students answer the question, â€Å"What will I do next? † (Fromberg 64) For example, a child that is finished at the writing center will know that there is nothing more they can accomplish at this center; they decide that they want to work on their art project and move to the appropriate section. By utilizing limited-use sections, the students are minimizing procrastination and are maximizing their ability to select their own choices. By using these elements, Fromberg describes a properly organized kindergarten classroom. In a kindergarten classroom, all materials are stored where they will be used; books are in the reading areas, writing supplies are in the writing area, and art supplies are in the art area. The students work in the areas where the materials are stored. This not only keeps them focused on their tasks, but also eliminates the possibility of misplacing materials. These active work areas should be located away from student desks or other areas where students are meant to concentrate and reflect (Fromberg 64). In addition, the teacher should always organize their classroom where they and the students are visible to each other at all times. This not only allows the teacher to monitor behavior, but it also allow students to see what model behavior looks like. In addition to the organization of the room, there also needs to be proper time management as well. Proper time management can help reduce the issues that arise in those students who have ADHD or other unpredictable behavior patterns (Fromberg 66). In a full day kindergarten classroom, it is beneficial to have a whole-class planning session in the morning and afternoon, with a small gathering before lunch or around 11:00 AM according to Fromberg (66). Kindergarten instructors have found it helpful to provide at least two long activity blocks of 30 minutes or more each day (Fromberg 66). In this time, the students will be engaging with the different sections of the room; art, writing, reading, etc. at their own choice and pace. From having this time to select which activity to do and how long to do it for, the students are inspired to make long-range plans and increase their sense of control over their environment (Fromberg 66). Within the kindergarten environment, the lessons and activities should emphasize academic content but also personal relationships and social behaviors. While kindergarten does prepare students to â€Å"do school† and everything that comes with it, I believe that lessons and activities that stress proper relationship techniques and social behaviors are just as important. For example, kindergarteners may not realize what they say sometimes and although they find nothing wrong with it, the teacher or others students will. Having several lessons on how to talk to other students in a nice and polite way will not only benefit the students in class, but they can take that knowledge and apply it to other situations as well, such as talking to adults. Lessons that demonstrate proper social behaviors and etiquette will also benefit kindergarteners. For example, how to stay quiet and listen while another person is talking or how to solve conflicts in a respectful manner will again not only benefit the students in the classroom, but also prepare them for the world as they grow older. Finally, classroom management is very important in a kindergarten class. A teacher could have a perfectly organized room and excellent lessons, but if they cannot manage their students they will never get a chance to utilize their room or lessons. Firstly, the kindergarten teacher should make a set of class rules for the school year. In addition to their professional opinion, the teacher should ask the students themselves what rules should be followed during the school year. This serves two purposes: 1. it reinforces the element that children are capable of making relevant choices pertaining to school and 2. It allows the students to feel that they have a say in how the classroom is to be run. By having this sense of control, the students are more likely to follow the rules and provide less argument when disruptions arise. Secondly, student behavior accountability should be established. In her article â€Å"Classroom Management†, Jody Camp describes her accountability system. She has four circles displayed in her room, each a different color and face. All the students have a clothes pin with their name on it. Every morning each student starts on the green smiley face. If a student breaks one classroom rule, they move their clothes pin to the yellow face. The yellow face is a warning for the student to start acting correctly. In addition to that, the student loses 5 minutes of recess. If the student breaks another rule, they move to the red face, which means the student needs to stop and think about what they are doing. The student also misses an entire recess. The last face in Jody Camp’s management system is the blue sad face. This means that the student needs to go to the principal’s office (Classroom Management). By implementing these or similar classroom management techniques, any teacher will be successful and be able to focus the majority of their time on educating the minds of America. As a student moves through elementary school and into middle school many changes occur so fast that they may, to the frustration of teachers and parents, act like kindergarteners