Lab Researching Networking Standards Essay

Part 1: Research Networking Standards Organizations Gather information about the major networking standards organizations by going on a web surfing treasure hunt. Identify important characteristics of some of the organizations. Part 2: Reflect on Internet and Computer Networking Experiences Reflect on how the various networking standards organizations enhance our experience of the Internet and computer networking. Background / Scenario Using web search engines like Google, research the non-profit organizations that are responsible for establishing international standards for the Internet and the development of Internet technologies. Required Resources Device with Internet access Part 1: Research Networking Standards Organizations In Part 1, you will identify some of the major standards organizations and important characteristics, such as the number of years in existence, the size of their membership, the important historical figures, some of the responsibilities and duties, organizational oversight role, and the location of the organization’s headquarters. Use a web browser or websites for various organizations to research information about the following organizations and the people who have been instrumental in maintaining them. You can find answers to the questions below by searching the following organizational acronyms and terms: ISO, ITU, ICANN, IANA, IEEE, EIA, TIA, ISOC, IAB, IETF, W3C, RFC, and Wi-Fi Alliance. 1. Who is Jonathan B. Postel and what is he known for?

Advertising Practices in the US and the UK Essay

In spite of the many cultural similarities between the United States and the United Kingdom, there are significant differences between American and British television advertising. Advertising content in the two countries is substantially different today, even though early British television adverts had a tendency to be made in the American style, and supported by American research methodologies, when television advertising was introduced into British culture in 1955 (Lannon, 1986). Although several differences in the two countries’ television advertising practices have been identified in previous research, this study focuses on one in particular: difference in ad content. This research sets out to discuss said differences in ad content and explores the motivations for these differences. This discussion will examine specific media groups in two different societies and discuss their differences, contributing to developing an understanding of different kinds of media practices. Comparing advertising practices in the United States and United Kingdom is relevant for several reasons: because both countries are highly developed industrial consumer societies, consequently, the same categories of consumer products would be expected to appear in both countries; the British system of regulating TV advertising has been regarded superior to the American approach (Buell, 1977); the deep-seated and widespread belief in the United Kingdom that British culture and American culture are both individually based on different assumptions that are reflected in their respective advertising practices (Weinberger & Spotts, 1989a). Advertising Defined â€Å"Advertising – apart from its more or less hidden purposes – is a form of communication between a sender and a receiver of a message† (Borrelli, 2010). Advertising is deemed as the business of â€Å"bringing into notice; spec. by paid announcement in a printed journal, by prominent display of placards, etc† (Online Oxford English Dictionary), an activity to â€Å"the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements† (Merriam Webster Online). It does not matter whether the advertised item is a product, a service or a better version of ourselves (Myers, 1994). According to Sherry (1987), â€Å"advertising is a system of symbols synthesized from the entire range of culturally determined ways of knowing that is accessible through ritual and oriented toward both secular and sacred dimensions of transcendental experience in hyperindustrial society†(pp. 443-444). McLuhan (1970) refers to it as the cave art of the twentieth century. As art, Williams (1980) perceives advertising as the official art of modern capitalist society, Feasley (1984) as fitting the definition of art by its enrichment and intensification of life, as well as a reflection of our lives, and Borghini, Visconti, Anderson & Sherry (2010) as matching the tendency of art to embody universal fantasies, feelings, and thoughts advertising expresses the rational and emotional experiences and moods of consumers. In his analysis of advertising, Schudson (1984) describes advertising as capitalist realism, which he defines as a set of aesthetic practices promoting and celebrating a certain political economy. Schudson’s (1984) description comes from his understanding of socialist realism, which presents a standard version of reality that is simplified, collective, optimistic, progressive, and socially integrative. Capitalist realism celebrates the choice of the consumer in defense of materialism and individualism by representing consumer satisfaction as an idealized form. â€Å"‘Advertising is capitalism’s way of saying â€Å"I love you† to itself’—(and, as we all know, love means never having to say you’re sorry) (Weinberger & Spotts, 1989a, pp. 44). † Accordingly, Csikszentmihalyi & Rochberg-Halton (1981) say that advertising promotes forms of materialism that are instrumental as well as terminal. Advertising works at the level of semiology to provide goods with meaning, and at the level of semiotics to bring together domestic and political economies into a culture whose dominant force is consumption. By teaching the meaning of and use of goods, advertising helps create understanding; it helps make the categories of culture stable and visible (Douglas & Isherwood, 1979). Semiology is the study of signs and symbols from a general point of view, and through its different meanings, semiotics, by defining a framework, analyzes the signs within this framework and through differentiation with other elements, allows one to make a selection and be more precise in the understanding of the meaning (Depaux, 2011). Semiology and semiotics are especially useful in examining the communication of messages (Ashwin, 1984). Symbols create a culture’s worldview and philosophy. A cultural system acts as both a model of and a model for reality. Advertising can then be seen to shape and reflect reality. Thus, advertising can be viewed as a cultural system, and individual advertisements as a performance exhibiting the larger system (Sherry, 1987). Although research on this topic is underdeveloped (Borghini et al. , 2010), McCracken (1988) says that advertising messages have a cultural meaning in everyday life. Additionally, Elliot (1997) and Willis (1990) discuss advertising as a cultural product consumed symbolically by consumers independently of the products being advertised. So, as British and American cultures are both based on different assumptions (Carey, 1975; Lannon, 1986), and as advertising can be viewed as a cultural system, the two respective cultures (American and British) are mirrored in their respective advertising. Effects of Culture How does television advertising content in the United States and the United Kingdom reflect cultural differences? Consumers in different countries have different ways of deciding which brands to purchase (Zaichkowsky & Sood, 1989), and they have different attitudes about advertising (Durvasala, S. Andrews, J. C. , Lyonski, S. , & Netemeyer, R. G. , 1993). These different ways of doing and thinking about things is called culture; it is the complex of values, ideas, attitudes, and other meaningful symbols that allow persons to communicate, interpret, and evaluate as members of a society (Engel, Blackwell & Miniard, 1995). Every culture is a complex web of social relations, religious beliefs, languages and consumption attitudes and habits. All of which impact how advertising is delivered and received by society members (Tse, Belk & Zhou, 1989). Abd. Rahim and Osman (2005) conducted a study that examined how commercials in Malaysia were impacted by globalization. As a part of their research, they made use of ten consumer culture constructs that were developed by Harris and Morgan (1987) and later adapted by Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (1990) to rationalize how advertising is effective in creating our culture. According to Abd. Rahim and Osman (2005) these constructs are â€Å"projected† (p. 36) into advertisements. The constructs are: 1) sense of self and space, 2) communication and language, 3) dress and appearance, 4) food and feeling habits, 5) time and time consciousness, 6) relationships, 7) value and norms, 8) beliefs and attitudes, 9) mental processes and learning and 10) work habits and practices. Alden, Steenkamp and Batra (1999) support the existence and use of these constructs with their culture positioning theory that implies that, as a rule there are three brand positioning strategies used in advertising strategies, specifically the Local, Foreign and Global Consumer Culture Positioning (LCCP, FCCP, and GCCP). Those behaviors are categorized in the form of identification in advertisements to whether they are local, foreign or global in terms of brand positioning† (Abd. Rahim & Osman, 2005, p. 36). The ten culture constructs paired with the culture positioning theory further sustain the advertising as a cultural system concept and shed light on the cultural reasons behind the differences in advertising content across geographical boundaries. Abd. Rahim and Osman (2005) suggest that the most profound effect of advertising upon consumers is in creating a culture that values the pursuit of certain lifestyles. David Slayden (1999) offers a complementary view to Abd. Rahim and Osman’s (2005) assessment of advertising effects: advertising identifies the important myths, symbols, and stories of culture and associates them with a product or service. Initially, British advertising often mirrored American ad experience. During this time, commercials were highly â€Å"unsuited to British tastes† (Nevett, 1992, p. 65). Commercials were being branded as intrusive. British television in the 50s was drastically different from American television; it had only one channel (BBC1) and saturation was low, only 16 percent coverage of private homes (Moskowitz, 1953). The introduction of commercial television into British life was a public corporation with a charter from the government, Independent Television Authority (ITV) (Burdett, 1955). ITV was proposed with the intention to set new standards of technical excellence, â€Å"bring â€Å"new verve into political discussions, improve the pace, and revive personality† (Burdett, 1955, p. 184). The BBC channel was inadequate, to say the least. As a service without a rival, it has tended to coast along†¦when it comes to drama and popular entertainment, one misses the technical proficiency and the pace and brightness of American TV productions†¦the accidents that happen on BBC television are startling to an American viewer. No one seems dismayed here if transmission breaks down and the screen goes black for five minutes. No one seems surprised if a program runs over for fifteen or twenty minutes; and if you see a news anchor talking, but there’s no voice—well that happens too. From time to time, the stagehands will wander out in front of the camera. Its all very casual†¦announcers are supposed to be as devoid of personality as conceivably possible. (Burdett, 1955, pp. 183-184) Also during this time, opinion leaders were opposed to the commercialization of British television: â€Å"The TV monster†¦would bring in its wake a host of undesirable things—the debasement of taste, the corruption of youth, the breakdown of law, and a huckster’s riot of vulgarity† (Burdett, 1955, p. 180). Lord Reith compared commercial television to smallpox, the Black Death, and the Bubonic Plague; when approved by Parliament in 1955, it did so against fierce opposition in the House of Lords (Nevett, 1992). British advertising then underwent a evolution during the 60s and 70s in an effort to infuse ‘Britishness’ (Dickason, 2000, p. 162) into their advertising practices, and additionally to revoke Americanization of British television. In an effort to sell a product and entertain a viewer at the same time, the advertiser â€Å"accepted that he was an unwanted visitor in peoples homes; if they were to let him in at all, or to let him return regularly, then he had better behave politely, quietly, and entertainingly† (Garrett, 1986). British advertising began to employ understated humor and a soft-sell approach, and had begun to make frequent use of features inherent in British culture, such as the persistence of class separation and affection for eccentricity (Nevett, 1992). Soft sell focuses predominantly on the entertainment factor of commercials and is considered noninvasive. As opposed to British advertising, American advertising techniques implore a hard-sell approach. This hard sell approach focuses on disseminating information and pressuring the consumer to buy.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Philosophy - Essay Example I propose to carry out an enquiry into the elements of illusion in the life that we take for real and the relevance of our willed existence in it. My contention is that the nature of reality is essentially a construct of human imagination in relation to the socio-political and cultural existence, and the extend to which one can affect or alter the reality depends on one’s willed existence. The philosophical precepts of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche are explored in relation to this argument which hopes to deconstruct the conventional implications of the idea of reality. Life exists in this world in relation to various other forms of existence, both animate and inanimate. Human beings develop a sense of consciousness towards these myriad forms of experience through age-old conventions transmitted through generations. Even as homo sapiens claim to be the most sophisticated, complexly evolved and fit for survival species on the face of the earth, the perceived notions of the words surrounding them is the most corrupted in relation to that of the other life forms. Human beings have surpassed the necessity to follow the instinctual urges for survival by making the world a safe place for them. This has in fact led to a state where their sensibilities are formed with reference to preconceived notions, which are in most cases misrepresentations, with regard to the nature of reality that surrounds them. A child of the contemporary world comes to reality not only through the information that its parents, teachers, elders and peers transmit to it, but also with the judicious use of the myriad possibilities of information technology. Even then, the possibilities of coming to direct contact with reality are restricted to the child. IT may come to know that some animals are to be feared and some to be used, but it may never realize that these

