Mass Media Essay

Mass Media Essay Mass media has a very big influence on the life of every person in the society. In order to stress this influence, and prepare students to react on the mass media in a proper way – professors often ask students to write a mass media paper, mass media essay, mass media research paper, mass media term paper, etc. This paper is written in order to reveal personal opinions of students and how they relate mass media to their life. Nowadays every single person is exposed to advertisements, and has to be adequate in his or her behavior towards mass media. So if you are asked to write a paper on mass media – you have to conduct a good research on the mass media movement, the development of mass media throughout history, the way mass media influences our life, and what to do to prevent negative influence of mass media. After the research has been conducted, you have to form a good mass media paper structure. You need to have a good outline, as well as a string hypothesis, of what message should your paper communicate to the audience. Mass media paper is nothing without proper examples. You need to prove your opinion; hence, you need to provide string evidence of your thoughts. What is better evidence than good specific example of every point of your outline of the mass media paper? If you need some extremely creditable examples – the best way to get them – is to browse through the history of advertising, marketing, mass media methods and techniques. Mass media is constantly changing, new methods and techniques are applied every second, and what you can do is acknowledge those people and companies who proposed significant changes in mass media, and single handedly have managed to change the course of mass media. CustomWritings.com is your number one assistant in writing papers on mass media topics. If you somehow stumble upon a very difficult mass media topic – you can ask CustomWritings.com for help and assistance. We will manage to do everything you ask us to do. Our policy at CustomWritings.com is to help our customers in any ways and means possible. We will provide a strung outline as well as a profound structure of the mass media paper, as well as help with any point of the outline in particular. Be sure to contact CustomWritings.com and inquire about a possible great mass media paper on any topic. Here is a list of the most popular essay topics on mass media: Great Britain and the Mass Media What impact do the mass media have on modern government and politics? Media Studies with specific  reference to mass media and the effects on the audience. Mass media is  reflection of society Mass Media and the Commodity Fetish An introspective look at mass media communications Examine the ways in which females are represented in the mass media Mass Media: What Noises in the Environment Effect Your Concentration The Effects of the Mass Media on Elementary Students Mass media on Politics

How to Organize and Manage Classroom Learning Centers

How to Organize and Manage Classroom Learning Centers Classroom Learning centers are a great way for students to work together to accomplish a given task. They provide the opportunity for children to practice hands-on skills with or with out social interaction depending upon the teachers task. Here you will learn tips on how to organize and store center content, along with a few suggestions on how to manage classroom centers. Organize and Store Contents Every teacher knows that an organized classroom is a happy classroom. To ensure your learning centers are neat and tidy, and ready for the next student, it is essential to keep learning center contents organized. Here are a variety of ways to organize and store classroom centers for easy access. Place task in small plastic bins and label with the word and picture.Place task in gallon size Ziploc bags, label and place in, or clip to, an accompanying file folder.A great way to keep your Ziploc bag sturdy is to place a piece of cardboard (cut the front off of a cereal box) and place it in the bag. Then on the blank side of the cardboard print the topic of the learning center and the directions. Laminate for easy reuse.Place little components of the learning center into small size Ziploc baggies and label.Place center task in shoe box labeled with the number that corresponds to the Common Core Standard.Take a coffee container and place task inside the container. On the outside label with words and picture.Place center contents in a manilla file folder and have instructions on front. Laminate if needed.Place contents in color coordinated baskets. Reading centers are in pink baskets, math centers are in blue, etc.Buy a colored drawer organizing rolling cart and place center task i nside. Create a bulletin board, adhere library pockets to the board and place the learning center task inside. Post directions on the bulletin board. Lakeshore Learning has storage bins in a variety of sizes and colors that are great for learning centers. Manage Learning Centers Learning centers can be a lot of fun but they also can get quiet chaotic. Here are a few suggestions on how to set up and manage them. First, you must plan the structure of the learning center, are students going to work alone or with a partner? Each learning center can be unique, so if you choose to give students the option to work alone or with a partner for the math center, you do not have to give them an option for the reading center.Next, you must prepare the contents of each learning center. Choose the way you plan on storing and keeping the center organized from the list above.Set up the classroom so that children are visible at all centers. Make sure you create centers around the perimeter of the classroom so children wont bump into one another or get distracted.Place centers that are alike near each other, and make sure if the center is going to use materials that are messy, that is it placed on a hard surface, not a carpet.Introduce how each center works, and model how they must complete each task.Discuss, and model the behavior that is expected of students at each center and hold students responsible for their actions. Use a bell, timer, or hand gesture when it is time to switching centers. Here are more ideas on how to prepare, set up and present learning centers.

Think about the five key media studies concepts and choose one of Essay

Think about the five key media studies concepts and choose one of them. Outline the main characteristics of, and theories and de - Essay Example Media presentations seek to alter or reinforce the opinion of the audience on specific topics (Abercrombie, 2006). The creator of a presentation first establishes the audiences she wishes to communicate to and then determines the best way to present the message. Upon establishing his target audience, the creator considers the best type of media presentation to relay his sentiments. The audience provides guidelines for establishing the genre of presentation and approaches to be used when narrating the intended message. Mass media does not rely only on initial presentation when conveying a particular message. It relies on representation as well. Primary bearers of the message relay the message to other people who did not witness the initial presentation. It is paramount to affirm that the audience is a factor that motivates mass media presentation. Audience Media would not exist in the absence of an audience (Cruz & Lewi, 2004). Media groups are formulated with a basic goal of making p rofit. Therefore, various media entities employ various measures to attract audience and make their audience base bigger. The creator or producer of a mass media message uses existing media channels to convey their message to the intended listener or observer. They are likely to pick a media team that has a big audience base. According to Hart (2006), technology improves ease of reaching audiences. In addition, technology has led to an increase in media houses that result in fragmentation of audience. Early media houses enjoyed the privilege of large audiences. The current technology age, competition and advancement of mass media industry has reduced the large audiences to smaller groups because of time factor. The audience can only engage in one specific activity at a time. However, representation relays information and generates fame for a particular media house resulting in enlargement of the house’s audience network. The audience is divisible into several entities includi ng adults, children, communities and vulnerable groups. Individual persons make up an audience but exist as several independent entries (O'Sullivan, Dutton, & Rayner, 2004). This implies that each individual in the audience perceives the message, internalizes and interprets it differently. Representation of the initial message may not achieve the intended purpose or undergo distortions that misrepresent the initial message. Similarly, a text that does not impress primary listeners may fade from their thoughts making representation minimal. The creator must ensure he generates interest and excitement among his primary listeners. There are two types of mass media audience, niche and general (Nightingale, 2008). The general audience includes all or several categories of community classes that relay messages on large scale. A niche audience is a small group that is capable of influencing major changes in the community. The audience is further divided along social status and economic lin es (Nightingale, 2008). Two theories try to define media with regard to audience. They are hypodermic syringe theory and culmination theory. Hypodermic syringe theory dictates that mass media acts as a syringe that injects attitudes, beliefs and ideas into unsuspecting public (Hanes, 2000). The public that serves as the audience is deemed powerless and vulnerable to messages and images broadcasted by media. The impact may be positive or negative. For instance, watching many violent movies may turn a person into a

