Playing Upon the String of Emptiness Essay Example for Free

Playing Upon the String of Emptiness Essay Nowadays, the search for something new has been greatly pursued. The availability of resources helped individuals to innovate. It impels them to work beyond the existing rules and surpassing limitations, be it in the field of music, architecture, literature, etc. The modernity of this world brought upon by globalization made it easier to reach cultures. Cultures that were bound by their physical territories before have been accessible because of modern technologies. This easy, unlimited exposure provides endless ideas and innovations that bring about different works of art. For Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, this infinite flow of innovations or novelties offers unrestricted venues for artists to produce their works—venues that are free from rules and do not conform to a certain set of standards. According to him, this poses a threat to the morality of society as well as of the artists’. He argued that novelty is an art with unlimited freedom and thus equates to a soulless art. This perspective was explained in the context of Russian’s struggle with communism which Solzhenitsyn directly experienced. He focused on the deterioration of arts’ standard after the fall of Communism, specifically with literature. Due to the given freedom, arts do not fall under a set of standards, causing the artistic value to suffer. He then related that Communism promoted a new society. To be able to build a new one, the old cultures and traditions should be thrown away: To start a new world is to start from scratch. Solzhenitsyn then compared this situation to the literary artists in his country. They were writing outright criticisms of every aspect of Russian roots like language, religion, and traditional cultures—a move that was so desperate for a change to be made by who he termed as ‘desperate innovators’. The author disapproved of forgetting the roots of any artistic work, for this is important in the development of a new face of art. Solzhenitsyn does not believe in the aggressive step of aiming forward in the arts starting from nothing. Novelty becomes relentless with the absence of ancient roots. It is an unintelligible art with no significant value to the world—an art without a purpose and is useless. Solzhenitsyn cited what kinds of arts were produced because of the frantic novelty frenzy. The arts arising from novelty does not have that spiritual connection from the artist with the world. Since the ‘great cultural tradition’ has been detached, the spiritual grounds that were developed from it are missing as well. Arts were not produced for a greater purpose anymore. Thus, it does not emanate a higher sense of value for the world. It is reduced to a mere display without a profound significance. It was from the author’s observation that the absence of artistic limits has resulted in irresponsibility and apathy. Solzhenitsyn mentioned the ‘what do you care’ attitude of the Russian writers who created literary works when the censorship has been lifted after the downfall of communism. This kind of artistic mindset alienates the welfare of its audience. The line between right and wrong has become thinner, its boundaries blurry and sometimes interchanging. The arts, according to Solzhenitsyn, have been turned into more of a personal ambition of the artists rather than an intentional product of passion and love. He stressed that artists do not bring the world as the subject; they are the focal point. The arts became a movement of personal interests of the artists. Novelty becomes like a venue for affectation. Going back to Solzhenitsyn main argument, novelty became ruthless because it eradicated the classical foundation of arts. Arts cannot push for development if its foundation will be forgotten. It would be more disruptive if it will be forced to progress aggressively without any fundamentals to back it up. Alexander Solzhenitsyn sees novelty as a cause for a more individualistic nature rather than being communal in interaction. He was alarmed by how the current generation responded to old traditions. These traditions were treated as something useless and irrelevant in the present. Novelty was portrayed by the author as something anti-cultural and antagonistic of anything universally accepted. The saying ‘to each his own’ in arts or in general constitutes obscure distinction between good and evil. Another supporting factor for Solzhenitsyn’s argument is that this particular freedom attached with novelty developed into a negative relativity. This has been embraced by young artists who turn self-expression into a lack of sensitivity with regard to the effects of their work to other people. Social responsibility slowly ceased to exist anymore. Artistic freedom has always been believed to be helpful in maximizing an artist’s work. However, Alexander Solzhenitsyn presented an opposite view. The freedom vested on the artist implies a threat of producing an art with is a much lesser value. With no artistic limitations and no principles to follow, art becomes less of a recreation instead of serving a higher purpose. Solzhenitsyn emphasized the need to take the cultural tradition into account because without it, progress will be impossibly successful. He sees novelty as a trend resulting in chaos—socially and morally disruptive. It promotes an individualism that is obviously selfish and divides humanity even more. Innovations should be created for the benefit of others. Arts may be a compiled output of an individual’s unique skills and talents, but there will always be a responsibility attached to it because people get to grasp these works. An art is a huge factor in contributing to the formation of an ideology in a society. It is a powerful tool to propagate a message that can reach a huge number of people. Hence, Solzhenitsyn sees its development as critical because this will determine where the world will be heading to. The world will not be able to move forward without revisiting and considering the past. The cultural traditions within human society should be embedded for development. It is an important basis to learn from past mistakes and to improve on the present. It can be seen that Solzhenitsyn somehow views relentless novelty as the anarchism of art that will later on transcend into society. He mentioned the absence of laws in the process of arts and the lack of absolute truth. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn provided the view of novelty enclosed in a reckless handful of freedom and a lack of traditional grounds. He presented it as something negative because he had witnessed what it did to his people especially to the younger generations. As an artist himself, the author poses a huge concern on what kind of directions the arts would take since he knows the powerful influence of it to the society. He hopes to spread his view to make the younger generations be exposed of what history has brought the Russian country and what were its implications. Solzhenitsyn firmly believes that through history, it may shape the new artists to work for a greater purpose for humanity.