Diabetes WA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diabetes WA - Research Paper Example The 360 degree marketing approaches are important. The DAGMER (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Rules) approach tells the effective advertising must be measurable (Altstiel & Grow 2006). However, the marketing are the ongoing process and financial support is very important for these campaigns. Most of the campaigns must reach the target audiences. The basic target audiences are the people who are in the middle age, staying nearby the town and the diabetes WA centers. However, Diabetes can happen to anyone irrespective of their earning capacity and even many time juvenile diabetic patents are also seen. The major concept about the campaigns must be to create a concern about the diabetes within the minds of the diabetic patients. And for the future patients the fear of losing the happy moments with the family must be focused. It means the advertising campaigns must tell the viewers about the importance of him or her being fit and diabetes free. Media Mix: Media is th e most important factor in this case. The media is the platform which can help the campaigns to reach the mass. That is the reason the media mix is very vital. The media mix is basically the combination of the proper Medias which supports the advertising campaign efficiently (Surmanek, 1996). In this case the television and the radio are very important as they reach to the mass in a very efficient way.

The Word Democracy Means Different Things to Different People Essay

The Word Democracy Means Different Things to Different People - Essay Example tribution in decision-making, decisions made reflect the beliefs of the majority, limitation of the government’s power and respect of individual rights. In a democratic system, the government as well as its citizens are subject to the rule of law. There is respect for personal freedoms, equality before the law, political freedoms and decisions that serve the common good (Denton, 2015). All citizens in a democracy have some rights, which cannot be taken away by the government. The main concept of democracy is the worth of the individual. This means that every individual is unique and important and is a member of the society. There is also the equality of every individual. This concept provides for the equality before the law and equality of opportunity. Although democracy follows the rule of the majority, the rights of the minority are equally important in policymaking. Because there is the need to find a position that is acceptable to a large number, there is necessity of compromise in a democratic system. There is also the freedom of the individual in a democratic system (Dickson,

House Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

House Music - Essay Example An underground scene at this point had already been forming. The underground music scene was developing music that was designed to make people dance. DJ's were already being targeted as disco records had used extended mixes with long percussion breaks. In the underground dance music scene: "The DJ bears the sole responsibility for the music, including his choice records, his style of mixing, how long a particular record will play, or when to change volume, timbre, tempo, or style" (Fikentscher, 82). House music became of fusion of American styles and elements of European music. This new style was breaking through in places like Chicago and New York. There were bands using electronic pop and earlier disco methods that were very popular in many urban areas. The music was being produced from underground clubs, and not for any commercial success. Jazzy M is attributed to bringing the Chicago house sound to the UK. Jazzy M, born Michael Schiniou, began DJing at the age of 17. It is said of Jazzy M that "through his influential stint at Nottingham's garage, it was Jazzy M who first brought the music to the nation's capital via his regular House show on pirate radio" (Bidder, 173-174). The reasons for their popularity within the underground: two club... They incorporated strong messages for pro-diversity in the music. Both clubs had a strong emphasis on music, and birthed music that was known from each club - garage and house.There were many phases and rebirths of house music from the beginning in 1985, where different genres such as techno, deep house, and acid house made their way from and through different nations such as the UK, Canada, America, and even Italy. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Toronto were undergoing a quick paced dance with the genre as the styles continued to rapidly change and again bore the underground crowd. Different songs by various labels and artists impacted cities in unexpected ways. 1989 was the year when house music was brought to the masses.The qualities that shape house music are simple. Kick drum beats on every beat, made most of the time by drum machines, strategic high hat cymbal beat placement, snare drum, and eighth notes played off beat. This style of play has been termed within th e business as "four to the floor" drumbeats, which were popularized by drummers in the 1960's and 70's. Most of the songs derive samples from jazz, synth, blues, and pop styles of music.There are many subgenres of house music, such as techno and trance, but there are three in particular that will be addressed. Those three are Tech house, Minimal house, and Deep house. Each style shares features in common with the other, making them often difficult to differentiate from one another to the untrained listener.Tech house, is a combination of house and techno. It often leans more towards techno and its jazzy feel. It still maintains the same feel of house, but the snare, bass drum lines, and high hat are noisier,

Literacture review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literacture review - Essay Example However, critics have noted that, it is only by allowing ethnicity to thrive and be respected, that some measure of equality can be achieved – since it is difficult for people to completely separate themselves from their ethnic roots and take to a foreign culture (Salvidar 27). Furthermore, Rodriguez links his views of the Affirmative Action Program to a critique of bilingual education, claiming that â€Å"all children must abandon the[ir] language of origin in order to enter public society.† (Rodriguez 27). In this essay I will firstly outline the difficulties of integration faced by ethnic minority groups, in addition to taking into account the complexities of learning English as a second language. Secondly I will consider Rodriguez’s justification for assimilation, before assessing critiques of his work, which simultaneously serve to support the rationale on which approaches to combat racial discrimination, such as the Affirmative Action Program, are based. As a Korean bilingual student, learning English as a second language, to me Rodriguez’s views appear unrealistic and impractical for everyone to achieve. The difficulties that second language students face in learning English are a function of the differences in their own native tongues. There may be three major aspects that affect a student’s ability to learn English : (a) their low level of understanding and self esteem, (b) the different systems of sounds in different languages and (c) differences in grammar. When a student has continuously spoken and studied one language before trying to learn English, the native language tends to interfere with the learning of English. However, this cannot form the basis for completely rejecting the native tongue and bilingual education, as Rodriguez suggests. Instead, there may be a need to reform teaching and learning methods. Similarly, when taking into account the Affirmative Action

