Planning and implementing classroom meetings Essay Example for Free

Planning and implementing classroom meetings Essay Class room meetings do provide a perfect forum for the establishment of a conducive learning environment in the school scenario. It does give the learners a perfect environment for them to practice their communication and socialization skills which are in cooperated in the teaching curriculum. The class meetings are meant to serve some purposes which are listed below. Purpose of the class meetings: The main purpose or major aim for class meetings is to try and resolve some key discipline problems that are encountered in the learning environment. The class meetings do therefore create the required environment for the teacher and learners to work together in trying to resolve some problems that are always encountered in the school scenario for example discipline problems whereby learners harass other learners in class or during play time, making noise that disturbs the learning environment negatively and other incidents. Through the class meetings, an approach is created whereby the teacher and the learners try to resolve the first few incidents of misbehavior before they do get out of hand. An example of a minor conflict that can get out of hand and become a major full scale discipline problem is the case whereby a given learner is constantly being bullied by other learners who happen to have bigger and stronger bodies as compared to him/her. If this kind of vice continues for some time then it is likely to lead that particular learner to a state of being depressed and feeling unwanted in that environment. Once the learner enters the state of being depressed then he/she is likely to start using drugs to escape the state of depression and sometimes it can lead the learner to dropping out of school. Therefore, when a meeting is held in the class, it serves a purpose of trying to guide and counsel the learners to avoid such vices and treat each other fairly with some equity in order to create a more conducive environment for learning. The class meetings do also serve a purpose of facilitating and creating a positive relationship in the learning environment. The meetings provide an opportunity for the learners and the teachers to be able to build some form of trust, respect and confidence in each other which leads to the creation of a warm and caring environment. The confidence created by the class meetings leads to the creation of an environment that is full of mutual understanding thereby enabling all the class members to make statements or state opinions freely without feeling unsecure. Classroom meetings do develop closer relationships between the learners and even between the learners and their teachers. This closer relationships come when the learners are discussing issues or are having conversations in a relaxed manner whereby they do talk of where they come from, about their families and there general background. This relationships end up creating a class that is manageable since the involved parties do get to know and understand each other accordingly. A good example is when a teacher holds a meeting with her kindergarten learners; at first the children are not so free with the teacher. They tend to create and keep a certain distance between them and the teacher. A teacher may ask them to respond to some question but they choose to be quiet and not that they do not know the response, but they could not be free with the teacher. But if she holds some meetings with them whereby she addresses them warmly then she is bound to break the communication barrier between her and the young learners. This ends up creating a relationship of mutual benefit between the learners and the teacher. (Marshal 2001). Through class meetings, learners do acquire important development skills. The skills include the ability to listen attentively and to have an understanding of each other. As the class meetings go on, learners discover that if they do not pay attention or listen carefully and attentively to what the others are saying, then they are meant to lose some key interesting points and some humorous contributions. ( Marshall 2001). Class meetings also have a purpose in enabling the learners to develop other skill for example reflecting listening whereby a learner is supposed to paraphrase what he/she had heard earlier on from a classmate. This skill enables the learner to listen with some form of understanding. A reflective dialogue also enables the learner to develop a clear and concise speech which is an important element in the art of communication. It enables the learner to know that if there speech is not clear then there point may not be understood properly or clearly and therefore they won’t be able to make their point or view known (Marshall 2001). Learners gain skills that enable them to be team players. When they are holding discussions in the class meetings, the various opinions that they give from their point of view and contributions that they make helps them in cultivating the team spirits. Objectives of class meetings. Classroom meetings do have some objectives that serve to improve the life of the learners and teachers in the learning environment. The objectives are meant to: Improve the general communication skills of the learners. The communication skills include the listening and speaking skills. When the learners are participating in the discussion of issues that affect them in school they not only nurture their speaking skills but also their listening skills which are an integral component in the learning environment. The listening skills enable the learners to pay close attention to what the others in class are trying to communicate. Provide opportunities for the learners to develop skills for insightful, creative and critical speaking (Marshall 2001). Classroom meetings provide a platform that enables learners to practice their speaking skills. When the learners are engaged in debates during the class meetings or when they are asked by the teacher to give their own views on some given issues, it does give them that opportunity that enables them to improve and even cultivate better speaking skills. Their creativity is improved when they are asked to give solutions and provide a way forward for some critical issues that affect their well-being in school. Create an opportunity for the learners to interact respectfully and promote their team work spirit. The interaction with each other in class meetings enables the learners to understand each other from all perspectives. Team work spirit enables them to be team players and to work together in resolving any problems and miss-understandings that they face not only in school but also in the outside world also where they meet bigger and tougher challenges. Foster social skills for example reducing shyness (Marshall 2001). Classroom meetings enable learners to interact positively through participating in conversations and debates in class which enable them to overcome their shyness as they become more confident in holding discussions. The more the learners participate in class meetings, the more they overcome their shyness. Classroom meetings build a trusting and caring relationship between the learner and the teacher. When the teacher holds a meeting to discuss with the learner issues that do affect them in a friendly way them the relationship between the teacher and the learner is bound to improve. The learners will free being with that teacher which is a necessary requirement for the learning process to be more effective. The learners will be free to ask the teacher any question which they do not understand and in turn the teacher will do what is required of him/her professionally. Agenda of classroom meetings. Agenda, from the view of class meetings is a term meant to refer to the different matters that affect the learners and are meant to be solved during meetings through giving suggestions, discussing them or using any other appropriate way to solve them. Class meetings are designed in such a way that they try to improve the learning environment and change it positively beginning with the students themselves. Teachers have their own agendas for classroom, for example the teachers use the meetings to gain some instructional objectives from the learners (Marshall 2001). Instructional objectives are obtained when the teacher asks the learners questions that pertain the class meeting or the lessons held in class. For example the teacher can ask the learners to give suggestions on how they could make the next lesson better than the present one. It gives the learners the opportunity to reflect in their minds and try to give suggestions that will help improve the next lesson. This kind of reflection also helps those kids who easily switch of from the current events to other ones that are not part of the class meetings. When they are asked to give suggestion concerning the betterment of the meeting then they are likely to linger on when that lesson or meeting is held since they gave a suggestion