once more. However, it is important to realize and understand the developmental characteristics of middle school students so they still have a positive educational experience. Similar to kindergarten students, middle school students have their own unique set of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Physically, middle school students are in transition between their childhood bodies and their adult bodies. This leads to three main physical characteristics. Susan Robinson, Guidance Counselor at Southern Columbia School District in Catawissa, PA, nicely lays out physical characteristics of middle school students (5th-8th grade) on her webpage. The first physical characteristic is large muscle development (5th Grade Characteristics). In boys, this means that their arm and leg muscles are becoming more defined, as well as their abdomens. In girls, muscle development leads to growth spurts and gaining weight. The second physical characteristic is the desire to be outdoors and physically challenged (5th Grade Characteristics). It is at this time that both boys and girls become very interested in sports and physical activity. This characteristic can also lead to a decline in school performance because the students are more interested in playing outside than doing homework. The third physical characteristic is that they become restless and in constant motion (6th Grade Characteristics). The need to move and be active can also lead to declining performance because the students won’t be as focused. This can also lead to more discipline because the students can’t stay in one place for extended periods of time. Cognitively, middle school students are now open to more abstract and logical reasoning than ever before. The first cognitive characteristic is that 5th grade students have is an increased memory and ability to abstract (5th Grade Characteristics). The increase in memory potential allows the students to remember more academic information, but also helps them remember social activities like birthday parties and phone numbers. The second cognitive characteristic is the affinity for logical reasoning and problems solving (5th Grade Characteristics). 5th and 6th grade students are now using more of their brain in every aspect of life which allows them to solve and reason more than ever before. Similar to how kindergarten students like to impose control on their environments, middle school students enjoy the feeling of being able to solve a problem or think logically with classmates and teachers. The third cognitive characteristic of middle school students is their increased concentration in all aspects of school (5th Grade Characteristics). With the increase of concentration students are able to read, focus on homework, and participate in activities for longer periods of time. This cognitive gain can help balance out the need for movement during physical development. Middle school is the time when every student starts to define who they are and who they want to be. Socially and emotionally, each middle school student is becoming more mature as they grow older and it is important to know what developmental characteristics these students face. When a student is in 5th grade they are more socially and emotionally sound than 6th graders. The first developmental characteristic of 5th graders is that they are generally content with themselves and others (5th Grade Characteristics). At this stage they are in a state of equilibrium in terms of social and emotional growth. This is not to say that 5th graders are void of anger. When this age group gets angry, they tend to get angrier faster than usual but they also are faster to forgive (5th Grade Characteristics). The second characteristic of 5th graders is that they work well in groups and enjoy team-oriented activities such as sports and clubs (5th Grade Characteristics). Because they are generally content, it boosts 5th graders abilities to work cooperatively. This age group would benefit greatly from pods in the classroom and team-oriented competition. Lastly, 5th graders are mostly truthful and are developing a larger sense of right and wrong (5th Grade Characteristics). At this age, students want to be taken seriously because they feel that they have valuable opinions. They realize that they can’t lie and be taken seriously so they tell the truth. Also, as they are telling the truth more, they are expanding their sense of right and wrong. It is at this point when crucial right/wrong situations should be explained to the students such as drugs and alcohol. When a child hits 6th grade, they change once again and sometimes not for the better. There are three main characteristics of 6th graders from Susan Robinson’s website. The first is that 6th graders become more moody and sensitive (6th Grade Characteristics). 