Commentary on Nicolas Stargardts article, The Final Solution Assignment

Commentary on Nicolas Stargardts article, The Final Solution - Assignment Example Nazis and Hitler hence blamed the Jews for all the economic and social problems that were experienced in Germany. As the pure race, it was their duty and obligation to exterminate the Jews. Therefore, to a larger extent, anti-Semitism was Nazis idea. Hitler desired to eliminate all Jews. However, the racist idea of the Nazis was supported by many people in Germany. The development of a racist biological anti-Semitism in the 19th century in which the Jews were viewed as distorting the body of politic was the primary cause of the Holocaust Also, the Jews were alleged to be a particular societal problem. This problem hence needed a solution for the nation to survive. Besides this, Jewry was linked to communism. This in turn made the Nazis perceive the Jews as the greatest threat to the middle-class Germans. The Nazis hence set out to eliminate the Jews due to the long, complicated process, in which the Nazis Jewish policy became progressively radicalized2. The presence of the Jews in Ge rmany was regarded as a problem as well as a great annoyance. As a result, they were to be eliminated  so that  the Nazis  could have  a better Germany without the Jews. After all the plans to isolate the Jews failed, but it led to mass killings of about six million Jews, which was the final solution. The Holocaust or the final settlement did not take place suddenly. Rather, it was the result of a long course of anti-Semitism. After gaining power, in 1933, the Nazis used terror and propaganda to enforce their racial and anti-Semitic policies. It was, therefore, the unplanned modeling of the Nazi policies to the Jews that led to the execution of the final solution. The Nazis passed Nuremberg laws that took away all the Jewish human rights. For instance, the Jews were not allowed to attend German universities or schools. They were also not to use sporting facilities, run businesses, or sit on common benches. Additionally, if they happened to leave Germany,

Effects of television Essay Example for Free

Effects of television Essay Television may be one way to educate children but alongside of it is something that is very hazardous especially to toddlers. Letting your children watch cartoons such as Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street and the likes is both beneficial and dangerous. At some point there are things that need to be addressed by the parent when their children are watching television on their own. For parents whose child is under 2 years of age, letting their kids watch television for the entire day would be very harmful. One way to prevent any untoward things to happen at a young age is to limit their viewing hours. The Baby Center Medical Board Advisory wrote in their website: Since your child is under age 2, its best to keep TV-watching to a bare minimum. If you choose to allow some television, break it up into 15-minute increments. Much more than that and your toddlers brain can shift to autopilot. Do away with letting your children watch television program of their choice as it may have violent scenes. Researchers have found that when a toddler watches those kinds of programs, it is likely that they will, sooner or later, imitates the scene or they will display an aggressive behavior. Also, letting children watch television all day would give them less time to read books, exercise, play outdoors and make friends in the neighborhood. If a child owns a video game console, there is a big chance that they will be hard to discipline. Parents will have to deal with calling their kids for dinner time and get no response since they are busy with whatever game they are playing. The promotions of different kinds of alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, and illicit drugs are also harmful to children who watch television all day. Such kind of promotion makes the child think that using these products is good for everyone. Additionally, the meaning and ideals conveyed in any television program may give children a different understanding of things that will eventually influence the way they think and the kind of behavior that they will exhibit. A concern raised by the American Academy of Pediatrics says that, children are being subjected to much sexual imagery in the likes of music videos, television programs, and the advertisements. On the other hand, there are things that can be taught while watching television such as good moral values, following proper diet, other learning such as speaking, reading, appreciation of arts and many others. Parents should actually guide their children when watching television. They should be able to explain to their children what is happening in the scene or if the scene is not appropriate for them. Also, having parents watch television with their children is one way of bonding. There is a way where parents can restrict the shows that can be seen by the children through the help of the V-chip. V-chip is a device use to block programs that are not suitable for children in a specific age bracket. Setting the viewing time limit of a child can contribute much to their growth. A practice such as letting children watch television program only after finishing their homework is one of the ways where they can be limited to watching or playing video games. More, watching television is risky for children since they tend to become obese. A study presented by Harvard Medical School student, Sonia Miller, shows that the more a child sits in front of the television set, the more tendency of eating unhealthy foods and taking in too much sugar. The study showed that for each additional hour of TV viewing per day, the children consumed 0. 06 additional servings per day of sugar-sweetened beverages, 0. 32 additional servings per week of fast food and a total of 48. 7 additional calories per day, after adjusting for age, sex, maternal socio-demographics, race, body mass index, breastfeeding duration and sleep duration. Moreover, the more additional hours a child spent in front of the boob tube means that they have taken a number of fruits or vegetables that is required for their daily intake. However, Miller said that obesity and television watching is in any way not the same. â€Å"Watching television all day and doing nothing physical is not a cause for a child to be obese at an early age, but still the researchers are working out on the said matter† (Lepage-Monette, 2007). However, for a working mother, she cannot just contain her children to watch programs that she intends to watch. In a confession made by a working mother, she said that in order to have things done, she sometimes needs to turn on the television to catch the attention of her children and leave her with whatever work she has to do. The use of television in school is, on the other hand, one way to get the attention of a child especially those in their kindergarten. With the use of different educational DVDs, students become more interested in learning things. Using videos that have subjects like biology and history captures the interest of a student since they tend to understand more the lesson given that they are able to see it for themselves. In biology, the teacher can let their students watch a certain episode on National Geographic or Discovery channel that is in reference to their upcoming lesson. In the Philippines, there are television programs that are intended to be used as an instructional media to students. There are programs for enriching the knowledge of students in Mathematics, Science, English, History and Literature and the Arts. For over 4 years, the Philippine government has agreed to use these media in order to teach students. Both private and public schools in the Philippines use the said media to let their students further understand the lesson. Personally, the use of instructional media like that in the Philippines is very beneficial to students. It does not expose the student to a long time of television viewing yet it helps them understand their respective lessons with the help of the videos. Letting students read thick books is something that they will not do and will only give them the idea of having an A-list classmate do the work and in the end; the student does not learn anything. Whereas, with showing video clips or documentaries, they tend to be more attracted to the lesson and will later on research on things that is in accordance to what they saw and learn a thing or two from it. It is not bad to let children watch television programs, only there should be proper guidance from elders. And these elders should be able to explain if the scene is really intended for students at a particular age or not. References BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board (2006, October). TV-watching guidelines for toddlers Milton Chen, Ph. D. (1994). The Smart Parents Guide to Kids TV. KQED Books. Hanna D Margeirsdottir; Jakob R Larsen; Cathrine Brunborg; Leiv Sandvik; et al (2007, June). Strong Association Between Time Watching Television and Blood Glucose Control. Diabetes Care. pg. 1567.

Can We Say NO To Recycling Essay -- science

Can We Say "NO" To Recycling Lately the earth’s capacity to tolerate exploitation and absorb solid wastes disposal has diminished, due to excess trashing. People dispose lots of stuff, and simply do not care. Therefore scientists found out a way to reuse things and that process was called "recycling". This new approach seemed quite successful at the beginning, until its true identity appeared. Recycling first started as man’s best friend, people were intrigued by this new phenomena. What could be better than using things that were already used. Recycling has been very useful especially that man is constantly consuming, burning up, wearing out, replacing and disposing at an alarming rate.(Durning 1992). However, unfortunately recycling has proven that it is quite costly. Although recycling of wastes material solves the problem of garbage disposal at landfills, and saves resources, it does nevertheless entail large hidden costs in collecting, sorting and manufacturing; therefore, it is necessary for the go vernment to overcome such problems of recycling to be worth while and for manufacturers and consumers to consume less. Recycling has proven its efficiency in solving the problem of garbage disposal at landfills1. By the accumulation of garbage throughout the years, space available for garbage has largely diminished. In the states for example almost 67% of their waste stream ends up in landfills.(Scott 25). This has in fact increased the price of disposal. As Kimball stated "tipping fees" at landfills, is so often prohibitive(3), and some cannot find landfills to dump their garbage. It can cost up to $158 to pick a ton of garbage and dispose it.(Consumer Reports 1994). Beside, these landfills pollute their surroundings area with lots of hazardous materials and contaminate underground water. To discover the contamination of the underground water it would be 12 yeas after the poisons-benzene; formaldehyde; mercury; and BCEE- have actually contaminated the land, and had sunk 24 feet into the ground contaminating about 50 million gallons of underground water.(Dahir 94). Besides these lands could be used i n more useful ways such as building schools, hospitals, or simply turning them into large green areas to purify the air. This problem is practically acute in Egypt, since we do find even in central areas of the city, piles of garbage disposal very near to... ... washed and used several times." (Scott 25). As we can see the benefits are over-estimated, and the costs are under-estimated. What we should do is not only look for an alternative but also look for other ways to improve recycling. The natural resources will not last for ever, eventually everything comes to an end and the end is very near to our natural resources. What is of greater importance is to find alternatives to such resources if they actually become extinct. Recycling is backed by most of the general public, for its ideas of saving the environment, energy, and virgin material. But it is not that good or that efficient it still costs money and is not that safe. "Recycling does not necessarily provide for safer or more environmentally sound disposal than landfilling or incinerators. The recycling process itself generates enormous amounts of hazardous wastes."(Schaumburg 32). In addition it will decrease and maybe solve the problem of the ever increasing pollution. Imagine that every time som! eone throws a piece of paper in the garbage is similar to a person cutting a leaf off a tree. This is what happens when one does so, so recycling was the way to solve such a problem.