concerning it. Teachers can also have other agendas like setting up the tone of a class for learning. This is particularly an important agenda especially when a given class is a very difficult class to manage for example a class that is full of mischief from the learners. If a class meeting is held at the beginning of the learning process, then the teacher might be successful in implementing some rules that will be used through the learning exercise and set the right tone for the learning process from the beginning of that session to the very end (Marshall 2001). Having Class meetings can also have agendas that involve learners discussing on the right approach for them to use in doing their assignments and in reviewing them. For example they can discuss whether it is appropriate for them to hold discussions as a whole class in order to do review an assignment that they had done earlier on or it will be appropriate for them to do the assignments in smaller groups or it will be more appropriate for them to do them individually through research. Such an agenda enables the learners to find a better way of handling their class work, a way that will benefit them more. They also get to give reasons why they think a given approach will benefit them more than the other approaches. Also in the class meeting agenda, the way of dealing with minor problems should be spoken about or discussed. Dealing with class room misbehaviors should be an agenda. In some cases, especially when dealing with young learners of lower classes, a teacher gets complaints like â€Å"teacher this one is squeezing my hand†. Both the learners and the teacher should agree on what to do during such incidents. When the learners decide for themselves, it becomes a sure way of controlling some vices in the class room as they will be conscious of what they will be doing in class and will obviously try as much as possible to avoid getting into trouble. Formulating questions. The purpose, objectives and goals of the meeting should be clear to the teacher in order to enable him/her to formulate the right kind of questions that will enable him/her to achieve all the goals of the meetings. The teacher must formulate open ended questions. Open ended questions invite a discussion and are the best when holding a class meeting as they require more than just an answer. They let the learners to give explanations as to why they feel as they feel. (Marshall 2001). Closed ended questions are those that require simple answers only. They do not elicit any explanations from the learners. They require a yes or no answer. Such questions should be avoided at all times. They do not even play a simple role of nurturing the creativity of the learners. The open ended questions help a lot in improving the creativity of the learners as they give room for the learners to think widely and try to come up with the right solutions or answer to a given problem. The teacher should therefore formulate open-ended questions. An example of open ended questions is a question that begins with â€Å"Why? † or â€Å"How? †. This way, a justification is given by the student and at the end does show that the student did do some thinking or reasoning. The teacher should also formulate questions that seek for clarification. A learner should try to explain the reasons why they chose on a given answer. In other words, the learner should not only give a flat answer but also explain that answer and try to clarify it more. Some learners have a tendency of letting their minds wonder far off from the events that are currently taking place in class and once they are asked to answer a given question they ask their neighbors in class and give an answer that serves the purpose of redeeming them from some shame. If a teacher formulates questions that seek clarification then the learner’s attention will most likely be captured to end of the meeting. Length, time and frequency Length, time and frequency of a class meeting depends on the class and age of the learners, the nature of that group, the kind of interests that they have during the meetings and the type or nature of topic that is being discussed. Meetings for young children, for example those in kindergarten should be planned and held for around ten minutes while the one for older learners i. e. those in higher classes can be held for a longer time, about twenty minutes. (Marshall 2001). The meetings should always be held at the same time as planned or as in schedule. For example, some teachers do hold meetings before the class breaks for lunch, at the end of the period or when the day ends. Teachers, who handle middle and high school classes, hold meetings at the beginning of every class in order to discuss how the learners are faring on and to check on the progress of the class projects. These meetings that are held at the beginning of the class in co-operate the learners into the planning process which leads to increase in the learning processes even though only a few minutes are spared for a discussion. According to Marshall, the elementary classes should hold meetings on a daily basis as a way of keeping them in track. It checks on their behavior and if they are doing what they are supposed to do in school. Marshall also argues that if the middle and high school classes do not hold meetings on a regular basis then they will be depriving themselves of the so many advantages that do come with the meetings when they are held regularly. Physical environment. The physical environment should be created in a satisfactory manner. The kind of physical environment created should guarantee the meeting some quality. For example if a teacher decides to create a circle or to adopt a circle format for the meeting, then it is obvious that the meeting will have a high quality attached to it since the learners see each other face to face and are therefore able to read each other’s expressions as well as hear the words that are being spoken in a better way as compared to them being seated in rows and facing the teacher whereby the learners won’t be able to see the ones who are contributing from the back of the class (Marshall 2001) When the learners are seated in rows, they will squirm around to see the person contributing from the back. This leads to lack of concentration that is a necessity in the discussion. Therefore, teachers should adopt an environment that is more effective for the discussion to be of a greater success. A circle format for the sitting arrangement is the best for holding class meetings. Furniture. Desks are a barrier to open discussions in class. They should be moved in order to pave way for a circle. The learners should only use their chairs if the meeting is to be more effective. For the younger learners, those in lower grades, sitting on the floor will be more effective in that movement will be minimal from them. It will also save time for moving desks and chairs since they are young and do not know the value of time. (Marshall 2001). Role of the teacher. The major role of the teacher is to facilitate the meeting. For example, the teacher has to monitor the learners, pose the right questions and give the right answers to the learners. The teacher has to ensure that the right comments are made to every student who attempts to bring something into the discussion. If a teacher comments on only one learner’s contribution and ignores the other, then that student is bound to believe that his contribution was not worthwhile. The teacher has to conclude the meeting. He/she has to summarize all the points that have been discussed and to make sure that all the learners understand all that has been discussed. Role of the student. The student plays a role in implementing what has been discussed and agreed upon. If the meeting set an agenda on keeping silence in class, then the learner has to try and be silent. If they agreed on how cleaning of classrooms should be done then the learner has a role to play to make sure that all is a success. Closing the meeting. The teacher should give a summary of the whole meeting on what has been agreed upon. The teacher could also draw a consensus or just state the agreed solution in a problem solving meeting. It serves to reinforce the discussions of the meeting. Evaluation. At the end of the meeting, the teacher should ask himself or herself some questions that reflect on the meeting and are meant to improve skills. For example: are the learners expressing their own opinions? Are the students displaying any evidence of insightful thinking? (Marshall 2001). The teacher can also asses the level of participation of the learners i. e. if they all took part in the discussion. In conclusion, class meetings are an important part in the creation of a conducive learning environment. When meetings are held with the learners, they not only check on the behavior of the learners but also improve the relationship of the learners and the teacher which is an important aspect in the teacher student relationship. References. Marshall, M. (2001). Classroom meetings. .New York: Piper Press.

