Grammar school Essay Example for Free

Grammar school Essay From 1834, the year of emancipation of slaves in Dominica and the other British West Indian colonies to 1845, the popular education that was existent was really religious education. The concept of a state system of education in the West Indies emerged in Britain in 1833 as part of the act to emancipate slaves in British custody. Prior to that, the masses of the people had practically no formal education. In Dominica, from 1834 onwards, the British subsidized primary education through grants but basically, education was imported and promoted mainly by missionaries. The content of education was divorced from the interests and needs of the masses and the community. Emphasis was on the classics and the arts. There is little doubt that the churches original interest in education was the creation of influential educated elite. In practice, their interests were denominational, especially seen in the establishment of secondary schools. Proposed educational policies depended greatly on the availability of funds, which were always insufficient. Therefore, changes and reforms were minimal. The newly elected legislative councils and their leaders gave little support. In reality, education, in practice was for a privileged minority. The populace remained virtually ignorant and illiterate. The pre-emancipation society was therefore not in any sense an educated one. Where slaves received any instruction at all it was of a religious nature provided by the church at long intervals. The authorities had no aims or standards; hence there was no system of formal education. It was against this background that the British Imperial Government incorporated an education grant in the 1833 Act of Emancipation to assist in the educational development of the Negroes. Establishing schools for the masses was provided for by the Act, which included grant money from the imperial government to provide education in the ex-slave colonies. This grant money is known as the Negro Education Grant. It was regarded as an urgent matter. The total grant amounted to a mere ? 30,000 per annum for five years for all the BWI of almost one million people. The decision to allocate the grant was executed through the local legislatures and the religious bodies. The grant was decreased each year and ended in 1845. The denominations were offered financial help to build schools, and later to assist in the payment of teachers’ salaries as the best means of developing a system of education. Dominica’s share of the Grant amounted only to ? 600 to be spent on 14,000 ex-slaves. This amount was very insignificant and was spent mainly by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPCK). After two years it became apparent that the desired and intended results were not forthcoming because of the many difficulties faced. Some churches were unable to accept more grants because they could not bear the recurrent expenditure on their schools. In August 1837, the grant was switched to pay one-third of teachers’ salaries instead. This was insufficient, and the societies did not expand their operations further. As the expected expansion did not materialise the imperial government was disappointed. Hence, the union of the imperial government, local legislatures and the churches could not fulfil the early ambition to create a viable education system. Thus, in 1841, the imperial government started to withdraw the fund. The Mico trustees who had done the most protested, but to no avail. In 1845 it came to an end, and so the burden fell on the West Indian legislatures and workers to increasingly support the education of their own children. In Dominica, the drive towards education for the masses was assisted by the local legislature, thus complimenting the work done by charities and the churches so that by July 1840, Dominica had 20 schools, 10 teachers, 1,086 pupils and total average attendance was 750. The British Imperial Government gave two main reasons for ending the NEG: 1. English workers were said to be worse-off than West-Indian workers 2. The Baptists were said to be prospering – although they had refused all aid Both claims were false. The churches lacked both money and resources. The British felt in the case of Dominica that the Catholic Church could not and would not provide appropriate education. They therefore supported alternatives to church schools. They decided to provide secular schools and to withdraw grants to the church schools. This was strongly opposed until a compromise was reached. The main success of the period of the NEG was the idea of popular education. The Provision of Secondary Education in Dominica: Providers and Gender Issues From the foregoing, one can appreciate the fact that the provision of education was a task that involved the participation of several providers or stakeholders: The British Imperial Authority, the Local Legislature or Assembly, the Church (especially the Catholics) and the Charities (especially the Mico Trust). Prior to emancipation, the provision of education was the responsibility of the churches and the charities. Education was very limited and very few benefited. In reality, what ever was taught was basically religious education. With the passage of the Act of Emancipation, an attempt was made to establish popular education. The NEG thus provided the needed funds for this purpose but eventually ended in failure. These funds were channelled through the bodies mentioned above, especially through the charities and the churches. By 1868 the main providers were mainly the state (the Local Legislature) and the church. It must not be forgotten that the vast majority of the population were Catholics and therefore co-operation and compromise between the two bodies were of paramount importance. By that date, the majority of primary schools belonged to the state i. e. 18 out of 33 (54%). This was unique, for no other West Indian society had such participation by the state in educational provision. In the case of secondary education, the provision was by the Church (Catholic). The first establishment for the provision of secondary education was the Convent High School (CHS) in 1858. This was exclusively for the children of the local elite. The children of the rural peasantry and the working classes were excluded. The state provided some funds for the school. But there were no secondary education provided for the masses. It is again unique to Dominica in that early period that post-primary education was being provided only to girls when this gender was marginalized in the rest of the W. I and in Britain itself. Even today, in 2000, over 65% of secondary school students are girls. The figures for the Clifton Dupigny Community College, University of Technology (Jamaica) and University of the West Indies are roughly the same. In the case of Dominica, male marginalisation has had a long history, contrary to popular opinion. Due to mounting pressure and clamour for secondary education for boys and the children of the masses, the state established the Dominica Grammar School (DGS) on the 16th of January 1893, with a registration list of 25 boys under the headmastership of one tutor, Mr. W. Skinner (M. A – a graduate from Catherine’s College, Cambridge, England). It was to be run as a government school, with the aim to provide higher education for boys. The building being used was a personal gift from Mr. Dawbiney, a respectable Jamaican who had settled