Training Skips Effective Techniques of Teaching :: essays papers

Training Skips Effective Techniques of Teaching â€Å"U.S. Educators’ Training Skips Effective Techniques of Teaching†: Article Review The article, U.S. Educators’ Training Skips Effective Techniques of Teaching, states that teachers in the United States have not been sufficiently trained on the details of beneficial teaching techniques. According to a study done by James W. Stigler, the United States’ teaching styles are drastically different than those of other countries. For example, Stigler found that teachers in America focus their math lessons primarily on rote learning and repetitive drills. On the other hand, in Japan teachers let the students make mistakes in hopes that these mistakes will later help them understand the problem and the reasoning behind it. The article also explains how teachers in the United States tend to stay isolated in their room and do not share or discuss their teaching techniques and experiences with each other in order to seem unintrusive. In Japan, the teachers often form teams to create lessons and share ideas while also clustering all their desks into one room. A t hird example of the differences among American schools compared to schools in other countries is the teacher’s main topics of discussion concerning their students. In America teachers tend to discuss student discipline instead of instruction, while in Japan, discussion focuses on different ways to teach lessons and concepts. This article states how American teachers need to work collaboratively and share their knowledge with their colleagues in order to help our students. I agree with this article when it states that â€Å"†¦[the U.S.] needs to create a culture in which teachers examine the way they teach and how they can better achieve their own goals. I feel that this article gave some good examples on how American schools need to improve their teaching techniques to help the students. While it is important to teach students the process of a math problem, for example, it is also just as important to teach them the underlying concept for the problem. Children need to be able to experiment and discover for themselves what math concepts mean in order to own and understand the information or skill. If students are not taught reasons for why they are learning something, they will not be interested. I also believe that discussions between teachers should focus on sharing their techniques and instructional ideas with each other rather than on discipline and logistics.

Decision Driven Organisation

The Decision-Driven Organization Harvard Business Review – June 2010 The subject discussed in the article â€Å"Decision–Driven Organization† is that structural reorganizations should be done based on the decisions that matter the most to the organization instead of the goals that the organization is trying to reach. The coauthors stressed on how important this issue is and that it should be taken into consideration by organizations while preparing for reorganization since.As shown in the examples provided, a lot of companies went through structural changes for the wrong reasons aiming at a better performance and ended up decreasing it instead of increasing it. On the other hand, the examples about decision-driven reorganization had better results in improving the company’s performance.The coauthors focused in specific on the reasons why reorganization should be done around the set of critical decisions for an organization and supported it with examples an d surveys about reputed companies showing that reorganizations around goals failed in view of the facts that it ignored the decision making process and that performance and structure don’t have a strong relationship. The arguments that the authors used to demonstrate his point are the performance and the importance of decisions.As per the coauthors, the main goal of all reorganization is to reach better performance. What the managers fail to see is, that the performance of an organization is not only determined by the organization’s structure; as shown by the examples provided in this article, sometimes changing the structure to meet a certain goal can slow the decision making and create problems rather than help solve them which results in a poor performance.The methodology used in this point is very convincing especially that it shows the result of a survey conducted on a large amount of organizations worldwide, and the coauthors added a short test to give the reader s the ability to compare the result of their organization to the result of those who were subject to the survey. The coauthors also debated the fact that using a SWOT analysis is not the right tool to be used while starting reorganization and suggested to start it with decision audit instead; a decision audit is done by considering two types of critical decisions, big decisions which have separately a major impact and small decisions which have altogether an important impact; and then, if and only if reorganization is necessary it should be applied where the decisions matter the most. The authors also supported this suggestion with an actual example dated from 2006 which strengthened their point.Each suggestion in the decision audit was supported with an example which attracted the reader towards using this strategy. Another tool used by the coauthors to help the readers rethink twice before reorganizing a company is a small survey that should be conducted on the company in hand in order to check if the reorganization is needed or not. The authors also discussed how to conduct a decision-driven structure and what are the steps to be followed chronologically.