Supply Chain in Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Supply Chain in Netflix - Essay Example Here, the idea came of starting a similar business and bring more diversity and customer friendly policies (New Word City, 2010). The organization’s website was launched in April 1998. The new online version came with a more traditional pay-per-rental model. Customers were charged $4 dollars as rental fee and $2 as postage fee. At the end of 1999, Netflix introduced a monthly subscription concept. The single rental model was dropped in early 2000. Since then, the company has established a reputation on the flat-fee unlimited rentals business model. The model does not have late fees, due dates, per title rental fees or handling fees. The company maintained its extensive, personalized video recommendation system based on reviews and ratings by its customers. Netflix has played a vital role in enhancement of independent film distribution. The organization announced its billionth delivery at the beginning of 2007. By 2009, Netflix was offering more than 100,000 collections on DVD. During this time, the company had more than 10 million subscribers. In 2011, Netflix announced that it had reached more than 23 million subscribers in United States and 26 million all over the world. Revenues had gone in excess of $1.5 billion (Laseter and Elliot, 2012). The video entertainment industry is very competitive. Competition is increasing as new realizations are being established. Numerous companies are joining the industry based on the returns involved. The markets involved include hotels, airlines and theater video entertainment. The market is segmented into several strategic groups. This include sales, brick and mortar rentals, online rentals, DVD vending kiosks, video on demand services and mail-delivery services. Technological advancement is bringing various changes in the industry. The rental portion available from physical rentals is transforming to digital rentals (Sehgal, 2011). This is being provided via streaming channels that are connected through game consol es, set-top boxes and computers. All these applications work to bring the steaming aspect on consumers’ televisions. As a result, viewing is made easier, interactive and enhances availability at all times. Consumers have been divided into two segments. These include convenience consumers and needy consumers. Convenience consumers are young, watch videos when they can and use technology to access various titles. One the other hand, needy consumers are older and less prone to using new technologies. Needy consumers are subject to watching specific programming. Traditional home video entertainment is reaching stasis. For this reason, companies involved in the industry should concentrate on the streaming aspect. This will help in immersing substantial profits, in this competitive industry (Minis, 2011). Netflix is facing stiff competition from other players in the industry. New entrants are coming with new ideologies that are taking the industry with a storm. They are building on the loopholes that exist in at Netflix. The company needs to review its business models so as to operate profitably for as long as possible. Supply Chain Description Netflix has a varied supply chain. This is based on the nature of operations being conducted. Various ways have been diversified to help reach the consumers. Among the supply chain used by the company, is the internet and postal system. The company has instituted online DVD rentals. Members only need to chose their desired collections

Latinos as into the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Latinos as into the United States - Essay Example Factors driving Mexican migration to the United States in 1848-1945 Mexican revolution in 1910 was the push factor that sparked a large exodus of Mexican laborers to the southwest though this push coincided with a pull force in United State of economic development (Ornelas, 1999). Economic development mainly in California, Arizona and Texas contributed by extensive irrigation system, elaborate transport system and the demand induced by World War 1 (Ornelas, 1999). Social and economic instability in home land caused Mexican laborers to be attracted in United State where unskilled laborers in southwestern industries were paid even five times better compared to similar industries in the home country (Ornelas, 1999), thus higher wage was the attractive pull force to Mexican. According to Ornelas department of labor in 1914 reported that about 8000 aliens mainly of Mexican had entered United State at Eagle pass, Significant northward movement by Mexican laborer began with construction of Mexican railroad connecting United State border towns with Mexico city and greatly increased with completion of construction of rail road in 1980’s (Ornelas,1999) this is because rail road provided the most common mode of transport for Mexican migrant.aso automobile transport provided another means of transport to United State (Ornelas,1999). Due to intensified military operation after the assassination of President Francisco Madero, many people were panic stricken and this lead to expanded dimension of movement across the border and many Mexican ended up in United State (Ornelas, 1999).

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Marketing - Essay Example The financial services sector would include banking, life assurance and pensions, investment management and asset servicing apart from general insurance, corporate finance, and broking services sectors. The factors that affect the financial services industry are the government regulation and deregulation from time to time, global competition, changing customer preference behavior. Availability of skilled staff is essential. Marketing financial services, irrespective whether it is face-to-face or through direct marketing channels, comes with a high cost. If human element is eliminated, the electronic set up costs is high. Marketing of services is a bigger challenge than marketing of products. Various reasons account for this and hence strategic marketing plans have to be devised for this. The most important differentiation is that products have well defined parameters and the customer can base his decision to some extent on that. Services on the other hand are intangible. In services marketing, it depends to a large extent on the customer. Two different people would react differently to a given situation. Marketing a product is on the premise that there is a market of millions. Hence, all related services like delivery, demonstration and after sales service can be built accordingly. As far as marketing financial services is concerned, each individual is a market in himself. Customer relationship management is essential here. Transactional analysis is important because it helps to derive customer knowledge to offer and improve the services. The service staff can also be trained based on this informati on. In marketing financial services, various factors have to be taken into account. Financial services come with a high element of risk attached to it. Marketing of products and general services require the four P’s (product, price, place and promotion) but in marketing of financial services two

Life of a Homeless Man Essay Example for Free

Life of a Homeless Man Essay To whom it may concern, Imagine all the events that occurred in your life today. You woke up from your warm bed, took a shower, got dressed, and went to school, work, or both. Then you came home, you had dinner, and went to sleep. These are all basic needs that many people in the United States today dont have. Most people would agree that a day like this is fairly ordinary. Shelter, clothes, food, education, and family are all things that we usually take for granted and things that every person deserves. Now imagine your normal, everyday, routine being taken away from you. All in all you would essentially have my life. I have been facing an intense struggle just to stay alive despite the fact that society turns its head on me. The government has made laws that discriminate against me, which makes it almost illegal for me to co-exist with society. The mistreatment of homeless people is an issue that is often ignored by my community. When you see me on the streets how do you react? Do you turn your head and ignore me? Do you become angry that I am living on the streets? Do you feel frightened and avoid confrontation with me all together? Or do you see me as a human being and treat me in that way? Imagine if you were homeless, living everyday on the streets, having to go through constant judgments and listening to criticizing comments everyday like Get a job, or Ew, stay away. Imagine how hard it would be getting a job, especially in these times. Imagine living in a world with the You need money to get money philosophy; applying for jobs, yet the employer wont hire you because of your lack of clean clothes. So now you need to get new clothes, yet you dont have money. You need money, yet you dont have a job. It is a vicious cycle. Just think of how it would be, being homeless and not even having a mailing address. No family, no friends, being around drugs and violence 24/7. No roof to stand under in case of a storm. You dont even have time to think about getting food, yet that’s all you think about. Imagine living in a world where your best friends, and even your country, had left you behind. It would be tough, and it will change your perspective on me and how I live my life. I try not to accept my situation, but what other choice do I have? I used to ask for spare change and you think that I would have been asking for a kidney. For a country who likes to watch other people’s problems on TV, you think I would live in a country that would be more willing to at least hear what I have to deal with each day, if for entertainment at the very least. When people see me they assume I am more capable of committing violent crimes than a normal person. The only luxury I really have is the newspaper, and you would be shocked on how little we turn up vs. ormal Americans when it comes to violent crimes. Given the chance I would steal to survive another day, yet most believe it is ok to steal bread to feed one’s family. Hypocrites are normally the ones who have no problem passing judgment to me, yet we are not so different. As a homeless man, I don’t get to interact with many exciting things. You’d be surprised what I’d give if I had o ne friend that would visit me for as little as an hour a week. Considering that, since society looks down on me on a 24/7 basis, I don’t get a day off for fun. Congress issues American citizens â€Å"freedom of speech†, however I am still waiting on my chance to be heard. I would like people to know how it feeling of freezing rain feels every winter. The smell of molding cardboard is something I have to deal with on a monthly basis, until I can move to a new home. Some of the things that I’ve seen are not for the faint of heart; along with some of the things I’m left to eat in order to make it another day. You may read this letter and assume it to be the voice of the homeless firing back at society. You may read this letter and find it as a cry for help. Chances are is that you are probably interpreting this letter as a complaint against the community I live in. Why all those could be true consider the intent of this letter as a reminder of how bad it could be. I can guarantee you that the extent of your problems can be solved, so the next time you think about giving up, complaining about your relationship or job, or even get upset when your favorite sports team doesn’t win the big game; it can get worse.

