European Union And Its Application In Zara Commerce Essay

European Union And Its Application In Zara Commerce Essay In todays competitive world, the organisations have to focus on the development of effective logistics and supply chain that will ensure that it is able to meet the demands of its customers at a consistent pace. With the advent of time and increased trend of globalisation across the world, the trade barriers are fading out and favourable trade policies are promoting fast and quick exchange of goods and services (European Commission, 2010). The latest trend in the market is creation of an integrated logistics and supply chain infrastructure that is supported by the technologically advanced systems such as SAP, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), E-Retailing, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and many more (European Logistics Report, 2012). All leading corporations that are operating on international level have ensured that they have a well-coordinated Supply Chain Management and Logistics system that will employ the best systems for procurement, warehousing, inventory management, storage and inbound and outbound logistics (Johnson Turner, 2006). In order to gain competitive edge in the market especially European market, the logistics and supply chain system has to be developed after exploiting all available options so that the inventory is effectively managed and there is proper balance between the demand and supply of raw materials, inventory and goods (DeMeyer, Van Dierdanck Vercecke, 1996). There has been drastic shift in the European Logistics and Supply Chain Business operating systems as its market has been transformed into single market that allows the operating firms to take advantage of various economies of scale. European Logistics and Supply Chain System In the European economy, both logistics and transport are considered to be its primary means of support that have mean the contributing factor in the robust growth of economy. According to European Union (2012), there is strong relationship between the economic growth and level of transportation escalation. It is believed to be the fundamental part of every society that is the main factor for intensive growth of every countrys economy and creates ample opportunities of job for the citizens. In European Union, more than ten million people are employed in the transport and logistics industry which makes a significant contribution in GDP i.e. almost 5% (Evans, 2000). The European Commission (2011) highlighted in its annual report that a well-developed system of transportation is the primary driving force for dynamic performance of the member states. For all European companies, their logistics are the vital areas of concern as the storage and transport cost accounts for about 10-15% of the total cost of a product that is completed and finished. Almost every corporation is spending certain percentage of the budget on effective transportation system for its goods and services which is usually about 13.2% (European Commission, 2011). The market of European Union can work smoothly only when there is a well-integrated transport system which provides assistance in free movement of the goods within its territory; it is mandatory for the cohesion of territories and long-term economic growth. The pre-requisite for an effective logistics and supply chain system is the transport system that has interoperability of networks and harmonisation among rules. European Transport Policy In order to develop an excellent and well-defined European Transport Policy for the entire European Union region, the European Commission has undertaken various steps to address the obstacles that are hampering the creation of an effective transport system. It is reported by European Commission (2012) and Harps (2002) that the region is the central hub for manufacturing of products for various leading companies and they are looking for accurate logistics and supply chain system that can boost their performance in the market. The key mediums of transportation used are air, sea, road and rail but the latest trend is of intermodality. Intermodality is defined as the mechanism in which different modes of transportation are used along the entire chain of transportation to ensure that the overall supply chain system is effective and promotes the attainment of desired efficient logistics system objectives (Tseng, Yue Taylor, 2005). The European Transport Policy has been developed to provide guidance to the companies about developing an appropriate and highly efficient logistics and supply chain system so that they can supply goods and services with precision worldwide (Cooper, Browne Peters, 1994). Since there are many companies that are operating in European Union region, both markets and European Transport Policy have been modified to a greater extent to incorporate all the requirements of the players of the diversified industries (). Changes in European Market for enhanced growth of Logistics and Supply Chain system Up till now, the market of European Union has evolved from national emphasis to regional and finally to pan-European but now it is moving more towards customer-oriented. With the advent of Single Market which is also known as Common Market, the logistics networks of all companies have evolved and they have been developed to ensure compliance with the latest market trends (EIU, 1999). The organisations are restructuring their strategies of distribution in Europe and even revisiting their networks so that they can move closer to internationalisation by sourcing the products from other fields and ensure supply of products from one central location (). The developmental phases of the single market can be broken down into three parts i.e. pre-1993 period, 1993-present period and future period. In pre-1993 period, there was no specific European logistics strategy has European Union was not established at that time. All companies had a single national setup along with a distribution centre that was located in every major country of their operation. Every organisation used to do sourcing directly from the plants of manufacturing present in Europe and the logistics strategy differed among every country as it was developed in accordance to the respective country. Most of the offerings for supply chain services were similar as the suppliers followed the one-size-fits-all concept. The domestic carriers were the main source of transportation and majority of the third-party logistics providers were either regional or local companies (Harps, 2002). Larsen (2000) has stated that after the formation of European Union, all member states have been able to achieve robust growth in their economic performance and they have exploited all benefits for doing expansion globally at an accelerating rate. After the era of 1993, European Union opened its borders internally because global outsourcing was heavily demanded by the companies and factories of the manufacturers were starting to become focussed on global level. As a result of shift in the logistics strategy, the organisations revamped their supply chain management structures so that they were consistent with the European Logistics and Supply Chain Business Operations System. In major countries across Europe, the Pan-European Distribution Centres marked their developments in the region and they extended their importance by incorporating all processes required in the effectiveness of logistics and supply chain system. These centres postponed the role of manufacturing and combined some value-added activities to various traditional activities such as receiving of raw materials, transportation of inventory and shipment of the finished goods. In fact, Pan-European Distribution Centres allowed the companies to transfer their transport needs to the integrators who had the facilities of doing direct shipment from one central location (McDonald Deardsen, 1994). With the help of the centralised and Pan-European networks of distribution the products were easily shipped to the customers living in far off distant places and they helped the companies in saving huge amount of time and money. However, the companies are changing their logistics and supply chain systems to develop a perfect blend of both decentralised and centralised facilities for distribution so that they can strategically fulfil all their business objectives. With the developments taking place at an accelerating pace in the market, the entire logistics and supply chain system will get extraordinary efficient and competent for the organisations (Cousins, Lawson Squire, 2006). Key Drivers of change in European Transport Policy Since transport is the crucial element of logistics and supply chain system, the European Transport Policy has been developed by the European Commission so that the companies can abide by the laws related to the transportation policy. According to Walker and Jones (2012), the main driving forces that are impacting the European Transport Policy are as follows: Political Developments The liberalisation in the transport sector like US-EU Open Skies Initiative has a significant impact on Europe as it is expected to increase the traffic and create competition within the region. The international liberalisation of the trade has even boosted the transport as there is an increase in need of transportation of goods and services because of growing trend of outsourcing. There has been a rise in the environmental concerns which is leading immense pressure on sustainability within the environment. Economic Developments There are many economic drivers that are impacting the development of Europes economy on the targeted level. The key economic factor impacting the economy is the rising oil prices along with an increase in the transportation level that is closely linked to the economic growth level. As the income of people is increasing, there is an increase in the number of car ownerships and there is an increase in the GDP of the country as a whole. Environmental Issues The environment is one of the main areas of concern for any country and the transport sector has responsibility of about 28% of the Carbon dioxide emissions in European Union. The policymakers are identifying the alternatives that control