Teaching and Learning Policy Essay Example for Free

Teaching and Learning Policy Essay Learning is a dynamic process which begins at the time of conception and continues for the rest of our lives. At stages along this learning journey we partake in formalised learning in which we may interact with other human beings who may take on the role of teacher. This invariably happens within the confines of a school. The school being the environment designed to help pass on the knowledge, skills and qualities required as preparation for adult life. Our school is a section of a partnership involving pupils, families, the local and extended communities and school staff that give all the opportunity to develop each child’s formal learning and to promote everyone’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development . In this way our school is pivotal in the formation and preparation of opportunities, responsibilities and experiences for life. This policy is for all teaching staff, Governors, parents, members of the community and appropriate outside agencies, including OFSTED, to appreciate our drive for high expectations and our strategies for ensuring that teaching and learning are effective. It sits alongside all other curriculum and management policies including the policy for ‘Performance Management’. It should also be read in conjunction with OFSTED documents and other relevant information including â€Å"The Code of Conduct for Teachers† that will drive our standards forward. Making a Difference Much work has been done on how pupils learn and multiple intelligence theories. This policy considers how as practitioners we can motivate all to ensure effective learning. Research suggests that there are many ways to ensure that effective learning takes place within the different learning environments that a child may encounter within a school. All staff have the ability to make a difference and all must consider the following: †¢ There is no one right way to teach, but teachers and TAs enhance their  effectiveness when teaching is purposeful, efficient, clear, structured and adaptive. Good teaching takes into account all aspects of assessment, prior learning and the individual needs of each child. †¢ High expectations are paramount †¢ Good teaching involves more than exposition and arranging activities; the nature of the interaction is carefully designed, with differentiation matched closely to pupils’ actual abilities and needs. †¢ Good teaching is where the pupils are given opportunity to extend their ability to take charge of their own learning. It is where teachers establish active links to enhance pupils’ learning styles. †¢ The effective learning environment is orderly, stimulating, attractive, safe and supportive. †¢ The effective teaching atmosphere encourages learners to value and draw on their own experience †¢ Good lessons are carefully planned and involve pupil participation as often as possible. They have pace, good questioning strategies and opportunity for reflection. †¢ Learning to learn entails increasing scope for pupils to use their initiative and to develop a capacity for independent work according to age range. †¢ Effective teaching occurs when pupils are given opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they are taught. †¢ Effective learning design allows pupils to summarise what they have experienced and reflect carefully †¢ And effective teaching is complemented by fair discipline, positive reinforcement, and explicit formative feedback. Every member of staff must consider their professional characteristics and reflect and analyse how each pupils’ learning can be enhanced in preparation for the future. It is the role of all staff to dissect their teaching to ensure outstanding teaching and learning opportunities for each child. Monitoring Of Teaching and Learning Monitoring is a regular feature of our school and has become embedded into the culture and working life of our school life .It enables all to have an accurate picture of performance and developments in learning. It is a positive attribute in moving the school forward. Monitoring will occur in a variety of forms :- †¢ Regular monitoring of lessons as part of Performance Management. †¢ Monitoring of lessons as part of specific school initiatives and developments. This will include in-depth monitoring of the core subjects. †¢ Half termly classroom monitoring on working environments and pupils’ learning. †¢ Half termly monitoring of planning and assessment files. †¢ Half termly monitoring of pupils’ books by SMT and appropriate co- ordinators. †¢ Weekly monitoring of books as part of phase meetings. †¢ Weekly light touch monitoring on specific subjects to increase our overall effectiveness and efficiency. Monitoring will positively support teaching staff through :- †¢ Improving individual and team performance †¢ Expanding skills, knowledge and insight for all †¢ Providing a supportive working environment for all †¢ Improving communication that results in improved learning opportunities for pupils. †¢ Identifying individual, team and school needs. †¢ Developing individuals monitoring skills as part of the school’s effectiveness and efficiency. Monitoring is about accountability and will give all the opportunity to discuss positively and staff will be given feedback on lesson observation and scrutiny of their planning and pupils’ work. Written feedback will include a summary of agreed actions to be put in place for the following round of monitoring. Monitoring of lessons, planning, pupil’s work and associated self reviews will provide the basis for the School Development Plan and the vehicle from which Governors and all other interested agencies can gain on the effectiveness of our school. Induction of New Staff To ensure that all new staff have a successful induction and immediately enhance the learning of pupils, the school will allocate a member of staff to work alongside the new member. School procedures and expectations will be discussed and the opportunity to set out the professional needs of the  member of staff will be formalised. Appropriate professional development will be instigated and expectations set. Continued Professional Development Effective CPD is a planned progress. It will be the systematic and progressive improvement of competencies across the school. It is about the meeting of individual and the school objectives and therefore is intrinsically linked with the Performance Management policy, the School’s Development Plan, pupil performance and the needs of the individual. CPD will be designed to meet the individual’s immediate and future needs, it will give a structure to each person’s career development whilst having an impact on pupils’ learning However, each person must take responsibility for reviewing and