Genetically Modified Organisms- a Step Ahead or a Step in the Wrong Direction?

Genetically modified organisms- a step ahead or a step in the wrong direction? Paulina Langowska Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO, are such organisms whose genetic material has been artificially changed using genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, to put it simply, is altering the DNA technology, using DNA molecules from various organisms and using this molecules to create a brand new set of genes. Then the set of genes is added to an organism’s genome. Below is shown an exchange of genes in corn, which is supposed to protect it from various insects.Genetic engineering can also change the color of the plant, make it resistant to difficult weather conditions, insects and viruses. The beginnings of genetic engineering take us back to the year 1973, when the first recombinant bacteria- a bacteria that has been genetically modified- was created. It was Escherichia coli, which from that point on became a popular lab rat used in genetic engineering. This creation led to discussions whether genetic modifications are safe and needed. The first conference when potential health risks were discussed took place in 1975.In late 1980’s in USA and Canada began an experimental usage of genetic engineered plants in a small scale. In 1990’s, after the approval for a larger scale, genetic engineering was more widely spread across the countries. From that point on, the interest in genetically modified organisms grew year by year. However, even though genetically modified organisms have gained population, the benefits of it and its harmlessness is disputable. Researches on lab pets show many harmful consequences.Some scientists decided to try and feed rats with genetic engineered potatoes. It was supposed to make them produce their own natural insecticide. But the results weren’t exactly as they were expected. Rats’ cells developed in a proliferative way and potentially cancerous cells. Also, the development of their brain and liver was inhibited and they suffered from an immune system damage. Also, another research was done in Russian Academy of Sciences. This time, female rats were fed genetically modified soy before and during pregnancy and also hile feeding their offspring. This time, the results included: * About 55% of offspring died during 3 weeks after the birth (compared to 9% of mortality among those fed with non-genetically modified soy) * Offspring was significantly smaller compared to other as well as their organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc. ) * Both mothers and their children were very aggressive and anxious * When male and female (both form genetically modified soy fed mother) were paired, they were unable to conceive children.Although the results of this experiments are to be taken with a grain of salt, they are still alarming and disturbing due to the wide discrepancies between the GM soy fed rats and the control ones. The health damages found in rats fed with genetically modified potato es is just as much worrying. The reason rats are used for such experiments is that their morphology and biochemical structures are very similar to the human ones. That is why those experiments, as well as similar ones, provoke an essential question- is genetically modified food harmful to people.The answer to this question is very disputable. Some scientists claim that genetically modified foods are completely safe and otherwise they wouldn’t be approved. But there are numerous articles about possible harmful effects of genetically modified foods and they can’t be ignored. The main concern is allergies. Main aim of getting a new set of gene to an organism’s genome is to create a new protein and every protein is potentially triggering to allergic reactions. The problem with GM foods is that its protein are completely new and we can’t be sure about its effect.Truth be told, people (mainly in USA, where genetic engineered food is the most common) often consu me GM products without being aware of it- if you live in the USA and ate cheddar cheese in the past few years it is more than likely that you ate a genetically manipulated food, since genetic engineering is currently the most successful in cheddar cheese. Some say that genetically modified products they unwillingly consumed are to stand accused for their new allergies. Other concerns involve immunity system damage and stunted organ growth, however they are mostly seen in lab pets and are yet to be proved to occur.Another reason why genetic engineering receives so many criticism from the ethical point of view. Because if we can change genes in cheese or potatoes, what’s stopping us from changing genes in people? Scientists and psychologists are afraid that genetic engineering will become so developed that designing unborn children will happen on a daily basis. Parents will choose gender, height, hair color etc. From this point there’s not much to go to create an artific ial world, ruled by genetic engineering, looking like taken out of Huxley’s book.Futhermore, genetically modified organisms have a huge impact on our environment. One of the problems is gene flow. Gene flow is a natural occurring phenomenon that results in getting one organism’s DNA and transporting it to another one, be it from the same species or not. Some people are afraid that the engineered genes may spread and push out other, not modificated, plants. Yet another drawback is that they can be harmful to other organisms. Genetic engineering in plants such as crop is mostly focused on creating a defensive system against insects.But often, the newly created insecticide can be harmful to other, non-target organisms. Some sources agree that the existence of genetically engineered maize most commonly found in corn had a negavite impact on population of monarch butterflies living near the field, because they fed with plants dusted by the pollen from the corn maize. Both t hese phenomena’s can led to destroying natural biodiversity. So this leads us to a question: if genetic engineering has so much disadvantages, why is it still done and money is spent for researches?The truth is that even if it has many drawbacks, it still have many advantages that for some people are worth all the effort. Negative poster about GM foods One of them is that it is said to help us create food that is much more nutritious. It can be done by inserting a specific genes that are supposed to produce vitamins etc. to various crops. A well known case is inserting the gene making the vitamin A levels in rice much higher. Rice feeds currently more than 50% of the world population, but is not high in vitamins and other nutrients.Modifying it in such a way that It contains more vitamin A could help reduce deficiency resulting in blindness. If it was to be done successfully with other food products it would probably really help with fighting the malnutrition in third world o r developing countries. Moreover, genetic engineering can decrease crop failure. Crop failure is a very big issue and it is said to increase due to climate changes. Because of them, price of food gets higher, some countries need to ban all the export of some products (for example Russia banning wheat export in 2010) and ometimes it even gets so bad country really suffers from famine, especially when we consider developing countries. That’s why GMOs are so tempting to scientist. They hold potential for making plants more resistant to various insects and plant diseases. Some corn produce very much food but don’t defend themselves again insects while other that are able to repel insects cannot produce this much food. Therefore, scientists hope that they can combine these to and create a corn and then other plants that repel insects while producing big amounts of food.This also results in using o plants much less chemicals in order to reduce insect and disease damage. Thes e chemicals seriously hurt our environment. Thanks to adoption of genetically engineered of corn, cotton and soybeans during years 1997 and 1998 farmers used 8. 2 million fewer pounds of chemicals. Furthermore, genetically modified organisms are also more resistant to getting overrun or choked up by weeds and other plants fighting for the same nutrients. This results in weeds dying out, leaving room for crop.This and making plants more resistant to insects and diseases makes GMO very profitable. According to some economists, in 2007 farmers made additional $10 billion due to introducing gnetic engineered plants. Yet another advantage of genetic engineering is the fact that it can help us produce new, far more effective vaccines and medicines. Also they can create another form of them- edible vaccines. The idea is to put medication into some plant’s genes and distribute it around the world so that people eat it and get what they need.Scientists have already developed a transge nic potato, that prevented rats from getting rotavirus and E. coli. Hopefully, this idea will get developed and adopted in life, because this could help serious health problems, for example in countries of the third world. To conclude, genetic engineering is a very controversial subject and it surely needs more research. But it holds great potential for fixing many issues, many of them considering developing countries and people dying of starvation. Probably, as more and more investigation is done, health problems are going to be solved.Bibliography Pictures (in order of appearance): 1. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/helixes3. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown 2. ‘Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 3. http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/99/5. 20. 99/caterpillars. JPEG; date: 8. 05. 2011; Kent Loeffler 4. http://www. anunews. net/blog/wp-content/upl oads/2010/08/aa-frankenfood-cartoon-good-one1. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown Books and webpages: 1. Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 2. ‘Seeds of deception: Exposing industry and government lies about the safety of the genetically engineered foods you’re eating’; Jeffrey M. Smith, publisher: Yes! Books, 2003 3. http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/10/101007092817. htm; reprinted from materials provided by Univeristy of Leeds, 7. 10. 2010 (date of publishing) 4. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670; Andy Luttrel; 28. 3. 2010 (date of publishing) 5. http://www. ehow. com/list_6019041_advantages-benefits-gmo. html; Gregory Hamel; 8. 05. 2011 (date of using) 6. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism; Yobot; 6. 05. 2011 ———————⠀”——————– [ 1 ]. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/ [ 2 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism#History [ 3 ]. http://www. seedsofdeception. com/documentFiles/120. pdf [ 4 ]. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670 Genetically Modified Organisms- a Step Ahead or a Step in the Wrong Direction? Genetically modified organisms- a step ahead or a step in the wrong direction? Paulina Langowska Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO, are such organisms whose genetic material has been artificially changed using genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, to put it simply, is altering the DNA technology, using DNA molecules from various organisms and using this molecules to create a brand new set of genes. Then the set of genes is added to an organism’s genome. Below is shown an exchange of genes in corn, which is supposed to protect it from various insects.Genetic engineering can also change the color of the plant, make it resistant to difficult weather conditions, insects and viruses. The beginnings of genetic engineering take us back to the year 1973, when the first recombinant bacteria- a bacteria that has been genetically modified- was created. It was Escherichia coli, which from that point on became a popular lab rat used in genetic engineering. This creation led to discussions whether genetic modifications are safe and needed. The first conference when potential health risks were discussed took place in 1975.In late 1980’s in USA and Canada began an experimental usage of genetic engineered plants in a small scale. In 1990’s, after the approval for a larger scale, genetic engineering was more widely spread across the countries. From that point on, the interest in genetically modified organisms grew year by year. However, even though genetically modified organisms have gained population, the benefits of it and its harmlessness is disputable. Researches on lab pets show many harmful consequences.Some scientists decided to try and feed rats with genetic engineered potatoes. It was supposed to make them produce their own natural insecticide. But the results weren’t exactly as they were expected. Rats’ cells developed in a proliferative way and potentially cancerous cells. Also, the development of their brain and liver was inhibited and they suffered from an immune system damage. Also, another research was done in Russian Academy of Sciences. This time, female rats were fed genetically modified soy before and during pregnancy and also hile feeding their offspring. This time, the results included: * About 55% of offspring died during 3 weeks after the birth (compared to 9% of mortality among those fed with non-genetically modified soy) * Offspring was significantly smaller compared to other as well as their organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc. ) * Both mothers and their children were very aggressive and anxious * When male and female (both form genetically modified soy fed mother) were paired, they were unable to conceive children.Although the results of this experiments are to be taken with a grain of salt, they are still alarming and disturbing due to the wide discrepancies between the GM soy fed rats and the control ones. The health damages found in rats fed with genetically modified potato es is just as much worrying. The reason rats are used for such experiments is that their morphology and biochemical structures are very similar to the human ones. That is why those experiments, as well as similar ones, provoke an essential question- is genetically modified food harmful to people.The answer to this question is very disputable. Some scientists claim that genetically modified foods are completely safe and otherwise they wouldn’t be approved. But there are numerous articles about possible harmful effects of genetically modified foods and they can’t be ignored. The main concern is allergies. Main aim of getting a new set of gene to an organism’s genome is to create a new protein and every protein is potentially triggering to allergic reactions. The problem with GM foods is that its protein are completely new and we can’t be sure about its effect.Truth be told, people (mainly in USA, where genetic engineered food is the most common) often consu me GM products without being aware of it- if you live in the USA and ate cheddar cheese in the past few years it is more than likely that you ate a genetically manipulated food, since genetic engineering is currently the most successful in cheddar cheese. Some say that genetically modified products they unwillingly consumed are to stand accused for their new allergies. Other concerns involve immunity system damage and stunted organ growth, however they are mostly seen in lab pets and are yet to be proved to occur.Another reason why genetic engineering receives so many criticism from the ethical point of view. Because if we can change genes in cheese or potatoes, what’s stopping us from changing genes in people? Scientists and psychologists are afraid that genetic engineering will become so developed that designing unborn children will happen on a daily basis. Parents will choose gender, height, hair color etc. From this point there’s not much to go to create an artific ial world, ruled by genetic engineering, looking like taken out of Huxley’s book.Futhermore, genetically modified organisms have a huge impact on our environment. One of the problems is gene flow. Gene flow is a natural occurring phenomenon that results in getting one organism’s DNA and transporting it to another one, be it from the same species or not. Some people are afraid that the engineered genes may spread and push out other, not modificated, plants. Yet another drawback is that they can be harmful to other organisms. Genetic engineering in plants such as crop is mostly focused on creating a defensive system against insects.But often, the newly created insecticide can be harmful to other, non-target organisms. Some sources agree that the existence of genetically engineered maize most commonly found in corn had a negavite impact on population of monarch butterflies living near the field, because they fed with plants dusted by the pollen from the corn maize. Both t hese phenomena’s can led to destroying natural biodiversity. So this leads us to a question: if genetic engineering has so much disadvantages, why is it still done and money is spent for researches?The truth is that even if it has many drawbacks, it still have many advantages that for some people are worth all the effort. Negative poster about GM foods One of them is that it is said to help us create food that is much more nutritious. It can be done by inserting a specific genes that are supposed to produce vitamins etc. to various crops. A well known case is inserting the gene making the vitamin A levels in rice much higher. Rice feeds currently more than 50% of the world population, but is not high in vitamins and other nutrients.Modifying it in such a way that It contains more vitamin A could help reduce deficiency resulting in blindness. If it was to be done successfully with other food products it would probably really help with fighting the malnutrition in third world o r developing countries. Moreover, genetic engineering can decrease crop failure. Crop failure is a very big issue and it is said to increase due to climate changes. Because of them, price of food gets higher, some countries need to ban all the export of some products (for example Russia banning wheat export in 2010) and ometimes it even gets so bad country really suffers from famine, especially when we consider developing countries. That’s why GMOs are so tempting to scientist. They hold potential for making plants more resistant to various insects and plant diseases. Some corn produce very much food but don’t defend themselves again insects while other that are able to repel insects cannot produce this much food. Therefore, scientists hope that they can combine these to and create a corn and then other plants that repel insects while producing big amounts of food.This also results in using o plants much less chemicals in order to reduce insect and disease damage. Thes e chemicals seriously hurt our environment. Thanks to adoption of genetically engineered of corn, cotton and soybeans during years 1997 and 1998 farmers used 8. 2 million fewer pounds of chemicals. Furthermore, genetically modified organisms are also more resistant to getting overrun or choked up by weeds and other plants fighting for the same nutrients. This results in weeds dying out, leaving room for crop.This and making plants more resistant to insects and diseases makes GMO very profitable. According to some economists, in 2007 farmers made additional $10 billion due to introducing gnetic engineered plants. Yet another advantage of genetic engineering is the fact that it can help us produce new, far more effective vaccines and medicines. Also they can create another form of them- edible vaccines. The idea is to put medication into some plant’s genes and distribute it around the world so that people eat it and get what they need.Scientists have already developed a transge nic potato, that prevented rats from getting rotavirus and E. coli. Hopefully, this idea will get developed and adopted in life, because this could help serious health problems, for example in countries of the third world. To conclude, genetic engineering is a very controversial subject and it surely needs more research. But it holds great potential for fixing many issues, many of them considering developing countries and people dying of starvation. Probably, as more and more investigation is done, health problems are going to be solved.Bibliography Pictures (in order of appearance): 1. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/helixes3. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown 2. ‘Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 3. http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/99/5. 20. 99/caterpillars. JPEG; date: 8. 05. 2011; Kent Loeffler 4. http://www. anunews. net/blog/wp-content/upl oads/2010/08/aa-frankenfood-cartoon-good-one1. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown Books and webpages: 1. Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 2. ‘Seeds of deception: Exposing industry and government lies about the safety of the genetically engineered foods you’re eating’; Jeffrey M. Smith, publisher: Yes! Books, 2003 3. http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/10/101007092817. htm; reprinted from materials provided by Univeristy of Leeds, 7. 10. 2010 (date of publishing) 4. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670; Andy Luttrel; 28. 3. 2010 (date of publishing) 5. http://www. ehow. com/list_6019041_advantages-benefits-gmo. html; Gregory Hamel; 8. 05. 2011 (date of using) 6. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism; Yobot; 6. 05. 2011 ———————⠀”——————– [ 1 ]. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/ [ 2 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism#History [ 3 ]. http://www. seedsofdeception. com/documentFiles/120. pdf [ 4 ]. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670