Different Thinking Between Generations Essay

Young people usually think differently than older people. Each generation doesn’t think the same way in their values, their goals, their fears, or their hopes. I always have to argue with my parents when we have different thinking. It seems that older people always think negatively about young people’s ideas. They don’t want to change because they have never experienced those ideas in their young life. I sometimes feel uncomfortable and misunderstand my parents’ thinking. In my idea, each generation has their own thinking about the subject as living together without marriage, studying at school, and living style. Older people are very strict about the topic: living together without marriage, but young people think that is the way to find out the best spouse for their life. For example, a woman was punished if she was caught that living with a man who wasn’t her husband. My parents think that is the bad girl. Everybody stayed away from her because she did the worst things ever in the social’ standards. Now is different because I think that is normal. Most of my friends are living with their boy/girl-friends in the same house nowadays. In the modern world, young people are more concentrating on finding their perfect half, so they live together before getting married to know each other well. I heard most couples were getting married with people arranged for them in the past. Now, we have freedom in thinking, so young people want to find their best spouses more than living with the person arranged from their parents. The difference in thinking about this subject always makes me to f eel argumentative with my parents. In the past, older people concentrated on studying at school, but young people don’t think they will successful in future by going to school only. For example, my parents and I always have differences in thinking about my studying. They always want me to finish my college quickly and get good grades to find a good job. I tried to convince them that most companies nowadays require more experience than a degree from college. I know the importance of getting business degree which will give me a shot to apply for a large corporation. If I don’t have any experiences in business, I can’t pass the job interview even I have good grade at school. In my parents’ time, the economy was stable and developed, so most of the companies wanted to hire more people. They cared about quantity more than quality, so they didn’t put many requirements for hiring employers. Now, time changes because the economic is going down to the lowest level. All of the companies are hiring only experienced and skilled employers. That is the reason for me to work and study half and half. My parents don’t realize that and they keep expecting me to finish my study to get a job. That is their only thinking, and we always have a fight every time when my parents talk about this subject, because of the difference in thinking between my parents and me. The biggest difference between young people and older people is living style. My parents and I have different thinking about using money for living. In my parents’ past, my country had a war and has just gotten independence since 1975. Everybody was poor and starveling, my parents worked hard to earn money when they were very young. They learnt that saving money is very important because they needed to survive during the country’s hard time. At my time, the country is developing and the society was improved. People make more money than before, but my parents still keep their own thinking that they should save money as much as they can. When I spend money on shopping, hanging out, or playing games, they blame me that I am wasting money. I explained many times that the country is developing, and my parents should spend more money to enjoy their life. They don’t think that is good idea and keep saying to me that I need to save money. In contrast, each generation has difference in thinking from each other in any subject. My parents always remind me to get a good wife and shouldn’t live with other girls if I don’t plan to marry her. They usually complain me that I should study hard and finish my study, and they often warn me to save money. In my opinion, I think differently because my parents’ thoughts are no longer suitable to the modern world.

A congolmeration of ineffective factions.

A congolmeration of ineffective factions does not sound like a flattering description of what we know today as the Grand Old Party. However, it was the same delicately threaded patchwork quilt of a party that has recently given us our 43rd U.S. president. In its broadest sense the Republican party consists of econmic and social conservatives. You have those more econmic minded who feel that if you work hard and save your money, you will not need the governments assistance in acheieving the American dream. Then, you have those who are more socially minded and feel that it is the responsibility of the government to act as the moral agent for the nation. This is important because, the forces at work in the Republican party today are essentially unchanged since the partys formation over one hundred and fifty years ago. In order to achieve better insight as to where we are today in the Republican party, one must look into the various groups absorbed into the party. At the time of the formation of the Republican Party, the government was basically a two party system consisting of the Democrats and the Whigs. The Republicans became a national party when John Freemont was nominated for president. One can ascertain rather clearly what was going on at the time simply by studying the slogan under which Freemont ran: Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." While the Republicans would go on to lose the election, they did garner 33% of the vote. Four years later Abraham Lincoln would be elected the first Republican president. In considering the issues of these groups, a parallel can be drawn with the issues of the Republican party of today. The main concern of the Free Soil Party was ensuring that the land of the Western territory be free of slave labor so that the small farmers and wage-earners would have the opportunity to compete. Such views can still clearly be seen in the

Eastern Deciduous Forests

Eastern Deciduous Forests Deciduous forests once stretched from New England south to Florida and from the Atlantic Coast west to the Mississippi River. When European settlers arrived and in the New World, they began clearing timber for use as fuel and building materials. Timber was also used in ship making, fence building, and railroad construction. As the decades passed, forests were cleared on an ever-expanding scale to make way for agricultural land use and the development of cities and towns. Today, only fragments of the former forests remain with strongholds along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains and within national parks. The Eastern deciduous forests of North America can be divided into four regions. Northern Hardwoods Forests Northern hardwoods forests include species such as white ash, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, American Basswood, American beech, yellow birch, northern white cedar, black cherry, American elm, eastern hemlock, red maple, sugar maple, northern red oak, jack pine, red pine, white pine, red spruce. Central Broad-Leaved Forests Central broad-leaved forests include species such as white ash, American basswood, white basswood, American beech, yellow birch, yellow buckeye, flowering dogwood, American elm, eastern hemlock, bitternut hickory, mockernut hickory, shagbark hickory, black locust, cucumber magnolia, red maple, sugar maple, black oack, blackjack oak, bur oak, chestnut oak, northern red oak, post oak, white oak, common persimmon, white pine, tulip poplar, sweetgum, black tupelo, black walnut. Southern Oak-Pine Forests Southern oak-pine forests include species such as eastern red cedar, flowering dogwood, bitternut hickory, mockernut hickory, shagbark hickory, red maple, black oak, blackjack oak, northern red oak, scarlet oak, southern red oak, water oak, white oak, willow oak, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, sand pine, shortleaf pine, slash pine, Virginia pine, tulip poplar, sweetgum, and black tupelo. Bottomland Hardwood Forests Bottomland hardwood forests include species such as green ash, river birch, yellow buckeye, eastern cottonwood, swamp cottonwood, bald cypress, box elder, bitternut hickory, honey locust, southern magnolia, red maple, silver maple, cherry bark oak, live oak, northern pin oak, overcup oak, swamp chestnut oak, pecan, pond pine, sugarberry, sweetgum, American sycamore, swamp tupelo, water tupelo. The Forests Provides a Habitat for a Variety of Animals The eastern deciduous forests of North America provide habitat for a variety of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. Some of the mammals found in this region include mice, shrews, woodrats, squirrels, cottontails, bats, martens, armadillos, opossums, beavers, weasels, skunks, foxes, raccoons, black bear, bobcats, and deer. Some of the birds that occur in the eastern deciduous forests include owls, hawks, waterfowl, crows, doves, woodpeckers, warblers, vireos, grosbeaks, tanagers, cardinals, jays, and robins. Ecozones: TerrestrialEcosystem: ForestsRegion: NearcticPrimary Habitat: Temperate ForestsSecondary Habitat: Eastern Deciduous Forests of North AmericaAppalachian National Scenic TrailGreat Smoky MountainsShenandoah