fulfilling their own needs and school will hold each accountable for developing their own potential. The individual therefore must continually assess their needs and discuss issues with appropriate senior managers. The SDP for each school academic year is available for all working or involved within school. It gives the direction for the school and will indicate how CPD will be organised. Each individual’s performance management objectives will reflect the needs of school and the individual. Planning, Preparation and Assessment Planning, preparation and assessment time is organised so that teachers can work with appropriate colleagues. It gives opportunity for the termly and weekly plans to be scrutinised, assessment of learning analysed and the learning needs of the pupils met. Each phase leader will organise the sessions so that each teacher can maximise the time available. During the sessions the following will occur:- †¢ A selection of books will be scrutinised to ensure marking, presentation and that progress is consistent and of high quality. †¢ Work is analysed and assessment drives the next planning. †¢ The needs  of groups including DSEN and Gifted and Talented pupils are discussed and appropriate planning is put in place. Differentiation is put in place. †¢ Target setting is put in place, monitored and updated. †¢ IEPs are updated as appropriate and new IEPs written at the relevant times. †¢ The needs of staff are discussed and information, as required, passed on to the SMT. †¢ Teaching and classroom practise are discussed †¢ Relevant plans and information is prepared for TAs †¢ The sessions will also discuss resources and ICT All teaching members of staff are given specific details on the formats for planning and the layout of files. These will be scrutinised at phase meetings and by the SMT and co-ordinators throughout the school year to ensure corporative effectiveness. The different forms of assessment are dealt with in the Assessment Policy. All teaching staff must use the information and apply the knowledge to their teaching. Assessment must be consistently used to drive teaching and learning forward. Within this, target setting must be active with all pupils understanding their targets and how they can achieve them. Parents must also be updated of their child’s targets using the school’s pro- formas. Targets must be displayed in classrooms and within the pupils’ books for core subjects. Marking and Feedback to Pupils. The Marking Policy deals with marking issues in detail. Teaching staff must be up to date in marking and marking must give clear indications of how the pupil can move forward appropriate to age . Comments must be positive and opportunity must be given for pupils to act on comments and work on issues that have arisen. Marking will be scrutinised at phase meetings, whole staff meetings, through coordinators monitoring and by the SMT. Pupils will be asked through interviews and in monitoring whether marking and feedback has improved learning. Resources Regular audits of resources are to be carried out by coordinators and phase leaders prior to each block of work is undertaken. Within this remit is the organising of school visits and appropriate visitors to enhance the curriculum and learning opportunities. Pupil Premium, the grant to provide increased opportunities for pupils and to improve learning and reduce gaps between groups of pupils, will be used in part to fund these enhancements. The Pupils’ Voice As stated, good learning is facilitated when pupils have the opportunity to take charge of their own learning. Pupils have a voice and at all keystages staff must give credence to pupils and include them in the planning and delivery of lessons. By monitoring of planning and through discussions with pupils, the SMT will look for this. Prior to specific blocks of work, appropriate to age, pupils will be given time to consider the work ahead and give input. To ensure that every child has the opportunity to gain the range of learning skills to prepare them for life, teaching staff’s planning must show that within lessons pupils have ownership of their learning through teamwork, problem solving, research etc. The Role of Governors The Governing Body of is given at each full governing body meeting and at appropriate sub committee meetings details of monitoring and the review of performance and attainment across the school. As part of its role, the Governing Body will scrutinise our results from monitoring, assessment and internal reviews and ensure that our approaches are consistent and promotes our drive for excellence. Each Governor is linked with a specific area of school and will be in termly contact with co-ordinators to ensure they are fully briefed on teaching and learning. Co-ordinators of core subjects will report to governors termly to again ensure accurate information is passed on. From this the Governing Body will be active in teaching and learning across school. Informing Parents To ensure effective learning for our pupils, parents have to be an informed and active partner. Courses are run throughout the year to update parents on our teaching techniques and strategies so that they can support learning at home and help with homework. Termly Parent feedback sessions are held to update parents on their child’s attainment and progress. At these sessions parents will be given written information on their child’s targets and next steps. They will be given their child’s levels for the core subjects and how this compares to national statistics. For DSEN up to date information will be given and discussed. IEPs will be available for parents to sign and remark on. Yearly school reports will be issued in the summer term and will accurately reflect on the child’s attainment and attitudes. It will also give targets for the next academic year and how parents can support their child. Informal discussions will also take place throughout the year as required to keep parents informed. The Parent Support Adviser is available to help liaise with parents. The PSA will also arrange parent courses to upgrade the parents’ own skills in core subjects, these will have a direct positive effect on pupils’ learning as seen from past experience. Outside Agencies Walsall Children’s Services support school through a variety of important vehicles. The School Improvement Officer will routinely meet with staff and discuss improvement, initiatives, data and monitoring of teaching. Officers will also oversee teaching and learning and support school with CPD issues. Other outside agencies such as Walsall Business Partnership will be used to support the curriculum and maximise learning opportunities for pupils. The school works with local schools and local communities also to improve learning opportunities and inspire pupils.