Impact of Capitalism on Global Development

Impact of Capitalism on Global Development Is geographically uneven development an inevitable outcome of capitalism? Harris (2006, p. 2) claims that in ‘examining the general character of the process of capitalist development as it has appeared historically across many different countries over a long period of time, one of its most striking characteristics is the phenomenon of uneven development.’ However we choose to define the terms ‘development’ and ‘capitalism’, it is undeniable that in recent centuries capitalism – of one kind or another – has been the dominant economic and social system throughout the world and the development has been geographically uneven – whether considered at the local, national, regional or global level. Whether the former is the cause of the latter is open to debate. Further, whether the former must necessarily cause the other, as suggested by the title question, is even less clear. This essay will first provide definitions and explanations of development and capitalism. Next it will consider the argument â₠¬â€œ most famously put forward by David Harvey, but also expounded by many others – that capitalism inevitably leads to geographically uneven development. Development can and has been defined in many different ways. Until the 1970s it was generally accepted that increasing GNP per capita was the primary – even the exclusive – objective of development. Thus development was measured exclusively in terms of GNP per capita. Since 1970, however, many criticisms have been levelled against the use of GNP as a measure of societal well-being, and various other objectives of development have been suggested to replace it. The criticisms encompass both the theoretical and the empirical, but broadly speaking they arise from the fact that use of GNP per capita as a measure of development treats economic growth as synonymous with development whereas in fact development must incorporate the enabling of individuals to achieve basic aims such as to live long, to be well-nourished, to be healthy and to be literate (Sen, 1999). Furthermore, since development was viewed in terms with GNP per capita, it was concerned with the average or aggreg ate income, rather than with the incomes of the poorest. As Arndt (1983, p. 1) explains, ‘ disappointment was increasingly widely expressed that, after two decades of unprecedentedly high rates of economic growth in most of the Third World, hundreds of millions remained in abject poverty and in many countries income distribution appeared to have worsened.’ Arndt goes on to argue that at this time, a myth emerged that something called ‘trickle-down theory’ had existed in the 1950s and 1960s, but that no development economist ever actually subscribed to any such theory. This alleged theory posits that the benefits of the accumulation of capital by the elites would ‘trickle-down’ to the masses through the creation of jobs and other economic opportunities. Whether trickle-down theory was originally part and parcel of the view of development as increasing GNP per capita, or whether it was appended to such a notion of development ex-post, it is certa inly clear that the benefits of economic growth did not trickle down to the masses. On the contrary, in fact, the world has witnessed increasing inequality. It is this inequality – or unevenness of development – with which we are most concerned in this essay. As Harvey (2005, p. 55) describes it, a ‘convergence in well-being has not occurred and geographical as well as social inequalities within the capitalist world appear to have increased in recent decades. The promised outcome of poverty reduction from freer trade, open markets and â€Å"neo-liberal† strategies of globalization has not materialized. Environmental degradations and social dislocations have also been unevenly distributed.’ Capitalism refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production are mainly privately-owned and operated for profit. It is defined by Bernstein (2002, p. 242) as ‘(a) Production of goods and services for market exchange (commodities), to make profits; (b) founded on a definitive social (class) relation between owners of capital and owners of labour power; (c) to which other social relations and divisions are linked, e.g. those of gender, urban/rural differences, nationality.’ The private owners of capital determine investment, distribution, income, production and pricing according to their own self-interest. Within these parameters, however, there are various forms of capitalism. Historically, it can be said that capitalism has gone through various stages: from merchant capitalism, through industrial capitalism; finance capitalism and monopoly capitalism to state capitalism. Further, in any stage of capitalism, any given economy can be more or less pur ely capitalist. In the world today, for example, every economy is in reality a mixed economy with elements of capitalism and elements of regulation and planning – it is the balance between free market policies and private ownership vs. regulation and public ownership that determines the extent to which an economy can be said to be capitalist or otherwise. According to Marxist accounts of capitalism, capital is created through buying commodities in order to create new commodities with an exchange value – as distinct from the use value – higher than the cost of the original commodities. Most importantly, under capitalism, labour had become a commodity itself and surplus labour is extracted by the capitalist who gains greater value from the labour (through the sale-value of the produced commodities) than the exchange value of the labour (i.e. the wage that the capitalist pays). For Marx, it was this cycle of extracting surplus labour that forms the basis of the cla ss-struggle. Harvey (see, for example, 1982, 1985, 2005, 2006) has provided what is arguably the most significant contribution to the discourse on capitalism as inevitably resulting in geographically uneven development. Harvey points to the geographic contradiction between the fixity and mobility of capital as central to understanding geographically uneven development. In order to produce value, capitalists invest in infrastructure – a form of capital with a long life and fixed location. Over its long life, this capital facilitates the production of commodities which are sold to recoup the original cost of the infrastructure and to make a profit. Meanwhile, social infrastructures are built up as the local labour