6th graders are starting to hit puberty and this messes with their normal selves. The hormones set off mood swings and sensitivity towards almost any situation. It is important to know this because it could be the cause of many problems with your students. The second characteristic is that 6th graders are becoming more autonomous and with that comes more opposition to rules and punishments (6th Grade Characteristics). As they get older, the students begin to realize that they are held to higher standards but still try to get around those expectations. This inevitably leads to confrontations between teacher and student(s) and the student(s) will test your patience at this age. The third characteristic is more positive. As the students age and grow during 6th grade, they will start to take on an adult personality (6th Grade Characteristics). They will lessen their oppositional behavior and become more respectful and dutiful in school work and social activities. While their bodies are going through a massive amount of change in a short period of time, it is important to layout the classroom, lessons, and management techniques to keep up with these middle school learners. First off, it is important to keep the students in groups when at their desks. This helps the students remain social with others and it helps the students to keep working in teams. As they are older, each student should be given their own desk. This allows the student to become more independent and it allows for individuality to show through if they are permitted to decorate their desk. Similar to the kindergarten room, there should be sections of the room where students can go to complete different assignments. Especially at this time, the movement will allow these students to relieve some tension from their growing bodies. Overall, the classroom at the middle school level starts to become similar to that of high school and college classrooms, but should still represent a sense of home and security for 5th and 6th graders. The lessons and activities that these students participate in should also be developmentally appropriate. At this stage of life, the students are beginning to think and reason logically. Therefore, lessons in math and science can enhance the individual student’s ability to think and reason logically. In addition to logic and reasoning, social skills are key to a healthy development. In 5th and 6th grade, it is important to teach and model proper social etiquette and behaviors. One way to accomplish this is to have the students sit in pods when at their desks. This serves two purposes: 1) it allows each student to work in close proximity to other students and 2) it allows students to practice proper social behavior on a daily basis. Lastly, students at this age are going through major physical changes and it is important to keep that in mind when designing lessons and activities. When possible, incorporate some form of physical movement into your lesson plans. This will allow the students to move their bodies and retain focus in school. If you simply let the students sit at their seats all day, they will become restless very quickly and will lose focus and interest in what you are trying to teach them. Similar to the kindergarten classroom, without successful classroom management techniques, the teacher will struggle to maintain focus and interest in their lessons. With this age group, routines are essential to having successful classroom management. As noted by many teachers, routines help the students to know what is coming next in the school day and how to proceed from one task to the next. With a regular routine, students won’t need to be told to take out their reading materials or their math books; they will already know what is coming. By establishing successful routines, the teacher can minimize distractions and maximize learning time. Another management technique that I remember from 6th grade was the use of a money management system. My teacher, Diane Dale, set up a management system that revolved around the use of a weekly â€Å"allowance† for each student. Each student started the week with a predetermined amount of â€Å"money†, i. e.$100. Actions in class had either a positive or negative effect on the student’s allowance. For example, if one student got a perfect on their math test, they may get $25 added to their account. If another student starts a fight on the playground, besides the consequences of the principal, they may lose $75. At the end of each week the students with the 3 highest allowances got to pick a prize from the â€Å"Class Treasure Chest†. To my recollection, this system worked well in our class and I plan on modifying this management system to create my own. All in all, as an elementary teacher it is important to know and be able to work with students from all age groups. By understanding the characteristics of the students in your class, you will be able to maximize the effectiveness of your lessons because they are aimed to work with their developmental characteristics, not as a substitute. In addition, to knowing developmental characteristics, a teacher should also institute effective classroom management techniques and proper lesson plans that will maximize the learning experience for each student. Works Cited Gore, Lillian L. , and Rose Koury. Educating Children in Nursery School and Kindergartens. Washington: U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, 1964. Print. Wills, Clarence Dechent, and Lucile Lindburg. Kindergarten for Today’s Children. Chicago: Follett Educational Corporation, 1967. Print. Fromberg, Doris. The Full-Day Kindergarten. 1995. eBook. Camp, Jody. http://www. atozteacherstuff. com/Tips/Classroom_Management/Managing_Behavior/index. shtml Robinson, Susan. http://www. scasd. us/ms/RobinsonPage/grade5. htm White, George. Incoming 6th Graders. http://www. ringwoodschools. org/files/ryerson/parent_orientation_booklet. pdf.