Children Within the Juvenile Criminal Justice System

Children Within the Juvenile Criminal Justice System The conceptualisation of children within the juvenile criminal justice system. Introduction In 2006 to 2007, statistics have shown that there were approximately 3,500 crimes per 100,000 individual’s conducted by juveniles in Australia, almost double the number carried out by adults (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2009). Before the 19th century, there was no category that separated juvenile offenders from adult offenders in Australia’s legal systems and children as young as six were sent to prison (Cunneen White 2007; Carrington Pereira 2009). In modern Australia however, it is widely accepted and acknowledged that juveniles should be treated differently within the criminal legal system so that their inexperience and immaturity can be considered (Richards, 2011). Consequently, juveniles are not dealt with as adults within the judicial system as they are treated more leniently than their adult counterparts. In Australia, the use of detention as a criminal punishment for youths is used as a last resort, after methods such as police cautioning and restorative youth programmes (Richards, 2011). Richards (2011a) suggests that youths are uniquely different to adults and as such this makes them incredibly receptive to rehabilitation in preventing them from further criminal acts. Richards (2011a, np.) argues that a‘range of factors, including juveniles’ lack of maturity, propensity to take risks and susceptibility to peer influence, as well as intellectual disability, mental illness and victimisation, increase juveniles’ risks of contact with the criminal justice system’. This essay will attempt to examine how children are positioned and conceptualised within Australia’s criminal justice system in contrast to the UK criminal system, examining in particular the concept of ‘childhood’ and ‘child’ discourses as well as considering the potential abuse of the juvenile criminal justice system. Discourses of childhood Historically, three key dominant discourses have been conceptualised around childhood and the child, which influences the ways in which children’s behaviour, capabilities and inherent characteristics can be understood (Kehily, 2009). The romantic discourse of childhood described by Jean Jacques Rousseau, views children as being innocent, pure and exuding inherent goodness, of which is harmed or corrupted through contact with the social world (Kehily, 2009). Romantic discursive representations perpetuates the understanding that children need to be protected from potential risk factors in the environment that could be dangerous to their inherent innocence. The acts of criminality from such a discourse are seen as being caused through the influence of the world around them (Kehily, 2009). As Richards (2011a) suggested, juveniles can be influenced by their peers into committing crimes, therefore the child’s inherent goodness has been tainted and corrupted. Also, in the digital age of modern childhood, a child’s early exposure to various forms of media such as the useful, but dangerous Internet, as well as games and movies with violence and crime increase the risk of corruption to their inherent goodness. In contrast, puritan discourse portrays children as possessing an innate capacity for evil or wicked behaviours that is in need of constant checking, observation, reprimand and guidance (Kehily, 2009). This viewpoint regards children as in need of saving from themselves and that childhood is a time in which children must be given moral education to deter their natural potential for wickedness (Kehily, 2009). Richards (2011a) described children’s natural propensity to take risks as a possible factor in criminal behaviour and as such this can be viewed in relation to the puritan discourse. The tabula rasa discourse postulated by John Locke however, portrays children as coming into the world as a blank slate that with effective education and support, can develop successfully into full adulthood (Kehily, 2009). From this viewpoint, factors such as poor education, family support and as Richards (2011a) describes ‘intellectual disability’ can be seen as leading children to crime. Each of these discourses have emerged in different periods of history as more dominant according to social and cultural factors; all three discourses however can be seen to different extents meshed within health care, education policy and practice and within the criminal justice system in addressing and preventing crime amongst young offenders. Australia’s juvenile criminal justice system The United Nations’ Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (1985) places importance on all nations developing laws, rules and provisions that are specifically catered to the needs of juvenile offenders, whilst simultaneously upholding their rights. All Australian jurisdictions (except Queensland) define a juvenile as being aged between 10 and 17; in Queensland it is between 10 and 16 (Richards, 2011). All children under the age of ten are viewed as being unable to be held legally responsible for their actions. This suggests that if a child under ten commits a crime then it is no fault of their own, but that something must have happened to them, such as Richards (2011a) highlighted, peer influence or lack of correct education, support and guidance. This concept of childhood utilises the discourses of romantic and tabula rasa, as children are being identified as inherently good, and only bad behaviour such as crime being committed through the influence of environmental factors (Kehily, 2009). The tabula rasa discourse is evident, in that it is the lack of appropriate guidance, education and support from others around the child, which has