force develops skills specific to the production of these commodities, relations develop between the capitalist and local suppliers, clients, politicians and banks, and knowledge is gained of local industrial processes. However, the value – or profit – produced is not spatially restricted in this way and can circulate to be invested in labour power and means of production elsewhere. Thus it may be invested in competing businesses or in different sectors of the economy. Cheaper labour and other means of production are sought and tapped in other locations within the country, in other countries in the same region, or beyond. As a result firms in a particular locality may close or reduce their level of output thus reducing employment and/or wages in the area. In turn, state agencies will receive less income through taxation, and local businesses such as those in the retail sector will suffer as the local population has less income. Home-owners may default on their mortgage payments and lenders will be forced to sell the properties at lower prices as the economy declines. Yet these state agencies, shops and shopping centres, and houses are spatially fixed – they cannot be moved elsewhere to where they could produce more value. Also, while firm s have the option to move to locations where profitability would be higher, they are also likely to have become somewhat embedded in the local area (as a result of relationships built up with customers, suppliers, employees, state officials and banks) and they have to assess the benefits of moving against the cost of building all of these relationships from scratch in a new location. The end result is the attempt (by the different stakeholders – individually or collectively) to defend exchange values in any given place to guarantee future streams of profits, wages, rents and tax revenues. Since local capitalists and local labour classes both have a vested interest in the continued existence of local industry, territorial cross-class allegiances are formed, and geographically uneven development ensues. While it is important not to conflate globalisation with capitalism since globalisation refers to a much broader process of increasing interdependence that goes far beyond the economic, Coe Yeung (2001, pp. 370-371) provide interesting input to the debate on uneven development with a consideration of globalisation, arguing that ‘one needs not be a Marxist to appreciate the uneven outcomes of the globalisation processes First, globalisation impacts differently in different sectors and industries even in the same country and/or region. While global restructuring tends to favour high tech industries, it has serious repercussions for such labour-intensive industries as textiles and clothing†¦ Second, global restructuring can produce geographically uneven impact on producers and/or countries specialising in different stages of the same production chain.’ This ties in with the explanation of how the expansion of capitalism produces new forms of unevenness, and the stagna tion of certain localities. According to Walker (1978, p. 34), for example, as capitalism expands it develops new distinctions of space thus creating a spatial mosaic of development in which none of the parts are truly independent or particularly susceptible to regional development programmes. Additionally, the expansion of capitalism intensifies its penetration of space thus increasing its mobility giving capital a strategic advantage over labour. As a result, local development becomes increasingly reliant on external capital. ‘Thus, although there is a certain evening up of development as the capitalist core expands, uneven development of a new kind necessarily emerges within what can be considered a fully developed capitalist space. This kind of unevenness is implicit in the use-value nature of capital’s relation to space, in fragmenting tendencies of the capitalist division of labor and its class hierarchy, and in the tendency of capital constantly to reduce the tim e of circulation.’ Agnew’s (2001, p. 6) perspective also demonstrates how globalization has accentuated the uneven development that results from capitalism, arguing that in this context, for example, the ‘need for rapid access to information has privileged those ‘world cities’ that have good connectivity to other places. The local availability of entrepreneurship, venture capital, technical know-how, and design capabilities differentiate ‘attractive’ from ‘unattractive’ sites for investment. At the same time, [niche] markets associated with different social groups increasingly cross national boundaries, giving rise to cross-national markets that can be served by factories located in any one of them or, for labor-intensive goods, produced wherever labor costs are lower.’ What, then, of the role of the state in today’s mixed economies? As Brenner (1998, p. 11) has pointed out, in the past century, it has been the state – and not private capital – that has planned, produced and regulated large-scale infrastructure projects (including transport infrastructure, public transport systems, utilities, energy, subsidised public housing and education systems, communications systems) to direct the ways in which labour power and capital reproduce. This highlights the fact that a purely capitalist system does not exist in any country in the world. As Harvey (1982, p. 404) explains, the state control of large-scale infrastructure enables it to direct infrastructural development differentially as the ‘territorial organisation of the state becomes the geographical configuration within which the dynamics of [infrastructural] investment is worked out.’ Thus the territorial organization of the state could in theory at least be used to channel infrastructure development in such a way as to produce geographically even – or at least more even – development. Yet Brenner (1998, p. 12) argues that in fact the state direction in practice leads to ‘new forms of uneven geographic development’ and that in so doing it produces an equilibrium. Walker (1978, p. 30) claims that geographically uneven development is indeed inevitable in advanced capitalist economies, claiming that no ‘critical observer would imagine that there is something less than systematic in the nature of capitalism producing the inevitable juxtapositions of poverty and wealth, growth and stagnation, and diverse functions in the capitalist city.’ Like Harvey, Walker claims that uneven development occurs as a result of spatial differentiation and capital mobility, two components of any capitalist system. According to Walker, (1978, p. 30), uneven development is the corollary of uneven spatial location of use-values, a nd the spatial organization of use-values is not random but is ‘a systematic product of capitalist development, varying only in form and in degree among advanced capitalist nations.’ Both Harvey and Walker provide a convincing argument for the inevitability of geographically uneven development in a capitalist system thus painting a bleak picture for development and effectively invalidating any claims of regional development programmes or any other policies aimed an evening out development. However, this last point by Walker does offer some scope for optimism. If uneven development in advanced capitalist nations varies in form and, more importantly, degree then the intuitive conclusion would be that it could vary so far that the degree of unevenness reaches zero and thus development is even. Even if in practice development can never be perfectly even, the variance in degree suggests that policies can be implemented to make development more even, if not totally even. In order to devise such policies, it is necessary to understand what aspects of certain capitalists systems have enabled them to produce more even development than others. According to Perrons (2000, p . 24), it is possible to direct policies against uneven development and to do so requires a holistic approach to social theory that explores the differences of experience in different national contexts and at different spatial scales: ‘the nature and pace of change differs between nation states and between different organizations depending on the legislative framework and social and cultural norms leading to different regional and local outcomes. Recognising and understanding these different experiences within capitalism provides a foundation for mapping alternative futures.’ If geographically uneven development is an inevitable outcome of capitalism, then we cannot hope to even out development within a capitalist world system. Short of radical calls for an overthrow of the existing system of economic and social organisation, then, policies directed at evening out development could only ever meet with partial success. However, given the importance of the state in defining and directing spaces of development, and given that every economy in the world today is a mixed economy, it must be conceivable (in theory at least) that the state could provide definition and direction in such a way as to promote even development. In order to do so, however, it is necessary to understand just what it is that causes uneven development. From the analysis above it is clear that uneven development is indeed a characteristic of capitalism; indeed it seems to be one that is inevitable. However the form and extent of that unevenness vary from place to place. Thus a better unde rstanding of exactly what determines the form and extent is necessary to reduce the extent and produced the most desirable (in other words, the least bad) form of uneven development. Bibliography Agnew, J. (2001). The New Global Economy: Time-Space Compression, Geopolitics and Global Uneven Development. Los Angeles: Center for Globalization and Policy Research, UCLA. Arndt, H. W. (1983). The Trickle-Down Myth. Economic Development and Cultural Change , 32 (1), 1-10. Bernstein, H. (2002). Colonialism, Capitalism, Development. In T. Allen, A. Thomas, Poverty and Development in the 21st Century (pp. 241-270). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brenner, N. (1998, January 7). Between fixity and motion: accumulation, territorial organization and the historical geography of spatial scales. Chicago. Coe, N. M., Yeung, H. W.-c. (2001). Geographical perspectives on mapping globalisation. Journal of Economic Geography , 367-380. Harris, D. J. (2006). Uneven Development. Stanford University, Economics. Harvey D. (1982) The Limits to Capital, Chicago: University of Chicago Press Harvey D. (1985) The geopolitics of capitalism, in D Gregory, J Urry (eds.) Social Relations and Spatial Structures, London: Macmillan, pp 128- 163 Harvey, D. (2005). Spaces of Neoliberalization: Towards a Theory of Uneven Geographical Development . Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. Harvey, D. (2006). Spaces of Global Capitalism: Towards a Theory of Uneven Geographical Development . London: Verso Books. Perrons, D. (2000). The New Economy and Uneven Geographical Development: Towards a More Holistic Framework for Economic Geography. Economic Geography Research Group. Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Walker, R. (1978). Two Sources of Uneven Development Under Advanced Capitalism: Spatial Differentiation and Capital Mobility. Review of Radical Political Economics , 28-38.

Life And Career Of James Cameron Film Studies Essay

Life And Career Of James Cameron Film Studies Essay Ever heard of some really good movies called Titanic, Terminator, and Avatar? Iconic director James Cameron is the brains behind making these and other great films that were, and still are very popular throughout the world. In his life, he has been extremely successful. Titanic went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. You can give the credit to Camerons genius special effects and amazing story lines. His movies are all very interesting and really capture the imagination of the viewer. Camerons contributions to the movie world make him a big time Hollywood director. James comes from a working class family, where his parents worked very hard to support him. Oscars and numerous other awards can be found all over his house. He is a really good director and his movies are very loved around the world. James was born in the year of 1954 Phillip and Shirley Cameron. He was delivered in Kapuskasing, Ontario Canada. Camerons Dad was an electrical engineer at a power plant. His mom, Shirley was a creative type. Shirley played a large and significant role in stimulating the artistic prowess inside of her son. She enlisted him in numerous acting lessons, painting instruction, and even hired him a personal piano teacher. She did this to encourage James to be as artistic and in touch with his creative side. At school, Cameron was a pretty good student. He didnt like math because of one reason. There was only one answer to every problem. He was never able to fully be creative in his work.. James really liked reading and writing, but really liked in science fiction and space/futuristic