Concept Of Strategy According To Henry Mintzberg Business Essay

Concept Of Strategy According To Henry Mintzberg Business Essay According to Henry Mintzberg in his 1994 book The Rise and fall of Strategic planning focused on strategy being used by people in different ways. The commonly used strategic ways are as follows: Strategy is a Plan: This describes the word How which allows achieving your target/ goal from one end to the other. Strategy is a Pattern: It is a pattern in terms of actions delivered for example a company uses high end strategy to market expensive products to maintain standard, Quality and supersede competitors. Strategy is a Perspective: a vision that provides direction to achieve outcomes. Strategy is a Position: it reflects the decisions involved in the deliverance of the organizations service/product in a particular market. Concept of strategy according to Michael Porter Michael Porter in his 1996 Harvard Business Review article and 1986 book, Competitive Strategy points out that competitive strategy is all about being different and unique. He added, It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value The basic concept of strategy comes from a military background and it is now widely practiced in a variety of business. The adoption of the strategic concept from that of the military into the business was considered to be easy as it was modest. As in the military and likewise in the business, strategy is bridging the gap between tactics and policy. Being very specific in defining strategy is not easy as the different perspectives on strategy vary. Thus a very broad conception of strategy according to De Wit and Meyer in their book (2010), Strategy, Process, Content, Context, is, A course of action for achieving an organizations purpose STRATEGY PROCESS: Strategic Management is a process which is lead by different ways. According to many other text books including De Wit and Meyer (2010) the Strategy process is a linear progression trough a number of distinct steps. As in this competitive market organizations tend to go through a process in order to achieve best outcomes. This process is divided into different stages which includes, strategy analysis, strategy formulation and implementation stage. The report evaluates the three strategy dichotomies of the strategy process contained in the following perspectives: Strategic thinking Strategic formation Strategic renewal Figure -1: Strategy process and its Aspects. STRATEGIC THINKING (Logic vs. Creativity) A lot goes on in the mind of a strategist prior to the process of strategy implementation. Strategists are constantly engaged with problems during the strategic process. These paradoxes that arise during the strategic process can be challenging in different situations and the right type of action taken to resolve them. According to the Rational or logical reasoning perspective the demand and need of constant market analysis and its capacity assumed to gain advantage from the market should be based on actual facts. Logical thinking will provide a better understanding of the opportunities and threats upon critical analysis of the environment. Creative thinking is the opposite of logical thinking as a logical thinker will only be able to draw conclusions on success of strong arguments thus the thinking is limited and based on formal rules where as creative thinking does not have set boundaries and the thinker can think beyond the set rules and draw conclusion. Creative thinking gives a bigger picture and vision for the future created in the real sense. It holds a higher risk but often needed when identifying and diagnosing strategic problems. As creative thinking and logical thinking are opposite, the demand of both can be contradictory yet they are needed at the same time, (DeWit and Meyer, 2010). The best example of creative thinking is Apple Inc case study (DeWit and Meyer 2010) as their strategy involves creative innovative products and service in the competitive market. (Refer Appendix A). STRATEGY FORMATION (Deliberateness vs. Emergence) It is the process which determines the steps formed by organizations or individuals prior to its action. The process by which an intended strategy is created is called Strategy formulation (DeWit and Meyer 2010). Mainly top positions in an organization is responsible for strategy production. Managers do not only get themselves involved in the process of strategy formation but also in the ways it will be strategically implemented. When we think strategically we examine that deliberateness and emergence in the process of strategy formation cannot be kept apart. The major fact with strategy is that it deals with both, the plans made for the future and the process to implement those plans to achieve the aims demanding flexibility and adaptability. Deliberate strategy is more towards logical thinking and reflects the formal process of strategic planning and is based on actual facts, but the future is unpredictable and it becomes a foremost need of organizations to deliver their actions an d adapt according to the unfolding circumstances providing them opportunity of experimentation and trails in a particular market. A strong interconnection of such strategy is observed in the example of UPS case study (DeWit and Meyer 2010), (Refer Appendix B). STRATEGIC RENEWAL (Revolution vs. Evolution) When we talk about competitive markets in this changing world, dynamic environment, new technologies, transforming economics and customer demand all aspects are subject to constant changes in a challenging environment. For an organization to meet challenges and face threats in the market it is important to implement strategic changes to remain in harmony with the external environment. (DeWit and Meyer 2010). A change that breaks the old framework is said to be Revolutionary change and the change that is incremental is referred to as gradual change. Both the approaches are vitally essential in reshaping organizations despite of having conflicting qualities.