the emission of Carbon dioxide by investigation various options for the road transport. As a result of growth in transport, the routes have become congested that have been hampering the transportation at both commercial and passenger level. Technological Drivers Since both increase in prices of fuel and environmental issues are primary areas of apprehension, there is an increase in the work of researchers to indentify excellent alternatives for the transport technologies. However, an enhanced level of efficiency is expected in the transportation of all goods by adoption of latest technologies such as RFID. Socio-demographic Changes The European workforce is getting older now and there is a huge reduction in the labour force. The companies are forced to recruit women in the manufacturing and logistics sector. The organisations are even compelled to provide additional training to the workforce so that their skills are enhanced and they have to incur more cost for recruiting new workers who are more competent and skilled. ZARA Leading Fashion Retailer in Europe ZARA is a top-ranked Spanish retailer of clothing and accessories that is headquartered in Artexio, Galicio. It was founded by Rosalia Mera and Amancio Ortega in 1975 and it is the leading flagship chain store of the Inditex group. ZARA has been successfully meeting the demands of its customers by employing an entirely different strategy from its competitors. According to Zhelyazkov (2011), ZARA follows a differentiation strategy of Porters generic strategies and focuses on enhancing the value chain by developing highly efficient and effective logistics, distribution and supply chain system. According to Cook, Heiser and Sengupta (2011), ZARA used to follow time-to-market strategy i.e. competing on the basis of time before the formation of European Union. After 1993, it shifted its policy to agile supply chain which meant that every step in logistics and supply chain was visible and well-coordinated. It is believed that the company needs only two weeks of time to develop the unique products and deliver them to the stores and it has made a reputation of launching more than ten thousand new designs on yearly basis (About US, 2012). The three key success factors of ZARA are short lead times, limited number of products and extensive range of styles. Agile supply chain of ZARA In order to get competitive edge in the market, ZARA is employing an agile supply chain which allows it to make the best use of Quick-Response System. Agile supply chain is described as the supply chain in which all elements work together in the form of a cross-functional team with the aim of eliminating unnecessary steps and predicting the demands of customers beforehand so that the products are available in advance in the market (Zhelyazkov, 2011). ZARA has been successful in the market because of its focus on designing of an excellent and efficient logistics and supply chain system. The entire process of supplying the goods to ZARA stores is started at the cross-functional teams who are working in the design department located at the headquarters of company in La Coruna. Almost all the designs are contemporary and inspiration for them is drawn from conducting various researches in the market by visiting university campuses, pubs, fashion shows, competitors offerings and cafes in addition to other places where the target customers can be found. Further data about the customers is gathered from EPOS data and online sources from across the websites. When the design that has been proposed is accepted, the specialists of commercial department move ahead with their tasks and do negotiation with the suppliers, decide about the purchasing price, carefully analyse the cost and margins and then fix price position of cross-currency for garments. It has a global sourcing policy which is organised by the buying offices present in the Netherlands, China and UK; the wide supplier base ensures that the best fabric is selected and there is less risk of dependence on one supplier. More than 40% of the garments which have the least transitory appeal are mainly imported in the form of finished goods from various low-cost centres of manufacturing located in the Far East, while, the rest are produced on quick responses in Spain by using the automated factories of ZARA that has a small network of contractors (Godsell et al., 2011). Value Chain Analysis of ZARA ZARA ensures that there is a proper balance between in-house and outsourcing operations. The operations that enhance the cost-efficiency of the company via economies of scale are done in-house such as packaging, labelling, cutting and dyeing. The labour-intensive tasks required at the finishing stages are usually done by the subcontractors network that comprises of more than 300 firms and each one of them has specialisation in specific garment type or process of production. In order to respond quickly to the demands of the customers, the process is flexible and the production level is always kept slightly less that the expected level of sales so that the stock is always moving. It believes in having under-supply of stock as opposed to stocking huge amount of inventory. When the finished goods have been labelled, packaged and price-tagged, they are then transported by the third-party contractor either by road or air to their destinations. There is only one distribution centre that is located in the companys headquarters i.e. La Coruna. Every store of ZARA gets fresh stock twice a week that has been pre-determined by the design department of the company (Zhelyazkov, 2011). Figure : Designing, production and marketing cycle of ZARA (Source: Godsell et al., 2011) The entire cycle of designing, production and marketing has declined to 22-30 days that is too less when compared to the industry average of nine months as the lead time. The main factor that has supported such an efficient logistics and supply chain system is the investment in Information technology. The 500,000 sq m. and five storey centre of logistics comprises of about 200 kilometres of moving rails along with an automated routing system that delivers all electronically tagged garments at the proper bays of loading for dispersal through the third party distributors. Almost all the products can be dispatched within eight hours of their arrival and it has been found that almost 98.9% perfect and the shrinkage level is even less than 0.5%. Implications of changes in EU Policy With the changes in EU Policy especially transport policy, ZARA has been able to develop a highly competent logistics and supply chain system. It has been able to utilise all available options within European countries to a maximum level. With the help of development of a good logistics system within the region, the transportation of goods, materials and inventory has become quick and responding to the customer changes on fast pace has become convenient for the companies. The biggest advantage for ZARA has been that it has been able to expand into European countries strategically and has even exploited all available opportunities so that it can maintain its core competencies in the production and operations area. Future of Logistics and Supply Chain System in European Union Since European Union is continuously striving to develop a good transportation system for development of an effective logistics and supply chain, there are huge chances that the countries are able to take advantage of developments in the transport and logistics sector. In years ahead, there kind of revolutions are expected in this sector i.e. increased trade globalisation, development of the information era and continuously changing preferences and demands of customers. In order to provide excellent logistics and transport sector to the companies, the concerned authorities will have to take certain steps to develop the best logistics and supply chain system for the business operations. Some of the suggestions made by the European Commission (2012) are: Improve interoperability by standardising the processes of loading units. Set up an entire network of transfer of nodes across Europe. Eradicating all differences found in the national regulations that are the barriers for achievement of flexible and smooth interoperability around Europe. Using Information Technology to boost the performance of key players and define a single most authentic and worthwhile ICT system that can meet all requirements of the participants. Ensuring harmonisation of paperwork and reducing and simplifying the number of the documents required for transportation. Review the current regulations at both international and European levels for development of an approach that is integrated for implementation of the measures required for security related to the transportation along with the assessment of risk along the entire chain. Enhance the co-operation among the players among the supply chain that can result in improved competitiveness via the reduced costs, high service quality and smaller lead times. Conclusion All organisations that are competing in todays dynamic and ever changing environment have to ensure that they have a well-coordinated and highly integrated transport and logistics system that will allow them to meet the requirements of their customers. E-commerce and RFID are gaining immense popularity in the market and it is expected that the every supply chain will have to employ these technologies in their systems to have an efficient inventory management system along with warehousing facilities, cordial relations with suppliers and enhanced production locations that assist in appropriate deployment of finished goods. Third party logistics service providers have become an integral part of the entire logistics and supply chain systems and it is vital for the companies to implement an appropriate policy of logistics management. All the companies in Europe have huge potential of growth as the trade barriers have faded and there are ample opportunities available for them to enhance their production and operations within the region. Hence, European Union offers immense range of options to the organisations for development of a cost-effective and flexible logistics and supply chain system for efficient management of their business operations.