Race Relations In The UK

Race Relations In The UK The concepts of community cohesion and integration have been at the core of UK social policy over the last decade. This renewed race relations approach requires people from minority ethnic communities to mix with mainstream community which will lead to strong cohesive communities. In order to apply these concepts to critically investigate phenomena in contemporary society there is a requirement to look beyond the stated objectives and public political negotiations and explore the ways in which deeply entrenched processes of discrimination may be resistant to legal and political interventions (Solomos and Keith 1989). This exploration requires a critique of race relations approaches within a historical and wider economic and political context, to fully understand and assess the effectiveness of the renewed race relations approach since the beginning of this century. In this chapter, I will provide an outline of the key events which brought about change in race relations approach in the UK with the view of placing the contemporary social policy in political, social and economic context, these changes can be viewed in phases. The early phase of race relations had assumed a process of assimilation, where coloured/ black migrants would settle in, had not worked and this had led to a change. The second phase in race relations is commonly referred to as the multiculturalist is viewed to have failed due to its divisive nature with result of different ethnic communities becoming inward and not interacting with the wider community. The contemporary phase, community cohesion and integration are at the heart of the very public debate in the UK on how best to integrate immigrants in the post-immigration phase. It is believed this latest approach to race relations will build stronger and cohesive communities. While this is the political rhetoric a deeper exa mination would reveal there are social and political factors which are required to be equally considered to understand the effectiveness of the renewed approach to race relations. Certainly, a view of the discourse on the community cohesion agenda reveals there is much criticism of the concept which may limit its effectiveness. The agenda may not address the problem of unrest and disturbances within communities. Rather than bringing communities together, the policy may have the opposite effect of dividing communities. Assimilation To understand the race relations approach in this period, the political and economic situation requires to be considered. Following the post war II period Britain faced a shortage of labour, and initially the labour of ex POWs, Polish and Italian people was employed. The archival research of parliamentary papers on immigration in the 1940s/1950s by (Joshi and Carter 1984) have revealed the ethnocentrism and racist assumptions by some government officials that the jobs were suitable for white workers as it was alleged the similarities of white cultures would not cause problems of assimilating cultures that were different. However, (Sivanandan 1982) argues that the British government wanted cheap labour, with sensitivity to demand and unnecessary labour contracts. Thus it suited Britain to import the workers it needed from the British colonies and ex-colonies; it was the quickest way of getting the cheapest labour at minimum (infrastructural) costs. Thus coloured people from the West Indies were encouraged to travel to Britain largely to fill the jobs. However, from the first stages of the arrival of black workers to Britain they were perceived, both within and outside the government, as a problem (Sivanandan 1982); (Solomos 1988). Particularly with reference to the social and racial conflicts which were officially connected with their arrival. (Solomos 1988) maintains that the media publicity given to the arrival of 417 Jamaicans on the Empire Windrush in 1948 and the subsequent arrival of groups of West Indian workers helped to focus attention on the number of coloured immigrants and this obscured th e fact that the majority of immigrants came from Ireland, white Commonwealth countries and European countries. The consequence of this attitude was that from the early stages of black migration process there emerged a debate about the implications of the growth of black settlement for the host society, particularly in relation to immigration, housing, employment, cultural differences and the emergence of racial conflict (Solomos 1988 p31). No such concerns were raised about white immigrants. Having set the precedent that black migrants were alien and cultural differences would lead to racial conflict, future government policies were largely based on such assumptions (Solomos 1988). (Solomos and Back 1996) contend that from the 1950s onwards political processes and institutions have played a key role in the construction of racial and ethnic questions in British society. This can be viewed in the way successive governments in the UK have responded to racial discrimination with two measures with legislation to reduce discrimination and new legislation to reduce the immigration numbers of black people (Sivanandan 1982). The assumption being that if the gates were closed to black migration the race problem would be resolved. These types of social policy and attitude ensured that subordination and the exclusion of black migrants were set in place. For e.g. following the race riots in Nottingham and Notting Hill in 1958, the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 was introduced to curb further black immigration. After this period there was a racialisation of immigration legislation (Miles and Phizacklea 1984); Solomos 1988). The belief that immigration was essentially an issue of race was consistent with the view that a) the growing number of black citizens was a potential source of conflict and b) it was necessary for the state to introduce measures to promote the integration of immigrants into the wider society (Solomos 1988) . The linking of immigration controls with integrative measures was a significant step, since it signalled a move towards the management of domestic race relations as well as legitimising the institutionalisation of firm controls at the point of entry. These two sides of state intervention were seen as inextricably linked, the reasoning behind the link was the idea the fewer immigrants (especially black ones) there were, the easier it would be to integrate them. Miles and Phizacklea argue, that a central ideological consequence of this was that the notions of race and immigration became interchangeable, and so, whenever, immigrants and immigration became the centre of debate, the reference was in fact to coloured people regardless of their place and not to all people entering Britain (1984 p22). The fear that the social exclusion of racial minorities in Britain could follow the violence and disorder of the civil rights movement in the US led to the government in changing the approach to race relations in the 1960s (Solomos 1988) Multiculturalist / Integration Plus The 1960s is broadly viewed as the second phase in race relations approach. The fear that the social exclusion of racial minorities in Britain could follow the violence and disorder of the civil rights movement in the US subsequently led to the introduction of the Race Relations Act of 1965 which aimed to prevent racial discrimination. However, it was a weak piece of legislation and only spoke of discrimination in specified places of public resort, such as hotels and restaurants, as being illegal. A new act was introduced in 1968 in which provisions were extended to cover housing and employment in the UK (Deakin et al. 1970). Under the terms of the act, the Race Relations Board was set up in 1966 which set up the Community Relations Commission to promote harmonious community relations (Deakin et al. 1970). A few years later in 1969, the UK government chose to ratify the United Nations Convention on Racial Discrimination, with a reservation in respect of the Commonwealth Immigration A cts so it could continue with the racialisation of immigration to the UK (Sivanandan 1982). These, and subsequent immigration controls have continued to have implications which range much wider than one aspect of law. Firstly, because internal immigration controls affect not only immigrants but all black people in the UK, they reinforce the division in society between black and white people, and secondly, this had and continues to have, serious implications for the civil liberties and rights of the population in general (Gordon 1985). This period saw a shift in race relations to integration plus. In this period there was growing recognition of the legitimacy of black and minority ethnic people to be different especially with regard to issues around language, religion and the wearing of school uniforms (Gilroy 1987); (Brah 1996). It was thought that identities and values represented by immigrants could be accommodated within a multicultural framework and the recognition and acknowledgement of different cultures could coexist with mutual respect. In 1966, the then home secretary, Roy Jenkins, announced: I do not regard [integration] as meaning the loss, by immigrants, of their own national characteristics and culture. I do not think that we need in this country a melting pot, which will turn everybody out in a common mould, as one of a series of carbon copies of someones misplaced vision of the stereotyped Englishmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I define integration, therefore, not as a flattening process of assimilation but as equal opportunity, accompanied by cultural diversity, in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance. The multicultural policy appealed to white British population, as it fitted in with their universal liberal democratic principles, they were confident to welcome people from Commonwealth countries. It was also about cultural value, that British did not regard their culture to be superior to those of the immigrants, at least not at a personal level. It was anticipated the differences in cultures would mainly be restricted to the home, and would involve mainly differences in traditional dress and cuisine, festivals and religions (Solomos and Keith 1989) In the public sphere, a variety of policy initiatives and programmes were based on the premise of providing equal access to employment, education, housing and public facilities generally. However, from the start the policy of equality of opportunity and racial equality caused confusion for many reasons and led to the policy to have little effect. Firstly, as Solomos (1989) notes, the notions of equality of opportunity and racial inequality are embedded in value judgements; thus there is not an agreement what on what equality constitutes in relation to the public good. Furthermore, the definitions of and guidance on these concepts were not forthcoming from the government. As a result of this fundamental constraint, local authorities did not know how to implement equality of opportunity as an effective measure against discrimination and were using terms and concepts in a confused, arbitrary and contradictory manner (Sooben 1990). Ouseley (1984) questions, how far can equality of opportunity and racial equality are achieved without incorporating into the established channels of decision-making the political interests of the black and minority communities It is also significant to note that at the introduction of the race relations legislation successive governments did not seek to use the mainstream Government departments to tackle this issue. While the Home Office was directly responsible for the enforcement of strict immigration controls, the responsibility for enforcing the legislation was given to regulatory agencies and judicial system. From 1965 to 1975 successive governments left the issue of tackling racial discrimination to these bodies and there was little direction or support provided by central government itself (Solomos and Back 1996). By the early 1970s there was much criticism of the limits of legislation and critics were calling for a new and more effective strategy to tackle racial discrimination particular in such areas as housing and employment (Solomos and Back 1996). At the same time research on aspects of racial discrimination by a number of bodies showed that high levels of discrimination persisted and this was taken to imply that the efforts of successive governments from 1965 onwards had produced little or no change (Solomos and Back 1996). More critical studies took their cue from this evidence to argue that race relations legislation, particularly when linked to discriminatory immigration controls, could be no more than a gesture or symbolic political act which gave the impression that something was being done while in practice achieving very little (Solomos and Back 1996) The shortcoming of the existing legislation, and particularly the powers available to the Race Relations Board and the Community Relations Commission, were becoming increasingly evident by the early 1970s. A major government investigation was launched titled The Organisation of Race Relations Administration in 1975. The report helped to put a number of important points on the agenda (a) The need to go beyond the narrow definition of discrimination used in the 1965 and 1968 Acts, in order to include institutionalised or unintended forms of discrimination; (b) The need to strengthen the administrative structures and legal powers of the Race Relations Board in order to allow for a more effective implementation of antidiscrimination policies, including penalties for those found guilty of discrimination; (c) The need for a more interventionist stance from central government departments, particularly the Home Office (Solomos and Keith 1989) The Labour Government which came to power in 1974 therefore proposed reform to the legislation and in 1976 the new Race Relations Act was introduced. This new act was wider and significantly it incorporated direct and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination was defined by the act where a person treats another person less favourably on racial grounds than he treats, or would treat, someone else, however, indirect discrimination was defined as consisting of treatment which may be described as equal in a formal sense as between different racial groups, but discriminatory in its effect on one particular racial group (Miles and Phizacklea 1984). The second recommendation, to strengthen the administrative powers of the race relation bodies led to the setting up of the Commission for Racial Equality. The Commission was seen as having three main duties: (a) to work toward the elimination of discrimination; (b) to promote equality of opportunity and good race relations; and (c) to keep under review the working of the Act and draw up proposals for amending it (Miles and Phizacklea 1984). However, within a decade of the 1976 Act the disjuncture between the objective and its actual impact was apparent. This was clearly stated in Lord Scarmans report on the urban unrest riots in Brixton in 1981 when Scarman stated that racialism and discrimination against black people often hidden, sometimes unconscious -remained a major source of social tension and conflict  [1]  . Almost all the academic research that