led to the child’s criminal behaviour (Kehily, 2009). Whilst Australia adopts such representations and discourses of children into its legal policies that determine how children are dealt with in the legal system, not all countries adopt the same viewpoint. In the United Kingdom, children can be seen to be viewed much differently, due to shifts of discursive representation following high profile criminal behaviours of children. UK juvenile crime policy Faulkner (2010) critiqued the UK Criminal Justice Act (1991), identifying that the UK criminal justice system had become ineffective, due to inconsistencies in how juveniles were dealt with judicially, stating there was a need to address increasing punishment. Faulkner (2010) stated that in response to rising juvenile crime, children should be dealt with as adults are treated, requiring increased punishment. In the UK, the murder of a two year old child, Jamie Bulger, in 1990, by a pair of ten years old boys led to the public outcry for a need for more severe punishments (Sereny, 1994). UK society was shocked by the criminal actions of the two young children and the media supported the public’s disbelief through representing the boys as child killers (Sereny, 1994). The puritan discourse could be seen in action, as the children were describes as being inherently evil, viewing the murder as premeditated and cold (Sereny, 1994; Kehily, 2009). Public pressure and media coverage c ried out for the two ten year old boys to be treated as adults and jailed for life (Sereny, 1994; Franklyn Petley, 1996). However, being juveniles, the boys were not subjected to life sentences in the UK criminal justice system, due to being viewed as being not fully responsible for their actions, they were however institutionalised with the aim of rehabilitation. The case of Jamie Bulger’s murder provides good evidence of how different discourses can be used within society and social and political systems, such as the criminal justice system. These discourses conceptualise how children and their behaviour come to be understood and, in law, how such behaviour is dealt with (Kehily, 2009). In society and the media, the boys were viewed as cold blooded killers, innately possessing some flawed, evil mind that led to their murderous behaviour (Seveny, 1994). However, the UK judicial system used a contrasting romantic discourse in viewing that ‘something’ had caused the children to behave as they did and that in applying a tabula rasa discourse, the children could be educated through rehabilitation into returning to the ‘natural’ goodness associated with a romantic discourse of childhood (Kehily, 2009). If this crime had occurred however in Australia, being 10 years old, the children would have been unable to have b een criminally charged or trialled for the murder of the two year old, as the law does not apply to ten year olds (Richards, 2011a). Australian law utilising a romantic discourse, viewing the children as wholly innocent and therefore the behaviour must be a result of external causes and influence (Kehily, 2009; Richards, 2011) Interestingly in the UK, there has been an introduction of ‘parenting orders’ given to the parents of children who offend (Home Office, 2003). Demonstrating the romantic discourse similar to Australia, it locates the behaviour of the child as a result of inadequate and poor parenting. Parenting orders are designed to change the behaviours of the parents through re-education so that they can then influence and support their children more effectively (Crime and Disorder Act, 1991). This also demonstrates a shift to a tabula rasa discourse in which children are at risk of poor parenting and in need of moral guidance and education (Kehily, 2009). This use of romantic and tabula rasa discourses in the UK juvenile criminal justice system concurs with Australia’s approach to addressing juvenile crime also. Richards (2011a) identifies that juveniles due to their age are very responsive to rehabilitation to promote non-criminal behaviour. This portrays childhood as a parti cular time that requires education and guidance, a view upheld within tabula rasa discourse. Studies have even been used to offer evidence that childhood is a qualitatively different state of being to that of adulthood, in which children have not cognitively acquired the skills needed to make appropriate decisions, determine risk and regulate emotions (Steinberg, 2005). This reflects a romantic discourse, which conceptualises children as essentially innocent, because they have not acquired the necessary cognitive functions to correctly know right from wrong. Murray (2009) states that Australian policy must reflect the need for interventions that can help juveniles grow out of crime, so linking the need for youths to be educated, supported and rehabilitated so that they develop into lawful abiding citizens. Richards (2011) suggests that juveniles have greater complex needs than adults, due to their psycho-social immaturity, being more under the influence of peer group pressure, drugs and alcohol. Childhood is conceptualised within Australian policy as a time in which children need to be protected from external environmental factors that can harm their inherent goodness and innocence (Kehily, 2009). Criminal behaviour is therefore being understood as a result of society’s failure to save these children from the negative influences of the outside world (Murray, 2009). Particular understandings have been identified through the examining of conceptualisation and discursive representation of childhood within the juvenile criminal systems of Australia and the United Kingdom. It is evident that children within the juvenile criminal system are not seen through puritan discourse. However, public anger to severe criminal