A history of hand gestures

A history of hand gestures In this paper I will talk about the part of nonverbal communication called gestures. A gesture is a movement of the body or a part of it that is expressive of thought or feeling. However there is a degree of voluntarism. If someone pinches you and you flinch that is not a gesture. (Kendon, 1997) Gestures are a common part of communication that we all use to communicate everyday and most of us do not even think twice about using them. As gestures can include a wide range of things a narrower focus is required. For this paper I will be focusing on gestures specifically involving the use of hands and/or fingers. First I will talk about research done on gestures. Second I will talk about the interaction between gestures and verbal language. Lastly I will apply the use of gestures to personal friendships using , examples from an episode from the television show Smallville. Research Let us first consider primates such as apes and chimpanzees. Primates are mostly visual animals. Just as in humans, for primates vision is more highly developed than any of the other four senses including the sense of sound. Consider for a moment what this might mean. Primates, with the exception of humans, have much better cortical control over hand movements than over voice, which is mostly restricted to emotionally based sounds controlled by sub cortical structures. This means that early hominids would have been better at expressive, voluntary communication using hands. Perhaps this explains why it is much easier to teach higher level primates sign language than it is to teach them to speak. One early study showed that a chimpanzee raised by humans could learn to speak only three or four words but gorillas and chimpanzees have learned several hundred manual signs. (Corballis, 1999) However primates other than humans are restricted in using hands for communications because the arms and hands are also involved in postural support and locomotion. Most primates are adapted for living above ground in the tress. Apes live on the ground but move in a four legged fashion. Our closest genetic relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, use what is known as knuckle walking in which the upper body is supported by the knuckles. Hominids are bipedal, walking upright which leaves their hands and arms free. (Corballis, 1999) There is speculation that the split that resulted in some great apes becoming hominids may have been caused by the formation of the Great Rift Valley in Africa. Those apes which were to become hominids were largely confined to the east of the valley. The discovery of a 3.5 million year old fossil in Chad which is west of the valley has caused some argument. However all other hominid fossils from between four million and two million years ago have been found to the east of the Great Rift Valley. Here the forests gave way to open grasslands called savannas. This new environment would have provided unique challenges for early hominids. They would have been vulnerable to specialized hunters and killers, the ancestors of tigers, lions, and hyenas. In this environment communication using gestures would have been much more effective than vocal communication. It is silent so predators are not alerted. It is also fundamentally spatial, and most of the information would be spatial, such as loc ations of predators, easy prey, or food. The earliest language being gestural would help explain how words came to be abstract rather than iconic. (Corballis, 1999) A leading figure in gesture research is psychologist Susan GoldinMeadow who has done several studies about the role of gestures in learning. It is a well established fact that students learn better if both words and hand gestures are used. Consider for example a teacher trying to illustrate water being poured into two containers of equal volume but different heights. The teacher will place one hand on top of the other and move them to illustrate differences in height. (Watts, 2006) Context We do not always gesture when we speak. Also the type of gesture, the role in relation to what is being said, and the role in relation to the situation vary. If you wanted a person to stay away you would not use a gesture telling them to come closer. Someone of the other gender gesturing for you to come closer has different meaning then if it is done by a friend or parent. If you are talking about a fish you caught you will hold your hands apart horizontally versus if you are describing how big a baby has gotten your hand would be vertical. (Kendon, 1997) Just like language gestures are not uniform to a culture or country. In the United States you wave your hand to say hello and goodbye. If you were in northern Europe you would wag your hand at the wrist. In Greece and Italy your palm would face inward and your fingers would be curled in. In Japan you bow slightly. How long and how deep you bow depends on the person. Lets go back to my earlier example of a gesture that means to come here. Here we curl one finger, usually the index, or all four fingers towards us. In the Philippines do not use the index finger. It is only used for dogs. In Latin America the index finger is a come on. In Indonesia and Australia its used for prostitutes. In southern Europe using all your fingers would be saying goodbye. In Korea you would hold your arm out and move your fingers up and down. If someone puts their hand out in front with the fingers outspread here it means stop. In Lebanon it means no. If you were in Greece its a curse. In Spain, Nigeria, a nd Chile it also has rude meanings. In the United States you typically point with your index finger to someone or something. In Europe pointing is not considered polite. In Africa you only point the index finger at inanimate objects. In China and Japan pointing is very rude. In Indonesia pointing with your index finger is very rude but you can use your thumb. In Zambia it is all right to point to objects. And In France if you do point it is best to do it discretely. (Kachka, 2008) Some gestures are country specific. In the Netherlands grabbing a nonexistent fly in front of your face is saying someone is nuts. In Poland flicking a finger against someones neck means you want them to join you for a drink. You only do this with close friends. In Russia giving someone a thumbs up and making a sprinkling motion over it means job well done. In India you say sorry by tapping someone on the shoulder and touching your forehead. In Turkey pretending to throw salt over your shoulder with an open palm means dont worry about it. (Kachka, 2008) Just like words gestures have their own origins. But since gestures predate verbal communication and thus written record the origins are difficult to trace. This does not keep people from speculating. Here is a myth behind a common gesture; the Roman emperors thumbs down gesture telling the gladiator to finish off the other gladiator. Todays popular culture has it that a thumbs down meant death while a thumbs up would grant the loser his life. There is no evidence of this. In fact most scholars now believe that the finish him gesture was a thumbs up while a thumb hidden inside a fist spared the loser. This is not absolutely verified. However since the thumbs up was an insult in Roman times this makes more sense than the accepted folklore. (Kachka, 2008)Application Now we will exam hand gestures in friendship. To do this we will be examining an episode of the CW show Smallville. As you might guess this show centers around the character Clark Kent played by actor Tom Welling. The series follows Clark as he deals not only with his developing powers and fighting meteor freaks (people exposed to Kryptonite who gain special abilities) but also school, friends, and crushes. Clark has two best friends, Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. The episode we will be focusing on is the episode Duplicity in which Pete finds out Clarks secret. The other notable characters in the episode include Clarks parents, Lex Luthor, and Dr. Hamilton. After Lex refuses to give Dr. Hamilton, who is dying from exposure to meteor rocks, any more funding for his research Dr. Hamilton runs someone off the road. Pete comes along and while helping the man comes across Clarks spaceship which was lost in a tornado in the season one finale. Pete gets Clark to help him hide it in his shed although Clark tries to get him to leave it but cant come up with a logical reason. Dr. Hamilton talks to the hurt driver in the hospital who admits he saw a spaceship and that the boy who saved him saw it too. When Clark tells his parents about Pete finding the spaceship his father makes him go with him to get the ship. But when they get there it is already gone. They drive away and Pete sees them leaving. When Pete confronts Clark he shows Pete his powers. Furious that Clark has been lying to him for so long Pete leaves. Clarks attempts to talk to him are rebuffed. But when Pete goes home Dr. Hamilton is searching the shed and Pete is kidnapped. Hamilton tortures him to see what he knows about the ship. Just as he is about to kill Pete by injecting him with meteor rocks Clark bursts in. Unfortunately he collapses due to the Kryptonite. Pete saves him by pushing Dr. Hamilton into a shelf full of meteor rocks. After they return the ship to the Kents cellar Pete says he understands why Clark and that he wont tell anyone. We will examine three scenes from the episode: the scene where Pete gets Clark to come with him to the cornfield, the scene in the cornfield where they are talking about what to do with the ship, and the scene where Pete confronts Clark about the missing ship and Clark reveals his powers. When Clark is shooting baskets from a hundred feet Pete drives up. â€Å"Clark, Clark, Clark. Youre dreaming if you think youre gonna make a basket from there.† Pete makes an exaggerated pointing motion towards the basketball hoop. â€Å"No, no, no. The ball rolled out here.† Clark makes a waving motion to indicate the spot. â€Å"Want to play a game of horse?† â€Å"Forget basketball. We gotta borrow your dads truck.† Pete makes a waving motion with one hand. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"Ill explain on the way. Come on, we dont have much time.† â€Å"Whats going on?† Clark holds his hands out at this side with palms turned out. â€Å"If I told you, youd never believe me.† Pete places his palms on his chest when he says. â€Å"You gotta see it with your own eyes.