internal communication system

internal communication system Does a successful internal communication system result in a motivated Workforce? 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Internal communications: It is a generic expression for all communication (formal and informal) that an organization undertakes with its close stockholders — i.e. those people with whom it has a relationship that requires support, principally direct/indirect employees and members. The main purpose of formal internal communications is to inform employees or members of the direction and performance of the organization (and team) to which they belong. The profession of internal communications builds on fundamental principles of other disciplines like human resources (HR), marketing, project management and media planning. As a result it often gets adopted in organizations under different labels: employee communications, employee engagement, internal marketing, company communications, staff communication, etc. Responsibility can also reside within different functions: marketing, corporate communications, transformation, HR, CEO office, etc. In common with other communication professions, there are different areas of specialism within internal communications: channel management, speech-writing, change communications, HR communications, project communications, event management, social media, intranets, etc 1.2 Motivation work force: A motivated workforce is one which individuals and teams generally strive hard and successfully to achieve the goals set t them. They perform at a high level and make significant effort to help you to achieve your business strategy. A committed work force is one in which individuals identify with the purpose, goals and values of the organization, wish to remain with it and are prepared to put themselves out on its behalf. Motivation is about staff focusing their effort on achieving specific targets. That is, what staffs do? It also is about getting your staff to behave in the right way. That is, how they do things. Key indicators include: †¢ Communication †¢ Management leadership †¢ Performance Management and Recognition †¢ Work Management You can motivate people with: †¢ varied and interesting work perhaps giving the opportunity to travel †¢ high-quality training and development e.g. encouragement to study for professional qualifications †¢ an open door culture in which managers are approachable †¢ respect for a good work-life balance e.g. offering the opportunity for flexible working †¢ fairness at work, including promoting equality and diversity †¢ proactive and regular communication †¢ regular appraisal and positive feedback restating business objectives and recognizing your staffs contribution †¢ requests for feedback, either in person or via staff surveys, on how employees feel about their roles, the support they get, and improvements to the business †¢ the chance to socialize with colleagues at organized events †¢ recognition and reward for ideas or competitive intelligence Commitment is concerned with the loyalty of staff t to the organization and feeling good about it can be increased through creating and maintaining a positive working experience. Key indicators include: †¢ Job Satisfaction †¢ Employee involvement †¢ Training and development †¢ Working environment †¢ Co-operation †¢ Working relationship To be effective employee opinion surveys should be conducted on a regular basis. This could be six-monthly or annually. They do involve extra effort on behalf of the staff in term of taking time to complete the survey. 2.0 Research As little as a few decades ago, managers believed that the behind the scenes dealings of their companies were of no concern to employees. Thus, information that may have motivated employees or inspired their job interest was not available to them as they were merely considered another cog in the organizational wheel. Since that time, management science has formed a basis for analyzing management style and its influence on communication and motivation. Most organizations, be they public or private understand the importance of strategic communication with customers and stakeholders. Hence we have marketing and communication specialists to produce communication plans for external use. In the private sector that means more income; in the public sector it means better public relations, and better use of government services through client information. Many organizations also understand the importance of developing strategic plans to guide longer term decision-making. The thinking is that without knowing where we want to be (and how we are going to get there), we cant coordinate organizational resources so that we get to where we want to go. Frequently, communication methodologies for communicating with customers and the public are included in strategic planning. However, few organizations address internal communication in the same way. Determining what should be communicated to staff, when it should be communicated, and how it should be communicated is often left up to the decisions of individuals made when there seems to be a need. In other words internal communication strategies are developed, reactively, when there is a crisis or major event that clearly requires addressing communication issues. Where communication is planned out, it is often around upheavals like major corporate or organization change, layoffs and downsizing, and technological change. However, once the initiating focus has been eliminated communication tends to go back to an unorganized incoherent process. 2.1 Principle of Internal Communication Some basic principles to keep in mind when creating your strategic internal communication plan are: ï‚ § Develop a long-term focus ï‚ § Identify clear values for your organization ï‚ § Define the specific goals for your internal communication strategy ï‚ § Use comprehensive, pervasive methods ï‚ § Be consistent in your messages 2.1.1 Openness: All information should be communicated in an open and honest fashion. While the positive aspects of any news or decision should always be clearly communicated. Message senders should not be afraid to admit that they have changed their mind or have been mistaken. As a result, senders should be prepared to receive contradictory or critical views and should be ready to engage in debate with staff. In the light of freedom of information Act, all information should be open to access by any members of staff. 2.1.2 Relevance: Information should be clearly relevant to the audience they are delivered to. Each message should answer the question that many staff has what in it for me? The needs of the audience should be put in all communications activity and information should be tailored to ensure that it is relevant to different audiences. If the recipient is expected to act on the information they have received this should be made clear to them. 2.1.3 Simplicity: Simple, Straightforward language should be used in all written and verbal communication. The use of jargon and management speak should be avoid. Messages should be carefully thought out and constructed so that the point of clear. Any actions you expect staff to take as a result should be clear. Messages should not be overly long or complicated and all communication should be consistently of a high quality. 2.1.4 Clarity: All communication should be clear in its aims. Message senders need to tell their audience in direct terms the status of the information they are communicating. Here just four examples. 2.1.4.1 A policy decision: A decision taken by one of the universitys three committees which applied to the whole university and must be considered by all staff. 2.1.4.2 A Mandatory Decision: either taken by the university, or imposed by an outside authority. 2.1.4.3 Consultation: Information which is in the discussion stage and is open to consultation by staff. If this is the case, the message sender needs to be clear as to where feedback can be sent. 2.1.4.4 Work in progress: Where is it necessary to keep staff updated about a major projector policy which is still in development. 2.1.5 Planned and timely: Information should be prioritized and planned so as to avoid information overload, duplication of messages or long periods of non-communication. Communication with staff should not be an afterthought or an add-on but should be at the heart of all planning within university. This will ensure that information is given to staff when they need it- not when decision makers happen to think about it, or in the worst case scenario, when staff learns of major decision via the regional or national media. To this end, all major committees or decision making groups should develop an explicit communications strategy which outlines how information will be fed to staff via existing channels of communication. 