novels. His all time favorite book as a student was 2001 A Space Odyssey. The amazing futuristic and descriptive writings of the novel really stuck with Cameron and shaped him into the creative director he is today. After reading the book Cameron had a revelation. He wanted to be in the business of art. The form he chose was directing. He felt like he would be really good at it. But he knew his dream of stardom was one of a Hollywood fairytale. So instead of pursuing a career as a director, James finished high school and went on to college. After receiving his high school diploma, Cameron transitioned into college. He chose to pursue a physics at Cal State Fullerton. He really liked studying physics there, but in the back of his head, a feeling of incompleteness still stuck in the back of his head. Cameron still wanted to test the waters as a film maker. After this sudden change of heart, he switched his major to English and went on to continue his studies for one more year. As the year past, Cameron came to the decision that college was not where he wanted to be anymore. James dropped out and moved into a small apartment in Los Angeles. There, he worked odd jobs here and there. In the mean time, he was always writing scripts and coming up with ideas for his films. At this point in his life, Cameron was at ease with his decision. His parents continued to support him from across the country. A changing point came though when Cameron first watched original Star Wars. This was in 1977. Just like the books he used to read as a child, watching Star Wars really resonated with him. It was exactly the kind of thing he was into. So, after he saw it, he really decided to pursue his dream as a director. He quit his current job and proceeded to focus all of his time and energy into film making. Camerons close knit friends in LA got together as he told them about the dream he wanted to purse. They all agreed they were interested and wanted to be a part of it. The group got together and created a movie. The movie was small and very low budget. However, it caught the attention of writers in Hollywood and got Camerons name out there as a legitimize director. They hustled enough money and eventually were able to get all the equipment necessary to create movies. Camerons first movie as a big time director was awful and terrible. The producer of the film told him that he was a terrible director and would never make it in the business. The negative comments only encouraged him to pursue his dream. He wanted to prove everyone wrong. He wanted to show Hollywood that a kid from Canada could become one of the best film makers in the history of movies. James swore to himself from that point that everyone of his next projects would be top quality and extremely well done. The movie he came up with was Terminator. Futuristic and sci-fi effects were the backbone behind this movie. People had never seen a story like this. They were consumed by the awesome explosions and amazing gun fights. The future governor of California, Arnold Shawrtzanegier got his first big break in this movie. After this, he blew up and went on to become a big time action movie star. Terminator was extremely successful, and James proceeded to create great picture after great picture. James Cameron then unveiled his greatest movie. In this film, he went away from his big explosions and fights scenes like we had seen in his previous movies. Instead, he created a movie that tugged and pulled at the emotional sensors of the human brain. This movie was Titanic. Titanic made Cameron a very rich man. It would go on to become the highest grossing film ever. It made billions and billions of dollars. The movie is very cool because it is so detailed. In one scene he replicated the exact china that was used on the real Titanic. Also, on the scene where Jack and Rose are floating in the ocean, if one is to look into the sky, the consolation of stars is exactly that of the night the real ship sank. After Titanic, Camerons reputation grew as a film maker and he continued on his quest for stardom. Cameron has been a part of many projects, not only the movies he has directed. He assisted fellow directors and also helped produce some of his friends movies. He also has an interest in acting, and sometimes fulfills roles in his own, and others movies. One of Camerons most recent movies is one about a blue alien species. Avatar is a very cool and intriguing movie. It has awesome special effects and if you see it in 3-d it will enhance the experience greatly. Avatar went on to surpass Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all time. His ingenious is really shown in this movie. His creation of a whole other race, with there own language, customs, and culture is a extremely amazing feat. It truly shows the brain power and imagination that he truly possesses. This skill is what makes him so successful in his directing. In all of his movies, Cameron usually has some reoccurring things that usually always take place. Some of these themes are apocalyptic, mans dependency on machines, and more then usual, a woman will have a very prominent role in saving the day. Most of Camerons movie have one or more of these elements in them. Cameron has married many women in his life. In his years, he has had 5 wives. First he was married to Sharon Williams in 1978. In 1984, he married Gale Hurd, the producer who bough Terminator. After Gale, he married Kathryn Bigelow in 1989. After Biglow, Cameron married Linda Hamilton, whom he has one daughter with. Finally, he married his current wife, Suzy Amis in 2000. When it comes to religion, Cameron does not really have any beliefs. He considers himself an atheist. Meaning he believes that after death, a persons body just becomes part of the earth, and that is it. director James Cameron is the brains behind making these and other great films that were, and still are very popular throughout the world. In his life, he has been extremely successful. Titanic went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. You can give the credit to Camerons genius special effects and amazing story lines. His movies are all very interesting and really capture the imagination of the viewer. Camerons contributions to the movie world make him a big time Hollywood director. James comes from a working class family, where his parents worked very hard to support him. Oscars and numerous other awards can be found all over his house. He is a really good director and his movies are very loved around the world.