† Pete puts his hand on Clarks shoulder urging him to move. Pete leads Clark to the spaceship clapping his hands together and making trumpeting sounds. â€Å"Pretty mind-blowing, huh?† He gestures to the ship with his hand. â€Å"What do you think it is?† â€Å"Oh, Clark, its a spaceship!† Pete motions to the ship again. â€Å"What the hell else would it be?† Pete waves his arms in a questioning gesture. Kneeling down beside the ship Clark says, â€Å"Well, I mean, I dont know if it was some, like, downed specialty aircraft or a Russian satellite or something.† After he says this Clark also motions to the ship. As Pete kneels down beside the ship and runs his hands over it, he says â€Å" No, no, no. This things got extraterrestrial written all over it.† â€Å"Yeah, I bet theres little green guys running around the cornfield too, Pete.† â€Å"Im serious, Clark. Have you ever seen anything like it?† Pete spreads one hand palm out and motions to the surrounding area with the other one. â⠂¬Å"If the aliens came to Earth, dont you think theyd find a place a little more exciting than Smallville?† â€Å"No, no, no, think about it. Crop circles, cattle mutilation. Theyd be like kids in a candy store here! Come on, man, lets load it into the truck!† Pete waves his arms wildly at the surrounding area. Then he grabs the ship. Clark moves to stop him. â€Å"Wait, youre not just gonna take it.† â€Å"Clark, when the sheriff questioned me about the accident, I told him in all the confusion I couldnt remember where the truck went off the road. But its only a matter of time before he shows up. Come on. Come on!† When talking about the sheriff Pete spreads his arms with palms out and then motions to the ship. â€Å"All right fine. Well take it to my house.† â€Å"No, no, no, Clark! I know your dad. Hell make us turn it over to the authorities.† Pete puts his hand on Clarks chest with the palm out. â€Å"I wont even tell him. He wont know its there.† Clark spreads his arms out with his palms out. â€Å"Clark, were taking it to my house. Well hide it in the tool shed in my backyard. No one ever goes back there.† â€Å"Pete, my house would be perfect. Itll be safe there.† â€Å"Clark, last time I checked, I found this thing. Youre acting like you got license and registration on it, man. Lighten up. Were taking it to my place.† When Pete says† I† he places his hands on his chest. When he talks about Clark owning the ship he flips his hand out towards him. When he says †lighten up† he holds his hand up with his palm facing out and his fingers spread. When he says† my place† his hands are yet again on his chest. â€Å"Pete. Hey, I was just gonna come talk to you.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yeah, about the ship† â€Å"Oh, someone broke in to my shed last night and stole it.† Pete holds his hands out palms up. â€Å" â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Well, did you tell anyone it was there?† No, did you?† â€Å"No, my lips have been sealed.† â€Å"Youre such a liar.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I saw you and your dad driving away from my shed last night.† Pete motions to Clark. â€Å" All night long I kept telling myself theres gotta be some sort of logical explanation. Clark Kent would never do anything like this.† Pete holds his hands out slightly with the palms facing out. â€Å"Pete, I swear we didnt take the ship.† Clark spreads his arms holding his hands out with the palms spread. â€Å"And all these years I used to think you were my best friend.† Pete motions to Clark again and starts t o get into his car. â€Å"Pete, wait. You dont understand.† Pete turns around and says holding his arms out slightly at his sides with palms facing out, â€Å"What dont I understand? Go ahead, explain it to me, Clark.† Clark doesnt know what to say. â€Å" Thats good, really illuminating. Wait till Chloe hears about this. I can already see the headlines. The Real Clark Kent Exposed!† Clark puts his hand on the car door. Pete starts to drive away. Clark watches him drive away and waves his arms then he appears in front of the car holding it to stop it from moving forward. â€Å"Pete, we need to talk.† The screen fades to black and then they are in the cellar talking. â€Å"So youre some sort of what? Youre not a human?† Pete holds both hands out at Clark with his palms facing each other. â€Å"I dont know what I am.† Clark spreads his arms with his palms facing out. â€Å" I dont know where that ship brought me from. I just know that I grew up in Smallville, and everything that I care about and everyone that I care about is here.† Clark motions to the surroundings and to Pete. â€Å"If you care about me so much, how come you never told me sooner?† â€Å"Pete, believe me, there wasnt a day that went by where I didnt want to tell you, but my parents thought it was too dangerous. Not just for me, but for anyone else who knew the truth.† When Clark says â€Å"you† he gestures to Pete. â€Å"You didnt think I could handle it?† Pete holds his arms out to Clark. â€Å"Can you?† Pete starts walking around Clark looking at him like hes an exhibit in a museum. â€Å"Pete, another reason why I didnt say anything is because I knew people would look at me the exact same way that youre looking at me right now.† â€Å"And hows that?† † Like a freak.† Pete motions at Clark with his palm facing up. â€Å"Pete, Ive tried my whole life just to blend in, to try and be mor e normal than anyone else. Would you just say something? Call me call me an alien, call me a monster. I dont care, just say something.† â€Å"Its like I dont even know you.† Yet again Pete motions to Clark. â€Å"Yes, you do know me. Im the same kid that used to camp in your backyard.† Clark motions to Pete. â€Å" We used to ride our bikes in the woods, we used to play basketball with your brothers. Nothing has changed.† â€Å"Yeah, right.† Clark holds his hand out and steps towards Pete, â€Å"Pete.† Pete backs away and waves him arms. â€Å"Back off, man!† â€Å"Pete, I would never hurt you.† â€Å"Too late.† Pete walks out. Conclusion Gestures are a part of nonverbal communication that movement of the body or a part of it that is expressive of thought or feeling. Gestures were used by primates as communication before verbal communication was developed and primates are much more able to learn sign language than verbal language. Early hominids would have found gestures much more useful than verbal communication for avoiding predators. There is evidence to support that both gestures and verbal language are required for effective learning. Gestures vary depending on the role in relation to what is being said, the role in relation to the situation, and the cultures in which they are used. There are many example of gestures in the media and one of those is the television show Smallville. Ponder this information the next time you have a conversation. It might be useful. References Corballis, M. C. (1999, March/â€Å'April). The gestural origins of language. American Scientist, 87(2), 138-45. Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2086/â€Å'WebZ/â€Å'FSFETCH?fetchtype=fullrecord:sessionid=fsapp5-59149-g7mfsff0-h2lwg1:entitypagenum=3:0:recno=4:resultset=1:format=FI:next=html/â€Å'record.html:bad=error/â€Å'badfetch.html:entitytoprecno=4:entitycurrecno=4:numrecs=1 Kachka, B. (2008, April). Hand Gestures. Condà © Nasts Traveler, 43(4), 112. Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2048/â€Å'login?url=http://library1.kvcc.edu:2081/â€Å'pqdweb?did=1616098011sid=2Fmt=3clientId=17874RQT=309VName=PQD Kendon, A. (1997). Gesture. Annual Review of Anthropology, 26, p. 109-28. Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2086/â€Å'WebZ/â€Å'FSQUERY?format=BI:next=html/â€Å'records.html:bad=html/â€Å'records.html:numrecs=10:sessionid=fsapp5-59149-g7mfsff0-h2lwg1:entitypagenum=2:0:searchtype=advanced Watts, G. (2006, April 29). You need hands. The Lancet, 367(9520), 1383. Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2048/â€Å'login?url=http://library1.kvcc.edu:2081/â€Å'pqdweb?did=1033983921sid=2Fmt=4clientId=17874RQT=309VName=PQD

The Harry Potter Controversy Essay -- Fiction Literature Childrens Pap

The Harry Potter Controversy The wildly popular Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling has caused controversy for many families over the past five years. These novels according to some critics are harmless, adventurous, children's tales. Others choose to portray them as stories that inspire children to become involved in the occult and serious witchcraft. The Harry Potter novels chronicle the life of a young wizard whose wizard parents were killed by the evil Lord Voldermort. On his eleventh birthday he receives invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each of the five books represents a year of his life there (Walker). This essay will discuss whether the Harry Potter novels are a suitable read for children and why despite what some critics portray, Harry Potter can be a positive role model for youth. In recent history a cultural phenomenon has occurred. With the rise of Harry Potter, this nation's youth have displayed a â€Å"mania† that has not been seen in reference to books for a long time. For example, Barns & Noble America's largest bookseller has recently declared that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be their â€Å"largest seller in the history of the entire company† (Mangan). In light of this rise to fame one should note that Harry Potter can and will impact modern culture. In the â€Å"age of electronic entertainment†, Harry Potter novels sharply contrast by luring children away from the internet, and away from video games and the television. Children across the globe are rapidly becoming interested in reading the novels. Katherine Thompson, owner of Frugal Frigate Bookstore, declared the series a â€Å"literary phenomena.† She noted that children as young as eight-years-old will devour... ...nuum, 2001. Person, Judith. â€Å"Books debunk evils of Potter; Christian authors see enchanting talks as Gospel springboard.† LexisNexis . The Washington Times. (October 31, 2002): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. March 2004. Rowling, J. K. â€Å"A Good Scare.† Time 30 October 2000 : 77-78. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Seden , Janet. 295 â€Å"Parenting and the Harry Potter stories: a social care perspective.† Children and Society 16 (2002): 295-305. . Walker, Wren. â€Å" Muggles and Other Strangers: The Harry Potter Controversy.† Words, Wrants and Wramblings. December 1999. Weekly Editorials and Comments. < http://www.witchvox.com/harrypotter.html >. Colson, Charles. â€Å"Harry Potter and the Existence of God.† Christian Broadcasting Network. 14 July 2000 . Breakpoint. .