has been done on the effectiveness of the 1976 Act, has pointed to three ways in which policies have proved to be ineffective in tackling racial inequality. First, the machinery set up to implement the Act has not functioned effectively. Second, the policies have not produced the intended results. Third, policies have failed to meet the expectations of the black communities (Solomos and Jenkins, 1987). At a local government level the policy initiatives actions to eradicate discrimination had developed ad-hoc and taken many forms. Multicultural types of events such as International Womens Day, fun days, face painting and food, or as (Alibhai-Brown 2000) states saris, samosas and steel bands. Whilst in the public sector offices there would be cultural awareness training events. These initiatives were based on the premise that if the white population were convinced of the legitimacy and values of other cultures then this would eliminate the ignorance, intolerance which had led to previous acts of discrimination and conflict. This approach was criticised by many as it meant the problems experienced by migrants would be attributed to their culture essentialising all experiences to their culture. The funding allowed minority groups to set up groups to meet the needs of the minority population. Whilst these may have me the short term needs of people excluded from mainstream services, the fundamental flaw with this method was it was often viewed the town councillors played the different ethnic communities against each other to compete for funding, there was resentment among populations as one community was viewed to be seen to be more privilege than another. (Sivanandan 1982) states this type of multicultural policy resulted in taking the fighting off the streets and into the town halls. Another criticism of multiculturalism is that the term was not defined and became over time a fuzzy concept (Markusen 2003). Multiculturalism came to have many different meanings and became a divisive tool creating separate groups within communities. Rather than integrated communities, different groups engaged in aspects of their cultural identity. (Benhabib 2002) refers to this as mosaic multiculturalism, that cultures are clearly delineated and identifiable entities that co-exist while maintaining firm boundaries (p8). The tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence, in 1993 and the subsequent complaints and Macpherson Inquiry published in 1999 (Macpherson 1999) about the way in which the Metropolitan police had mishandled the case, is viewed as major benchmark in race issues (Back et al. 2002). In this respect the Macpherson Inquiry was a significant marker in racism in that institutional racism was exposed and put on the political agenda by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw (Back et al 2002). Following the recommendations made in the Macpherson Report in 1999 the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 was introduced. The amendments extended further the application of the Race Relations Act 1976 to the police and other public authorities; exemption under that Act for acts done for the purpose of safeguarding national security; and for connected purposes; immigration and nationality cases; and judicial and legislative acts (RRAA 2000). The act also specified that local authorities adhere to general statutory duty: to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups. And also specific duties, to undertake positive action to eliminate discrimination, race equality policies were compulsory within public sector organisations. Whilst racism continued throughout 1980 /90s there were signs of another distinctive form of discrimination arising towards Muslims and Islam. There were anti-Muslim feelings throughout mainland Europe including the UK. It is suggested the roots of Muslim marginality date to The Satanic Verses affair in the late 1980s  [2]  . Certainly, by the mid-1990s, anti-Muslim feelings were serious enough for the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia to be established in 1996, and the following year the report titled Islamophobia: a challenge for us all (1997) by the Runnymede Trust. The report described the nature of anti-Muslim prejudice and reported the consequence of this prejudice greatly hindered Muslims to play a full part in mainstream society. It was rather insightful, when Solomos wrote in 1999, if anything the experience of the last two decades teaches us that the ways in which policy recommendations are translated into practice remains fundamentally uncertain, particularly as the nature of policy change depends on broader political agendas. (Solomos 1999: 3.2) Integrationist Since the beginning of this century, the race relations approach has moved to a new phase, to community cohesion and integration. Two significant events in 2001, the race riots in three towns in northern England and 911 in the US led to a renewed approach by the government in the UK. While investigations into the disturbances were conducted in the areas involved in the disturbances in Burnley, Oldham and Bradford (The Clarke Report  [3]  , The Ritchie Report  [4]  and The Ouseley Report  [5]  respectively) and the Independent Review Team (Cantle Report) which provided a national overview of the state of race and community relations, Community Cohesion Review Team Report (2001) (Home and Office 2001) that directed changes in government approach. A few days before the release of the Cantle Report, the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett expressed his concerns about the race riots in an interview in the Independent We recognise there are historic divisions between communities that have separated Asian from White and Afro-Caribbean from Asian and that it will take many years to overcome. We also recognise that racial prejudice is deep-seated and we need to face it head on. He stated that we have got to develop a sense of identity and a sense of belonging if we are to have social cohesive communities.  [6]  . Following the interview, the media focused on one recommendation out of the 67 which the report recommended (Robinson 2005). The result of this was the disturbances quickly became a concern about identity and belonging rather than the frustrations of people living in areas of social and economic deprivation, as detailed in each of the local reports. The concept of segregation was used in The Ouseley Report, and was placed at the heart of the Community Cohesion Review Team Report and the opening paragraph in the report exemplified this concern: Whilst the physical segregation of housing estates and inner city areas came as no surprise, the team was particularly struck by the depth of polarisation of our towns and cities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Separate educational arrangements, community and a voluntary body, employment, places of worship, language, social and cultural networks, means that many communities operate on the basis of a series of parallel lives. (p9). The concern was the lack of interaction between the different ethnicities had led to the ignorance and fear about each other. It was viewed the minority ethnic community had not integrated into white mainstream exemplified by the residential segregation of the different ethnicities. The blame for the existence of parallel lives people was considered to be due to multiculturalist policies, these had caused and allowed ethnic communities to be inward looking and had allowed minority communities to self-segregate. The self-segregation debate was fuelled further by comments from unexpected quarters, from the then head of the Commission for Racial Equality who stated that Britain was sleep-walking into segregation, that this would lead Britain to have American style black ghettos  [7]  . This public declaration by the head of race relations body lent further support to self-segregation debate. At the time, policy makers and politicians and sensationalised headlines in the right wing media gave support to and legitimised the claim that it was not racial discrimination that was the problem, it was the culture of immigrants, that immigrants did not want to mix and their culture was too different to integrate with British culture. Levels of residential segregation also became an indicator of migrant integration and high levels of segregation were viewed as a divisive factor (Phillips 2007). Although the term integration is popularly used by politicians and policy makers alike, guidance on policy was not forthcoming and there was confusion as to what the term means (Catney, Finney and Twigg 2011). Most political discussion of integration seems to assume tacitly that it means conformity with a homogenous set of norms and values within a monocultural society. In 2002 a report had been commissioned by Home Office (Castles et al. 2002) had been critical of the use of the term integration. As a theoretical concept the meaning of the term integration ranges from assimilationist to pluralist perspectives, which the authors argued needs to be examined more closely in terms of their application to two-way processes of accommodation between minorities and the broader society. And also the term integration is so broad and vague that it can be over-used and invoked without any attempt to establish relevant indicators p118. The confusion over the term was also reflected in the initia tive and policies that local government were addressing as part of the community cohesion agenda. Four years after the term had been introduced, at the launch of the government report (Home and Office 2005) Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society in January 2005, which had been attended by some 500 delegates and distinguished panel  [8]  , delegate members and many of the panellists questioned what is meant to integrate to achieve integration. Delegates questioned whether it meant going to the pub stop praying and shaving off the beard sharing some common values while not abandoning what differentiates one from others and how did we know when a person has integrated (Grillo 2007). These types of questions are a reflection of the questioning and great confusion over the meaning of the term integration across the UK. Segregation There has been a strong link made between the integration of minority ethnic groups and their residential segregation by policy makers, media and academics (Kalra and Kapoor 2008). The authors of the Cantle Report had stated We do not see integration and segregation as necessarily opposed. The complete separation of communities based on religion, education, housing, culture, employment etc., will, however mean that the lack of contact with and absence of knowledge about, each others communities will lead to the growth of fear and conflict. (Section 5.7.3). An explanation of the term segregation is provided the extent to which different groups are geographically, economically and socially separated, including the impact of housing policies and practice (CANTLE REPORT 2001, p61). Over the last decade the much sensationalised claim of sleepwalking into segregation has been challenged and has been refuted and the segregation debate has been put to rest. Human geographer (Peach 1996, Peach 1999, Peach 2009) extensive empirical work in ethnicities and residential patterns has shown the segregation levels to be very different from the American style ghettos and on the contrary to Phillips (2007) claims, Peach argues the levels of segregation of minority ethnic communities are decreasing (2009, p17). Another extensive work by (Simpson and Finney 2011) Sleepwalking into Segregation: Challenging Myths about Race and Migration. Simpson (2004) argues the evidence did not support the legend of self-segregation. Demographic evidence shows dispersal, supporting the survey evidence of a desire to live in mixed neighbourhoods by most in the South Asian populations. There has been much criticism of the narrowly focused self-segregation claims, which highlight the racialised lens of the debate. For instance, there has been little criticism of the white flight process which affected the residential patterns to be obscured in particular areas. Additionally, there is not so much attention, by the media or government, to the segregation of neighbourhoods by class, income and lifestyles or to the increasing trend of gated communities by social elites ((Atkinson and Flint 2004); (Manzi and Bowers 2005). Kalra Kapoor (2008) point out the pattern of settlement of immigrants requires to be understood in a historical context as immigrants settled in areas where there were historically manufacturing jobs. The concentration of 55 per cent of Muslim households in the worst two deciles of multiple deprivations in England and Wales (Peach 2006) needs to be seen in this context. Studies into the experiences of integration and segregation in the Netherlands and the UK found that current understandings of segregation and integration are too focused on cultural aspects, and overlook structural factors that obstruct immigrants integration (van and Liempt 2011). Whilst the claims of segregation were finally dismissed, alarm over American style segregation persisted from the period 2001 2007, and where integral to the debate on the community cohesion and integration agenda. Communitarianism and community cohesion In the concern to bring about racial harmony within communities, the New Labour government drew upon American policy makers and concepts. According to Robinson (2005) the language of community cohesion had been non-existent in urban theory or public policy prior to 2001. One of these was the concept of communitarianism which was the work of Etzioni 1995. The idea behind this concept is that communities can serve the dominant moral order by expressing particular moral commitments to which individual members assign their personal values and allegiance (p1417). Within this narrative, segregation is problematized, as it is perceived that communities that assert order are at odds with the dominant order. Thus, after the 2001 disturbances and questioning in the West of assertive Muslim allegiances post 9/11 the focus on community as an area of social control was given credence. According to Robinson, The Cantle Report saw the community to be the place where cohesion was to happen, for micro-communities to gel or mesh into an integrated whole (p1417). The Cantle Report in 2001 drew upon the work of (Kearns and Forrest 2000) in relation to cohesion in communities. Their framework for socially cohesive society consists of five key elements, four of these elements were adopted common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities; the diversity of peoples different backgrounds and circumstances are appreciated and positively valued; and strong and positive relationships to be developed between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods. The fifth element was adapted social solidarity and reductions in wealth was replaced with those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities (p1013). Thus community cohesion is conceptualised as social cohesion at the neighbourhood level and community is regarded as the place where common social values enabling all communities to work together towards common goals can be asserted (Robinson 2005). The concept of social capital which was popularised b