Kinetic Sculpture :: Creative Writing Sculpture Essays

Kinetic Sculpture A six foot circular cast iron table is perfect to gather around for conversations. If one drops a glass on it there’s no doubt it will shatter. Tonight me and three kinetic sculptors will gather around the table to eat and discuss matters of sculpture. Where it is moving and what the best parts of it there are. Wm Dubin is on a plane from Ireland right now. He is an excellent craftsman who’s been around for a long time, since the abstract expressionist movements of the early 1950’s. His work is quite elusive, it has never been collected by anyone. He is somewhat like William Blake. He’s an older man now, he’s got hairy ears. Keeps to himself. People I’ve talked to say he can be found wandering the streets of industrial zones, top hat and cane just staring at the steel ghosts of the Irish industrial era. This is where he pulls most of his inspiration. Its always hard to please old people, they must have things their way, they’re just used to it. My guess is that he probably eats like an old factory worker. Mashed potatoes, stew, beef stuff that a factory worker eats after a hard days work. His sculptures look like industrial parks fit for a world of people a quarter inch tall. There is gears, motors, engines, and polished pipes that lead to unknown places. The constant sound of electricity and firing of pistons all in uniform motion. He has such skill at precision tuning he could have been an excellent machinist. He believes in balancing technical skill and creative intuition. In the 1950’s this was looked down upon by the schools and artists, due to the abstract expressionist movement. Dubin was considered the enemy, his sculptures were polished, technical, and functional and in a school were free expression and uselessness of methodical approaches were embraced Dubin was an outsider. Maybe this is why he keeps to himself. The American

All Students Should be Required to Study a Foreign Language :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

All Students Should be Required to Study a Foreign Language Educators historically have argued over the propriety of offering various academic courses. One recent yet continuing argument on American college campuses tends to pit school against school, professor against professor, student against student, school against professor, professor against student and student against school. The issue is whether or not courses in a foreign language should be required to attain a Bachelor's degree. Some believe the idea is absurd, while others believe it is a progressive move toward 21st century education. Although some people believe the entire world should speak English, the reality is that all Americans should have some degree of formal education in a foreign language. Foreign language skills could have a positive impact on race relations in America. The number of minorities in America is rapidly increasing. In fact, "minority" groups will soon form a collective "majority" of the citizens in America. Considering the facts that many minority groups speak English as a second language and America has no official language, compulsory foreign language classes are viable options. Of course, opponents of mandatory foreign language courses will say that immigrants and naturalized citizens should learn and speak the "de facto" official language of the United States--English. It is a valid point, but misses the bigger picture. People who speak English as a second language are already bilingual, while American-born students typically are not. Language is the most fundamental aspect of a culture. Students who learn the not-so-foreign language of the predominant minority group in their region of the country will gain at least some insight into the different cul ture of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level. If we take these bits of insight and understanding and couple them with compassion, fertile ground for multicultural harmony in America will be sown. While foreign language skills can improve domestic affairs, the same can be said of foreign affairs. Foreign language skills can be useful in promoting American foreign interests. In a global economy, doing business abroad is paramount, but language barriers can be a burden. Opponents of a foreign language requirement in education would argue that most foreign businessmen already speak English. Admittedly, most foreign competitors do speak English, but only out of necessity. They learned to speak English in an effort to better communicate with their American counterparts and take advantage of the money making potential of doing business in America. All Students Should be Required to Study a Foreign Language :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays All Students Should be Required to Study a Foreign Language Educators historically have argued over the propriety of offering various academic courses. One recent yet continuing argument on American college campuses tends to pit school against school, professor against professor, student against student, school against professor, professor against student and student against school. The issue is whether or not courses in a foreign language should be required to attain a Bachelor's degree. Some believe the idea is absurd, while others believe it is a progressive move toward 21st century education. Although some people believe the entire world should speak English, the reality is that all Americans should have some degree of formal education in a foreign language. Foreign language skills could have a positive impact on race relations in America. The number of minorities in America is rapidly increasing. In fact, "minority" groups will soon form a collective "majority" of the citizens in America. Considering the facts that many minority groups speak English as a second language and America has no official language, compulsory foreign language classes are viable options. Of course, opponents of mandatory foreign language courses will say that immigrants and naturalized citizens should learn and speak the "de facto" official language of the United States--English. It is a valid point, but misses the bigger picture. People who speak English as a second language are already bilingual, while American-born students typically are not. Language is the most fundamental aspect of a culture. Students who learn the not-so-foreign language of the predominant minority group in their region of the country will gain at least some insight into the different cul ture of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level. If we take these bits of insight and understanding and couple them with compassion, fertile ground for multicultural harmony in America will be sown. While foreign language skills can improve domestic affairs, the same can be said of foreign affairs. Foreign language skills can be useful in promoting American foreign interests. In a global economy, doing business abroad is paramount, but language barriers can be a burden. Opponents of a foreign language requirement in education would argue that most foreign businessmen already speak English. Admittedly, most foreign competitors do speak English, but only out of necessity. They learned to speak English in an effort to better communicate with their American counterparts and take advantage of the money making potential of doing business in America.

Why Is Assessment Important