Culture and Special Education Essay

In this paper we concern ourselves with the ways in which schools in general and special education procedures in particular tend to not be successful for those of our students who are from a different culture. (While we focus on Canadian Aboriginals, we also extend our thinking to those children who come from different races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, etc. ) We outline the stories that have brought us to this place. We then go on to suggest that the adoption of different understandings and approaches could lead to the academic success of children from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. We conclude with some direction for change. In this paper we, two white educators, concern ourselves with the education of those students of Aboriginal descent who are seen by the school system as special. Our concerns are based on the stories we use to understand ourselves and our actions – stories of mistold history, socio-political issues, racism, the misuse of science – and the ways those stories disadvantage those who are different. Our hope is that we can begin to explore different more hopeful and empowering stories. There are many reasons to be concerned about the existing state of special education, particularly with our Aboriginal students. Currently the following are common; 1. Our special education classes are top-heavy with Aboriginal and disadvantaged students. 2. We tend to focus on the deficits in other children rather than on the possibilities. We could embrace the position of William Glasser (1986): we choose to be whom and what we, and others, believe we are. [1] 3. We do not concern ourselves with the differences brought to school by children from other than the dominant culture. [2] 4. We are asking all small school children to do the pretty much the same thing at pretty much the same time and to meet some arbitrary standard of what they should or should not be able to do. We act despite current research concerning physiology and early childhood experience, which suggests that children are not ready for the same task at the same time. 5. The tests that we give children to determine the reasons for failure at school tasks are fallible and culturally insensitive and subjective. 6. A label tends to freeze a child in the definition attached to the label. 7. We have a tendency to blame the victim or to blame the social background rather than look at ways we can change. Clearly we need to find another way of viewing children and their learning. We are hoping to uncover stories that currently mediate, impair and colonize our special education practices, thereby beginning a dialogue concerning alternative stories of strength, knowing and power. Stories that Get in the Way History Stories Malia Kan’iaupuni (2005) tells us how archeologists and historians have accepted a theory of accidental migration from Polynesia to the Hawaiian Islands to explain a 2200-mile voyage on the open seas. This in spite of evidence to the contrary, which makes it clear that the early Polynesian explorers did indeed have the sophisticated system of navigation needed for a planned and successful voyage. Malia Kan’iaupuni’s point is that the assumption of a people with no learning, no culture, no anything but maybe good luck, made it possible for colonizers to take on – in their own minds – the mantle of rescuer. Iseke-Barnes (2005) is also concerned about the misrepresentation of Indigenous history and science. She wants us to challenge those assumptions that the colonizers found a people in need of saving from their own ignorance. Paulo Freire (1971, 1997) has spent many years studying the impact of oppression on the colonized. In the name of saving a backward people from themselves the colonizers were able to perpetuate acts of cultural genocide and worse. The use of this story continues to impact on how the dominant cultures act out their oppression. History is written by the winner, therefore we need to be highly critical of the history we read. While more blatant misrepresentations of the history of Canada are beginning to disappear, the whole story of colonization is not being told or written or disseminated. Instead, we are still trying to save lost Aboriginal souls. History stories mediate, impair and colonize special education practice, which we will illustrate by describing a socio-political and a scientific rigor story. A Socio-Political Story This is a story of the purpose of education. We suppose schools are places where children are educated. But what are children educated to do or be? Gitlin (2005) gives a disturbing answer to this question: [Public education is] not intended to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence †¦Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim †¦is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States†¦ and that is its aim everywhere else. (p. 22) Many may disagree with this disturbing answer, suggesting that school graduates, for the most part, go on to become productive citizens. But citizenry becomes problematic when referring to Aboriginal peoples – it seems clear that, for the most part, people of Aboriginal heritage do not go on to become productive citizens within the dominant culture. A lack of successful citizenry by Aboriginal peoples seems to justify special education programs that are top heavy with Aboriginal students. But success is politicized. Skovsmose (2005) outlines how schools practice both classic[3] and progressive[4] racism. Such practice allows us as educators not to have to take any responsibility for the failure of the child, as clearly the child brings the cause for his or her weak performance into school. Therefore: Many deficiency theories (theories of the deprived child) follow the approach of racism in explaining away the socio-political dimension of school performances, by privatizing and personalizing the causes of such performance. (p. 5) So: The epistemic interpretation of learning obstacle is not the only one possible. However, processes of exclusion in education can be dressed up in such a way that their political dimension becomes hidden and ignored. It could appear that exclusion is not imposed on students. Instead, exclusion may appear as a consequence of some students’ so-called low achievement. (p. 4) He goes on to say that this leads to a particular way of organizing teaching/learning processes in ways that prevent students from acting like learners. In other words our story leads to actions that support the story. A Scientific Story A scientifically rigorous story dominates special education practice. The story, in brief, is that learning disability can be attributed to biological and environmental factors. Current models of abnormality are often based on the premise that a person will have a biological disposition toward a disorder, but that the presence of a disorder will also depend on environmental factors (Wortman, Loftus, & Weaver, 1999). Brain function consists of biological processes involving genetic tendencies, chemical levels and electrical activity. Normal brain function can be delineated according to normal biological processes. In other words, we assume that learning disability is at least partially caused by excessive deviation from a normal range of biological processes. These biological processes can be measured in terms of genetic profiles, chemical levels (e. g. , hormones found in blood) and electrical levels in the brain. Hence, it is assumed that learning disability can be measured using physiological properties of the brain. These ideas are supported by a dominant scientific culture, where scientific evidence generates facts that cannot be refuted. Special education for children of Aboriginal heritage has been colonized by this scientific rigor story. In schools, we identify learning disabilities as follows: A teacher identifies a student who appears to be struggling, and refers the student to a team of specialists. The specialist tests, diagnoses, labels and sets out a remediation program. The teacher implements the program. It seems like a perfectly reasonable system of trying to help those with disabilities, based on scientifically rigorous knowledge. But the story is flawed in three ways. First, the story of scientific rigor is told by a dominant culture. The colonizers write the books of knowledge, thereby attempting to establish without doubt what is true and what evidence is required to make a truth claim. Culturally laden epistemology certainty invades special education. For example, based on research literature generated by the dominant scientific culture, there is currently little scientific evidence to support a biological cause or disposition for most disorders of the brain (Wortman, et. al. , 1999). It is assumed that biological roots exist that accurately captures a disability label. There is no scientific rigor in labels. The assumptions have pervaded special education and are taken as scientific fact. This is a writing of special education knowledge by colonizers. Second, this scientific rigor story is based on behaviour and biology, while special education practice is based solely on behavior. Teachers, resource teachers, special education consultants and school psychologists base their labels on observing behaviour. Medical technologies are not used to detect genetic make-up, chemical levels or electrical activity in the brain, generating a diagnosis based on deviations from a normal range. We assume that our interpretation of behavior correctly identifies mental disability. But as we are caught inside stories that get in the way, we should not accept our interpretations of behaviour without question. Third, this scientific rigor story is enacted in contradictory ways. To see the contradiction, we need to set the stage by describing physiological and behavioural evidence generated by scientific research. Studies of the physiology of the forebrain and hindbrain have shown that the slow processing of learning cannot occur during a moment of fear (Kalat, 1988). Based on this physiological evidence, educators might wonder about school and classroom environment. If a child is afraid, or afraid to learn, then they will not learn. Researchers have found connections between emotional states and learning (Zimbardo & Gerrig, 1996). Evidence of a connection between learning and emotion is accumulating to such an extent that there is a branch of psychological and educational research concerning emotional intelligence (EQ). For example, researchers have found correlations between EQ and ability to learn (Goleman, 1998). It is concluded that emotions should be nurtured as part of intellectual growth. Moving from physiology to behaviour, psychologists have found evidence to support a strong connection between emotion and behaviour. Notable among this research is Glasser’s (1986) claim that as learners we need to have the mental image of ourselves doing that task, we need to know we can do it. For children if we firmly believe that a child could do something and bring them to the same belief, then learning previously thought impossible takes place. We suspect other teachers, based on their personal experiences, have similar beliefs concerning the potential of children to learn. Coupling the physiological and behavioural evidence above suggests that a label is as much responsible for a child’s learning success as any other biological or environmental factor. The stage has been sent for noticing a contradiction in the scientific rigor story within special education. We are colonized to believe the scientific truth that disability is biological and behavioural. Hence, we label disability in hopes of solving the problem. But the same scientific culture generates the truth that labeling at least partially causes the behaviors associated with a disability. We label behaviour, not noticing that our stories mediate, impair and colonize our interpretations of behaviour. Conceptualizing Change There is no doubt in our minds that we are working with the best of intentions. We are not setting out to further disadvantage those who come to us from already established positions of disadvantage – impoverished backgrounds, different cultures, stressed families. We are doing the best we can with the knowledge and resources we have. What gets in our way is lack of imagination. We assume that the way we do things is the way to do things. We may be comfortable with some tinkering. But we see ourselves as educated people who are neither racist nor biased, and who are working in a good system, but with damaged and/or deficient people – this story concludes that systemic changes are not required. We have a rigid educational system that states that success is measured in yearly doses and in each of those