Becoming a teacher

Becoming a teacher Individual Essay Like most of my peers, I joined the teaching profession with some preconceived notions, to a certain extent based on observations of my teachers, both good and bad, and partly on my opinion of how things should be like in a perfect world. Personal Philosophy Every child having a sense of belonging As a child, I have good memories of my experience and education in primary school. I studies at an all-girls school where corporal punishment was still used to punish disobedient pupils. I remember that my language teacher who was also the discipline teacher was very strict, but I also remember that I respected her to a great deal and so do most of my peers. I felt that in a way this had formed my initial notion about teaching where teachers are respected and should maintain a level of control in the classroom. However, I am glad that we have progressed from corporal punishment as a way to maintain order in our classrooms. There are many other ways in which the teachers can gain their students’ respect and keep their classrooms orderly. I believe that it is important for me to show genuine care for my pupils through the way I teach and in the time I devote to my pupils. I believe this kind of caring nature is bound to positively affect the pupils. I believe it is also importan t for me to create a positive atmosphere where pupils are encouraged to discuss questions. Pupils should not be afraid of making mistakes as they are treated as opportunities to explore misconceptions and not reflection of their abilities. School being their second home, it is important that my classroom is a place where it is safe for them to make mistakes, a place where differences are tolerated and compromised on. Common sense and research tell us that students are more likely to cooperate with teachers whom they see as caring, trustworthy, and respectful (Weinstein, 2006 as cited in Weinstein, Romano, Mignano, 2011). It is important to develop a supportive and respectful relationship with pupils not only to gain cooperation but also for them to be seriously engaged in learning, to share their thoughts and feelings, to take risks and to develop a sense of social responsibility. Thus, I need organise my classroom in such a way that my pupils will feel safe and cared for emotionally, intellectually and physically. I remembered conducting the ‘Heart-to-heart’ session with my pupils during my contract teaching and I find this very useful in getting to know the pupils better. Also, pupils were tasked to write at least one journal entry every week on something special. These activities has helped me to know my pupils better and are a great stepping stone to improve the teacher-student relationship. Thus, I hope to continue to implement them in my class in the future. Focus on Students’ Strengths What really triggers me to join the teaching profession was the weekly tuition session I volunteered for during my university days and continued to this day. Working for a non-profit community organisation gave me the best experience in social interaction and interpersonal skills that I would have not learnt of. I hoped my experiences and encouragement would help them find a clearer path to their interests in life and work, but I found that I learned so much from them about bravery, tolerance and ambition to succeed. It is really heart-warming to know that the boys are grateful for the help and support of volunteers and love to engage in learning and games. This gave me a completely new view of life, communities and education. There’s no doubt that I found great satisfaction in sharing and encouraging the boys but I was surprised by how enlightening and fulfilling the whole experience was. Thus, I believe that it is important for me to develop their full potential by guiding t hem in their route of discovery. As children are our future, it is crucial for me to allow them to express their opinions and nurture their own ideas. These reasons confirmed my decision that teaching was what I want to do in life. At times, we need to tap into the life experiences of our pupils to discover what they can do beyond their academic achievements. As a teacher, I used to focus on what my pupils do not know or cannot do, and try to fix the problems. However, after going through the teaching experience and courses in NIE, I learned that responsible teaching also involves searching for strengths. This is important to develop the confidence and self-competency of my pupils (Lim, Thaver, Slee, 2008). I will need to create opportunities for pupils to succeed while challenging them. I was told that we need to scaffold for pupils to understand the concept better but little did I know that these small successes will also lead to increased pupils’ confidence. Engaged and Active Learning During my contract teaching stint, I learnt that each and every individual student in the class had a different background and there is a great diversity in there. Each student had their unique learning style and abilities. Their family backgrounds ranged from lower to the top tier of society. I learnt that different stakeholders, i.e. parents, school, child and teacher, all play a part in nurturing students. The socio-economic class of students affected their abilities and academic success, and different family structures gave different levels of support. All these differences made me understand that when conducting lessons, I cannot expect all students to have the same experiences. Learning is superficial unless the pupils are actively engaged. Therefore, I will need to use different teaching strategies in my class such as questioning, collaborative learning, hands-on activities and experiential learning events that will encourage active and constructive learning. However, conducting a class that actively engages the pupils require a lot of planning. Therefore, I need to ensure that I am well prepared by not only knowing the content knowledge but also the teaching objectives and strategies. The activities planned will also need to match the concepts, skills and goals of the lesson. When pupils are actively engaged, they focus on what is being taught and better process new information (Lorain, 2010). As pointed out by Tom Good and Jere Brophy (2008), when students must wait with nothing to do, there is a higher probability to result in undesirable behavior and a loss of valuable learning opportunities (Weinstein, Romano, Mignano, 2011). Through the various courses in NIE, I have learned how to better prepare myself for lesson and designing activities that are able to develop pupils’ relational understanding. This course also discusses various cooperative learning strategies such as think-pair-share, round table, and jigsaw which I could apply in my classroom to promote active learning. Also, to ensure that the group activities are carried out successfully, I need to ensure that there are certain classroom rules and routines to keep the classroom running smoothly. My Evolution as a Teacher-in-Training Establishing Productive Learning Environment One concept taught in this course that struck me most was the model for creating an inclusive learning environment which was adapted from Stice’s problem-solving model. This model helps me to understand and reaffirm some of the teaching practices which I have observed and learned during my teaching internship, relief teaching or contract teaching. The model aims to aid classroom learning environment that are not only academically inclusive but also socially. Creating a conducive physical environment can influence the way teachers and students feel, think and behave (Weinstein, Romano, Mignano, 2011).Thus, it is important for me to ensure that the physical furniture in my class are strategically arranged to suit the needs of the pupils. During my contract teaching, my teacher mentor created a reading corner at the back of her class with carpets and cushions for the pupils. I find this arrangement useful in managing the class. Once the pupils have completed the assigned work, they will proceed to the reading corner with a book and read silently. I felt that this has helped to inculcate in the pupils the love for reading. This also helps her manage the class and reduce unnecessary disruption when the pupils have completed their work. Occasionally on a rotationally basis, pupils are given 10 minutes break time where they are allowed to use the educational board games created. This encourages pupils’ self-directed learning as they exp lore different concepts in a fun and interactive manner. I have also learned that it is important to ensure that the notice boards are up-to-date with information and pupils work. Environment psychologists point out that the effects of the classroom environment can be both direct and indirect (Proshansky Wolfe, 1974 as cited in Weinstein, Romano, Mignano, 2011). For example, if pupils seated in straight rows are unable to carry on a class discussion because they can’t hear one another, the environment is directly hindering their participation. Students may also be affected indirectly if they infer from the seating arrangement that the teacher does not really want them to interact. Therefore, I need to be mindful on how my pupils are arranged in the class as it will send a message to them about how they are supposed to behave due to the link between classroom environment and student behaviour. Through this course, I also learned that it is important to create a sense of belonging for the pupils by providing them opportunities to make decision on how they want the classroom to be such as giving them the responsibility to decorate the class or as simple as putting up pupils work. Behaviour Management Another aspect which I find very useful is the various behavior management models which teachers could employ. I understand there is no one size fit all solution to various issues a teacher might face in school and each model has its own pros and cons. It is therefore up to the teachers’ discretion to choose the model that best suit their teaching style and the class profile. Personally, the concept of taking ownership under inner discipline resonates with me. I believe that it is important for students to accept ownership of their problem. Students need to learn that they are capable of taking ownership of their problems regardless of age. As teacher, I must trust that they also are capable of taking full responsibility for the problems their behaviours can create, not because of fear but because it is the right thing to do. Assertive Discipline is a direct and positive approach to make it possible for the teacher to teach and the students to learn. During my contract teaching, there were times when I felt I was unable to deliver the lesson properly due to poor class control and denied pupils the opportunity to learn. However, after seeking advice from the senior teachers, I made certain changes such as implementing the rewards and punishment system. As a result, I was able to deliver most of the lessons without much interruption. Students should be rewarded for good behaviour and punished fairly for bad behaviour. I think that having a short list of classroom rules posted in the class is beneficial. That way, from day one, they are aware of what is expected from them. However, it is necessary to exercise punishments with cautions to make sure students would not be more rebellious. I have also learned the various teaching style and I would prefer to adopt the democratic teaching style which the teacher p rovide firm guidance and leadership by establishing rules (Edwards, 2008). Pupils will then be taught how to establish an inner control that permits them to choose behavior compatible with their best interest. I realized that teaching was indeed a calling. One needed a passion to teach and to make a difference in peoples lives. One had to follow their heart and not their brain to appreciate the true difference made by being a teacher because being a teacher was hard work with many untold roles. One had to be unafraid to admit that mistakes have been committed and constantly reflect on lessons conducted so as to continually improve. Bibliography Edwards, C. (2008). Classroom discipline and management (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Lim, L., Thaver, T., Slee, R. (2008). Exploring Disability in Singapore. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia). Lorain, P. (2010). Teaching That Emphasizes Active Engagement. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/tools/16708.htm Weinstein, C. S., Romano, M. E., Mignano, J. A. (2011). Elementary Classroom Management Lessons from research and practice. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

