what high school is now :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High school is an ever-changing process. As I think back to my last three years of High School things like clothes, language, and even hairstyles have transformed. If in three years so much can change imagine, how much things have changed since our parents were in school. From â€Å"bell-bottoms† to â€Å"baggy jeansâ€Å", from â€Å"groovy† to â€Å"slamminâ€Å", and from the infamous â€Å"pompadour† to the now popular â€Å"buzz cutâ€Å". If these things are so different, I wonder how much other things have changed?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the biggest changes, since my parents were in high school, is the way birth control, sex educations, and sexual activity are looked at. When my mom was in high school a girl could not just go to a doctor and ask for the pill, she had to have parental consent. Nowadays anyone at any time can get some form of birth control whether it be condoms, birth control pills, etc. Sex education in my moms’ day was mainly used to tell kids about the fundamentals of sex. They did not expect the kids they were teaching it to were going to go out and have sex. Today it is taught to educate teens of the risks and repercussions of sex. Then there’s sex itself, in my moms day sex was not accepted like it is today. If you were a sexually active person you didn't tell anyone, especially if you were a girl. Because of television today and other forms of media sex is all over the place, therefore being pumped in to kids heads as acceptable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marijuana is another big topic when it comes to the changes over the last 35 years. When my mother was in high school people that smoked marijuana were not considered â€Å"cool† by the non-smokers. They were considered the outcasts and didn't associate much with the people who didn't use it. Presently, in high school, marijuana is more socially accepted and someone would not be cast out by his or her peers. I think it has a lot to do with the glamorization of it in the media today. Actors, musicians, and even comedians all talk about it like it’s fun and exciting to do. With this constant glorifying of marijuana in all these aspects it just becomes part of a teenagers everyday life. From Rock & Roll to Hip-Hop, Music has and will continue to be the biggest influence in teenage life.

Sparate Peace

In the novel Separate Peace, John Knowles uses both positive and negative scenes throughout the novel. John Knowles does this to show how the setting can affect the characters and the events that are being taken throughout the novel. Knowles introduces right away that there are two big scenes, the summer session and the winter session, both playing big roles in the story’s plot and theme.The summer session would represent peace and the winter session would represent the distress brought on by World War II, the shift between them clearly confirms that Knowles intended to show how completely and abruptly the war overtook the peace at the summer session. Knowles uses the summer session setting to symbolize peace.Knowles uses the positive setting described in this quote to reveal the importance of the setting: â€Å"They (elms) too seemed permanent and never changing, an untouched, unreachable world high in space, like the ornamental towers and spires of a great church, too high to be enjoyed, too high for anything, great and remote and never useful†. Knowles describes the setting like this to create a peaceful image representing the summer session as a time of peace.This also brings a vividly peaceful image to mind further connecting the concepts of summer and peace together which is later conquered by the war elements of winter. Knowles uses the winter session setting to symbolize the distress of the war. Knowles uses this as the negative setting in the novel. In this quote, he describes the importance of the setting: â€Å"Not long afterward, early even for New Hampshire, snow came†¦They gathered there, thicker by the minute, like noiseless invaders conquering because they took possession so gently.I watched them whirl by my window-don’t take this seriously, the playful way they fell seemed to imply, this little show, this harmless trick†. Knowles uses words such as invaders and conquering to connect this image to the war zone. T his shows Knowles’ elements of the war and how it overtook the peace present and the Devon School. Knowles also writes that these elements of winter conquered the life of nature which had previously been a symbol of summer.This strengthens his intent of highlighting how the war element of winter took over the peace of summer. The change between the previous positive setting of summer and the negative setting of winter represents the effect the war had on the peace at the Devon School. The time that Finny and Gene spend at the beach represents the peak of the summer. However, overnight it is followed by this description of the ocean: â€Å"The Ocean looked dead too, dead waves hissing mordantly along the beach, which was gray and dead looking itself†.Here Knowles uses words such as â€Å"dead†, â€Å"hissing†, and â€Å"grey†, which have a negative meaning, to create a powerful negative setting scene in the novel. This causes an unexpected contrast between negative and positive settings. This piercing contrast between the beach and a â€Å"dead† ocean, which meets the beach at the shore with the hissing of dead waves, foreshadows the sharp contrast between the peace of summer and the distress of winter that meets the summer of Finny’s fall.This event is the symbolic fall of peace to the distress of war. Knowles cements this fact with stating the setting of the situation just before his fall, claiming that â€Å"From behind us the last long rays of light played across the campus, accenting every slight undulation of the land, emphasizing the separateness of each bush†. The last long rays of light show the end of summer because the end of the long days marks the beginning of autumn season due to daylight savings time.Since the summer session represents peace and the winter session represents distress, this shows that Finny’s fall from the tree marks the fall of peace to distress. John Knowles use of s etting scenes strengthens his idea in the novel of the peace at Devon school being overtaken by the elements of World War II. This is done by the addition of positive settings of summer which represent the peace at the school; and winter, which represents the invasion of the war and the piercing contrast between these two types of settings at certain scenes throughout the novel.