years students are expected to master a particular body of knowledge. It is an expected linear progression to success. Certain cultural imperatives are in place so that children from the dominant culture will more likely be successful. If you are not successful you are treated. The process of treatment takes away from your sense of competence as a learner, particularly in the school setting. Here we want to become specific. The focus of this paper is on the teaching of Aboriginal learners, and what stops us from being successful. The linear model used in our factory model schools gets in our way. The assumption that we have the one right way gets in our way. History gets in our way. Racism gets in our way. Scientism gets in our way. We are not noticing alternative stories. Previously we wrote (Betts& Bailey, in press) about using a different metaphor for education, one that was not linear. We suggested that we use the metaphor of fractal geometry (and all that means in terms of quantum mechanics and chaos theory). In fractal geometry the smallest part is a reflection of the whole. For example a twig is really a little tree. In Aboriginal cosmology the basic unit is the Medicine Wheel, by definition a circular model so nothing is more important than anything else, all is of equal value. Each member of the community is an essential part of the whole. Earth, flora, fauna, human are all part of the circle of life required for existence. Education was a part of the whole, an on-going component of life (Courtney, 1986, Graveline, 1998, Regnier, 1995). We illustrated that a non-linear and holistic story of education was tell-able within ultra-modern Western thinking and within the ancient wisdom of Aboriginal cosmologies. We saw with alternative stories. To see education for children, all of whom are special, rather than special education, as non-linear and holistic seems a place to begin. We also see that a starting part is not enough to catalyze change. It is clear to us that the foreground must be that Aboriginal peoples have been and are oppressed and colonized. We do not need to go into the history of the subjugation of an entire race practiced over the years by the European colonizers. We all know the steps that were taken to destroy any vestige of the civilization that was in place at the time of contact. We get confused as to what to do about it now. After all, it was our ancestors, not us. [5] We see what we are doing now in schools as an extension of that destructive process. Our governments are slowly beginning to allow for the full participation of Aboriginals in our world. But in many small and highly destructive ways we continue to contribute to the marginalization of that population. The world of special education is one place where we continue to do so. Knowing that a high proportion of the identified special population is Aboriginal, we continue to act as we always have, even in the face of evidence that the actions we take are not effective. Paulo Freire (1971) suggests that it takes several generations for a culture to overcome the impact of oppression. Certainly we can see the truth of that statement as we watch many colonized peoples re-learn how to care for and govern themselves. In Canada, Aboriginal peoples are slowly, and over generations, learning how to be who they are, and to be successful in both cultures. This will not happen quickly, but it will happen surely. In the meantime there is no question that our Aboriginal population is dealing with serious problems and some of those impact on the ability of their children to learn, especially using the mores of another culture. Our typical reaction as white educators is to want the Aboriginals to change. All would be right if only kids would come to school and on time. All would be well if their parents would stop drinking. All would be well if so much money wasn’t being squandered on band council trips to Las Vegas. All of which may be factual, but does not excuse us from doing what we can to better the situation for the special children. The current reality of an oppressed population does not give us the right to blame the victim. Rather, as Skovsmose points out: †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"meanings of learning,† â€Å"meanings for students,† and â€Å"each student’s meaning production† must be investigated and interpreted with reference to the dispositions of the student (including their background and foreground). Meaning production takes place in terms of what the students see as their opportunities, including motives, perspectives, hope and aspirations (p. 8). Therefore in conceptualizing change we of the dominant culture need to place that conceptualization in hands other than ours, in the hands of those who know and honour their unique history and ways of being, who can best find the organic ways of empowering themselves and their children. Having said that we do have some notions of what white educators can do. 1. Overcome our own racism. Get facts and information. Use our intelligence and face ourselves. 2. Accept the conditions. Things are as they are. Oppression has happened. It will take, according to the Bible and past experience, seven generations for the sins of the fathers to be expiated. In the meantime we have been given the task of teaching the children of oppression. What changes can we make to be more successful at that task? 3. Resist labels. Resist the push to find something wrong with the victim, rather change how we do things, how we approach the task. 4. Give our special kids the confidence to learn. Teachers are in positions of authority. Children really do think we know what we are talking about. If we consistently make it clear to children that they are capable of succeeding at the tasks we give them, sooner or later they will believe us. But first we have to genuinely believe that what we say is true. We cannot be faking it. From there we need to practice power-with rather than power-over. [6] 5. Thus we give our special kids the power to learn. We work with them so that they are taking charge of their own learning; we give them agency. This is a difficult task for us to undertake. It means giving up some control, it means not taking the linear approach that gives us comfort and assurance through its familiarity. But difficult is not impossible. 6. Above all be patient. We are not going to get it perfect ever, but we will get better at working with rather than doing to, and the students will get better at taking responsibility and determining what they need to be successful. [7] 7. Then celebrate when a child tells you that they can finally do it because no one ever told them they could before. Maybe the best suggestion we found came from a Native Hawaiian educator, a member of a population that is also dealing with the fall-out of oppression. Malia Kan’iaupuni (2005) strongly advocates for using the heritage and knowledge of the children’s culture: As others before me have done, I end by calling for a new framework that brings to the fore Native Hawaiian strengths that have been too long misinterpreted, misrecognised, and undervalued. (p. 32). In his work he makes a convincing argument for strengths-based education, for using a structure that by definition builds on the knowledge and strengths the children bring into the classroom and at the same time begins to change the socio-political conditions. First let’s be clear that by strengths based, I do not mean glossing over problems in favour of a rosy picture. Strengths-based research, in my view, begins with the premise of creating social change. In contrast to the expert-driven, top-down approach assumed by deficit models, it means treating the subjects of study as actors within multi-layered contexts and employing the multiple strengths of individuals, families and communities to overcome or prevent difficulties. It is also about empowerment, where the purpose of strengths-based research and evaluation is to benefit the people involved in the study by giving them voice, insight, and political power. †¦ As such it means empowering communities. (p. 35) It would seem obvious that such could be done here for those children who are the fruits of colonial oppression. The work of understanding, telling different stories and taking action continues. Conclusion We are not naive. We know that the process of labeling is the result of the need for funding. We know that with classrooms of more than 20 that kind of individual attention is very difficult. We know that you will be surrounded by administrators, other teachers, parents, even the special children who will tell you to get the testing done and treatment program in place. We know that in the process of de-colonization the oppressed can take on the qualities of the oppressor. But we can become resistors, working with a sure knowledge that we know what doesn’t work and that it is way past time to try something radically different. It is clear that the past hundred years or so of schooling directed at Aboriginals has not been a big success. Indeed rather than educating Aboriginals to be successful in the dominant culture, we have an abysmal history of abuse and cultural genocide through education. Many of the abuses of the past are in the past. However, with kindness and deep concern we are using the special education system to continue to marginalize and discredit a large number of Aboriginal children[8]. We are suggesting that maybe things could be better. References Bishop, A. (2002). Becoming an ally: Breaking the cycle of oppression. Fernwood Publishing; Halifax Bloom, B. (1981). All our children learning: A primer for parents, teachers and other educators. McGraw-Hill: New York. Courtney, R. (1986). Island of remorse: Amerindian education in the contemporary world. Curriculum Inquiry, 16(1), pp. 43-65. Freire, P. (1971). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder: New York Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of Freedom. Rowman & Littlefield: New York. Gitlin, A. (2005). Inquiry, imagination, and the search for a deep politic. Educational Researcher 34 (3), pp. 15-24. Glasser, W. (1986). Control theory in the classroom. Harper and Rowe: New York. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York. Bantam Books. Graveline, F. J. (1998). Circle works: Transforming Eurocentric consciousness:Halifax: Fernwood. Iseke-Barnes. J. (2005). Misrepresentation of Indigenous history and science: Public broadcasting, the internet, and education. Discourses: studies on the cultural politics of education 26 (2), pp. 149-165. Kalat, J. (1988). Biological psychology (3rd. ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Malia Kana’iaupuni, S. (2005). K’akalai Ku Kanaka: A call for strengths-based approaches from a Native Hawaiian perspective. Educational Researcher 34(5), pp. 32-37 Regnier, R. (1995). The sacred circle: An Aboriginal approach to healing education at an Urban high school. In M. Battiste & J. Barman (Eds. ), First nations Education: The Circle Unfolds (pp. 313-330. (Vancouver: UBC Press) Skovsmose, O. (2005), Foregrounds and politics of learning obstacles. For the learning of mathematics 25 (1), pp. 4-10. Wortman,C. , Loftus, E. , & Weaver, C. (1999). Psychology (5th ed. ). New York: Harper Collins College. Zimbardo, P. & Gerrig, R. (1996). Psychology and life. New York: Harper Collins College. ———————– [1] Bloom (1981) believes that the intellectual potential of all students is pretty much the same. The difference is in history. Malia Kan’iaupuni (2005) is concerned that if you focus on a deficit-based approach to education then you often miss the expertise that exists in communities and families, viewing instead outside experts as the only ones capable of â€Å"fixing† our problems. [2] Including Aboriginal, Black, Hispanic, recent immigrants and the poor. [3] Classic racism assumes that the obstacles to learning are to be found in the child. [4] Progressive racism assumes that any weakness in the child is the result of social background. [5] In July 2005, the descendants of the colonizer who razed an Indian village at Clyaquot Sound returned to the village to apologize for the deeds of their forefathers. [6] Anne Bishop in Becoming an Ally: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression (2002), explicates the difference between power-over and power-with, although we tend to think the concept is somewhat self-explanatory [7] Children also fall into the patterns of self-excuse – I have already been told that I can’t read so why would I work at it. Don’t you know I can’t do that. [8] We do believe that this is the case with all children designated special needs. We may not have the answers but we are pretty clear that we do have a considerable problem that we are not prepared to look at squarely.