in the island. The DGS remained a boy’s school until 1972. This occurred at a time when the number of girls selected by the Common Entrance Examinations far surpassed that of boys. The first DGS girls came from the CHS and the WHS. The total number of girls on the roll for that year totalled 34 out of a total of 560 students. Thus a reluctant but necessary era commenced in that year – the DGS becoming a co-educational institution under the headship of Mr. J. K. Gough (B. Sc; Dip. Ed. from Scotland). In that same year there were 14 Dominican staff members who were university graduates. Not to be outdone by the Catholics, the Wesleyan Society (Methodists) following the tradition of their rivals, opened the second high school for girls in the island, the Wesley High School (WHS) in October 1927. By that year, 80% of the students accessing secondary education were girls. This again was a unique situation second to none in the W. I. This further marginalized the boys given the restrictive and limited nature of access at the time. At this juncture, it is necessary to appreciate the great effort expended by the churches in the provision of secondary education in the island of Dominica, albeit for denominational reasons. In 1932, the Christian Brothers (Catholics) opened the second educational establishment providing secondary education for boys, the Saint Mary’s Academy (SMA). By that year educational provision was roughly equal for both genders with boys now having the slight edge, notwithstanding the fact that the girls were doing better in entrance and scholarship exams. There were insufficient spaces available. An entrance examination would soon be rigorously applied to ration out, select and match the number of students to the available supply of places. This state of inequitable affairs became unbearable as the girls were now being marginalized in favour of boys who were securing less ‘passes’ than girls in the exams. In other words, the selection was a function of available places. The two boys’ schools had more places than the two girls’ schools. Therefore, fewer girls were selected although their average scores were higher than that of boys who secured places. In the1972/1973 school year, the Labour government of Mr. Edward Oliver Leblanc took the bold step to make the DGS co-educational. This occurred at a time when the number of girls who had succeeded at the Common Entrance Examinations far surpassed that of boys. Since then, girls have kept on increasing the education gap or divide to the extent that in Dominica and the West Indies this problem of ‘male marginalisation’ and ‘male underachievement’ and the like, have now become so serious that it threatens the whole concept of male patriarchy. The year 1972 has been regarded as a milestone in Dominica’s educational history as far as secondary education is concerned. From that year all new secondary schools have opted to become co-educational with the exception of the Saint Martin’s Secondary School in 1988. Another important milestone in our educational history is the year 1971. For the first time, secondary educational provision moved out of Roseau with the establishment of the co-educational Portsmouth Secondary School (PSS). This greatly reduced the cost burden to parents in the northwest, north and northeast of the island, who, hitherto had to make tremendous sacrifices to provide education for their children in the capital, Roseau. By 1974, the Common Entrance Examinations as a selector of educational life chances was psychologically so devastating to pupils that those who were not selected felt that they were ‘rejects’ and ‘failures’ with no hope or future. It was against this backdrop that a group of concerned persons headed by Ms. Jean Finucane-James decided to provide a ‘second chance’ to those pupils that was not based on a selective exam. This co-educational school was named the Dominica Community High School (DCHS). Apart from the PSS, the early 1970s were characterised for having secondary education concentrated in the capital city of Roseau. The ‘70s was a period of political upheaval. In August 1979, Hurricane David struck and the island was devastated: 43 deaths, massive destruction of crops and the forest, wildlife was decimated, schools and the social and economic infrastructure was destroyed. The economy came to a standstill. Educationally, the students suffered greatly. A large number of students from the northeast could not attend the Roseau schools. In the aftermath of the hurricane, two schools were opened in the northeast: St. Andrew’s High School (SAHS) in 1979, located in Londonderry which is run and operated by the Methodists and in 1980, the Marigot Foundation High School (MFHS) headed by Mr. Martin Roberts, a former Methodist minister. The last named school was eventually renamed the Marigot Secondary School (MSS) when in 1999 it passed over to the state. These two schools are co-educational institutions. In this catchment area the Common Entrance Exams consistently selects more girls than boys. In the 1980s four schools were established. In 1981, the Seventh-Day Adventists began to provide secondary education. The Seventh-day Adventist Secondary School (SASS) is located in the Portsmouth suburb of Granvillia. It is a co-ed school. In that very same year the co-ed St. Joseph Campus of the DGS was opened which later became a separate entity as the St. Joseph Secondary School. In 1996 it was renamed the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School. In 1988, two government co-ed secondary schools were established from what were formerly Junior Secondary Programmes: the Goodwill Secondary School (GSS) and the Grand Bay Secondary School (GBSS). In that same year, the Catholic–run St. Martin’s School for girls upgraded its technical/vocational wing into a fully-fledged secondary school called the St. Martin’s Secondary School (SMSS). With the opening of these new schools and the continued use of the Common Entrance Exams the gender balance continue to be in favour of girls to the detriment of boys. In October 1994 the Nehemiah Christian Foundation headed by Mrs. Rhoda George opened the Nehemiah Comprehensive School with 60 boys and girls. The school is located in Jimmit, Mahaut. In the financial year 1995/96 the government entered into a loan agreement  with the World Bank to fund the Basic Education Reform Project (BERP). One of the three main objectives of the project was to expand access to secondary education. Under the project, this objective was fulfilled in the co-ed Castle Bruce Secondary School (CBSS) in 1998. TABLE I DOMINICA: Academic Secondary Schools, 2002/03 |School |Year Founded |Boys |Girls |Total |Status | |Convent High School | | | | | | | |1858 |0 |493 |493 |Assisted | |Dominica Grammar School |1893 |518 |281 |799 |State | |Wesley High School |1927 |0 |287 |287 |Assisted | |St. Mary’s Academy |1932 |420 |0 |420 |Assisted | |Portsmouth Secondary School |1971 |402 |435 |837 |State | |Dominica Community High School |1975 |79 |46 |125 |Assisted | |St. Andrew’s High School |1979 |233 |292 |525 |Assisted | |Marigot Secondary School |1980 |86 |59 |145 |Assisted | |Isaiah Thomas Secondary School |1981 |312 |393 |705 |State | |SDA Secondary School |1981 |108 |87 |195 |Private | |St. Martin’s Secondary School |1988 |0 |306 |306 |Assisted | |Goodwill Secondary School |1988 |380 |262 |642. |State | |Grand Bay Secondary School |1988 |334 |343 |677 |State | |Nehemiah Comprehensive School |1994 |64 |73 |137 |Assisted | |Castle Bruce Secondary School |1998 |266 |291 |557 |State | |Orion Academy |2003 | | | |Private | |Total | |3 202 |3 648 |6 850 | | Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, 2002/03 The School Curriculum Several factors impinge on the development of the curriculum in Dominica: slavery, colonialism, politics, economics, religion, socio-cultural biases, parents, teachers and the learners themselves. In the pre-emancipation era the curriculum that existed was of a religious nature. The society was largely illiterate and ignorant. There existed no notion or idea of popular or mass education. With emancipation in 1834, the rudiments of a system of education began to take shape. The limited curriculum was non-scientific and bookishly academic based on rote and memory teaching and learning. By 1868, as the primary system took root the three r’s were taught namely reading, writing and arithmetic. The system that was taking shape was one that would provide labourers and servants and no more. At the secondary level, the curriculum catered for the children of the elite: Maths, Science, Geography, English, Greek, and Latin. The colonial powers and the local legislatures controlled the educational system. In other words, the ruling elites/classes decided who should be taught, what should be taught, when, how and where. The entire process from start to finish was decided for the learner. In 1899, Agriculture was being promoted as a subject to be taught so that the learner would become an agricultural labourer or worker on an estate or join the ranks of the impoverished peasantry. So agricultural schools were encouraged. In this way the islands would remain as sources of primary agricultural produce. When the British abolished the local legislatures and imposed direct crown colony rule the curriculum again was being used as a tool to keep the masses in their place. It limited them to learn the basics and agriculture. Attempts were made to improve education at the end of the First World War (1914-1918): salaries to teachers, payments by results and attempts at compulsory education. The West Indian Conference in Dominica in 1932 urged the region to struggle for compulsory education among other things. This failed. In 1957, the ministerial system was brought to Dominica with some exercise of authority by the house of assembly. But power still lied with the British parliament. Budgets could be passed, but had to be approved by Britain. In 1967, Dominica became an associate state with Gt. Britain. All internal matters were under local jurisdiction, but foreign affairs, trade and defence resided with Gt. Britain. Dominica could now influence and shape educational progress, but very little happened. The primary system continued to develop. The high schools became stagnant. The last one to be established was in 1936 (SMA). Thirty-seven years passed before the next one, the PSS was established. By 1978, the curriculum at the primary was now being driven by the Common Entrance Examinations to the detriment of all else. The same thing could be found at the secondary schools. The entire curriculum was driven by foreign external examinations. The foreign element was removed in 1985 when we switched from the Cambridge and London GCE ‘O’ Levels to the regionally based CXC examinations. But the GCE ‘A’ Levels still continue to dictate the curriculum at the post-secondary level. In 1998, CXC began to test pilot its own ‘A’ Levels known as CAPE, which will soon replace the English-based GCE ‘A’ Levels. The School Curriculum and Examinations The CXC and the GCE curriculum dictate the locus and focus of secondary education in Dominica. These exams cater for the 30-40% of the ability range of secondary students. The entire curriculum was driven by foreign external examinations. The foreign element was removed in 1985 when we switched from the Cambridge and London GCE ‘O’ Levels to the regionally based CXC examinations. But the GCE ‘A’ Levels still continue to dictate the curriculum at the post-secondary level. In 1998, CXC began to test pilot its own ‘A’ Levels known as CAPE, which will soon replace the English-based GCE ‘A’ Levels. The HSC, LSC and GCE dominated the curriculum of secondary schools since the 1880s. The failure rates were very high at both the ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels. It was also a drain on the scarce resources of the region. The minimum of 5 ‘O’ Level subjects were required to move into the sixth form and five subjects were needed of which 2 must be at ‘A’ Level for university entry. The Caribbean was influenced by educational and curriculum developments in North America and Europe, especially Britain. Revolutionary curricular changes in maths and science were being undertaken in the USA as a result of the Russian success in Sputnik I. In the U. K, the Nuffield Foundation invested heavily in a science development project. In 1969-70, the West Indian Science Curriculum Innovation Project (WISCIP) began at St. Augustine, UWI, and Trinidad. It was a new approach with emphasis on enquiry and experimentation, understanding and constructive thinking. This was introduced in the DGS and the other high schools of the time. During that same period ‘New Mathematics’ was introduced in the schools’ curriculum. All five of the secondary schools in Dominica adopted it. The Convent High School had their first ‘O’ Level candidates in 1971, and the DGS in 1972. Results in all Caribbean schools were not so good at first because of the unfamiliarity with the new approaches and topics such as inverses, identities, algebra of sets and matrices, decimalisation and metrification, vectors, inequalities and topology. At first most of the schools used the School Mathematics Project (SMP) books, but these were replaced by the Joint Schools Project (Caribbean edition) series, as part of the CEDO/UNESCO/UWI Caribbean Mathematics Project. The CXC was established in 1972 to serve the Commonwealth Caribbean. The process took over 10 years. The CXC was to replace the GCE exams. It would develop syllabi, conduct exams and issue certificates. This was a form of asserting cultural and intellectual independence from our colonial past and from Britain. Politically, the Caribbean has eschewed integration. There was the West Indian Federation as colonies of Britain (1958-1962). It ended in failure due to insularity, nationalism and dependency. With independence, the nations can dictate their educational goals and match these to national needs. In Dominica, we have not had a long history of educational reforms established in law. In 1949 an Education Act was passed to regulate and govern the sector. This was changed in 1997 when the new Education Act was passed. This was part of an attempt to harmonise education legislation in the Eastern Caribbean. In 1995 the Basic Education Reform Project was launched (BERP). The Project had three main objectives: 1. to strengthen the management and planning capacity of the Ministry, 2. to enhance the quality of education, and 3. to expand and conserve school places. Economically, we live in an interdependent world, a global village. We are partners bargaining from a position of weakness. Unequal terms of trade, onerous foreign debts, trade deficits and balance of payment problems deplete our resources so that our educational budgets are severely constrained. In general (1999 2004), Dominica spends about 17% of its recurrent budget