John Dewey

Introduced his theories and concepts on how people think. He identified a number of different modes of thought including reflection. He saw reflection as an aspect of thought, a rational and purposeful act that is more then mere thinking. Dewey contrasted routine action with reflective action, laying the roots of reflective practice in teaching (Kodiak-Myers, 2012, p. 5). In his notion of reflective action he described a willingness to engage in self-assessment, which squired flexibility, analysis and social awareness (Pollard, 2005, p. 3). His reflection described a willingness to consider different possibilities and the ability and desire to recognize various opinions (Skateboarders, 2012, p. 5). Reflection, as a familiar activity, is often misunderstood, overlooked in the formal process of teaching and equated with similar activities such as thinking about the day, making sense of experiences we had or discussing resent occurred events and issues. In these daily activities teacher s assume that learning occurs (Bout, Gogh, & Walker, 1 985, p. 8).Employing a reflective teaching approach, a teacher will be In control of the teaching process and Its outcome, giving the teacher the ability to research on the effectiveness of his teaching enabling him to asses if learning indeed occurs (Killeen, 1989, p. 52). In this assignment I will first, explain reflection. In this explanation I will consider the different classification, categories and some characteristics of reflection. Next I will argue that reflection within the learning process is important for the teacher.I will thereafter critically discuss some of the advantages and limitations of along feedback from students In the reflective practice and wall conclude that the advantages outweigh the Limitations of galling feedback. For a teacher to employ a reflective practice he or she needs to firstly understand the meaning of reflection. Rodgers (2002) is of the opinion that, after almost a century of considering reflection there is no clear understanding in our academic literature of what exactly reflection is. She reconsiders Dew's concept of reflection and formulated four criteria that she felt characterized his concept of reflection.She speaks of reflection as a meaning making process that moves a learner from one experience Into the next†, as a â€Å"systematic, rigorous, deadlines way of thinking† that â€Å"needs to happen in community, in interaction with others† and it requires â€Å"attitude that value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and of others† (Rodgers, 2002, p. 845). Reflection starts when a person inquires into his or her experiences and knowledge relevant to the experience, enabling him or her to ascribe meaning to his or her beliefs (Collier, 1999, p. 73). Learning Is affected through a process of thinking and fleeting on new experiences In relation to an excellent knowledge base and own understanding. Collier (1999) refers to Ki tcheners research that suggests a continuation of the reflection process, where knowledge is first viewed as certain and absolute, learned from authorities and direct observations. This absolute acceptance of knowledge develops, as the individual's own experiences and knowledge develops to â€Å"uncertain, relative and personal constructed† (1999, p. 174).Such ¶n (1987) is of the theory within practice, and the use of such a process ultimately leads to expertise. He identified two possible processes of reflection, a retrospective analysis of experiences, the reflection-on-action and the reflection-in-action, which is the process of reflection as an active part of the experience. In the reflection-on-action a teacher will reflect after a lesson on the process by thinking about the lesson, reflecting on the good and bad moments in the lecture, considering how to improve on the bad elements and how to build on the good moments.Reflection-on-action will be possible through self -examination, student assessments, student feedback of lesson ND discussions of mentor teachers (Howell, 2014). Reflection-in-action is used more by teachers with existing knowledge of teaching and experience of the learning process and is used to assess the student participation, knowledge, understanding and learning during the lesson (Howell, 2014). A third process of reflection is a proactive reflection known as reflection-for-action (Collier, 1999, p. 174). Howell (2014) uses this third process of reflection, before-action, which allows her to consider her lesson before it takes place.This process of reflection allows the cheer to be in a position to consider what will be taught, how it will be taught and he or she can develop an inner attitude of gratitude that will positively influence the attitude of the learners. Reflection does not always occur on the same level and, is depending on the circumstances and experiences of the teacher. Reflection will be influenced by the teach er's knowledge of the subject matter, her understanding of the teaching process as well as her personal circumstances and attributes. Howell (2014) identified these levels as technical, practical and critical reflection.The chemical level is concern with â€Å"effective application of educational knowledge and skill†, the practical level describes â€Å"an experience so that a subjective perception or commitment to a certain theory or system† is noticed and critical reflection is â€Å"indicated by a high degree of open-mindedness including ethical/moral and social considerations† (Collier, 1999, p. 174). These levels of reflection exist and work together (Howell, 2014) and research has indicated that new teachers often apply all these levels of reflection and all levels are equally important in the learning process Collier, 1999, p. 74). The teacher, as well as the learner in the sense that both teacher and learner bring certain attributes to the learning proce ss, will influence the process. Unless a teacher is capable of reflection he might not be able to bring about long term positive outcomes within the learning process. Teachers are often influenced by outside factors when faced with difficult situations within the class room and can easily, unconsciously develop standard problem solving tactics, left unexamined for years (Shortchange & Vassals, 2005, p. 45). Shortchange & Vassals (2005, . 