My Childhood Memory Essay -- essays research papers

My Childhood Memory I remember it like yesterday. We were all waiting patiently for my father to come home from the race track. He promised me and my sister that if he won, he would take us all to Rye Playland. The minutes felt like hours. It was the longest hour of my life. Then finally we heard the car door shut. Me and my sister ran to the front door anxiously waiting for the news. He opened the door and walked in. We tried to read the expression on his face but of course he was looking down while taking his sneakers off. The suspense was killing us. Then he looked up. No words were spoken between us and our father. He just gave us a blank stare. I didn't know what to think. I was scared to ask because I was so worried of the response. It was that moment when he said to us, "Well kids, pick out what your going to wear to Rye playland this weekend." Excitement just jumped through out my whole body. We both ran over and gave him the biggest hug and ran upstairs to pick out what we were g oing to bring with us. I was so excited for the next two days, I probably only got about 4 hours sleep. Then the day finally came. It was Saturday. It was the only time in my life I was happy to hear the alarm clock go off. Of course I was already awake for two hours before it actually went off, but I waited anyway. I jumped out of... My Childhood Memory Essay -- essays research papers My Childhood Memory I remember it like yesterday. We were all waiting patiently for my father to come home from the race track. He promised me and my sister that if he won, he would take us all to Rye Playland. The minutes felt like hours. It was the longest hour of my life. Then finally we heard the car door shut. Me and my sister ran to the front door anxiously waiting for the news. He opened the door and walked in. We tried to read the expression on his face but of course he was looking down while taking his sneakers off. The suspense was killing us. Then he looked up. No words were spoken between us and our father. He just gave us a blank stare. I didn't know what to think. I was scared to ask because I was so worried of the response. It was that moment when he said to us, "Well kids, pick out what your going to wear to Rye playland this weekend." Excitement just jumped through out my whole body. We both ran over and gave him the biggest hug and ran upstairs to pick out what we were g oing to bring with us. I was so excited for the next two days, I probably only got about 4 hours sleep. Then the day finally came. It was Saturday. It was the only time in my life I was happy to hear the alarm clock go off. Of course I was already awake for two hours before it actually went off, but I waited anyway. I jumped out of...

Functions Of Management Essay -- Business Management

There may be many ways for an organization to become successful but the key to success is not the system of the firm but the character and skills of the individual manager (Maister, 2002). Maister further stated that the character and skill of individual managers who "practice what they preach" and recognize the manager's role in training employees are what's really significant. Management is necessary for a business to function, yet when exploring the role of the manager, it becomes rather complex. Managers must be resourceful; they are individuals who wear many hats. The job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management. Richard Daft definition of management is "the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through the employment of the four management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources" (2005). Daft adds that these functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent. The first of these functions, planning, involves creating a systematic process for achieving the goals of the firm. It prepares the organization for the future. Planning can take many forms and a variety of methods may be employed. Creativity and communication becomes very important in the function of planning. For example, during my employment with a tax service, in planning a marketing campaign several people had to be contacted. Communication was initiated in different forms such as e-mail, telephone, written memorandums and creative jingles. Today managers make use of planning through software and technological items such as blackberries in order to be well prepared during the planning process. Planning can also be seen as a way of control. ... ... needed (2005). Managers also play an important role is advancing these goals. Rather than just manipulating things and people to achieve goals, managers must advance overall organizational goals through the use of information systems. Technology is one element that is helping managers take control. The use of the internet and other technology has enabled them to keep tabs on performance without maintaining daily authoritarian control over employees (Daft, 2005). In Maister's book, "Practice What You Preach", he list nine statements as the most important truths for employees and profitability. The performance from company to company, despite the country, the size of the practice and the line of business, the four functions of management I found to be equally significant in his nine truths. Works Cited Maister, D.H. (2001), "Practice What You Preach"

Dugong Research :: Marine Mammals Biology Essays

Dugong Research Scientific name: Dugong Dugon Status: Vulnerable to extinction since 1982 (IUCN) Appendix I of CITES Taxonomy: Class Mammalia Order Sirenia Family Dugongidae Genus Dugong Species dugon Common Name dugong or sea cow Local Name duyong or baboy dagat Description: The dugong is one of the 24 species of marine mammals present in the Philippine waters. The dugong is the only representative of the order Sirenia to be found in the country. It is a truly unique aquatic animal, being the only herbivorous mammal whose preferred habitat is the sea. Like people and other mammals, the dugong is warm-blooded, has hairs, breathes air and the mother suckles their young. It has been noted that stories on mermaids are attributed to this unique animal due to its striking resemblance – fish-like tail, brownish smooth skin, mammary glands, woman-like genitalia and even its’ suckling baby. An adult dugong can grow to more than three meters in length and can weigh more than 400 kg. Newborns are a little over a meter, while mature animals measure at least 2.5 meters in length (Marsh et al. 1984). The dugong’s body is torpedo-shaped with whale-like flukes. The neck is short and indistinct. The flippers are small and short are used for manoeuvring and as a support during feeding or resting at the sea bottom. The color of an adult dugong is greyish bronze, which becomes lighter ventrally. Neonates and juveniles are lighter and are browner in color. The skin is tough, heavily scarred and usually colonized with barnacles in older animals. Short/stiff hair and fine/thin hair is sparsely distributed throughout the back of the animal. Hair is almost absent in the abdomen but are large, thick and abundant in the snout region. The upper lip forms the rostral disc, which is horseshoe in shape and is covered with a lot of thick and long vibrissae used for probing. A unique feature is around 25-35 mm thick (not as thick compared to other marine mammals, since protection from the cold is not a great problem for this warm and shallow water species).