Ethics and Global Climate Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Ethics and Global Climate Change - Essay Example While focusing on the subject of global warming, the question arises whether the developed nations should take the greater burden of combating climate change. Climate change Greenhouse effect Global warming happens when the temperature of the earth’s surface rises. The major contribution towards global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide into the air. Global warming can cause serious climate change and can be a grave concern for the health of human beings and all other living beings on this earth. The â€Å"greenhouse effect† is considered as the principal cause of climate change. However, the contribution of greenhouse is a controversial issue. Without the effect of the greenhouse, the surface of the earth would have been much colder than the current temperature. This is one reason why greenhouse effect cannot always be considered as a problem. â€Å"The real problem is the enhanced, human-induced, greenhouse effectà ¢â‚¬  (Gardiner, 2004, p.558). Major Impacts The effects of climate change can have vast impact on the biological life on this earth. Some of the impacts that have been observed so far are â€Å"melting of glaciers, changes in Arctic ecosystems, warming of lakes and rivers, effects on agriculture and forestry, sea-level rise and coastal flooding in some areas†. ... This can be done by the use of â€Å"fuel-efficient vehicles† and by constructing â€Å"energy-efficient buildings†. The most important thing is to learn to become adaptive to climate change and also it is necessary to guide the developing countries towards economic development (Winston & Edelbach, 2011, p.363). Responsibilities of the richer nations According to Gardiner the industrial nations are more responsible for the current grave condition regarding climate change. There have been huge emissions of greenhouse gases during industrial revolution in the 19th century for which the industrial nations have played a major role. The burden of costs as a result of the emissions has fallen disproportionately on the developing countries. Gardiner suggests two ways to the solution. First, â€Å"industrialized nations should bear the costs imposed by their past emissions† and second, â€Å"one must characterize the earth’s capacity to absorb man-made emissions of carbon dioxide as a common resource, or sink† (Gardiner, 2004, p.579). Gardiner thinks that the richer nations have made maximum use of the earth’s capacity in the course of industralisation, and therefore the other countries have not been able to get their due share. According to Gardiner, the richer nations are liable to compensate for â€Å"overusing† the earth’s capacity (Gardiner, 2004, pp.579-580). Justifications It has been suggested by some writers that in the past the developed countries were not aware of the consequences of greenhouses gases on global climate and as such they should not be considered responsible. This argument cannot be conclusive if the impact on the poor population has been severe. If the poor countries do not have the resources to defend

Freedom of Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Freedom of Speech - Essay Example The paper aims to refute all arguments against freedom of speech and provides arguments against any restrictions on freedom of speech in certain countries like Canada. Freedom of speech provides people with different views about life, political condition, people, education, society and the whole world. This freedom is not aimed to defame anyone or anything but people provide their deepest thoughts and perceptions about different issues. These varying ideas and opinions provide the uninformed with a wide range of possibilities and sufficient grounds to make their own judgement. Hence freedom of speech, in this context, must remain untied with restrictions and laws. The criticism against freedom of speech is the fact that people may use this right in order to defame other people, develop controversies and negatively change people’s arguments. The criticisers believe that restrictions must be imposed in order to protect people’s privacy and reputation from the abusers of this freedom. The justification to their criticism is the increasing debates over political, social and religious issues. The increasing conflicts and worsening law and order situation provide them with the chance to stand against such freedom. In my opinion, all these arguments are, to a great extent, baseless. Milton describes in Areopagitica two kinds of people: the prudent ones and others who are imprudent. Prudent class of people are able to distinguish between good and bad, reasonable and unreasonable; imprudent, on the other hand, are unaffected by any judgements. In other words, we may say that prudent class has the power to analyze, asses and judge every event, claim or argument; whereas, imprudent do not have their own opinion and they lack the power of expressing and judging. Hence, imprudent remain unaffected by the opinions and expressions of others and prudent accept the claims only if they have any instance of truth in them. Moreover, it is