A Look At St Michael The Archangel Religion Essay Essays

A Look At St Michael The Archangel Religion Essay Essays A Look At St Michael The Archangel Religion Essay Essay A Look At St Michael The Archangel Religion Essay Essay The Holy Scriptures frequently speak of created intelligences, other than worlds, who worship God in Eden and act as His couriers and agents on Earth ( The Vatican ) . These existences are known as angels. Angels are mentioned in the Bible when they deliver messages, or appear in worlds dreams. Gabriel is the angel who appears most to worlds. Michael is called an archangel and a spirit prince. ( Student s Life Application Bible, Daniel 10:13, 31 ) . The archangel Michael is besides a saint and is revered global. What is an angel? The Vatican describes them as religious, non-corporeal existences ( The Vatican ) . This implies that angels are something wholly separate from human existences. But, angels are besides blessed with free will. Angels have a pick whether to follow God or non. God at the beginning of clip created from nil both animals together, the religious and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and therefore He created human nature as holding both, since it is made up of spirit and of organic structure ( The Vatican ) . Angels so, do non hold organic structures and are merely liquors. They can take the signifier of a human, as they frequently do when they are mentioned in the Bible. But it is non a true organic structure like ours. Worlds are both religious and material. We have a organic structure and we have a psyche. Angels live in Eden with God and harmonizing to St. Augustine, ever lay eyes on the face of my Father who is in Eden. St. Michael is called a n archangel, where does this topographic point him? There are categories of angels, harmonizing to Pope Gregory 1. This is the order he believed was to be the order of angels from highest rank to lowest: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels and Angels. This points out that angels are really are on the lowest graduated table of the heavenly hierarchy. Even Michael, who is an archangel, is non one of the higher ranks of angels. But, we do non hear of any types of angels specifically except for the four, or sometimes seven archangels. The four archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. ( Michael and All Angels ) Harmonizing to the Bible, an angel radius, I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glorification of the Lord. In Enoch: 20, the seven archangels are listed. And these are the names of the holy angels who watch: 1. Uriel, one of the sanctum angels, who is over the universe and over Tart arus. 2. Raphael, one of the sanctum angels, who is over the liquors of work forces. 3. Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes retribution on the universe of the leading lights. 4. Michael, one of the sanctum angels, to humor, he that is set over the best portion of world and over pandemonium. 5. Saraqael, one of the sanctum angels, who is set over the liquors, who sin in the spirit. 6. Gabriel, one of the sanctum angels, who is over Paradise and the snakes and the Cherubim. 7. Remiel, one of the sanctum angels, whom God set over those who rise. It is frequently said that these angels are associated with planets of the Solar system and specifically, Michael is paired with Saturn. ( Michael and all Angels ) . Michael the Archangel is mentioned merely four times in the Bible. He is mentioned in Revelations Then there was war in Eden. Michael and his angels fought against the firedrake and his angels. And the firedrake lost the conflict and he and his angels were forced out of Eden. This gives us the image that Michael is the 1 who physically throws Satan out of Eden, though it was God who banished him. Daniel provinces, But the prince of the land of Persia opposed me 21 yearss. So Michael, one of the main princes, came to assist me, and I left him there with the prince of the land of PersiaaˆÂ ¦.There is no 1 with me who contends against these princes except Michael, your prince ( Daniel 21:13,21 ) . Michael is twice called a prince in these Bible poetries. This gives us an image of Michael being exulted over others in Eden and on Earth. This is true, he is one of the darling angels and he is worshipped on Earth every bit good. Harmonizing to research, Michael is besides mentioned once more in Daniel At that clip Michael, the great prince, the defender of your people, shall originate. ( Daniel 12:1 ) . As you can see, in many of these Bible poetries Michael is called a spirit prince, prince, defender of the people. Michael, in a manner, is a prince. He fights for the protection of the reign of God, and he helps worlds in their times of demand. I admire St. Michael the Archangel because he is willing to put on the line everything for his Lord. Even though God does non like killing and war, he has a celestial ground forces and Michael is it s commanding officer. Michael battles for the one true thing he believes in. He is person I would draw a bead on to be like.