How African American Humor has Evolved and the Way We Look at Comedy

Professor Jim Gray of Sonoma State University defines culture as a means of survival. Going by this definition of culture the evolution of black humor has definitely been a foundation in the survival of the comedy in America. This paper will be a discussion of how African American Humor has evolved and for centuries has changed and continues to change the way we look at comedy. Before beginning this paper, I must stress the importance of humor for all races. Truly, the environment in which most humor takes place has helped American culture and people survive. According to Constance Rourke, humor is important because: â€Å"1. Humor is a part of the natural life process and is commonly taken for granted or not recognized as having serious importance. The fact that humor is a framework for `non-real' or `play' activity and not taken as a `serious' interaction allows messages and formulations to be `risked' within its framework which would not otherwise be acceptable or possible. 3. Humor allows the exploration of new ideas in situations of uncertainty or unfamiliarity. Similarly allowed are the negotiation of taboo topics, sensitive issues, and marginal serious content. 4. Humor performs a boundary function on both internal and external lines, policing groups in terms of membership and acceptable and competence behavior. 5. Humor can function as a coping device to release tension, allay fear, forestall threat, defuse aggression or distance the unpleasant. 6. Humor can represent an implicit contradiction, paradox or `joke in the social structure' made explicit. The `joke' constitutes a reversal within its boundaries of the patterns of control in the real world. 7. `Canned' jokes and `situational' jokes are not entirely separate. Canned jokes are not sealed from the situation in which they are told as they always affect it and incorporate interaction into their pattern; situation jokes always have some impact beyond their context. Langston Hughes says, â€Å"Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it. Of course, you laugh by proxy. You're really laughing at the other guy lacks, not your own. That's what makes it funny-The fact that you don't know you are laughing at yourself. Humor is when the joke is on you but hits the other fellow first-Because it boomerangs. Humor is what you wish in your secret heart were not funny, but it is, and you must laugh. Humor is your unconscious therapy† (Hughes, 1966) Laughter for centuries has been the medicine that has helped to ensure the survival of African Americans. â€Å"Herded together with others with whom they shared only a common condition of servitude and some degree of cultural overlap, enslaved Africans were compelled to create a new language, a new religion, and a precarious new lifestyle. † (Joyner, 1984) As Africans were unloaded by boat and placed onto plantations, slave masters were completely enthralled by the way they spoke, moved, and danced. Out of slavery emerged a culture that would influence America's mainstream culture for infinity. Slavery created bondage for Africans and when it looked like they were going nowhere fast; they laughed, sang, and amused one another with riddles, jokes and animal tales from the homeland. Slave masters could not conceive why slaves in such a miserable state were so joyous, what they did not know was many of the songs, jokes and riddles were more than surface deep and many times about the master. The slaves made the best of the circumstances through humor and by laughing at the way the slave master treated them and their reaction to this treatment. They were laughing at the slave master and at the same time laughing at themselves. However, it did not take long before slave masters made slave merry-making public. Many times slaves were called upon to entertain master and their guests. Slave merry-making was also encouraged because it also increased the price of the slaves. â€Å"People took notice to the way slaves spoke and moved, out of slavery evolved Blackface Humor. (Watkins, 1994) Blackface comedy was when a person (white) painted their face with black makeup and acted like a slave (Sambo). Blackface humor gave whites the chance to lift African American Humor from its original context, transform it, then spotlight it as their own entertainment, amusement (for non-black audiences) it became popular for it is supposed originality. As blackface entertainment became more popular so did the actors. George Washington Dixion introduced â€Å"Coal Black Rose† (Watkins) one song â€Å"Sambo and Cuffee†, (Watkins) was a comic song about a black woman and her lover. Dixion performed this act all over the world; some would argue that Dixion was the first white blackface performer to establish a broad reputation. By the 1830's, blackface performers were everywhere becoming one of the most popular attractions of the American stage. Billy Whitlock, Frank Brower, Frank Pelham and Dan Emmett were also very popular blackface performers. Dixion created the one man, show but these men created a troupe of blackface performers. They also firmly established the image of blacks as happy-go-lucky plantation darkies, outrageously dresses and ignorant. Although there were other blackface performers before them, these men were the only ones who could give a real show from the makeup to the costume. â€Å"By the 1840's blackface performances had reached an unprecedented level of national popularity. â€Å"(Watkins) There were many performance troupes, even professional juvenile troupes. Each followed a standard; they had a three-act presentation. The first act opened up with a walkaround where the entire troupe came out made up in face paint and dressed in suits. They than gathered in a semicircle to alternate comic songs and jokes. Here is a common type of joke many used; it is called; Mr. Bones: â€Å"Does us black folks go to hebbin? Does we go through dem golden gates? † Mr. Tambo: â€Å"Mr. Bones, you know the golden gates is for white folks. † Mr. Bones: â€Å"Well, who's gonna be dere to open demm gates for you white folks? † For many of the white people watching the show the most funny and exciting part was the joke telling. In the second act-the â€Å"olio or variety segment†- was the stump speech speaker. This occured when one member performed a comic, black version of a topic. Topics would range from, emancipation, women's suffrage, education or another current political or scientific topic. The goal was to show how blacks could not comprehend nor interpret sophisticated ideas. The third and final part of the show was a slapstick plantation skit, featuring song and dance with costumed men and women dressed as slaves. After the Civil War, blackface troupes hired on free black men and women to perform with them. White audiences became upset and angry at many troupes. After the war and emancipation – during the reconstruction period constitutional amendments were passed to assure civil rights and voting rights for former slaves and some blacks were elected members of the House and Senate; Whites wanted to be assured that blacks were still inferior and blackface troupes were not showing this by continuing to hire blacks. Therefore, audiences depleted, and many troupes that had incorporated blacks started to perform on circuits like the â€Å"Chitlen circuit,† which hit most black owned theaters. Blacks who were part of the troupes started to branch off and start their own troupes. In doing this, they altered the usual blackface performance routine. First, they altered song lyrics, instead of singing songs that downgraded blacks; songsters would play on white fears and mock them. Many blacks took off the face paint and introduced musical comedies. Black musical comedies made many black performers successful. White already loved black music so the musical comedy fit right into the market. Still many of these comedies were on the circuit, and confined to black theaters. It was not until later that musical comedies were featured on Broadway. When musical comedies appeared on Broadway â€Å"Lyles and Miller a very successful team created a whole new approach to the comedies. â€Å"(Watkins) They presented at the end of their acts a group of women who danced and sang with the stereotypical attitude many felt black urban women had. This simple addition astounded Broadway and critics raved. Eventually, every black troupe evolved to use this form. Black Musical Comedies took blacks to another level of comedy yet, they were unable to shake the sambo stereotypical image given to them by white blackface performers. Licensed radio was introduced in 1920, because of the low budget and inadequate facilities, news shows and music provided by local groups dominated the airwaves. By 1922, there were over 522 licensed stations and radio sales increased from $1million in 1920 to $400million in 1925. By 1929, one in every three homes owned radios ten years later there was a radio in almost every home. Radio was a medium where its listeners could hear concerts, comic monologues, sporting events and political speeches as they happened. â€Å"(MacDonald, 1981) Radio at first initially ignored blacks, as in the blackface performance days they were imitated by whites. In 1925, Freeman F. Gosden and Charles J. Correll a minor duo debuted as musicians on a radio station in Chicago. They played at this radio station for a while and later moved to a station owned by the Chicago Tribune. There they were approached by management about doing a broadcast edition to the comic strip â€Å"The Gumps. † The two refused the offer but suggested an alternative, a black – dialect show. Gosden and Correll made a series based on two black names â€Å"Sam ‘N' â€Å"Henry†, which would later become known as â€Å"Amos ‘N' â€Å"Andy†. Sam ‘N' Henry debuted on January 12, 1926 (Dunning, 1925-1976) The characters Sam and Henry still depended on the stereotypical images of blacks created during the blackface (minstrel) performance years. Blacks were superstitious, naive, easily influenced, lazy, ignorant and conniving. On March 19, 1928, three months after the â€Å"Sam† ‘N' â€Å"Henry† show had been cancelled, â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy† mysteriously appeared on a rival station in Chicago. Gosden and Correll had come up with the idea presented it to the station and it was accepted. This show was far more successful than Sam and Henry; Amos N Andy was recorded and leased to forty other radio stations. In August 1929, Pepsodent became the first major sponsor of a black comedy show. Amos N Andy was the number one show in the country. By 1935, 70 percent of American home (40 million) listeners tuned in each night. Sayings from the show hit the streets â€Å"Ain't dat sumptin',† â€Å"Splain dat to me',† and â€Å"Holy Mackerel† became popular. Even with its popularity, the show had a down time. Radio stations modernized their broadcast methods; comedians were no longer forced to work without an audience. This is when variety shows begin to take the market. In 1943, Gosden and Correl returned to the air with a thoroughly revamped half an hour version of â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy†. The show was performed before a live audience and featured an orchestra and chorus. â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy† represented a breakthrough for black comedians on radio and television as well. Although one-person acts were not popular during the variety show period, Moms Mabley set the stage for many comedians that would come after her. Jackie â€Å"Moms† Mabley. Born in North Carolina in 1897, Mabley grew up in Cleveland Ohio, by the time she was sixteen she had became a stage performer. She began as a dancer and singer and dabbled in comedy. During the 1920's, she was performing on the chitlen circuit in Dallas, where another teams saw her act and helped her get better bookings. Like many performers, she appeared in skits with other performers at first. However, Mabley did not like this and she was one of the first comics to turn to monologue humor. She appeared on the stage with oversized clodhoppers, tattered gingham dresses and oddball hats she acted like a typical down to earth older black woman. Mabley worked with many performers but she did her best when she was alone. She was famous for her costume and her shuffle, she would sing some comical version of a popular song, tell stories or just stand there and the audience loved it. Mabley foreshadowed the shift to direct social commentary and stand up comic techniques that would dominate humor and comedians to come. Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Redd Foxx, Steve Allen, Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldburg, Eddie Murphy, and many other popular black and white comedians have evolved from the history of comedy. The images that were passed on from slavery still thrive at the root of jokes many comedians of today tell. Black comedians have finally gotten away from the white interpretation of black humor and created original black humor from an African American perspective to the world. Black comedy has come to be the voice of the struggle, pain, and joy African American people have gone through and are continuing to going through. Humor will continue to be a driving force to bring people of all ethnicities together to laugh at the good and bad times of our country. Without humor, would we really survive?