College Admissions Essay: Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back :: College Admissions Essays

Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back A challenge is nothing more than an obstacle that lies in one's path. I have had my fair share of such obstacles The main one has been my deafness. Many people consider deafness a disabilitya handicap that leads to problems or failure. I am proof that this stereotype is false. I was raised with the awareness that a person in my position can either be a "deaf person" or a person who happens to have a problem hearing. I chose to be the latter. An example of the ways in which this decision shaped my life was the way I dealt with the junior and senior high school foreign language requirement; I have none: since I'm deaf, I am exempt from taking a foreign language. However, I never considered taking advantage of this exemption. I turned a "deaf' ear to my friends who said that I was crazy to take a course that I didn't need or my parents warning that it might be extremely difficult. Taking a foreign language was something that I wanted to do (not merely to prove to others that I could do it) because knowing another language seemed so interesting. Why should I have to go through life with only one language when everyone around me was learning new languages? So I began studying Spanish in seventh grade. Trying to articulate sounds that I could not hear was incredibly frustrating, as was the realization that my grades in Spanish were much lower than my grades in my other subjects, including my AP courses. Every semester, instead of my average being high enough for High Honor Roll, I was only able to make Honor Roll. Still, I was determined to succeed and I did. I can speak, read, and write Spanish. I am proud of my decision to persevere despite the knowledge that my perseverance would lower my academic average. Like so many experiences in my life, a challenge that I could have avoided became a test of my determination. Also, I enjoy challenges that have helped me develop as a human being. For example, chairing committees in Model Congress provided me with opportunities to work with students of different ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, my volunteer activitiesworking on Thanksgiving Food Drives for the homeless, the Interact Food Drives, and Hurricane Relief effortsenabled me to improve my ability to collaborate with a variety of people. College Admissions Essay: Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back :: College Admissions Essays Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back A challenge is nothing more than an obstacle that lies in one's path. I have had my fair share of such obstacles The main one has been my deafness. Many people consider deafness a disabilitya handicap that leads to problems or failure. I am proof that this stereotype is false. I was raised with the awareness that a person in my position can either be a "deaf person" or a person who happens to have a problem hearing. I chose to be the latter. An example of the ways in which this decision shaped my life was the way I dealt with the junior and senior high school foreign language requirement; I have none: since I'm deaf, I am exempt from taking a foreign language. However, I never considered taking advantage of this exemption. I turned a "deaf' ear to my friends who said that I was crazy to take a course that I didn't need or my parents warning that it might be extremely difficult. Taking a foreign language was something that I wanted to do (not merely to prove to others that I could do it) because knowing another language seemed so interesting. Why should I have to go through life with only one language when everyone around me was learning new languages? So I began studying Spanish in seventh grade. Trying to articulate sounds that I could not hear was incredibly frustrating, as was the realization that my grades in Spanish were much lower than my grades in my other subjects, including my AP courses. Every semester, instead of my average being high enough for High Honor Roll, I was only able to make Honor Roll. Still, I was determined to succeed and I did. I can speak, read, and write Spanish. I am proud of my decision to persevere despite the knowledge that my perseverance would lower my academic average. Like so many experiences in my life, a challenge that I could have avoided became a test of my determination. Also, I enjoy challenges that have helped me develop as a human being. For example, chairing committees in Model Congress provided me with opportunities to work with students of different ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, my volunteer activitiesworking on Thanksgiving Food Drives for the homeless, the Interact Food Drives, and Hurricane Relief effortsenabled me to improve my ability to collaborate with a variety of people.

Early Learning Essay -- essays papers

Early Learning The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the issue of Preschool to determine if children who participate in structured preschool programs are more successful in kindergarten or first grade. There are a few types of preschool programs. First there are structured preschool programs that focus on emphasizing an actual school setting and classroom activities in order to prepare the child for kindergarten or first grade. There are also day care centers, which are not as structured as preschool centers. Daycare’s focus mainly on child’s development through social interaction with children and caregivers. Then there are head start programs that are geared to give children a foot in the right direction in order to be ready for preschool or kindergarten. The right kind of childcare can be a wonderful opportunity to promote the profound learning children experience from birth through age five (Selecting child care, 2002). When selecting childcare for your child the foundation of early learning has offered some tips that they believe will be helpful in the process. The foundation says that parents have always known that good early experience was important for their child. Now scientist and researchers are confirming how critical these first years of life are to your child’s healthy development (Selecting child care, 2002). Because the brain matures in the world rather than in the womb, the brain growth and development of infants and young children is deeply affected by their earliest experiences. In a childcare environment the relationship your child has with the caregiver will also affect how that child feels about himself and the world around him and as he grows up (Selecting child care, 2002). I ... ...s longitudinal studies. Bibliography Black, Jeffrey. (1991). School Readiness [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 27, 2003, from http://www.schoolhealth.org/ready.htm Codding, Karen. (n.d.). Test of Kindergarten and First Grade Readiness Skills. [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 20, 2003, from http://www.steoltingco.com/tests/catolog/TKFGRS.htm Anderson, Jeanne. (2002). Selecting Child Care. [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 21, 2003, from http://earlylearning.org/KC/Parents.htm#care Zill, Nicholas. (1995). School Readiness and Children’s Development Status.Eric Digest. [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 21, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC McKey, Al. (1985). School Readiness and Children’s Development Status.Eric Digest. [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 21, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC

How Group Work Contributes To Learning In Primary Schools

Group work, known to others as collaborative or concerted acquisition, is defined as a â€Å" state of affairs in which, two or more people learn or attempt to larn something together † [ Wikipedia Contributors, 2010 ] . This paper focuses on how on the job collaboratively impacts both instruction and acquisition in primary schools. It describes the background to the development of collaborative acquisition and high spots the techniques frequently employed. The rules to effectual group work are explained, with both advantages and disadvantages noted. Collaborative acquisition is a pedagogical scheme which utilizes a assortment of larning activities to heighten a pupil ‘s apprehension of a peculiar subject. This is an betterment to traditional acquisition theoretical accounts besides defined as non-interactive talks, where cognition is gained from direct talks or the reading of books and articles. Traditional larning bids really small interaction or engagement from the pupils, hence a batch or really small may be learnt depending on the person. Collaborative larning accordingly stands as a constructivist attack to acquisition, and is identified as arising from a constructivist epistemology, as pupils are asked to take part and lend to their ain acquisition and development. The thoughts of bookmans such as Burner, Kohlberg, Piaget and Vygotsky are used in the development of collaborative acquisition, which basically implies that both the pupil and the environment are actively dynamic entities in the acquisition procedure as the pupil tries to portray the lessons. This procedure requires that cognition be discovered and translated utilizing linguistic communication and other larning Plutos to which the pupils can actively associate. Lawrence Kohlberg researched the moral determinations made by kids. His probe is such that â€Å" he developed an interview procedure offering a figure of scenarios, each with a moral quandary † for which he had pre-determined replies. He realized that six phases of moral development existed and that some people are unable to make most advanced degrees of ethical reading. He thereby concluded that ; â€Å" the development of moral concluding happens in a peculiar sequence, and that each measure of the manner is a precursor to the following † [ KidsDevelopment.co.uk, 2010 ] . Jean Piaget ‘s theory of Cognitive Development suggests that persons go through a series of phases on their manner to independent thought. Piaget provinces that â€Å" all cognition refering world consequences from actions or operations upon it, which makes it alter, uncovering its stable and variational belongingss † ( Piaget, 1980 p222 ) . Lev Vygotsky believed that socialisation increases cognition and frequently clip changes a kid ‘s ideas and behaviors. Vygotsky suggests that larning is achieved in three ways ; imitative, instructed and collaborative. Imitative larning involves the pupil merely copying what was taught and instructed acquisition involves the pupil following waies antecedently given. Vygotsky ‘s work was focussed on two of import thoughts. First being the Zone of Proximal Development ( ZPD ) ; this describes the degree of distinction between a job that a pupil can work out independently and a job in which a pupil will necessitate the aid of others. ZPD is frequently identified as an person ‘s degree of existent competence relation to their degree for possible development. The 2nd thought is known as staging and describes the facet of support given to pupils when it is desired. Group work allows pupils to work together in little squads, uniting people with changing backgrounds, experiences, proficient and rational competences, towards the attainment of a specific aim. Each member of the squad has the duty of larning the stuff for himself, while besides assisting other members to clearly understand the lesson therefore making an â€Å" ambiance of accomplishment † ( Palmer, Peters and Streetman. 