2.1.6 Two- way communication: A one way conversation is very boring wherever possible, communication should be two way. All communication should be ensure that there are as many opportunities for listening and asking questions as there are sending messages out. These opportunities should be opened for all staff. Where these opportunities are offered the message owner should ensure that good quality and rapid answers can be given to the questions and issued rose. In this way communication will be positively encouraged and staff will feel that they can influence the development of relevant strategies, policies and procedures at a university and local level. 3.0 The advantages of Internal Communication We know that some of the most successful companies and corporations create a workforce that understands the mission, goals, values and procedures of the organization. The intent of creating such cultures is not to dominate or control employees, but to aim them at a set of common goals on which they can act every day. This brings coherence to the workplace, and allows better coordinated action. By clearing up ambiguity in whats, hows, and whys, the common culture permits employees to act with empowerment. When we have staff that understands the basic values and purposes of an organization, we give them the opportunity to make decisions that fall within those parameters. That means, for example, that more decisions can be made at the line level, reducing micro-managing. When your organization is communicating effectively with its internal stakeholders, whether they are employees, management or volunteers, it develops a cohesive culture where everyone is focused on the same goals and ha s the same objectives. By working within a cohesive culture, your stakeholders can work more efficiently together and collaborate more effective. Clearly, if we are to create such a common culture, we need to harness all of our organizations communication resources to achieve the purpose. Before we talk about that, lets look at some other advantages to having a coherent, shared organizational culture. †¢ Permits employees to make more decisions online since they have the tools and knowledge needed to make the right decisions. †¢ Encourages a sense of identification, on the part of staff, with the goals, mission and procedures of the organization, which can result in a sense of making a difference. This can have direct impact on effort and efficiency. †¢ Has the potential for reducing day-to-day conflict. Much conflict is generated by conflicting ideas on what is important to the organization often an indicator that the people involved do not share a common vision or understanding. †¢ Helps staff feel a part of the organization. When we look at organizations that use their common culture as a strategic advantage, what we find is that they create that culture through the use of very strategic, coordinated communication strategies. They use multiple methods, consistently. Their training supports their cultural goals, as does their written communication (e.g. newsletters, billboards, slogans, etc). Their management communicates consistently with common messages in a number of forums (e.g. performance management, department or sub-organization meetings, award and recognition programs, etc). And perhaps most importantly, management behavior is consistent with the messages echoed via other communication methodologies. 4.0 Internal communication strategy There are two sides of strategy in internal communications. In the first instance there is organizations strategy — what it hopes to achieve and how it plans to go about achieving it. That strategy will be supported and, to some extent, delivered through effective internal communications. In this context internal communication can help on several different levels: †¢ Tell: simply informing people of the direction, non-negotiable †¢ Sell: anticipating some form of backlash, requiring some persuasion †¢ Consult: seeking specific areas of input to the decision-making process †¢ Involve: seeking varying degrees of involvement and co-creation Secondly, and more importantly, internal communications needs a strategy of its own. It should be positioned more than a simple plan of tactical interventions in support of business activities. The strategy should consider the following: †¢ Market: What does the organization know about its audiences needs? How should its audiences be segmented? †¢ Message: What is it the organizations message is trying to achieve? In what tone should it be conveyed? †¢ Media: Which channels work best for the different audience segments? How will it maximize reach and cut-through? Are there clear editorial guidelines for each? †¢ Measurement: Are there clearly defined success criteria? What are the leading and lagging measures? As well as informing all of the other three Ms, it should be used to demonstrate value and measures of performance (rate of return, message penetration, hit rates, quality of feedback, etc) The strategy will inform the best way to organize effective communications 5.0 Conclusion The development of a strategic internal communication strategy and its implementation can provide a number of benefits to organizations. To achieve those benefits we need a coordinated, comprehensive, long term communication approach. Effective communications require the active commitment and endorsement of senior managers. It is not enough simply to develop a vision statement or formulate in general terms the values by which the company lives. Behavior is what counts. Managers must be seen to behave in a manner that is consistent with the ethos they are promoting. Communication applied to development initiatives is still too often limited to activities aimed at informing the stockholders or the general public following the typical and dated top-down approach. Government counterparts and project managers are often not used or ready to democratize the decision making process, but are more interested in accelerating it. However, the budget, time and effort devoted to communication will almost certainly be worthwhile. Tele business relying on a mix of adequate telecommunications infrastructure, a quality workforce with reasonable wage levels and corresponding linguistic skills, such requisites are today available in other countries, particularly in the developing world. The workforce skills have to be permanently upgraded so as to satisfy the requirements of new applications. The internal communication techniques can inform and encourage policymakers to base their decisions on a clear understanding of beneficiaries perspectives from the beginning of a development initiative. Such communication not only needs to be carefully planned and implemented but must also be properly integrated with emergency management activities and operations therefore effective internal communication is therefore a key responsibility of public health professionals and information officers, especially during emergency. 6.0 References Effective media communication during public health emergencies (Google book) By Randall N. Hyer, Vincent T. Covello pg 4 published 2007 Information and communication technologies and rural development (Google book) By Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development pg 76 published July 2001 The role of communication in large infrastructure: the Bumbuna Hydroelectric (Google book) By Leonardo Mazzei, Gianmarco Scuppa, World Bank pg 39 published June 2006 Strategic Communication for Privatization, Public-Private Partnerships and Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (Google book) By Daniele Calabrese World Bank published March 2008 pg 39 http://www.uneed2.com/assets/Summary_Guide_to_Employee_Opinion_Surveys.pdf dtd. 7/10/09 http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/internal-comms/ic-principles.pdf dtd. 10/10/09. http://performance-appraisals.org/Bacalsappraisalarticles/articles/comstrat.htm dtd 7/10/09 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_communications#Internal_communication_strategy dtd 7/10/09 http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Communication-Organisation/165925 dated 14/10/09.