Definition of Dime Novel

Definition of Dime Novel A dime novel was a cheap and generally sensational tale of adventure sold as popular entertainment in the 1800s. Dime novels can be considered the paperback books of their day, and they often featured tales of mountain men, explorers, soldiers, detectives, or Indian fighters. Despite their name, the dime novels generally cost less than ten cents, with many actually selling for a nickel. The most popular publisher was the firm of Beadle and Adams of New York City. The heyday of the dime novel was from the 1860s to the 1890s, when their popularity was eclipsed by pulp magazines featuring similar tales of adventure. Critics of dime novels often denounced them as immoral, perhaps because of violent content. But the books themselves actually tended to reinforce conventional values of the time such as patriotism, bravery, self-reliance, and American nationalism. Origin of the Dime Novel Cheap literature had been produced in the early 1800s, but the creator of the dime novel is generally accepted to be Erastus Beadle, a printer who had published magazines in Buffalo, New York. Beadles brother Irwin had been selling sheet music, and he and Erastus tried selling books of songs for ten cents. The music books became popular, and they sense there was a market for other cheap books. In 1860 the Beadle brothers, who had set up shop in New York City, published a novel, Malaeska, The Indian Wife of White Hunters, by a popular writer for womens magazines, Ann Stephens. The book sold well, and the Beadles began to steadily publish novels by other authors. The Beadles added a partner, Robert Adams, and the publishing firm of Beadle and Adams became known as the foremost publisher of dime novels. Dime novels were not originally intended to present a new type of writing. At the outset, the innovation was simply in the method and distribution of the books. The books were printed with paper covers, which were cheaper to produce than traditional leather bindings. And as the books were lighter, they could easily be sent through the mails, which opened up great opportunity for mail-order sales. Its not a coincidence that dime novels became suddenly popular in the early 1860s, during the years of the Civil War. The books were easily to stow in a soldiers knapsack, and would have been very popular reading material in the camps of Union soldiers. The Style of the Dime Novel Over time the dime novel began to take on a distinct style. Tales of adventure often dominated, and dime novels might feature, as their central characters, folk heroes such as Daniel Boone and Kit Carson. The writer Ned Buntline popularized the exploits of Buffalo Bill Cody in an extremely popular series of dime novels. While dime novels were often condemned, they actually tended to present tales which were moralistic. The bad guys tended to be captured and punished, and the good guys exhibited commendable traits, such as bravery, chivalry, and patriotism. Though the peak of the dime novel is generally considered to be in the late 1800s, some versions of the genre existed into the early decades of the 20th century. The dime novel was eventually replaced as cheap entertainment and by new forms of storytelling, especially the radio, movies, and eventually television.

Personal Exploration of Knowledge Paper-epistemological analysis Assignment

Personal Exploration of Knowledge Paper-epistemological analysis - Assignment Example This paper discusses various types of knowledge such as knowledge how, for instance how to drive; knowledge that, which is also known as propositional knowledge, such as knowing that P is P and knowledge by acquaintance, which is knowing a person or a place. Epistemology is mainly concerned with propositional knowledge. When trying to analyze knowledge, epistemologists often distinguish between a priori and a posteriori forms of knowledge. A priori form of knowledge that is independently known that is it does not come from ones experience or senses. This type of knowledge is acquired from sources outside experience such as reason and is usually arrived at beforehand. On the other hand, a posteriori knowledge refers to the type of knowledge that is acquired from experience. It is also known as empirical knowledge and is not known before hand from ones previous experiences. Most of the scientific knowledge is empirical in nature as it is based on previous experiences. Here are various sources of knowledge identified by philosophers. According to Feldman, a renowned philosopher, there are five major types of knowledge, which include perception, memory, expert testimony, introspection, and reasoning. (Feldman, 2003). Perception refers to the type of knowledge derived from one’s senses. It is based on ones sensual perceptions and on the view that the primary source of knowledge is one’s experience. Perception is also referred to as empiricism. Reason is the other source of knowledge. His type of knowledge is acquired a priori, that is outside the realm of senses. This source of knowledge is based on pure reason where truths are deduced based on existing knowledge, for instance mathematical truths. The opinion that reason is the primary source of knowledge is often referred to as rationalism. Introspection has also been widely acknowledged as a major source of knowledge among philosophers. This type of knowledge is acquired through personal internal sel f evaluation (Feldman, 2003). Through introspection, one can know that they are tired of hungry for instance. Some philosophers recognize the similarities between introspection and perception but have widely accepted it as an independent source of knowledge. The other source of knowledge is memory. This refers to knowledge acquired from information stored in one’s brain based on knowledge previously learnt either from current information of past events. Testimony on the other hand is a source of knowledge acquired through communication we get from others (Cooper, 1999). Some philosophers have raised concern about testimony as a source of credible knowledge and have proposed that knowledge derived this way must be verifiable in order for it to be trusted and believed as knowledge. All these sources of knowledge have gained support throughout epistemology and philosophy in general. However some

Theme of The Lion King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theme of The Lion King - Essay Example The movie opens with the sunrise and the song, "Circle of Life." This song is significant because it implies that everyone and everything is part of the circle. As the sun rises, the audience witnesses a new birth of a lion cub. The song and the sunrise symbolize new birth and we understand that this new cub is not an ordinary cub, but he is the son of the king. The audience also witnesses a naming ceremony for the young cub as he is presented to the rest of the pride and brought into the circle of life. This ritual is showing the audience a very old African ritual. The cub is named Simba and it is very clear that his destiny is to become the next king. Each person in his pride has a job and a certain place in the circle. Simba will also join the circle in his rightful place but he has to be taught what he must do as a king. Simba's story is like many other ones where a young boy is reluctant to take responsibility for his life. In this case, although Simba is being primed for his job by his father Mufasa and Zazu a hornbill who is attempting to make Simba mind him, he would rather be off playing with his friends. After all, in his mind when he gets to be king, he can do anything he wants because he is the ruler. The song, "I JustCan't Wait to Be King" is a perfect example of a small child's dream about what he will do when he is king. At this point in his life, Simba really just wants to explore his childhood. He has no reason to be a king at this point and it is essential to him to just fool around.