9) refers too five phase structured reflection process. In this process there is an action from the teacher, followed by a retrospective look back on the action, an awareness of essential aspects of the action, the creating of alternative methods of action and a re-trial of the action. Palmer, as quoted by Howell (2014) stated, â€Å"good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher†. Every teacher has certain identities, pre-set ideas and assumptions which he or she brings into the class room and these identities, personal v iews and assumptions will influence how e or SE teach and what he or she teach.This in turn will influence what our described as paradigmatic, prescriptive, and casual assumptions (Brookfield, 1995, p. 4). Paradigmatic assumptions are very difficult to identify and they are basic structuring of ideas we use to order the world, perspective assumptions are assumptions about what we think ought to happen in a situations and causal assumptions assist us in understanding the different processes within the working world and how processes work (Brookfield, 1995, p. 3).As teachers we must be able o reflect on these predetermined assumptions to enable us to build on our professional development. According to Shortchange & Vassals (Shortchange & Vassals, 2005, p. 53) it is important for a teacher, specially a new teacher to be able to get in touch with these different identities. They refer to reflection, which can take place on different inner levels. Where a teacher sees him or herself in a specific role within the class room, the teacher might be set on a mission to fulfill this role and beliefs which in turn may create behavior issues in the class (Shortchange & Vassals, 2005).It s only if the teacher reflect on what it is that he or she is doing that causes the behavior problem and ask why he or she is doing it that they might find an alternative to their perceived reality. This requires the teacher to do introspective reflection of her own actions, which is a very difficult task for anybody to achieve. Often reflection can focus mainly on the technical or practical levels, without being critical. According to Brookfield (1995, p. 9) critical reflection will assist the teacher in unearthing the ways in which power is present in and distort the educational recess.Reflection is important for teachers both in their professional development as teachers as well as their personal growth as educators. Reflection will lead to new and better understanding of the learning pr ocess, often plagued with assumptions. The application of a reflective practice will lead to better Judgment, an examined common sense and better learning and understanding of our students who, in observing us, will develop their own reflective practices (Howell, 2014).Part of a reflective practice includes consultation with our peers and the enquiry into our caching by way of student evaluations. Student evaluations can form a very good reflective technique enabling a teacher to reflect on how her classes are received by her students instead of assuming that learning has taken place. An advantage of student feedback is to determine from the students how they engage with the lesson, what did they find interesting and what did not work for them.One of the disadvantages of this form of feedback could lead to very subjective feedback from students, which is not a reflection of the true ability of the teacher. Brookfield (1995, p. 7) refers to the â€Å"perfect ten syndrome† wher e teachers who receive a less then perfect score assume that they are not worthy teachers. Teachers disregard the complimentary and good feedback, concentrating only on the negative aspects of the feedback. This reaction is based on the preconceived assumption of teachers that good teaching is always followed by positive and good student evaluations.Critically reflection will assist the teacher in recognizing these unrealistic assumption and enable him or her to know that the â€Å"complexities of learning† as well as the students win attitudes towards their studies and the teacher self has influenced the low score. Equally, a perfect score could be indicating the teachers only accommodated the students in their preferred learning styles without testing the student outside of critique and was not developed to be the only answer in the learning process however I think that the advantages of reflective practice including student feedback outweigh the disadvantages.Student feedb ack is important for the teachers' own understanding of the learning process and it can contribute to the students sense of ratification in the learning process, displacing the inherent assumption of teacher power over student. As a negative aspect of the student reflections it may over power students, giving them the false assumption that they control the learning process. I think that the teacher and the students, accepting the true negative issues as such, should critically reflect on the outcome of student feedback in an open process in a positive manner to overcome the negative issues.At the same time positive issues should also be considered and build on in future. In conclusion I can ay that reflection is a process of deep questioning set assumptions and believes within the learning process to enable a better understanding of the process, to develop as a diverse teacher and to ensure maximum learning within the learning process. If reflection takes place before-action, the te acher will be able to prepare with gratitude, to enter the learning action with thankfulness and to convey a positive and thankful attitude to the students, creating an optimal learning environment.