2008 ) . Students thereby derive both cognition and societal accomplishments. The usage of group treatments helps pupils to explicate constructs and thoughts by supplying immediate feedbacks. Students learn how to trouble-shoot hand in glove in order to happen the best solution to a job. â€Å" When pupils formulate their ain solutions in this mode, they are genuinely believing critically ( Davis, Mahler & A ; Noddings, 1990 ) . Swortzel expresses that there are two major theoretical attacks to group work â€Å" Motivational and Cognitive † ( Swortzel, 1997 ) . Group work is seen as motivational because pupils recognize that their success or failure in the attainment of the specified end is dependent on them being able to work together as a squad. They thereby encourage each other to acquire the assigned undertakings done decently and on clip, in so making â€Å" concerted acquisition additions pupils ‘ motive to make academic work † ( Johnson, Johnson & A ; Holubec, 1986 ) . The cognitive attack suggests that through group work pupils go more critical with their thought. Students are stimulated to believe ‘outside the box ‘ , therefore geting increased degrees of perceptual experience, consciousness, and concluding and judgment abilities. Group treatments are really synergistic with each person showing their point of view. Within a diverse group, there will be doubtless changing sentiments accordingly foregrounding attacks to the same subject. A collaborative model must foremost be established before the execution of collaborative larning techniques. The instructor should research collaborative acquisition and observer other instructors who have already implement the usage of group work. The instructor should hold on a good apprehension of the advantages and disadvantages to group work and must develop a acute grasp for the technique of scaffolding. The instructor so needs to make up one's mind if collaborative acquisition is ideal for the topic being taught, the type of pupils and take into history schoolroom limitations, if any. Teachers implementing collaborative acquisition are expected to be competent in the undermentioned countries: Stipulating instructional aims Determining group size and assign pupils to groups Determining Group Size and Assign Students to Group Classroom agreement Planing instructional stuffs to advance Interdependence Delegating group functions Delegating undertakings Structuring positive mutuality and answerability Explaining the standards for success Stipulating desired behaviors Before implementing collaborative larning the instructor should explicate to the pupils their determination for the usage of group work and explicate the advantages and disadvantages. The finding of group sizes may change depending on the nature of the undertaking and the work load. Groups can be homogenous or heterogenous, grouping pupils with similar involvements and strengths or they may be wholly indiscriminately selected. Once groups are established they normally do non alter really frequently, so as to let pupils to develop a constructive working relationship with each other. It is of import that the furniture in the schoolroom be organized in a manner which allows the pupils to work as a unit, sooner confronting each other, whilst leting for their flexible motions. Teachers should take into history the bing resources needed for successful undertaking completion and guarantee that they are readily accessible by the groups. The instructions and stuffs a instructor chooses for a group should guarantee that each member of the group makes a meaningful part and that single assignments within the group will be equally distributed. Teachers should construction positive mutuality and answerability by regularly proving both the groups and the members of the group for apprehension of the capable affair. Members should be encouraged to be able to actively support the stance of the group and their ain. The standards for success of the group should be clearly communicated and measures put into topographic point to measure the group ‘s public presentation as a unit every bit good as the single public presentations of the members. Once the groups have been established, instructors need to supervise the behavior of the pupils and aid with demands while monitoring. In so making, instructors may help with the answering of inquiries and supply and jump point of position or sentiment. Teachers may besides supply feedback on the work completed or the advancement made. Should struggles originate within the groups, instructors should step in to guarantee that such struggles are rapidly resolved and explicate the deductions of unwanted behaviors. It is besides really of import that instructors provide approbation and, or motive where it is deserved. Students play the most of import function in the art of collaborative acquisition. Their functions include and are non limited to, working together, actively listening to each other, maintaining records of work and advancement, oppugning each other, presuming personal duty and finishing the assigned undertaking. An article written by Dillenbourg and Schneider provinces that there are a few mechanisms to collaborative acquisition: Conflict or Disagreement, proposing that when equal to peer struggles originate, societal factors cause scholars to disregard the dissension and to some extent forces them to happen a executable solution to the job. One facet of this theory states that diverging point of views normally lead to academic additions, while the other provinces that â€Å" when struggles are non verbalized they do non foretell positive results † ( Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995 ) . This article draws two decisions relative to this mechanism one being that â€Å" little misinterpretations can be every bit efficient as a clear struggle between two agents who severally believe P and non P † and the 2nd being that â€Å" verbal interactions generated to work out struggle are related to larning results † ( Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995 ) . Alternate Proposal besides referred to as the â€Å" verification prejudices † by Dillenbourg and Schneider ( 1995 ) . In so making pupils actively develop thoughts that support their suggestions and wholly disregard thoughts that do non. They frequently times can non abandon their thought or suggestion because another suggestion may non be forthcoming ; nevertheless other group members make alternate suggestions. ( Self- ) account ; the Self-Explanation consequence, as it is in known in many cognitive scientific discipline literature, describes that in a state of affairs where one pupil is more cognition that the other, the latter will automatically larn from the signifier, and besides that the former will hold on a better apprehension of the subject being explained as he endeavours to interpret into to footings to with the latter pupil can actively associate. Having successfully explained the more knowing pupil would hold improved upon his accomplishments to interrelate and gained improved assurance. Had there been any uncertainnesss in the account, person even more knowing might be able to clear up. Internalization ; the article explains this mechanism as one in which pupils explain or justify their suggestions to each other, the verbalisation of such impacts all involved and that the constructs communicated are integrated into the hearers concluding. â€Å" Thinking is viewed a treatment that 1 has with oneself and which develops on the footing of treatments we had with others † ( Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995 ) . The article besides states that for this mechanism to be effectual a few conditions must be met, â€Å" One status is that topics can merely absorb constructs which are within their ‘zone of proximal development ‘ , i.e. within the vicinity of the current cognitive degree. Another status is that the less able equal is non left as a inactive hearer, but participates into the joint job work outing scheme † ( Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995 ) Appropriation, this is explained as one pupil detecting the thoughts or accounts of another and taking those thoughts or accounts and edifice on it to do their ain. Learning is double as the first pupil reinterprets his actions relative to that of the 2nd, and the 2nd pupil got a sound foundation on which to construct. Shared Cognitive Load, this involves the distribution of undertakings which will come together to accomplish the overall aim of the group. When the work load is even shared between