History of The Guillotine :: essays research papers

The guillotine was first introduced during the French Revolution by a man named Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin. He is a physician who first was involved with the issues of medicine. On December 1, 1789 he became interested in the idea of capital punishment. He invented the guillotine. It was a contraption used for causing immediate and painless death. It included a falling blade, running between two upright boards of wood and later a basket. Therefore, one may believe that the design of the guillotine helped with executions. The basket was used to catch the falling heads. In the early revolution Richard Clark said that originally a wicker basket lined with an oil cloth had been used to catch the head. Later on a metal bucket was used to prevent the blood from flowing through the streets. Since they guillotined so any people the bucket became a necessity to have. Along with this it helped to prevent the smell of death in the streets. The most important part of the guillotine is of course the blade. The first guillotine was built with a blade that was straight across. When someone had to be decapitated,force and exact precision were needed in order for it to be a success (Jonas L. Bulman). If the blade did not hit the exact spot on the neck it would become as thought it was an axe. It would hack away until the head came off. After all the chopping, the blade would often become dull. Throughout the revolution the blade was changed, it became angled. The angling of the blade helped to kill faster. It would not become dull as quickly and it would slice straight through without having to chop. The blade was made from steel and weighed about 40 kgs. To work the blade it was pulled to the top of the contraption then released with the cord to give it a quick reaction. With the quickness of the blade it was estimated that it took about .75th of a second to be guillotined. The bascule was invented later on through the revolution. Due to the fact it was found to be easier then forcing a struggling prisoner up a flight of steps. With the bascule a prisoner could just be bound to it then tipped over and moved into position to be guillotined. The bascule was made of wood and shaped like a plank. A prisoner would be strapped to it by their feet, ankles and waist.

Essay --

During the experiment the researcher explained the subject that first they will do a test, followed by a warm up and after they will repeat the same test. The participants were very receptive, following carefully what the researcher told them. When the test has started all the participants lined up, being ready to perform. The timer has started and each and every subject did their best. After the first test has ended, a warm up came next, where the subjects had to do jogging for two minutes, high knees both ways of the court, heel flicks, sidewalk running, jumping jacks, and sprints starting from a low to a high intensity. Some of the participants seemed very tired, saying that will have a bad result the second time and some participants said they did not need the warm up because second time will make sure to have a better score. It can be seen from the results that almost everyone has a better score than the first time, except one person. 7. From the results found in this experiment people can see that warm up has a good effect on athletes. What most of the researchers wrote in thei...

The U.S. Education System and Adolescent Students At-Risk Essays

The U.S. Education System and Adolescent Students At-Risk In an age where getting a good education is increasingly a predictor of future success and stability, many of our youth are at-risk of falling behind in classes and dropping out of high school. Approximately half of all American adolescents engage in activities that put them at-risk and endanger their ability to succeed (Lingren, 1997). Not all of these adolescents will drop out of high school or end up on the streets, but a substantial number of them will not reach their potential in school and may carry feelings of failure with them the rest of their lives. Adolescents spend approximately seven hours a day, five days a week, in middle and high schools, making schools a logical place where at-risk adolescents might receive help. Realizing that this is a crucial time in their development, educators have instituted numerous school programs targeting these adolescents to help them succeed and catch-up to their peers. This paper will focus on adolescents who are at-risk educationally, and what strategies have proven effective at preventing dropouts and helping them catch up to normal levels for their grade. It will examine theories about how adolescents become at-risk, the needs of these students, several models of intervention, and overall characteristics of successful programs. Although most definitions of â€Å"at-risk† include individuals with severe learning disabilities and the mentally handicapped, this paper will focus primarily on students who appear to have the capacity to catch up to their grade level, and who are at-risk because of behaviors, environmental factors, or because they were not given meaningful instruction at an early age. Some observers estimate that â€Å"... ...mpscott, Massachusetts: Watersun Publishing Company, Inc. 17. Sanders, M. G. (2000). Schooling Students Placed At Risk: Research, Policy, and Practice in the Education of Poor and Minority Adolescents. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. 18. Slavin, R. E., Karweit, N. L., & Madden, N. A. (1989). Effective Programs for Students At Risk. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon. 19. U.S. Department of Education (2003). Electronic source: Official U.S. Dept. of Education website: http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/ 20. Washington, V. (1995). Project Head Start: Models and Strategies for the Twenty- First Century. New York, New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 21. Wehlage, G. G. et al. (1989). Reducing the Risk: Schools as Communities of Support. Philadelphia: Falmer Press

Curriculum Development Essay

Education is an essential economic factor for development by eradicating illiteracy. Region, where the curriculum developed should have positive influence on education but not have any negative effect on religious beliefs, by inclusion of tenets that govern religion. The second part of the paper discuses the development of new curriculum innovations, the processes followed, how it can be implemented, and the difficulties encountered during the implementation of the program. The analysis is centered on the implementation of the social study curriculum to students and how their teachers should use it. Introduction The impact of the education system is important for change to be realized. The primary aim is to enable designed curriculums to offer relevance to the educational program set in place. The educational curriculum is very important, especially when it comes to the stimulation of the individuals’ personality and enabling optimal functioning of schools and education systems within governments. The design innovation focuses on the school education which consists of primary and secondary schools (Markee, 1997). The study of interactive languages and subjects is beneficial to students since it improves on their communicative ability and social relations (Marcos, 1998). The aim of the curriculum is to enable the students learn with a lot of ease and have the ability to comprehend and solve problems adequately. Also there are some valuable advices to the teachers on how they can handle students their students effectively based on the quality trainings that they get (Marcos, 1998). The educational curriculum has proved to be a powerful base of knowledge for any nation to advance. It provides effective methods to accomplish educational policies with a lot of integration, by employing the new technologies. Its innovation is highly complex and requires further research and investigation (Fullan, 1993). There has been insufficient information on the curriculum process implementation. This has allowed the situation where the innovators dictate teachers on the use of their innovations. It is common for curriculum innovations to change with little noticeable impact on the classroom work and more so in the fieldwork practical (Morris, 1992). Case Study Protocol The rationale ensures organization of programs to cater for cultural, financial, religious and social requirements. English language was a perfect selection in case1 to determine what influence it will have on Islamic religion. Compared to TOC which guarantees that teachers get supported and trained; support in classrooms is needed for the implementation of the goal-oriented curriculum to be successful (Carless, 1997). Descriptive Account- Case 1 structural education system is composed of kindergarten, primary school years are six, intermediate three years and high school three years as well. Language subjects play key role in curriculum structuring since language skills have a greater influence on human social character. English language is among the most advanced languages and with highest speakers all over the world as an international language (Marcos, 1998). Purpose of studying foreign language enhances ability to communicate and even open up avenues of employment (Marcos, 1998). English language curriculum was introduced at intermediate stage with aim of enabling students write, read, and listen. At the end of the vocational study, students would have gained enough skills in English for possible advancement at secondary level in future. The main objective in Arabian casebook was driving at enabling student interact with members of English speaking community. In contrast learning English would advance Islamic religion by facilitating students to preach its doctrines and discredit any false thoughts from Islamic religious enemies. Another aim through the book is to enable student master command of English for purposes of advanced applications in certain situations, consequently the students be find it easy to express their ideas coherently and for fun and enjoyments (Carless, 1997). Book Content It was sub-dived into 2 sections. Section one was to be covered in semester one while semester two takes the second section. Eight units are in each section, and per unit are four lessons for reading, listening, and writing and extra one for oral and listening The main topics covered in the book are interesting ones to boost student attention like; Friendship, travel, others relates to the cultural traditions of Saudi Arabia and other diverse culture. In addition, the book has wonderful drawings, pictures and scenes that apply key striking new English words in sentences and variety of exercises (Carless, 1997). Benefits of learning English Learning a second foreign language at intermediate school had primary optimism since the teaching process has become easier and cheaper. The textbook design is flexible to be used in classrooms in different formats for communication. This includes discussion of answers in small groups, development of individual skills through practice exercises on reading, writing and oral. The book has targeted certain learning outcomes. In contrast to the Target Oriented Curriculum whereby the primary school is allocated seven lessons per week and is sub-divided into two sessions; the morning and the evening session though the evening session operates freely (Lynch, 1996) Learners aged between 6 and 7 years old have a problem with the new language–English which is being introduced to them as they try to put it into practice. Practically as they try to put up with the new curriculum they seem to have their own plan that govern them on the choices they make over what they are told due to the language problem and difference in both writing and pronouncing. The pupils are also involved in the communication and inquiring with the elements of reasoning and solving the problems involved in recognition of their members of their families in pictures (Lynch, 1996). The teachers’ attitude obtained is as a result of their own past knowledge as pupils, their leadership, teaching practice, interaction with coworkers and their rates and customs of the society within which they work (Waugh and Punch, 1987) The, main aim of TOC is following the daybreak guide session rather than through a positive desire to introduce the curriculum was the goal for the implementation. Also TOC is aiming at seeing the learners communicate through sharing and receiving significance , inquiring through curiosity , testing theory, blueprint identification and thoughts through organizing knowledge, reasoning through reasonable argument and pretentious or intrusive conclusions, solving problems including ,recognizing, assessing solutions and explaining. Also teachers should take to account the learners’ needs and interests (Clark et al. , 1994, p. 15) Another objective is that attention should be paid more to individual learning requirements of different learners for variations , in their learning styles, abilities and speed be looked into. Also there should be insightful capacity and desire for self development, positive orientation and good understanding towards the implemented curriculum. Proficiency and high standard of the English language, wide range of pupil-centered teaching techniques and also the ability for facilitation of effective learning outcomes Carless (1998). Teachers in Hong Kong insist on the communication of information and acquaintance therefore, they use the informative mode which is believed to be bigger because of all the limitations of communal examinations and reluctance of teachers to change. Therefore the Target Oriented Curriculum represents a fundamental change of the teachers in Hong Kong accustomed to carrying out traditional approaches since the focus is on task –based learning and more individualized learning styles (Carless, 1997). The limitations encountered during the process of implementation imply that there is lack of information on the curriculum implementation process and this is observed in response from the learners, the strategies used during the process, how the teachers go about putting in place the innovation to their own circumstance and also the speed and interest of the learners in adjusting to the new learning curriculum (Morris, 1992, 1995). Principles According to case 1, the main reason for acquiring the secondary language is for morale boosting and desire to excel. Subsequently, the language improves the students’ cognitive abilities and adds knowledge of socio-cultural lifestyles of the foreign community. In contrast to the Target Oriented Curriculum, English language teaching can be compared to a weak form of the based task approach where by the tasks tend to be attuned with the stage of production of creation sequence , performance, management, which are the regularly used in expa nsive methods (Wong,1996, p. 92). PART 2 Designing an innovative curriculum from a familiar context: An overview of how the principles from the case studies reviewed might be applied to my curriculum innovation. The good training is of prime importance since this is required for the deep understanding of the curriculum in place. Their understanding of both the theoretical underpinnings and classroom applications will ensure that the appropriate