Albert Bandura the founder of reciprocal determinism

Albert Bandura the founder of reciprocal determinism Albert Bandura, the founder of reciprocal determinism was born in Canada in 1925. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, where he developed the social learning theory. Bandura had certain strong beliefs on how psychological research should be done. He believed research should be conducted in laboratories where psychologists could control factors that determined behavior. Bandura has conducted many famous clinical studies which are the basis of the several books he has written. Bandura was also the creator of the reciprocal determinism theory which showed he believed that a person’s behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment. Personal factors are those that are based on a person’s morals, ethics ideas, and personality. The social environment consists of everything external to the self, which are other people, their beliefs, ideas and external items. Two brief examples of reciprocal determinism would be a person who is afraid of flying on airplanes will act nervous, scared, and out of the ordinary which would be the personal factor. This will cause the other people on the plane to become agitated and worried, making the nervous flier even more afraid. This shows how personal determinants, environmental determinants and behavioral determinants interact and influence each other. Another example would be of a man who cannot hold a job and therefore feels like a failure. His inability to hold a job is due to poor work habits and therefore influences employers to treat him bad until his behavior becomes terrible and is ultimately fired. Reciprocal determinism is affected by self-efficiency, which is a person’s belief about their ability to achieve a goal or an outcome. There are several ways to influence self-efficiency; performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal. Performance accomplishments are based on a person’s own experiences wh ich are past successes and failures. Vicarious experiences are based on the observations of others and their performance in executing a task. Verbal persuasion uses suggestions or self-instruction as a motivator. Lastly, emotional arousal is used by diminishing emotional arousals that are associated with decreased performance. http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/assets/images/learningsolutions/061410/061410_f1.png A helpful way to think of reciprocal determinism is in the form of a triangle. At the top would be behavioral  determinants  and the two corners would be personal determinants and environmental determinants. Arrows go back and forth between each word showing that they are influenced by each other. The basic idea is that personal factors (cognitive and affective events), the environment and behavior all influence each other. This triangle aids to understand that humans are shaped by their environment and also shape the environment.    Self- Efficacy A person’s belief about their ability to organize and carry out courses of action needed to accomplish a goal is known as self- efficacy. Those persons, who are confident in their capability to execute a behavior, have very strong efficacy beliefs. These beliefs are influencing our personal emotional reactions and choices, motivation, and patters, therefore they are considered to have a very significant impact on our goals and accomplishments in life. (Bandura. A. Psychological Review. 1977).

Media and Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media and Sexuality - Essay Example Fashion magazines are a good example of how media represents sexuality. With particular interest to the Dolce & Gabbana; we are looking at how fashion will allow me to suppose about the specificity of the visual pleasures and forms of identification that will be extracted from such magazines. The dissimilar consumer habit that is assumed in lesbians and gay men in addition to their reading of fashion images is related to the difference in historical relationship to fashion (Lewis 19). Whatever the fashion, dress has become a huge marker to the identity of the everyday’s lives of gays and lesbians. They have served as an identity to other homosexuals or as a method of passing; for those who may be gay coded. Because of these reason clothes have been so important to the lives of gays and lesbians and so related pages may seem of more interests to them. It has also been an argument that lesbian viewers and readers have always had a mode of selfish identification with images of be autiful women images and producing desires to have or to be the displayed woman. As she gazes at the model she may synchronize at a fantasy level of desire to be like her, a desire to have her, and moreover, a longing to be because she is the receiver of another woman’s gaze. Besides, in the female world the fashion magazine produces logic female desires gazes whether she is consciously lesbian or not. This is referred to as paradigmatic lesbian viewing (Lewis 23). She can be imagining to be looking at the images so as to learn how to make herself desirable for her man. But this does not police the viewer against the lesbian pleasure. Although we are focusing on the lesbian visual pleasures, gay magazines have the habits of illuminating. ... But this does not police the viewer against the lesbian pleasure. Although we are focusing on the lesbian visual pleasures, gay magazines have the habits of illuminating. Previously, the male body has been documented in ways that thought to be connected with the body of the female alone. Gay magazines have done it in the reverse; they seek to sell the idea of homosexuality as a lifestyle which they openly celebrate. They try to make the readers to celebrate and participate in their mainstream culture, rather than to converse to them in an insulate of fantasized gay separation. It means that the advertising revenue is possible, more so when this campaign adverts look to be increasing at homes in a gay venue (Lewis 29). So while looking at the fashion coverage we are viewing it in the increasing queering of the popular gay culture. A single reading experience for a gay or lesbian will engage the reader in reading prevailing representational codes and this may more or less open them to same sex pleasures. To consume a gay or lesbian magazine is therefore, an experience of simultaneous reading with and against the grain. The re-reading of images that were previously consumed is laid with obviously homoerotic connotations in the homosexual context. There has been some debate on the nature of picture presentation in lesbian magazines. Popular lesbian magazines such as diva have brought up the naughty/nice composite of picture presentation that is a signification of the up to date awareness and style of the lesbian dress debates (Lewis 38). A look at the top figures invites a participation and identification. It is the policy of lesbian and gay magazines to use photographs of