pupils, each pupil can work meticulously on the assigned undertaking, thereby extinguishing redundancies and bettering the efficiency of the group. Common Regulation, by using any of or a combination of the mechanisms antecedently described, pupils frequently have to modulate the actions of each other to guarantee that the stipulated guidelines are adhered to for the attainment of their ends. Social Grounding, described limpidly by Dillenbourg and Schneider as â€Å" the mechanism by which an person efforts to keep the belief that his spouse has understood what he meant, at least to an extent which is sufficient to transport out the undertaking at manus † ( Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995 ) . This mechanism requires the talker to look into for apprehension, and where misunderstand is seeable to clear up, thereby constructing a portion apprehension of the job. George W. Gagnon. Jr. , and Michelle Collay developed another design for collaborative acquisition and in this theoretical account teachers develop a series of stairss that their instruction construction follows every bit listed below: â€Å" They develop a state of affairs for the pupils to explicate † ( Gagnon and Collay, 2004 ) â€Å" They select a procedure for groupings of stuffs and pupils † ( Gagnon and Collay, 2004 ) â€Å" They build a span between what pupils already cognize and what the instructors want them to larn † ( Gagnon and Collay,2004 ) â€Å" They anticipate inquiries to inquire and reply without giving away an account † ( Gagnon and Collay, 2004 ) â€Å" They encourage pupils to exhibit a record of their thought by sharing it with others † ( Gagnon and Collay, 2004 ) , and â€Å" They solicit pupils ‘ contemplations about their acquisition † ( Gagnon and Collay, 2004 ) . A comparing of there collaborative techniques, is illustrated in Appendix 1. Johnson, Johnson, and Smith ( 1991 ) high spots three cardinal undertakings instructors should follow for the rating of the efficiency and effectivity after there group work is completed. First, instructors should supply a closing through summarisation. That is, to sum up the lessons of import points or to hold each group explain their work and the points they found of most significance. Second is to measure the pupils larning, by measuring how they have attained or failed to achieve the coveted result and supplying the feedback required, leting pupils to better on their ability to work as a group and therefore personal development. Third, instructors should do note of the techniques that worked and why they worked and if necessary adjust their lessons. A popular definition of constructivism is that â€Å" Constructivism is a theory of cognition which claims that cognition is non passively received but actively constructed by the scholar, and that the map of knowledge is adaptative, functioning to organize experience, instead than detect world † ( online, 2010 ) Group work has academic, societal and physiological benefits to both pupils and instructors. Academic benefits include: the development of critical thought and the active engagement of pupils in the acquisition procedure. The societal benefits include: the development of societal larning systems for pupils and physiques diverseness apprehension among pupils and instructors. The physiological benefits include: increased self-esteem through peer-to-peer instructions and it reduces the anxiousness of pupils. Although collaborative larning seems to be dependent on the actions and willingness to larn, which should for many be a natural procedure, there are many disadvantages as there are advantages to is execution. A few of the obstructions faced are ; some pupils prefer to work competitively instead that collaboratively, instructors lack the ability to readily measure the work produced, instructors sometimes do non cognize how to mensurate the effectivity of their instructions in a collaborative scene, sometimes the assigned undertakings are non applicable to a pupils ends or abilities, and sometimes the undertakings are non â€Å" hard plenty to dispute but non so hard as to stonewall a conversation. † Some groups may be comprised of ‘slow scholars ‘ who may be viewed as others as priceless, thereby advancing ‘superior ‘ behaviour by the ‘fast scholars ‘ . Table 1, Appendix 2, illustrated assorted group constructions and the advantages and disad vantages to these groups. Nigel Hastings and Karen Chantrey-Wood from Nottingham Trent University explores the many schemes instructors utilize in group work activities, many of which are strongly endorsed by a commission known as the ‘Plowden Committee ‘ . â€Å" By disbursement clip with groups of kids, instructors could set their instruction to the demands of the persons of that group to a greater extent than when working with an full category of pupils as a whole. This besides ensures that all kids have a sensible sum of direct contact with their instructor regardless of the fact that they are working in groups † [ Hastings & A ; Wood, 2002 ] . This suggests that collaborative acquisition enhances the happening of individualised attending given to pupils, by presenting â€Å" one-on-one † interactions between pupils and equals and pupils and instructors. The article besides illustrates that schoolroom agreement is really of import in guaranting that collaborative acquisition is efficient and effectual. It shows that collaborative acquisition in widely accepted and really normally practiced across the Earth ; â€Å" In primary schoolrooms throughout the UK, it is standard pattern for kids to sit around sorted tabular arraies – normally with four to six kids in each group. Such agreements are besides common in primary schools in other English-speaking states, Australia and USA for illustration. Precisely because this constellation is so normal and so good established in our schools, it is unusual to inquire about its principle or to oppugn its rightness † [ Hastings & A ; Wood, 2002 ] . An abstract written from an experiment conducted by Gillies and Ashman, â€Å" One hundred and 92 Grade 6 kids participated in a survey which compared the effects on behavioral interactions and accomplishment of ( a ) co-op acquisition in which group members were trained to join forces to ease each other ‘s acquisition, and ( B ) co-op acquisition in which members were non trained but were simply told to assist each other. Graded random assignment of participants occurred so that each gender-balanced group consisted of one high- , two medium- , and one low-ability studentaˆÂ ¦ † ( Gillies & A ; Ashman, 1999 ) . The observations showed that the pupils who worked in the ‘Trained ‘ groups where more antiphonal and helpful to each other, giving accounts where necessary to help as they worked together. It showed that pupils in the ‘untrained ‘ groups were a batch less helpful towards or concerted with each other. From the consequences it was besid es concluded that â€Å" the kids in the ‘trained ‘ groups exercised more autonomy with their acquisition and obtained higher acquisition results than ‘untrained ‘ equals † ( Gillies & A ; Ashman, 1999 ) . This survey is one of the many to certify to the success of group work. Despite some drawbacks Collaborative acquisition has legion benefits, as is explained, runing from academic to physiological and it execution in primary schools is rather a positive move. Students at the primary school degree are rather waxy and there is no better clip for them to develop the really valuable competencies that working in a group has to offer. At the primary school degree they are mature plenty to hold an apprehension of what group work requires. Many of the surveies conducted were centralized around childhood developments. Students who can successfully work in groups from the primary school degree are normally better equipped for when come ining higher degree larning establishments. They would hold learnt to comfortably associate with equals and grownups, such as instructors or other authorization figures, they would hold learnt the value of self-expression and self-explanation, actively listen and esteem the positions of others. These pupils realize that as persons w e have different backgrounds, experiences and traditions and as such may hold diverging attacks to the same job. These pupils will besides be better able to distinguish between the demand to work collaborative and the demand to work competitively and in so making will cognize when best to use the several attacks. This research has revealed that both the instructors and the pupils play a polar function in the success of collaborative acquisition. Teachers are non expected to merely delegate undertakings and sit back while the pupils work on their ain. Teachers must play an active function throughout the procedure. They must be after for the assignment with clearly structured undertakings that will advance collaborative interactions, promote mutuality and excite cognitive thought among pupils. Teacher must supervise the procedure supplying ongoing feedback and be readily able to decide struggles should they originate. Teachers should be able to actively scaffold their pupils, cognizing when their support is needed and that it should bit by bit be withdraw. Students in order to successfully accomplish their aims in groups must appreciate the benefits of group work. They must hold a clear apprehension of the coveted aim and the sub-task demand to successfully accomplish the aim. They must be able to actively and reflectively listen to each other and utilize creativeness and objectiveness to work positively together. In so making they will larn to further positive work attitudes with others, thereby bettering on their interpersonal accomplishments as they prepare for the work universe. Appendix 1 Three Constructivist Design Models [ 1 ]1. The Learning Cycle2. The Learning Step developed by George W. Gagnon. Jr. and Michelle Collay 3. The Information Construction ( ICON ) theoretical account created by Robert O. McClintock and John B. Black, and is really similar to Dillenbourg and Schneider. Appendix 2 Table 