on education, 1-2% on materials and supplies and about 80% on personal emoluments. New Curriculum Developments. Primary schools follow a curriculum, which has recently been reviewed by the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU). Schools have been provided with curriculum guides for English Language, Mathematics and General Science for Grades K to 6. Curriculum guides for Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and English Language were to become available in September 1999 for grades K to 6. A curriculum guide for Social Studies has been prepared for Form 1 at the secondary level. Workbooks for Grades k to 3 for English were to have been made available from September 1999. In addition a curriculum guide for Health and Family Life covering primary and secondary age ranges is being monitored and supported in schools. A draft national policy for this was presented to Cabinet in August 1998 but has not yet been officially approved. The CDU has planned to review Music, PE, Art and Craft, and Agriculture in 2001 as well as to start writing and production of support materials for pupils and teachers. The revised primary schools curriculum appears to be appropriate at the national level. The main problem appears to be in its delivery. The main need at the primary level for curriculum development is in relation to adapting the teacher’s guides for multigrade teaching and provision of differentiated activities for all subjects and all classrooms. Dominica does not have a National Curriculum and therefore, the curriculum de facto is determined by each school and in practice is closely related to the requirements of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) other external examinations and higher ability students. A balance needs to be struck between the academic and practical skills education in the secondary sector in any future national curriculum. The Ministry of Education has outlined the following process to arrive at the promulgation and implementation of the National Curriculum (NC): National Curriculum Committee (NCC) established in school year 1999/2000 NCC reviews existing curriculum: locally and regionally Under the NCC, Subject Teams and Subject Areas are established Development of Syllabi, and Curriculum Guides in Core Subject Areas Curriculum Training of Staff/Subject Team Members Resource Provision First Draft National Curriculum in Core Subject Areas Review of Draft Curriculum Development of Curricula in other subject areas. Establishment of National Norms and Standards for all subjects Piloting of National Curriculum in a cross-section of schools Promulgation of National Curriculum by Minister of Education Use by all schools of the National Curriculum as of September 2003 The Secondary Education Support Project (SESP) had been working with the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) to write and pilot a revised curriculum for Forms 1 to 3 in the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, incorporating activities for average and below average ability pupils. Drafts of curriculum guides for Form 1 have been completed and were made available to schools in September 1999. All the guides for the four core subjects were made available in 2001. The CDU also has completed work in Music, Art, Craft, and Agriculture. However, the major curriculum need resides in the consideration of a curriculum which will meet the needs of all students – academic, technical/vocational, aesthetic, spiritual, moral and for citizenship and fulfill the ambitions set out in the 1997 Education Act. This would be especially so when Universal Secondary Education is achieved.

Friedrich Froebels Theory and Ideas on Play

Friedrich Froebels Theory and Ideas on Play Discuss Froebels ideas about Play, and the Environments and Resources which support childrens development. Reflect on the Value of Froebels ideas today. Illustrate your answer with examples from your childhood and any observations you have of children at home or in an early years settings. Introduction Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) was a German educator most famous for his insight into the importance of the early years of a childs life to their development and later life. Furthermore he also considered that the effect of early life extended beyond the educational achievement into health and society at large. Froebel created kindergartens (childrens gardens) as he perceived a childs growth to be like a plant growing and thriving where the right conditions exist. Within the kindergartens he utilised his principles and practices, including experience of out of doors activities, as an important part of the educational practice. He developed a series of gifts which are designed to be a gift in two senses: firstly in the sense of being given to the child as a gift and secondly as a gift of development. The gifts, which are learning tools, were planned to be age relevant and to encourage development and self-actualisation in the child (Provenzo, 2009) p88-89). The kindergarten and Froebels approach have had a massive impact on early learning and still has relevance today. Froebels influence in the present day The early years of life are vital to the overall development of a child. During this time the emotional parameters are learned together with ways to interact with others and learning through experiences (Sroufe, 1997 p.1-8). In order to maximise the benefit of this time correct stimulation and provision of tools/toys that will enable the child to explore and learn about themselves and the world around them are necessary. Froebel specifically devised his principles for ages 1-7. The Froebel approach involves the principles, pedagogy and environment. The principles take a holistic view of the individual childs progress and recognises their uniqueness, capacity and potential. In addition play is seen to be fundamental and important in the childs development. Part of the learning includes understanding, and working with, the place of humankind in the natural world. Finally the principles recognise the integrity of childhood and of the child as part of a family and of the community (Hermann, 1926 p.201-205). The pedagogy involves having knowledgeable and appropriately qualified professionals to provide skilled informed observation of the children and provide appropriate guidance and teaching. Key to the process of teaching is that is must reach the imaginative, creative, symbolic, linguistic, mathematical, musical, aesthetic, scientific, physical, social, moral, cultural and spiritual aspects of the child. This clearly shows how wide a range of stimulation is required. The childs development is not just the responsibility of the teachers and it is important that the parents/guardians of the child and their educators work harmoniously together to maintain a consistent approach. Play is central to the process and there needs to be a sense of purpose for the child in that play together with an understanding that the child must be viewed holistically as a thinking, feeling person. Encouragement is used rather than punishment to help the child to expand their self-confidence and autonomy. Play can also be used to help the child learn to be able work alone and also with others (Willinsky, 1990 p154-5) . The environment in which the child is placed will also have an important role in their development. Whilst the environment needs to be safe it must also encourage curiosity, stimulation