Business Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Plan - Assignment Example To this end, learning master has identified a niche market for its products. The company’s market is composed of all the foundation campuses located in London. Learning master has tailored its products to serve the linguistic needs of foreign students in London. This market gives the company access to students in foundation campuses in London, who are approximately thirty thousand. Psychographically: psychographic segmentation gives a business the opportunity to divide its clients according to their lifestyle, social class and personal preferences. For Learning Master, this group will be composed of students who are interested in English and do not perform well in their academic subjects because of their low mastery of the English language. These students also aware of the importance of proper mastery of the English language and expect to use the Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS) to go to good universities in the UK. Geographical segmentation: In geographical segmentation, the students will be grouped depending on their location. Learning Master intends to group the students depending on where their foundation campuses are. Like central London will have Birkbeck, UCL and KCL while the greater London will focus on City University. Demographical segmentation: demographic segmentation divides the market into small groups based on their age, gender, occupation and income. Learning master will divide the students depending on their ethnic background, age and income. Like any other business, Learning Master has competitors who have been in the market offering English lessons either online or direct classes. Some of the company’s competitors are online English tutors like BK English who offer their lessons through the internet; their services are cheap and cost  £ 20. Since they use the internet, they tend to be more flexible and promote their products through the internet. Despite being cheap they cannot be trusted by

Gay Marriage Should be Banned in California Essay

Gay Marriage Should be Banned in California - Essay Example It is not open for discussion, nor interpretation. The gay and lesbian community argues that marriage is not defined in the constitution as simply being between a man and a woman. In fact, there is no mention of sexual orientation pairing in the law. Although that may be true to some extent, it does not erase the fact that marriage in our country is viewed in the traditional sense of the word as handed down from generation to generation over the past centuries. According to people such as Joe Messerl (Messerli,†Should Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized?†) marriage in the US comes with a traditional definition. That definition of marriage states that it is: Traditionally in this country, marriage has been defined as a religious & legal commitment between a man and woman, as well as the ultimate expression of love. (Messerli,†Should Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized?†) What the constitution indicates as the law of the land is open to interpretation. Marriage in its ver y sense was first defined for us by our forefathers by blessing the union of a man and woman in holy matrimony. Never during that period did a same sex couple ever come forward and ask to be married. Yet now, after borders have been drawn and definitions drawn, the gay and lesbian community expects us to just undo centuries of tradition and understanding in order to allow them to railroad their beliefs unto the majority of the people. Alright, there must be an admission at this point that there is a tremendous growth in the number of same sex relationships and our society has come to accept these partnerships. But allowing them to marry and redefine what we once believed to be an infallible definition of the term is something that cannot easily be allowed not accepted. Traditionally based marriages already face a 50 percent divorce rate. As such, Divorce has already weakened the institution of marriage and forced us to redefine the meaning of marriage and family to include a previou sly married man or woman who has children of their own but has married again and created a new family dynamic in the process. By allowing marriage to accommodate a definition that will include fay marriage, it will seriously seem like marriage is an institution that is no longer taken seriously and is only an act put on for the public. Most importantly, there is a common denominator in the redefined marriage for divorced couples, the man and woman still have to and can produce new offspring. That is an act that a gay couple cannot accomplish through natural means and thus, makes a mockery out of marriage whose other purpose for being is to allow a man and a woman to legally procreate and propagate our species. (Messerli,†Should Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized?†) Since procreation is one of the main reasons why marriage is thought of as a highly sacred act of unification between a man and a woman, we can also argue that one of the main reasons that we need to ban gay marri age in California is to protect the minds of our children from the corruption based upon the confusion they may experience once they come across a gay married couple. Think about it. We don't really care if a person is straight, bi, lesbian, or gay. We normally just let them be as long as they do not veer into territory where their existence can cause actual harm to certain sectors of our society such as our children. It is that area of our society that the controversial