offences such as murders undertaken by children can reflect this view of children as inherently evil. Through identifying how romantic, puritan and tabula rasa discourses are used within societies as a whole and perpetuated within media, policy and legislation, it has demonstrated how these can influence how children are treated with within the juvenile criminal systems. The dominant discourses found within Australia and the UK policies are that of a romantic and tabula rasa discourse, in which children are viewed as inherently innocent and good, criminal behaviour being seen as resulting from the influence of eternal environmental factor s. In managing and preventing juvenile crime, children are seen to require guidance, support and rehabilitation, viewing children through the tabula rasa discourse. From the understandings identified above, wide acceptance and acknowledgement that juveniles are to be treated more leniently due to considerations of their immaturity and inexperience may lead to potential abuse of the system by various parties. Potential abuse of the Juvenile Criminal Justice System As modern day children are getting smarter and exposed to technology at a younger age, from the puritan discourse, exposure to knowledge of how courts make rulings regarding juvenile crime, either through the internet or peer influence, may lead to a child’s potential exploitation of the system knowing that they can get away with petty crimes easily. In some cases, a child may play into their immaturity and risk-taking propensity, to commit crime such as theft to satisfy material needs. Similarly from the tabula rasa and romanticised viewpoint, ‘intellectual disability’ as described by Richards (2011a) can be transformed into a view of ‘intellectually shrewd’ children abusing the system due to corruption through contact with the social world, ineffective moral education and support. In extreme cases, there is also a possibility of adults or delinquent parents with knowledge of the system taking advantage of the innocence and immaturity of a child, either by threatening or inducing a child to commit crime on their behalf through means of rewards. This is perhaps a cause for concern due to the potential exploitation of such a loophole in the juvenile justice system. While Richards (2011a) suggests that children are more receptive to rehabilitation in preventing them from further criminal acts, prevention is better than cure. So why allow it to happen in the first place and follow up with corrective measures even though children are more receptive to rehabilitation? Support and guidance from family and school is ideal to keep a child in check. In scenarios where a child is from a broken family, where certain studies have shown a link between child delinquency and broken homes, schools should step in to provide more guidance and support for the child. Perhaps more can be done to educate children against such behaviour and raise awareness on this issue. Also, a helpline to combat scenarios where children are pressured into committing crime can potentially help. References Australian Institute of Criminology (2009) Juvenile crime. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/criminaljustice/juveniles.html (Accessed 16th May, 2014) Carrington, K. Pereira, M. (2009)Offending youth: Sex, crime and justice. Leichhard, Federation Press Cunneen C White R (2007)Juvenile justice: Youth and crime in Australia, 3rd ed. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press Faulkner, D. (2010) Criminal law and justice at a time of austerity. London: Criminal Justice Alliance. Franklin, B. Petley, J. (1996) Killing the age of innocence: newspaper reporting of the death ofJames Bulger in J. Pilcher and S. Wagg (eds) Thatchers Children: Politics, Childhood and Society in the 1980s and 1990s, London: Falmer. Home Office (1998) Crime and Disorder Act, London: HMSO Home Office (2003) Respect and Responsibility: Taking a stand against Anti-Social Behaviour, London: HMSO Kehily, M, J. (2009) An Introduction to childhood studies, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill. Murray, C. (2009) Typologies of young resisters and desisters.Youth Justice9, (2), 115–129. Richards, K. (2011) Trends in juvenile detention in Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi416.html (Accessed 16th May, 2014) Richards, K. (2011a) What makes juvenile offenders different to adult offenders. Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi409.html (Accessed 15th May, 2014) Sereny, G. (1994) The Independent, Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/reexamining-the-evidence-a-year-ago-this-week-james-bulger-was-murdered-by-two-11yearold-boys-the-crime-shook-the-nation-the-boys-were-tried-convicted-and-locked-away-but-what-do-we-know-about-them-do-we-know-why-they-did-it-after-months-of-research-including-interviews-with-parents-of-both-boys-we-publish-in-two-parts-the-story-that-has-not-been-told-1392400.html (Accessed 3rd May, 2014). Steinberg, L. (2005). Cognitive and affective development in adolescence.Trends in Cognitive Sciences9, (2), 69–74 United Nations (1985)United Nations standard minimum rules for the administration of juvenile justice (the Beijing rules). Adopted by General Assembly resolution 40/33 of 29 November 1985. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/40/a40r033.htm (Accessed 12th May, 2014) 1

Locke Vs. Locke Essays -- Empiricists, Empiricism