1: Forms of Cooperative Groups [ 2 ]Name OF GROUPWHAT IS THIS?WORKS BEST FORBenefitsDrawbackPair-share 2 pupils with one job portion their thoughts or inquiries. Each individual speaks, listens, & A ; gives feedback. Content that requires treatment, contemplation, or account. Increased engagement clip, Helps those who are diffident Fewer positions and solutions Saber saw Each member of the little group researches one portion of the inquiry /content for a certain sum of clip. The members of the group come back together. Each member teaches his/her portion to the remainder of the group. Content with four or five parts to research. Students gain learning and research accomplishments Some pupils feel pressured by a clip bound Split-class treatment The category is split into half. Each side discusses /debates their cognition /beliefs, etc. Arguments or treatments Students may alter their sentiment or develop a different position Some pupils may talk less with such a big group. Random groups of 3 Class is split into groups of 3. The groups discuss the subject. Predicting what will go on, reacting to a state of affairs. Receive a assortment of feedback, group members are accountable Easy to go forth out or team up against a diffident pupil or one who has a different sentiment Ability/Interest/Friendship Group Students are divided into groups based on some quality that they all have in common. Making plays/skits or an activity in which pupils must work together outside of category. Students can work at a gait that best suits them, pupils are seldom world-weary and frequently motivated It is unrealistic to happen a wholly homogenous group, weaker or unpopular pupils may be excluded. Diverseness Groups Students are formed into groups where they come from a broad assortment of backgrounds, involvements, etc. Researching geographics, history, and diverse life styles. There are many chances to derive different positions Minorities may go anomic Multi-aged groups Students are divided into groups in which there are a mixture of ages Older pupils learning younger pupils ( i.e. scientific discipline experiments ) . Older students- there is less force per unit area to vie with equals, Younger pupils fell of import that an older individual is passing clip with them Older pupils may be a bad influence ; Older pupils may non cognize how to work with a younger kid or an â€Å" at hazard † pupil Peer-led Conferences Students prepare and take a treatment of stuff with parents, teachers, pupils, etc. A major undertaking in which pupils set up Stationss for several intelligences. Students get the chance to genuinely learn, pupils learn self assurance. Students whose parents are inactive in the school may be alienated from those whose parents participate ; some pupils may non be involved in interactions. Notes: These diagrams were obtained from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/implementation_sub1.html This tabular array was obtained from: hypertext transfer protocol: //projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php? title=Cooperative_Learning # Frequently_Asked_Questions_about_Cooperative_Learning

Empowering Reforestation in the Philippines

by: Angela Nicole Mananghaya 2012 Forests are significant to mankind as well as to other living organisms for they provide beneficial materials and effects that the living need. These include the wood, raw materials that are usually converted to usable products such as furniture, wooden shelters, etc. In addition, these forests help prevent floods and soil erosion, increase underground water supply and humidity of air, provide an abode for the wildlife, and check air pollution (â€Å"Save Forests and Wildlife,† n. d,  ¶2).However, in the Pearl of the Orient- the Philippines- continuous degradation of the forests or what is known to be deforestation (Maycock, 2011, p. 398) is being performed, resulting to serious problems including the displacement of wildlife species, the occurrence of severe effects during or after a tropical storm (which is commonly experienced by Filipinos), and the increasing level of temperature in the country. In fact, Philippines ranks number three in the world’s fastest deforestation rate (Padilla, 2011) that has mainly been due to agricultural expansions and severe cases of illegal logging (â€Å"Philippine Deforestation,† n. ,  ¶5). Fortunately, there exists the natural or intentional restocking of depleted forests and woodlands, the inverse of the given process, which may primarily address the negative effects of deforestation in the country- Reforestation, as it is so called. One of the things that reforestation offers is not necessarily to restore but prevent the extinction of wildlife species as their habitats are continuously being destroyed. According to Toothman (n. ,  ¶5), the reforestation of the corridors of trees that lie between forest parcels could give the animals and other species a larger and safer habitat where they could mix with other populations, thereby boosting their genetic diversity and preventing their extinction. In fact, this particular method has already been done in the country. In the island of Mindanao, on the higher slopes of Mount Malindang, exists a high biodiversity. Through reforesting the trees around the old forest, the existing species have had a larger space to reproduce, conserving and attracting those that have been driven away to the new habitat (â€Å"Reforestation†, n. ,  ¶1). The same process has been performed in the Forest of Tabunan in Sitio Cantipla, Cebu City. Through reforesting the forest’s corridors, the Cebu Flowerpeckers, called â€Å"manuto† by the locals, together with 51 other bird species, have been found in the regenerated forests (Lato, 2012,  ¶5). Surprisingly enough, this never-been-photographed bird specie- the Cebu Flowerpecker- was believed to be extinct until its discovery in 1992 in the Tabunan Forest Corridor, being one of the ten rarest birds and top fifty critically endangered species in the world (Lato, 2012,  ¶6).With the proper building of floodplains and water channeling systems, refo restation also helps prevent the severe effects that Filipinos encounter whenever a tropical storm comes (Sally, n. d,  ¶3). Among the typhoons that have ravaged the country are â€Å"Reming† in Bicol and â€Å"Ondoy† in Metro Manila, which have both resulted to remarkably drastic floods (â€Å"Reforestation,† 2011,  ¶1). In fact, in just one decade, the country has already experienced twenty-seven floods that have destroyed crops and infrastructures with deforestation being seen as the major cause (â€Å"Reforestation,† 2011,  ¶2).Yearning for a way to address this problem, Tatit Quiblat, the spokesperson of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, has once said that instead of pouring billions for relief operations during disasters, the government, civil society, and private sectors should be vigilant in taking up preventive measures by reforestation of the country’s tropical and mangrove forests (Valermo, 2011,  ¶7). Gladly, there have been proj ects that have performed such action. The Maynilad Water Services, Incorporated has started its program called â€Å"Plant for Life†, which aims to plant fifty thousand saplings in Ipo Dam Watershed (â€Å"50K Trees to Help Reforest,† 2012,  ¶2). We not only help to protect the watershed area that supplies our raw water needs, we also provide a long term solution to the cycle of flooding during the rainy season†, claims Ricky Vargas, the president and CEO of the stated company (â€Å"50K Trees to Help Reforest,† 2012,  ¶4). Another project is the reforestation of mangrove forests along the Aklan River in New Buswang, Aklan, resulting to the conversion of a flood-prone area to a place that is safe during the occurrence of typhoons (Tacio, 2012,  ¶14). Lastly, one of the most well known effects of reforestation is the enhancement of the local climate.Due to the degradation of forests, an increasing amount of carbon dioxide is released in the atmosphere as lesser plants take them up during photosynthesis, resulting to the rise of temperature (Maycock, 2012, p. 399). Through reforestation, however, thirty-eight tons of carbon dioxide per hectare could be captured and sequestered per year (â€Å"Reforestation†, 2007,  ¶7). This leads to the production of oxygen, enhancement of the climate and temperature, and the reduction of the demands of burning large amounts of fossil fuels for cooling in the summer (â€Å"Reforestation†, 2007,  ¶8).The process of regenerating forests takes a plentiful amount of time before the roles of the degraded ones could be performed again. Once the planted saplings have grown to trees, however, it is undeniable that the restored forests are significantly beneficial to the environment, to mankind, and to other living organisms. With this certain process, not only do the destructive effects of deforestation may be addressed but also the concerns that could emerge if these are left ignored such as threatening climate conditions, extremely high levels of floods, total extinction of species, and disastrous imbalance in the ecosystem.Indeed, this may just be one of the ways to address the certain issue but surely, this would benefit not only the present but the future generations as well. References: * Lato, Cris Evert. 2012. â€Å"Lessons in Rare Wildlife while Reforesting Cebu†. Retrieved from http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/228565/lessons-in-rare-wildlife-while-reforesting-cebu * Maycock, Paul. 2011. World Book F. 7. Scott Fenzer Company. p. 398 * Maycock, Paul. 2011. World Book F. 7. Scott Fenzer Company. . 399 * N. A. N. D. â€Å"Save Forests and Wildlife†. Retrieved from http://nowsave. blogspot. com/2009/10/save-forests-and-wildlife. html * N. A. N. D. â€Å"Reforestation†. Retrieved from http://www. treesforall. info/projects/reforestation-philippines. html * N. A. N. D. â€Å"Philippine Deforestation†. Retrieved from http://www1. ameri can. edu/TED/PHILWOOD. HTM * N. A. 2007. â€Å"Reforestation†. Retrived from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reforestation * N. A. 2011.