and challenge. Indoor and outdoor activities widen the possible areas of learning and vary the environment providing interest and variety. Froebal also saw working in an environment that is integral to the community to be important in helping the child to be both independent and interdependent and to understand individuality and community and responsibility and freedom. These basic ideals were set out originally by Froebel in his 1826 book The Education of Man. He viewed his own childhood with limited parental attention and remembered his loneliness and using this as his starting point he developed his ideals. He also drew on the knowledge of previous educators when developing his own system of education (Polito, 1996)(p. 161-173). This point may well need to be revisited now with the advent of computers and television programmes specifically aimed at young children. Research needs to be aimed at determining the effects of lack of face to face attention from parents and other adults at home and learning being handed over to mechanical means. There would appear to be correlations between Froebals situation and that of many children today. Lack of interaction with other children and a range of adults limits the possible range of learning situations and may create problems with social interaction later in life although research into this area needs to be conducted to fully understand the effects. Having only the TV or computer for entertainment will also serious limit the childs imagination through lack of personal interaction and physically being involved in the play. This may affect motor skills too through lack of use and a reduced range of movement. In my own childhood I was always encouraged to use inventive play and would create theatre sets with my friends and we would perform little puppet shows for our parents. This type of play involved a variety of concepts; craft work to create the sets, linguistic skills to write the plays, integrated play by playing with others and dexterity to use puppets. Froebels methods are still valid today and can provide children with a wide range of experiences and instil in them curiosity and interest that can be built upon throughout life. Despite how long ago these principles were first developed they are still fully appropriate today perhaps because they relate to the core aspects of development leaving room for the method to be varied as necessary. The gifts such as gift 2 (a set of 3 blocks one square, one sphere and one cylinder) can be moved together with rods and strings to provide multiple possibilities for interactions. These forms introduce the child to geometry and also allow for free expression within individual play. Gift 2 was a form that so embodied Froebals insights that it was used to create a granite construction over his grave (Froebal webn.d.) [online]. There are many toys available today that have similar possibilities and it is important that children are both allowed to play alone with these items but also that parents share play with them too to help with integrated play. One of the key elements within Froebels thinking was the interaction with nature and the natural world. I remember when I was young that at school we had a wild garden at the rear of the playground and we had classes sitting in that area learning about plants and how they grew taking inspiration from what was growing around us. In current settings some schools are able to encourage children in their own school gardens. Whilst this is not appropriate for very small children their interest and excitement about the outside world can be begun by allowing them to play outside and introducing them to flora and fauna such as watching spring bulbs coming up. Many parents may also need assistance in this area as they have not had these experiences themselves and thus have difficulty in helping their children to develop in this way (Taylor, 2004 p.163-178) . It is, therefore, important that children have access to a variety of environments in order to have the opportunity to understand and learn about different settings. Froebal identified that children will have their own individual thoughts and understanding of the things around them and by interaction and role play develop their knowledge further. (Puckett, 2004 p. 45-6) . He described play as the work of children (Miller, 2009)(p.46-50). The current economic situation may have an impact on the money available to parents. However, children are able to benefit from fewer more appropriate ready-made toys and the freedom to become inventive and create their own entertainment. Children will, for instance, often be more interested in the box something comes in and convert the box into a car or tank or dolls house. Such creative play will expand the childs abilities in many different areas (Robson, 2006 p. 39-55) f. The Government scheme Every Child Matters recognises the importance of the early years of life and sets out a range of proposals to support children, parents and all those involved in the care and education of children (H.M. Government, 2003). Through this provision there is a wide range of information and guidance available that can assist in providing good, safe environments and appropriate resources to facilitate learning. This includes such resources as Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review (available as a free download) produced by the Government which contains a wealth of evidence based information to assist in all areas of child development (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Family, 2009) Conclusion Froebels vision was clear and detailed and still is equally valid today. The way in which it is expressed may have developed further from the original but the basic principles still hold true. The early years are vital to the overall development of a child so it is very important to provide the best environment and resources to facilitate learning. Most children will need to be able to continue with life-long learning to deal with the challenges presented in adult life so stimulating them early on to enjoy learning and creativity prepares them for their futures. Parents, carers and educators need to be working together in order to provide the best environment and resources for children and give them the very best start in life possible. Bibliography Froebel web. (n.d.). Second Gift. Retrieved March 13th, 2012, from Froebel Web an online resource: http://www.froebelweb.org/gifts/second.html H.M. Government. (2003). Every Child Matters. London: Government. Hermann, M. (1926, April). Froebels Kindergarten and What It Means. The Irish Monthly, 54(634), 201-209. Puckett, M. B. (2004). Teaching Young Children An introduction to the early childhood profession. Canada: Delmar Learning. Robson, S. (2006). Developing thinking and understanding in young children. Oxford: Routledge. Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Family. (2009). Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review. London: H.M. Government. Sroufe, L. A. (1997). Emotional Development : The Organization of Emotional Life in the Early Years. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Taylor, L. C. (2004). Academic Socialization: Understanding Parental Influences on Childrens School-Related Development in the Early Years. Review of General Psychology, 8(3), 163–178. Willinsky, J. R. (1990). The Educational Legacy of Romanticism. Ontario: Wilfred Laurier University Press.