For many political theorists and thinkers, the ideas of labor and property are central to the evolution of governments or states, and henceforth, very important aspects of human life. For some writers, the development of property is a direct result of labor, and government is set up to ensure the property rights of those who own property. Some view property and labor fundamentally or naturally connected aspects of human life, while others see it as merely a social convention. Each thinker also has different opinions about how property is acquired, as well as what the limits to property acquisition are. While one writer may provide the most fair account of property, another may provide a more feasible account of property acquisition and its limits. This essay will attempt to compare and contrast the beliefs of John Locke and Karl Marx on the ideas of labor and property with their connections to the aspects of the human condition, as well as determine who holds the most feasible or fai r account of property. To begin, Locke believes that property is not a "thing", rather, it is a relationship between an individual and an item. Property is a natural condition in John Locke’s state of nature, meaning it was present since the beginning. "Thus labor, in the beginning, gave a right of property, wherever anyone was pleased to employ it upon what was common, which remained a long while the far greater part, and is yet more than mankind makes use of." (Locke, 27). In order for property rights to exist, they must be recognized by other individuals through the act of mixing physical labor with nature. The most fundamental and natural forms of the property of man are "The labor of his body, and the work of his hands…" (Locke, 19.) These fundamental properties, according to Locke, cannot be stripped from any man "…nor could without injury take from him." (Locke, 21). By mixing nature with this fundamental form of property, or labo r, man can appropriate property to himself. "His labor hath taken it out of the hands of nature, where it was common, and belonged equally to all her children, and hath hereby appropriated it to himself" (Locke, 20). Here, Locke explains that by mixing one’s physical labor with, for example, an apple from a tree, one removes the apple from the common cache ... ...er, which are understood as goods or property. To Marx, property is not a natural or fundamental aspect of human existence. In a capitalist economy, property comes about through certain social relations between the capitalist and laborer. It is a social convention to Marx, and is not natural at all, in fact one of Marx’s main movements into communism abolishes all property rights. One reason Marx would like to move from our current governments into communism is because of the alienation of labor. Alienation of labor alienates the physical laborer from the object he creates. The capitalist owns the product that the laborer produces through the division of labor, and no individual worker will ever own what he creates in this system. Marx does not really delve on the evolution of property rights or property relations, he is more concerned with economic factors of production and markets. In Marx’s base superstructure model of a political economy, the forces of production (labor, technology) form the base of the political system. After the forces of production, come the relations of production, which are class inequality, property rights and the division of labor.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I'm sure everyone here has seen a picture of a mother duck leading her ducklings. Imagine the mother duck taking her ducklings up some stairs. The mother duck easily climbs the first stair and waits for the other little ducks to climb up. The first duckling stretches its wings as high up in the air as it can and stands on the tips of its little webbed feet. With a little help from its beak it manages to barely make the first step. Sometimes it requires a little help from mama duck to boost itself up. Despite the cute and rather funny part of this picture, it is possible to learn a lot from the ducks. The two ideas we can gain from them are leadership and following. In life each one of us is a leader and a follower at some point. Leadership is of key importance to the Christian, and also simply to every person. It is easy to imagine the kind of world that would ensue as a result of no leadership. There would be utter chaos and nothing positive would get done. Often we think of leaders as people with great authority such as the President of the United States, bosses of major corporations, and in the case of school, the principal and teachers. But the fact that does not readily present itself to us is that each one of us in some way or another is a leader. Everyone leads at some point in their life whether they realize it or not. Younger generations always look up to and follow older generations. Although they may not admit it, I am sure the underclassmen at our school have followed the lead and example of the Class of 2006. This is an awesome task to undertake: that of leadership. It is important to constantly remind yourself that someone is watching and following your lead. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my examp... ...e tool in dealing with the problems that life throws our way. As a follower we must choose wisely who we associate with. A close group of friends can provide many things that help us along life's path in the Christian walk. Good Friends can provide support through tough times, accountability, and good fellowship. Leadership and following are not generally thought of as interconnected, though each one of us is both a leader and a follower. As a leader we must be a good example and a servant. As a follower we must choose wisely who to look up to and associate with and ultimately we must follow the perfect lead of Jesus Christ. I encourage everyone here, and especially the graduating class of 2006, to remember you are a leader, leading others to know Christ and His perfect plan for them, and a follower, learning to follow Christ and His perfect plan for ourselves.