4 Why is assessment for learning important? Adopting strategies that support Assessment for Learning can transform learning and teaching and take away the stigma that haunts assessment. In fact, research has shown that Assessment for Learning can have a significant effect on how well pupils achieve in terms of their attainment, behaviour, motivation, engagement and their ability to work independently. a) It Improves Performance -Black and William’s 1998 literature review examined 250 research articles from 160 journals published over a nine-year period.From this, they documented significant, and often substantial, quantifiable learning gains due to Assessment for Learning practices. Their review of over 20 studies on classroom assessment showed increases in primary and post-primary performance ranging from 15 to 30% compared to control groups. In post-primary, differential effects were measured at approximately half a level at Key Stage 3, over half a grade at GCSE, and two fu ll grades at GCSE after two to three years. They concluded that no other single improvement initiative improved performance levels to the extent that formative assessment did.Subsequent research in UK schools has substantiated these figures. For instance, research conducted in primary schools through the Gillingham Partnership’s Formative Assessment Project 2002 indicated improved standardised test scores in reading and numeracy as well as improvements in writing levels. Learning b) It Increases Learning Independence – Pupils who understand their own goals and their role in learning are more independent in managing their learning; they know what to do, how they have to work and take more responsibility for their own learning and assessment.Assessment for Learning helps cultivate these valuable skills by giving pupils a role in determining these components of the learning as well as experience in providing feedback and assessing themselves and their peers. The learning is no longer something they receive; it becomes something they pursue and have a hand in shaping. This can help learners later in life as well as in the classroom. c) It Improves Morale, Motivation and Risk-Taking – Knowing the goals and success indicators may help pupils to gain learning independence, but they are not the only influencing factors.Morale and motivation are also pivotal components, and here, too, Assessment for Learning plays an important role. Black and William found that many assessment approaches used in classrooms compare pupils with one another – particularly those that focus on marks and grades. Evidence shows that pupils interpret the prime purpose of these assessments to be competition rather than personal improvement. As a result, feedback from these types of assessment actually reduces pupil morale. It teaches them, particularly low-attaining pupils, that they lack ability, leading them to believe they are unable to learn. ) It Enhances Relati onships and Reflection – Assessment for Learning also helps foster a more positive classroom environment. It strengthens teacher-pupil relationships by increasing two-way communication. These interactions can make them more motivated to learn and more aware of their learning. Assessment for Learning can also improve planning and delivery of learning. This is because these practices lead you to analyse and make learning specific to pupils. It creates an opportunity to quality assure and amend activities to ensure they meet the learning needs. Why Is Assessment Important 4 Why is assessment for learning important? Adopting strategies that support Assessment for Learning can transform learning and teaching and take away the stigma that haunts assessment. In fact, research has shown that Assessment for Learning can have a significant effect on how well pupils achieve in terms of their attainment, behaviour, motivation, engagement and their ability to work independently. a) It Improves Performance -Black and William’s 1998 literature review examined 250 research articles from 160 journals published over a nine-year period.From this, they documented significant, and often substantial, quantifiable learning gains due to Assessment for Learning practices. Their review of over 20 studies on classroom assessment showed increases in primary and post-primary performance ranging from 15 to 30% compared to control groups. In post-primary, differential effects were measured at approximately half a level at Key Stage 3, over half a grade at GCSE, and two fu ll grades at GCSE after two to three years. They concluded that no other single improvement initiative improved performance levels to the extent that formative assessment did.Subsequent research in UK schools has substantiated these figures. For instance, research conducted in primary schools through the Gillingham Partnership’s Formative Assessment Project 2002 indicated improved standardised test scores in reading and numeracy as well as improvements in writing levels. Learning b) It Increases Learning Independence – Pupils who understand their own goals and their role in learning are more independent in managing their learning; they know what to do, how they have to work and take more responsibility for their own learning and assessment.Assessment for Learning helps cultivate these valuable skills by giving pupils a role in determining these components of the learning as well as experience in providing feedback and assessing themselves and their peers. The learning is no longer something they receive; it becomes something they pursue and have a hand in shaping. This can help learners later in life as well as in the classroom. c) It Improves Morale, Motivation and Risk-Taking – Knowing the goals and success indicators may help pupils to gain learning independence, but they are not the only influencing factors.Morale and motivation are also pivotal components, and here, too, Assessment for Learning plays an important role. Black and William found that many assessment approaches used in classrooms compare pupils with one another – particularly those that focus on marks and grades. Evidence shows that pupils interpret the prime purpose of these assessments to be competition rather than personal improvement. As a result, feedback from these types of assessment actually reduces pupil morale. It teaches them, particularly low-attaining pupils, that they lack ability, leading them to believe they are unable to learn. ) It Enhances Relati onships and Reflection – Assessment for Learning also helps foster a more positive classroom environment. It strengthens teacher-pupil relationships by increasing two-way communication. These interactions can make them more motivated to learn and more aware of their learning. Assessment for Learning can also improve planning and delivery of learning. This is because these practices lead you to analyse and make learning specific to pupils. It creates an opportunity to quality assure and amend activities to ensure they meet the learning needs.

Evaluation of a Gas Constant (Experiment 3) Essay

Experiment 3: Evaluation of Gas Constant Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the ideal gas law under ordinary conditions. In this lab, the variables in the ideal gas law are known or can be found aside from the constant R. Thus, the R values can be found and relatively determine the relevancy of the ideal gas law to the lab conditions. The ideal gas law was tested using the reaction: Mg (s) + 2HCl2 (aq) H2 (g) Procedure: 1. Ribbons of magnesium (5) were cut to the approximate length of the instructor’s example and were weighed separately on scale #1. 2. HCl provided by the instructor was added to a eudiometer tube (8mL). The rest of the tube was filled with water. One of the magnesium tapes was wrapped around a piece of copper wire in the opening of the tube. 3. The eudiometer tube was then inverted over and into a 450 mL beaker with water. The initial volume was recorded. 4. While the reaction occurred, the temperature was taken at 1 minute intervals for 3 minutes. 5. After the reaction occurred, the height difference from the solution within the eudiometer tube and the top of the liquid volume in the beaker was recorded. The final volume was also recorded. Summary Table: Mean of R= .0737 Standard Deviation= .0298 Relative Standard Deviation= 40.46% Summary Table: Mean of R= .0737 Standard Deviation= .0298 Relative Standard Deviation= 40.46% Discussion: This lab was supposed to generate numbers close to the R constant by plugging in the values acquired in reaction Magnesium and Hydrochloric acid reaction. (The reaction results in H2 gas.) The mean acquired from our data set was .0737 L-ATM/mol-K as opposed to the actual constant .08206 L-ATM/mol-K. The constant we acquired was much lower in value, potentially due to the outlier in our data set: Trial Four. Trial Four resulted in the R value .0205 ATM-L/K-mol which skewed our relative mean, standard deviation and relative standard deviation. By removing the fourth trial from the data set, the new mean is .08705 L-ATM/mol-K, a closer but slightly higher R value. The standard deviation would be .00236 and the relative standard deviation would be 2.71%. These values have more precision than the 40.46% relative standard deviation and .0298 standard deviation acquired in the entire data set. I believe there must have been an error in the methodology to produce the outlier result in the fo urth trial. Too much liquid could have been spilled during the process or perhaps the magnesium did not fully react because it was so tightly bound around the copper. The error in this lab could range from those listed above and inaccurate measurements.