Eulogy for Mother :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Mother There is an old Yiddish proverb, when the heart is full, the eyes overflow. And so it is the case when we try to sum up and honor my mother’s life. My mother was a difficult, unusual and complex woman. She loved her daughters, Barbara, Wendy and myself, her sons-in law, Marty, John and David, her grandchildren Kenny, Cory and her stepgrandchildren, Mandy and Taryn, But if she loved her children, she absolutely adored her husband, my father. My Father was the truly abiding center and great passion of my mother’s life, as she was his, and knowing that they were coming up on their sixtieth anniversary only just barely gives you a glimpse at the strength of their love. My mother was not big on verbal or physical expressions of her love, but rather she showed us with her actions. And she often used food as a way of showing her love. She was a very good cook at many foods but she was an extraordinary cook when it came to particular dishes. Like her spaghetti sauce. Most of you here might have met my mother after she retired from spaghetti sauce making, but she used to cook sauce for three days in a 20 quart army pot. Then she would freeze it into quart containers for her children and her own use. Whenever we came to visit her, we would go home on the plane with a shopping bag filled with frozen containers. We felt sorry for those who were not so fortunate as to have the spaghetti sauce queen for a mother. Her Jello pie was famous in our household- whenever we came down we could always count on one there. God have mercy on us when all three of us were there with only one jello pie. And my Aunt Harriet, my mother’s sister, who loved my mother very much, was never jealous in spite of the fact that my mother could so deftly make this pie, while my Aunt’s could never stay put. My Aunt understood my mother’s talents. Years ago, when I was 16 I got mono. It was a whole thing. My sister came over, I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and when they brought me home, I didn’t seem to have an appetite. During the nights of fever she would come in to my bedroom, change the sweat soaked sheets, and put me back to bed.

Macbeth :: essays research papers

MACBETH The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare contains many interesting themes; Shakespeare has taken a time of great change in Scottish history and used it to suit his of purposes. He uses the rise to power of a man to examine issues and ideology of Elizabethan times. The people of the Elizabethan timer believed in the divine right of kings, to put simply the king is gods chosen representative on earth, he speaks to god, to kill a king would bring about horrendous repercussions an turn a peaceful world into chaos. A good example of this chaos is when Macbeth kills Duncan; the day after Ross tells us That the day became as dark as night, a falcon was killed by an owl and that Duncan's horses turned wild and ate each other. Another theme from Macbeth, which is linked to the idea of divine right of kings, is Individuals disrupting the natural order of events. Unnatural acts such as murder and witchcraft are linked to unnatural events in nature. Using the example of duncan's horses, we see, after Macbeth committed an unnatural act (killing Duncan) we learn that his horses ate each other an act that is not natural to horses. Considering both of these, Macbeth had to decide whether it was right for him to change events, but also if he kills Duncan will it mean he, himself may fall victim to someone's vaulting ambition. "Bloody instructions which, being taught, return to plague the inventor" Macbeth Act 1 scene 4 Macbeth is also plagued with the idea of kingship. A bad leader will always equal unhappy times. When Maclom lists the qualities in a king ( Act 4 scene 3)he lists Justice, Verity, Temperance, Stableness, bounty, Perseverance, Mercy, lowliness, Devotion, Patience, Courage, Fortitude. How many of these qualities do we see in Macbeth? The role of good and evil, another major theme in Macbeth is important, because although Macbeth and lady macbeth are comsidered evil, they show weaknessess. It is clear they have got in to deep. I consider the witches to be evil as they corrupted a good man leading him from the values he was brought up to respecthowerve, I do not see Banquo as good. For the reason he did not voice his beliefs that macbeth was the killer, nor Macduff, although he appears as a good man he did abandon his family, leaving them to the wrath and injustice of Macbeth Macbeth :: essays research papers MACBETH The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare contains many interesting themes; Shakespeare has taken a time of great change in Scottish history and used it to suit his of purposes. He uses the rise to power of a man to examine issues and ideology of Elizabethan times. The people of the Elizabethan timer believed in the divine right of kings, to put simply the king is gods chosen representative on earth, he speaks to god, to kill a king would bring about horrendous repercussions an turn a peaceful world into chaos. A good example of this chaos is when Macbeth kills Duncan; the day after Ross tells us That the day became as dark as night, a falcon was killed by an owl and that Duncan's horses turned wild and ate each other. Another theme from Macbeth, which is linked to the idea of divine right of kings, is Individuals disrupting the natural order of events. Unnatural acts such as murder and witchcraft are linked to unnatural events in nature. Using the example of duncan's horses, we see, after Macbeth committed an unnatural act (killing Duncan) we learn that his horses ate each other an act that is not natural to horses. Considering both of these, Macbeth had to decide whether it was right for him to change events, but also if he kills Duncan will it mean he, himself may fall victim to someone's vaulting ambition. "Bloody instructions which, being taught, return to plague the inventor" Macbeth Act 1 scene 4 Macbeth is also plagued with the idea of kingship. A bad leader will always equal unhappy times. When Maclom lists the qualities in a king ( Act 4 scene 3)he lists Justice, Verity, Temperance, Stableness, bounty, Perseverance, Mercy, lowliness, Devotion, Patience, Courage, Fortitude. How many of these qualities do we see in Macbeth? The role of good and evil, another major theme in Macbeth is important, because although Macbeth and lady macbeth are comsidered evil, they show weaknessess. It is clear they have got in to deep. I consider the witches to be evil as they corrupted a good man leading him from the values he was brought up to respecthowerve, I do not see Banquo as good. For the reason he did not voice his beliefs that macbeth was the killer, nor Macduff, although he appears as a good man he did abandon his family, leaving them to the wrath and injustice of Macbeth

Jackie Robinson Essay -- essays research papers

The Great One   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “ He struck a mighty blow for equality, freedom and the American way of life. Jackie Robinson was a good citizen, a great man, and the true American champion.'; Ronald Reagon. I don’t know if anyone could have summarized his life better. Jackie was a great influence to the American public. To over came diversity and succeed is a great accomplishment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, January 31 1919. He went to college at the University of UCLA. Where he was a star in four sports basketball, baseball, football, and track. He is the only bruin to letter in four sports. After college he went to pursue a career in the Army. He soon became a lieutenant. He was put on honorable d...