Mobey Dick Essays -- essays research papers

Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a book which can be read as a general metaphor for the battle between the evil powers of the Devil versus the divine powers of God and Jesus, both try to obtain the souls of mankind in order to assist in each other's destruction. In this metaphor, the Devil is shown through the person of Captain Ahab, God becomes nature, Jesus is seen as the White Whale, and the representation of mankind is the crew. The voyage of the Pequod, therefore, is a representation of a similar voyage of mankind on earth, until the death of Jesus, during the whole thing the influences of these three â€Å"supernatural forces† are connected. Thus, the basis of this idea is that in the plot of Melville's book, there are also peeks of the "plot" of the Bible. "As they narrated to each other their unholy adventures, their tales of terror told in words of mirth; as their uncivilized laughter forked upwards out of them, like the flames from the furnace; as to and from, in their front, the harpooners wildly gesticulated with their huge pronged forks and dippers; as the wind howled on, and the sea leaped, and the ship groaned and dived, and yet steadfastly shot her red hell further and further into the blackness of the sea and the night, and scornfully champed the white bone in her mouth, and viciously spat round her on all sides; then the rushing Pequod, freighted with savages, and laden with fire, and burning a corpse, and plunging into that blackness of darkness, seemed the material counterpart of her monomaniac commander's soul." (p.463) Based on the developed metaphor, the quote above can be seen as showing the role of Ahab as the sign of the Devil, within Moby Dick. The entire passage shows the effects of his manipulation with the crew. The words such as, "flames," "blackness," "howled," and of course, "huge pronged forks" turn the Pequod into a satanic representation of hell itself. Thus, the influence of the hellish commander can easily be seen upon the innocent men, whose only mistake was failing to see the true warning behind mad Ahab's mission. This notion of 'savageness' suggests not only a lack of religious morality, but also a dislike of it. Thus, the men are fully "unholy" as they stand on board a ship that is "la... ...Jesus. This manipulation is obvious in Ahab's spirited speeches, detailed mappings, and eagerness, all of which are methods to rush the detrimental encounter. The craziness of Ahab's mission of revenge can be compared to the same type of craziness in the Devil seeking out the death of the Son of God. The metaphor is also strengthened with the final battle of the Pequod and Moby Dick, which last for three days from the moment the â€Å"White Whale† is first harpooned. These facts repeat the crucifixion of Christ, where Christ died and went to hell for three days in order to defeat Satan before rising into heaven in glory. Because of this accomplishment, the few who are faithful to the Lord are saved into eternal life, while all those who are unfaithful, are damned. Therefore, the entire crew goes down with Ahab except for Ishmael, who was theoretically faithful. Thus proving the metaphor of the battle between the evil powers of the Devil versus the divine powers of God and Jesus, both try to obtain the souls of mankind in order to assist in each other's destruction. The Relationship between Moby Dick and The Bible, and the Symbolism Behind it 6404 GHE II Hour 3 11/30/00

College Essay (Soccer)

As a senior, my team and I take our first step onto the turf field; we go on as a family that is striving to bring home the cup. This is my first, yet last chance to do this. The heat from the turf moves through my cleats and onto my feet. The intensity of the sun is shining straight down on me and the sweat is just beginning to start. Then my mind rewinds back to those few words that crushed me terribly last year coming from the varsity soccer coach, â€Å"I think it’d be best if you played on junior varsity this season. I spent countless nights being angry that I did not make varsity and I felt somewhat like a loser because I was a junior playing on the JV team. After a few weeks, I figured it was pointless to feel pity for myself and decided that I was going to show everyone how great I could be. Soccer has been my addiction since I was five and nothing could ever replace the desire for it. My father taught me the rules and coached me; I was set on making sure I knew every aspect of the game, attempting to perfect every skill. I was in complete disbelief when I was not put on the varsity squad, I thought I was good.I knew I had to get better because there is always room for progress. My first step was to improve my physical condition by running and lifting. Running was something that I dreaded to do