knowledge is delivered to the students. The dissemination of this innovation must contain sufficient information in order to simplify its understanding amongst the teachers. This will be achieved through generation of classroom teaching procedures for the innovation inform of syllabuses. Criterion-referenced assessment is to be used for assessing the pupil’s progress in class towards the targets and this will enable information to be recorded and reported to the schools administration as well as the parents. This will provide an integrated curriculum framework link between teaching, learning and assessment (Elsevier Science, 1998).. The learning of the subject through different text books will help in providing the students with diversified knowledge on the very subject. The pupils are encouraged to undertake educational trips as this will enable them to socialize with people of diversified origins hence improving on their social nature and this may make it easier for them to interact freely during their later years and also in every part of the world as a whole(Elsevier Science, 1998).. Description of the context The curriculum provides sufficient information on the culture of social studies, both practical and theoretical aspects that are necessary for the better understanding of the students. The strategies that are used during the implementation of new topics and the student’s reactions described. This paper will give a thorough review on the factors necessary for the implementation of social sciences as a subject in the schools. A number of key elements that helps in the process of innovation are discussed in relation to the social studies. The study sought to explore the importance realised in the implementation of new innovative curriculum within the schools. This is done through the multiple case study research design based on the social sciences impacts. The discussions will mostly focuses on the students reactions and how well and fast they can adjust to the changes available (Elsevier Science, 1998). Rationale for the innovation This innovation will aim at providing a better understanding for the students at an early age to the environment and how they should interact and associate with other components without much coercion. It will be aimed at how the attitudes of most of the learners can be captured and changed to accept some form of social changes that takes place within there localities. When students’ attitudes agree with this innovation the much success is likely to be realised, especially when it comes to the reduction of the human conflicts within most of the societies (Waugh and Punch, 1987). It will also ensure that much organization is realised especially in the public settings where educative functions are held, because the population will have known prior how to carry themselves responsibly, hence no much resistance to change. This approach will enable the development of understanding of the phenomenon from the students’ point of view (Waugh and Punch, 1987). A description and justification of the content, materials and methodology to be adopted The training and thorough teachings will therefore be stressed and much emphasis placed upon it in order to ensure effective transfer of knowledge. The content will involve a lot of textbooks reading and practical interactions with different social backgrounds to promote diversified knowledge and thinking. This also ensures easy dissemination of the innovation. The information will collected from at least twenty schools from different ethnic regions and both student and teachers sampled according to the classes they represent. This will enable information to be obtained from a number of sources and over a period of time. The students are the key elements of focus in this study and how they interact. The methods adopted comprised of practical, observations, measurement of attitude scales and interviews. The communicative methodologies are well incorporated to emphasise on the transmission of information and knowledge. An indication of the resources (people, facilities, equipment, and materials) required to implement the curriculum. For the purposes of implementation it requires well trained teachers, well equipped schools and diversity in the student’s background. The students’ differences are catered for by the involving language interpreters so as to eliminate the issue of language barrier. A number of issues have been developed to facilitate new language development (Ellis, 1998). The learning units within the set curriculum will serve as good facilitators in the learning process. The development and progress will mainly be based on how the schools invest in their pupils and this will form the basis under which the potential for the future generation will be uprooted from. The supportiveness of the government in providing the finances and the leaning aides is an added advantage to the initiative (Ellis, 1998). The proactive involvement of the college and university students is encouraged to facilitate the fruitful implementation of this innovation since it provides enriched base of knowledgeable people. Anticipated difficulties that may be encountered in implementing it and how these might be addressed. One of the stumbling issues is the possibility of changing the attitudes and the traditional beliefs of most of the students and the teachers (Kennedy & Kennedy, 1996). For the efficient implementation of the innovation, crucial training and support which requires modern equipments might be a challenge. Those without the modern training may loose enthusiasm towards the implementation of the curriculum, since they become frustrated by the problems posed and hence revert to older implementation methods which might not work (Gross et al. , 1971). The implementation will require both classroom and off classroom work which requires psychological and academic support from the innovation trainers. This will require a lot of finances and time. The students and teachers understanding of the innovation may pose some problems on the start of the program. This may require thorough information on the issues that concerns the particular innovation. The training needs to be more developmental and informative (Brindley and Hood, 1990). Insufficient support and training on the teachers, their enthusiasm about the innovation may be frustrated by implementing the problems which will turn against the project and hence go back to the old ways of teaching (Gross et al. , 1971) another difficulty will be the approach of the teachers towards the TOC and also teaching the language. Also the teachers’ familiarity with the TOC principles, to the extent that they believe that they are performing whether they are implementing the TOC principles and the strategies used . Also the nature of change and development in the teachers during the study period (Lynch 1996). The unwillingness of teachers to change from the didactic mode in Hong Kong is hard due; to the familiarization of teachers to the traditional approach (Carless, 1997). Difference in both writing and pronouncing is another challenge. In order for the curriculum to succeed, their must be implementation therefore teachers require adjusting to the content of the training to their own levels of knowledge and experience. Teachers also need to get access to the local and lasting operation training probably through the cascading material, an establishment of effective supervision and support system for the teachers. Teachers’ encouragement on commitment and motivation for instance through professional development opportunities and improved working conditions Verspoor (1989). For the second language development, participation should be rich in instructions