Free Essays on How Accurate Are Eyewitnesses

Abstract The experiment, Be a Juror was studied to explore the importance of eyewitness testimonies in a jury trial. This study looks at both a jury’s behavior and an eyewitness’s testimony in a mock trial. The focus is mainly on assessing the reliability of eyewitness identifications. For this experiment, Be a Juror there was a total of seventy-five participants. There were a total of sixty-six female participants and nine male participants. All of the participants in this study ages averaged 22 years old. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three possible conditions. The conditions consisted of the no eyewitness, discredited eyewitness, or refuted eyewitness. Twenty-nine participants were exposed to the no eyewitness condition. This experiment was to measure participant’s degree of perceived guilt in one of the three conditions. Based on previous research in eyewitness testimonies it is hypothesized that the presence of an eyewitness testimony increases the b elief of guilt, regardless of the witness’s credibility. Introduction: Research dealing with eyewitness testimony and related issues have been going on for decades. To this date there continues to be some debate as to the accuracy of eyewitness memory. The experiment, Be a Juror is a study conducted to explore the importance of eyewitness testimonies in a jury trial. This study looks at both the jury’s behavior and the eyewitness’s testimony in a jury trial. One focus is to assess the reliability of eyewitness identifications. This study is important because of the recent increase in technological advances that have overturned convictions using DNA results that countered eyewitness testimony. This establishes that there are some considerable errors in eyewitness testimonies that have led to many convictions. Earlier research studies attempted to focus on: finding ways to help witnesses in recalling information, the effects of leadi... Free Essays on How Accurate Are Eyewitnesses Free Essays on How Accurate Are Eyewitnesses Abstract The experiment, Be a Juror was studied to explore the importance of eyewitness testimonies in a jury trial. This study looks at both a jury’s behavior and an eyewitness’s testimony in a mock trial. The focus is mainly on assessing the reliability of eyewitness identifications. For this experiment, Be a Juror there was a total of seventy-five participants. There were a total of sixty-six female participants and nine male participants. All of the participants in this study ages averaged 22 years old. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three possible conditions. The conditions consisted of the no eyewitness, discredited eyewitness, or refuted eyewitness. Twenty-nine participants were exposed to the no eyewitness condition. This experiment was to measure participant’s degree of perceived guilt in one of the three conditions. Based on previous research in eyewitness testimonies it is hypothesized that the presence of an eyewitness testimony increases the b elief of guilt, regardless of the witness’s credibility. Introduction: Research dealing with eyewitness testimony and related issues have been going on for decades. To this date there continues to be some debate as to the accuracy of eyewitness memory. The experiment, Be a Juror is a study conducted to explore the importance of eyewitness testimonies in a jury trial. This study looks at both the jury’s behavior and the eyewitness’s testimony in a jury trial. One focus is to assess the reliability of eyewitness identifications. This study is important because of the recent increase in technological advances that have overturned convictions using DNA results that countered eyewitness testimony. This establishes that there are some considerable errors in eyewitness testimonies that have led to many convictions. Earlier research studies attempted to focus on: finding ways to help witnesses in recalling information, the effects of leadi...

The History of Halloween or Samhain, Day of the Dead

The History of Halloween or Samhain, Day of the Dead Halloween or Samhain had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to Nov. 1 on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle. Samhain The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demonsall part of the dark and dread. How Samhain Became Halloween Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. In the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., before missionaries such as St. Patrick and St. Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianize their people and brand them evil devil worshippers. Pope Gregory the First As a result of their efforts to wipe out pagan holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshiped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship. In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work. Church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples. Likewise, St. Johns Day was set on the summer solstice. Good Vs Evil - Druids, Christians, and Samhain Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religions supernatural deities as evil and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell. The effects of this policy were to diminish but not totally eradicate the beliefs of the traditional gods. Celtic belief in supernatural creatures persisted, while the church made deliberate attempts to define them as being not merely dangerous, but malicious. Followers of the old religion went into hiding and were branded as witches. Feast of All Saints The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to No. 1. The day honored every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions. The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints. Recognizing that something that would subsume the original energy of Samhain was necessary, the church tried again to supplant it with a Christian feast day in the 9th century. This time it established November 2nd as All Souls Day -a day when the living prayed for the souls of all the dead. But, once again, the practice of retaining traditional customs while attempting to redefine them had a sustaining effect: the traditional beliefs and customs lived on, in new guises. All Saints Day - All Hallows All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Halloweenan ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Years Day in contemporary dress. Many supernatural creatures became associated with All Hallows. In Ireland, fairies were numbered among the legendary creatures who roamed on Halloween. An old folk ballad called Allison Gross tells the story of how the fairy queen saved a man from a witchs spell on Halloween. Allison Gross O Allison Gross, that lives in yon towerthe ugliest witch int he North Country...Shes turned me into an ugly wormand gard me toddle around a tree...But as it fell out last Hallow evenWhen the seely [fairy] court was riding by,the Queen lighted down on a gowany bankNot far from the tree where I wont to lie...Shes change me again to my own proper shapeAnd I no more toddle about the tree. In old England, cakes were made for the wandering souls, and people went a soulin for these soul cakes. Halloween, a time of magic, also became a day of divination, with a host of magical beliefs: for instance, if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backward down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover. Halloween - Celtic Day of the Dead Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic day of the dead. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved. To this day, witches, ghosts, and skeleton figures of the dead are among the favorite disguises. Halloween also retains some features that harken back to the original harvest holiday of Samhain, such as the customs of bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, as well as the fruits, nuts, and spices cider associated with the day. Modern Halloween Today Halloween is becoming once again and adult holiday or masquerade, like Mardi Gras. Men and women in every disguise imaginable are taking to the streets of big American cities and parading past grinningly carved, candlelit jack olanterns, re-enacting customs with a lengthy pedigree. Their masked antics challenge, mock, tease and appease the dread forces of the night, of the soul, and of the otherworld that becomes our world on this night of reversible possibilities, inverted roles, and transcendency. In so doing, they are reaffirming death and its place as a part of life in an exhilarating celebration of a holy and magic evening.

English Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English Class - Essay Example In a traditional educational setup, the decision making power solely rests with the teacher. When the students are not allowed their adequate share of decision making, they become more of objects rather than conscious human beings with analytic and evaluative senses. (Freire) has identified two basic types of educational concepts, namely the banking education and the problem-posing education, and has discussed the traits of both. The banking education is the typical pedagogical approach in which the teachers are in charge and the students are enslaved. In the exams, children’s memory is checked rather than their analytical skills. The problem-posing concept is on the other end of the scale. In the problem-posing educational concept, the teacher is always cognitive and never narrative. The teacher adopts a reflective approach and inculcates his own reflections in those of the students. In this system of education, neither the teacher nor the students standardize the concepts. T o them, reality keeps transforming and so do the concepts. What is the "banking system" of education? This is a system of education in which the teacher and students do not mutually exert mentally to realize the truth, but the assumed truth is fed into the students by the teacher. The teacher is always right! The teacher prepares the lesson beforehand and makes the presentation in the class.

Visual Arts and Film Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visual Arts and Film Studies - Essay Example Neoclassical Art, on the other hand, is more inclined to the more political and unemotional aspects. Delacroix’s ‘Sea of Galilee’ and Watteau’s ‘The Storm’ in comparison are two different paintings in the language of art. One of the paintings is clearly a Romantic period piece of art work while the other one comes from the Neo-classical period of art. The differences are not so difficult to spot; even from a mile away. ‘The Storm’ by Watteau is of the Neo-classical age. On the other hand, ‘The Sea of Galilee’ is a romantic era work of art. There are a lot reasons and differences to back this argument up. Each of the paintings holds the characteristics within them that reveal the characteristics of the different styles of painting. Let us first consider the characteristics of neo-classicism and romanticism Neoclassicists had the belief that man is the supreme power above all else and that the center of though and truth rests with man. As Alexander Pope put it, â€Å"the proper study of mankind is man.† Neoclassicists always aimed to attain perfection. They strictly believed in order and reason, also in intellect, in the quest for perfection. Romanticism is the era that opposed them. Romanticism followed the neoclassicism era. Romantics directly opposed neoclassicism; they passionately believed that neoclassicism was not it and turned to nature’s guiding forces in their paintings. ... This began in the middle 1700’s. Much of this was attributed to the need to break from the playful and whimsical art of the Rococo period. Believers and followers of the neoclassicism wanted art to be what it had been in ages gone by; they wanted the traditional ways and splendor of art from ancient Rome and Greece. Neoclassicists had the feeling that, the periods of Enlightenment and the Rococo period, were not expressing people’s discomfort that came about as a result of the nobility lifestyle and the increasing demand for a democratic society. Neo classical Art contain classical themes; the subjects are usually placed in archaeological settings and the people are normally dressed in costumes from classical times. Neoclassicists also had Roman and Greek elements integrated in their paintings and portraits. The paintings had mythological fabled beings and creatures in them. Neoclassicism was also designed in order to, please senses, to teach morals, and lessons in mora ls. They were inclined towards historical paintings. On the other hand, romantic art have beginnings that can be traced back to the 18th and the 19th centuries. Romanticism was a rejection and change-over from neoclassicism and the neo classical period. It began as some form of intellectual movement by artists; they hoped to divulge from the traditional art values of neoclassical art. Romantic Art was characterized by subjectivism, individualism, nature and emotions. These are the values in which they believed in and had a passion for over intellect. Romantic Art and paintings mainly consist of the dramatic and bold works of art. They featured exoticism, nationalism, heroism, and individualism. Nature was supreme during this period. Most artists painted