Ways to Save Energy

We live in the State of Louisiana and our electric is supplied by Enterer formally Gulf States utilities. Enterer provides electric for the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Orleans and Texas. Enterer supplies their electric to our parish from River Bend Nuclear Station in Saint Branchville, Louisiana in West Felicia Parish which Is only 17 minutes from where we are In Jackson, Louisiana. I did not have to research for the source of electric that our company use because this is where my second oldest son works.At this time Enterer is also using renewable energy such as wind and hydro also In producing some of their electric. Last year at this time our electric bill was very high but I reduced our bill this year by only using lights that are needed at that moment, by setting our A/C at 780, only using our oven on the stove as needed, and reducing the usage of our microwave, of course everything in our home is electric so that do cause some problems, some people Just walk out of a room and leave the light on or go out of the door with the air on and leave the door open.The idea of having heating oil or coal coming from Russia would put a change thin a lot of households, imagine having to pay close to $500-$600 Just for lights, there would be a big change with all people because this meaner that the amount of time that it take to use your stove for cooking would change, even the time that is spent on the internet for class or Just for fun would change and all those days from having a television on Just for noise In the background would have to end also.Electric coming from Russia would mean a reduce of usage because there would be a raise in the price of oil, gas and coal. Currently the debate that has my attention has to do with the usage of high ethanol gas. This gas supposed to be cleaner and reduce the emission from regular gas. Currently our ozone layer is steady being destroyed from pollutions that are entering the environment.Having high ethan ol gas would help to reduce this emission but then also having flex-fuel vehicles or an electric vehicle would count towards helping the environment. Explaining Chart: Electric usage for television, computer, electric stove, oven usage on two days, hot water for bathing, cordless phone going down needed recharging, A/C on for cooling the home, ceiling fan on in the living room. Solar: Came to a good usage blinds up on windows did not have to use lights as often.Gas: Two days In a row gas had to be put in our truck, husband and son job hunting and these two days were spent going out of East Felicia Parish looking for work, Gas was use going to the doctor for my monthly check-up which also made more gas added to the truck. Chart enclosed References Smith, J. Dune 26, 2011). How to Improve Your Homes Energy Efficiency Rating retrieved trot mm. ‘. Correspondence. Com on August 21, 2013 Enterer The Power of People retrieved from wry. Enterer. Com on August

Identifying the science involved in nuclear fusion Essay

Both windings of the transformer is what the current is induced from to heat up the plasma. Although this type of Ohmic heating technique can heat plasmas into temperatures of around 20-30 million Kelvin, it is not quite effective because the amount of heat generated depends on the resistance between the plasma and the current (the Joule Effect which states that the amount of electrical energy produced is dependent upon the resistance of the substance through which electricity is passing). The reason for the ineffectiveness of Ohmic heating from the Joule effect principle is because at temperatures of over 1 million degrees centigrade, the electrical conductivity of the plasma is very high which means that there is very low resistance. In needing higher temperatures for larger fusion reactions to occur, other methods of plasma heating are introduced to enhance the Ohmic heating technique (in order to reach higher temperatures for bigger scaled fusion reactions to occur). Neutral Beam Heating: This is an enhancing plasma heating technique of ohmic heating whereby accelerated neutral beams of deuterinium or tritium ions are injected into the already heated plasma. The beams of ions carry large kinetic energies and are neutralized in order for easier access through the magnetic fields confining the plasma. When these beams are injected into the plasma, electrons are lost and the nuclei become ionized due to high temperature particle collisions (making them positively charged ions). â€Å"In the series of subsequent ion-ion, ion-electron and electron-electron collisions, the group velocity of beam ions is transferred into an increased mean velocity of chaotic motion of all plasma particles†. This results in the neutral beam of ions heating up the pre heated plasma and increasing it’s temperature by a maximum of 21MW. http://www. jet. efda. org/pages/focus/006heating/index. html#ohmic Lower Hybrid Current Drive: This additional pre-heating technique is a process whereby micro electromagnetic waves of up to 10MW propel charged particles in a plasma at 3. 7GHz of cycles per second to produce currents of up to 3MA which increases plasma temperature. http://www. jet. efda. org/pages/focus/006heating/4c. jpg Radiofrequency Heating: This type of plasma heating technique is also known as Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (in a more scientifical understanding). It is a process whereby the antennae in the vacuum vessel of the tokamak â€Å"propagate waves in the frequency range of 25-55 MHz into the core of the plasma to increase the energy of the ions† thus increasing the temperature for more fusion reactions to occur. This heating method provides additional energy of up 20MW of power t http://www. jet. efda. org/pages/focus/006heating/index. html#ohmic Magnetic Confinement Of Plasma A magnetic field is defined as a force produced by moving electric charges or currents that exerts a power on other moving charges. Because the incredible temperature of plasma (which is over 100 million i