because the language will serve as the intermediate as well as the center of instructions. Also the here and now principle need to be adhered to meaning that there will be a lot of concentration needed therefore in the action stage; pupils will have independent management over the content comparative meaning that they will have a choice over what is said even though there is a big information gap between the listener and the speaker. Students also have to adapt participation into intake Ellis (1988). Attention to different learners for learning styles, abilities and speed variations as well as their learning requirements of different learners. Also there should be insightful capacity and desire for self to develop, positive orientation and good understanding towards the implementation Carless (1998). A detailed plan for evaluating both the curriculum and its outcomes. For the evaluation of the curriculum and its principal outcomes the study is conducted within different schools. This is very necessary in order to reap maximum results, and also ascertain the desired effects on the students. Very valuable concepts on the learning environment of the students will be ascertained and the programme accountability identified. This will be based on different types of evaluation which include; formative evaluation, Summative evaluation and illuminative evaluation (Hitti, 2004). Formative evaluation concerns with the process of developing and designing of the social science curriculum. This is so as to ascertain on its effectiveness to deliver the core principles (Hitti, 2004). Illuminative evaluation looks into the assessment, functioning and implementation of the different sections and units of the program and this ensures competent learning processes is employed. Summative evaluation is mostly used by those who are involved in planning process identifying the significance of every bit of the curriculum implemented. This evaluation is done by the use of qualitative and quantitative analysis (Hitti, 2004). The three main conceptual elements making up the curriculum will be followed to the latter. These elements are targets, tasks and task-based assessment. The targets provide a common direction for the learning processes for all the institutions. It also helps in the facilitation of the planning and evaluation processes. Tasks provide the purpose for which the curriculum is meant and the context of the learning activities to wards the targets. The assessments are used to asses the progress of the students and enable report to be written and recorded to the relevant parties. The comparison to be done with other case studies which will enable information collected from the other sources be correlated to the quality of the innovation. This will enable development of understanding from the trainers’ point of view. More attention to be paid on the individual learning needs of students so as to be able to cater for the variety of needs of the pupils and their abilities. The classroom data will be collected in order to evaluate on the students improvement after the introduction of the new innovation. The fieldwork data is also availed to determine how well the students have adjusted to their social life-style. The students will actively be involved in their own learning and in the development of new knowledge and ideas. This is done through the interactive ways of learning, communication by sharing meaning, inquiring of clarifications through questions and tests of the hypotheses. Conceptualizing through organizing knowledge and identifying important groups. Critical reasoning and coming up with conclusions and ability to identify problems solve them and justify the inferences (Fullan, 1991). The quantity of the comprehension to which the students are being exposed together with the techniques used to facilitate students understanding, is of prime importance. It has been identified that acquisition is the most favourable way to better a students understanding. The understanding of the principles and practise of the curriculum innovation evolves over time as the teachers continue to gain further experiences through it (Fullan, 1991). Having a strong staff who are well equipped with instructional leadership skills, will help in building of collaborative cultures, academic, administrative and resource support means of facilitating the change required (Hall&Hord, 1987). Conclusion The study of the social sciences enables the government to develop an understanding, informative and knowledgeable population. This will in turn be very critical especially in the implementation of projects in the various parts of the country. The understanding of different ethnic backgrounds promotes free interactions and peaceful environments. It also facilitates in building good international society. The job environments especially companies will have easy time in dealing with their employees since they have the ability to understand one another. This study will enable various groups to remove the prejudices that certain people from common background are bad and not worth staying with. It will also equip the people with good learning skills necessary to earn living within any locality in the whole world. This paper has finally tried to show that good trainings are beneficial especially when it comes to the implementation of new curriculum to learning institutions. Despite the many challenges associated with the implementation of the new innovation, both students and teachers gave positive responses based on their understanding of the importance of the innovation. The gradual change indicated in the curriculum framework offers some flexibility and development of teachers and students in most regions. This is because the implementation comes with the changes in the teaching format and timing for each lesson taught. It also offers the teachers the opportunity of countering inertia and legitimising attempts to improve on how they handle the students. Reference A Sociological Analysis of Planned Educational Change (1996). Harper Row, New York. Carless, D. ,(1997). Managing systematic curriculum change: a critical analysis of Hong Kong’s target-oriented curriculum initiative. International Review of Education 43 (4), 349-396. Carless, D. , (1998). Quality teaching: an expert primary practitioner’s classroom behaviors and attitudes. Paper presented at a conference on Quality Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Clark, J. ,Scarino, A. , Brownell, J. , (1994). Improving the quality of learning: a framework For target –oriented curriculum renewal in Hong Kong. Institute of Language in Education, Hong Kong. Ellis, R. , (1988). Classroom Second Language Development. Prentice Hall, London. Gross,N. , Giacquinta,J. Bernstein, M. , 1971. Implementation Organizational Innovations: Hitti, M. , (2004). Being Bilingual Boosts Brain Power. Retrieved on 15th Augest 2008, from. http://www. webmd. com/parenting/news/20041013/being-bilingual-boosts-brain- power Lynch, B. , (1996). Language Program Evaluation: Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Marcos, K. M. (1998) Second language learning: Everyone can benefit. The ERIC Review, 6 (1), 2-5. Morris, P. , (1992). Curriculum development in Hong Kong. Education Papers 7, Faculty of Education, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong. Morris, P. , (1995). The Hong Kong school Curriculum. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong. Verspoor,A. , (1989). Pathways to change: Improving the Quality of Education in Developing Countries. World Bank, Washington DC. Waugh, R. , Punch, K. , (1987). Teacher receptivity to system wide change in the Implementation stage. Review of Education Research 57 (3), 237-254.