C) inside the tokamak cannot be contained inside the inner vessel walls of the nuclear reactor alone, the use of magnetic fields gives an alternative technique in actually restraining the high temperature plasma particles from touching the walls of the reactor. This is called confinement. The reason why plasma is restrained from touching the walls of the reacting vessel is that it cools down very rapidly and terminates itself at once when contact is made. A plasma is made up of ionized particles. In the absence of magnetic fields, the ionized particles move in straight lines and in random directions. This eventually leads to contact with the inner chamber walls of the reacting vessel and results in the plasma quickly cooling down and terminating itself. But when a constant presence of a magnetic field is introduced, the ionized particles in the plasma flow through these fields in a spiral path on the magnetic lines. The movement of the particles across the magnetic field lines are restricted and this also prevents contact to the walls of the containment vessel. Below is a picture illustrating the movement of charged particles with and without the presence of magnetic fields: . http://www. plasma. inpe. br/LAP_Portal/LAP_Site/Text/Plasma_Confinement. htm On the torus, there two main components of magnetic fields used. The main type of magnetic field used in the plasma confining process is the toroidal field. This is a field whereby 32 large (D-shaped) coils surround the vacuum vessel of the nuclear reactor and when current flows around these coils, a toroidal magnetic field is generated which controls the position of the plasma inside the torus and also modifies the poloidal field (the second magnetic field). The other magnetic field (the poloidal field) is produced by current being flown through the plasma which is initially induced from transformers. The created poloidal field with the combination of the toroidal field confines the plasma well and stabilizes it which allows confinement times of plasma temperatures to be longer. . http://www. fys. uio. no/plasma/plasma/norsk/tokamak. gif Limitations Of The Jet Fusion Tokamak The foremost limitation on the Jet fusion tokamak is the small amount of time the plasma lasts for inside the reactor. This is because of the plasma being continuously cooled down by tiny impurities inside the chamber walls. Also, the efficiency of the fusion reaction inside the nuclear reactor is quite an important aspect of limitations that has a need to be solved. This is because large amounts energy are put in initially just to start the fusion reaction at a plasma state and only half the energy is acquired when fusion is completed. On a typical Jet experiment, 30MW of energy is the power input used and only 16MW of energy is successfully extracted out from the reactor as power output . From an efficiency equation (Pout / Pin), this gives an efficiency of 53. 3% . Another important limitation of fusion reactions inside the tokamak reactor is the instability of the plasma that has a need to be controlled. This is because of excited and charged particles inside the plasma wanting to escape as they are being compressed into higher temperatures. Although this is controlled by the use of magnetic fields, the slightest error in confining these charged particles could result in the plasma escaping and quickly cooling down and thus all the total energy put initially put into the reaction being wasted. Also if the plasma escapes, this results in it touching the inner walls of the tokamak and eroding or damaging the components surrounding the plasma and by therefore reducing the lifetime of these components. Although these problems or limitations cause less energy efficiencies inside the tokamak, modern day advances of computer aided technology is gradually providing remedies in sorting these limitations out. Future Developments. From my knowledge of future developments in nuclear reactors, experimental studies which is currently being carried on the JET experiment is believed to provide some detailed background information in acquiring similar basic properties in the building process of ITER.. Currently, The JET experiment holds the world record for released fusion power at 16 million Watts (16MW). This is â€Å"a value comparable to the power needed for heating one thousand households in a cold winter. † http://www. jet. efda.org/pages/focus/010jetanditer/index. html#overall In future developments, it is predicted that the ITER experiment which is estimated to finish construction at the end of year 2006 in France would release an amazing fusion power of 500 Million Watts. This, by my accurate calculations, is enough to power up to 31,250 homes on a cold winter night. The future properties of ITER when construction is finished is going to be entirely based around a hydrogen plasma torus which would operate at temperatures of above 200 Million i C and also by the use of super conducting coils to generate high temperature plasmas which would yield better energy efficiencies give more energy outputs. In the size of ITER’s components compared to the current JET nuclear reactor, ITER is estimated to be 10 times bigger than JET in size. Bibliography Books Name Of Book Authors Name ISBN Number Name Of Publisher’s Year Of Publishment Understanding Physics For Advanced Level (Second Edition) Jim Breithaupt 0-7487-0510-4 Stanley Thornes Publishers Ltd 1990 Salters Horners Advanced Physics Heinimann 0435 628909Heinimann Educational Publishers 2000. Internet 1) http://www. jet. efda. org/images/gallery/images/82-348cmed. jpg. 2) http://www. plasma. inpe. br/LAP_Portal/LAP_Site/Text/Plasma_Confinement. htm 3) http://www. sbf. admin. ch/htm/international/org/fusion-e. html 4) http://europa. eu. int/comm/research/energy/fu/fu_rt/fu_rt_mc/article_1227_en. htm 5) http://www-fusion-magnetique. cea. fr/gb/fusion/principes/principes01. htm 6) http://www. jet. efda. org/pages/focus/006heating/index. html#ohmic 7) http://www-fusion-magnetique. cea. fr/gb/fusion/principes/principes01. htm.