every day, but knew it was so vital to do. I absolutely despised running, every time I wanted to stop I would just think, â€Å"A starter wouldn’t stop running until they’ve reached the end†. Lifting weights was an activity that I found enjoyable and did not mind doing. Besides exercising, I spent numerous hours working on my ball skills; juggling, controlling, and passing everything a starting player should be precise at.Finally, after many long months, my hard work had paid off. During tryouts I showed everyone that I was a zealous and determined player, taking practice serious and hustling for every drill. The varsity coach awarded me with a starting position for the team my senior year. My determined work ethic, initiative and discipline helped me to get where I am now. To this day I continue to work hard at every practice, even though I am starter. Slacking off is not an option for me. I have applied this lesson to many areas in my life including school work, sports and volunteer work. I am not a quitter and am never satisfied until I achieve my goals.

Cultural Difference between Ancient Egypt and Ancient China Essay

The Cultural Development of ancient Egyptians and ancient Chinese civilizations were fairly similar but were different on certain ideas. From the way historians looked at the number of gods/goddesses each civilization worshipped, to the inventions and tools the craftsman made to make life less difficult shows the similarity of the two civilization. Both couture’s buried their dead with items of value, practiced ancestor worship, had elaborate systems of Bureaucratic systems of administration and, had rudimentary concepts of Mathematics and Medicine. Ancient Chinese religion based upon Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the same time, around the sixth century B.C.E. China’s third great religion, Bu. The religion of Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic (many gods) religion with one short period of monotheism (one god). Their religion hosted about 700 different gods and goddesses. Despite the similar concepts of the 2 civilization ancient Chinese: In Egypt, people were buried with thought to preservation, as they believed that the dead would be able to use their bodies in the afterlife. Chinese burial style depended on the province as well as the main religion of the person. But both civilizations were polytheistic (belief in many gods). Ancient Egypt belief system relied heavily on the tales of the many deities that they worshiped. In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that, when a Pharaoh passed away, he was met with many tests. If successful, the Pharaoh would ascend and become the sun god, Ra. However ancient Chinese belief system relied on three major religions: Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Taoism was founded during the Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century by Lao-Tzu. The idea of Yin and Yang comes from Taoism. They believed that everything in nature has two balancing forces called Yin and Yang. Confucianism was born in 551 BC. Confucius was a philosopher and thinker. Confucius’ teachings focus on treating others with respect, politeness, and fairness. He thought that honor and morality were important qualities, family was important, and honoring one’s relatives was required. Buddhism was based on the teachings of Buddha. Buddha was born in Nepal, just south of China, in 563 BC. Buddhists believe in a â€Å"rebirth† of the self, and the concept named Karma (all actions have consequences). What makes these two civilizations similar, Egypt and China had similar governments in which they were both monarchies. Both ancient Chinese and ancient Egypt made tools and technology to improve their lives, and make everyday tasks easier. Also both civilizations also required an irrigation system to help regulate and utilize the nearby rivers’ sources. However, this is where the similarities of technology end. Egyptians focused primarily on the afterlife. They built grand pyramids as burial sites and afterlife protection for Pharaohs and important nobles. The Chinese spent their efforts building roads for easier trade and canals for efficient, improved farming. Ancient Egypt and ancient Chinese used paper. China and Egypt are also similar in the fact that they all took use of bronze metallurgy. But although they both used bronze, China was better adapted to it and benefitted more from it. Egypt was slow to develop the use of bronze, and the high cost didn’t allow them to use it much. Ancient Chinese made paper (Papyrus- a tall plant that is like grass and that grows in marshes especially in China). Ancient Egypt are known for their pyramids. The size, design, and structure of the pyramids reveal the skill of these ancient builders. The pyramids were great monuments and tombs for the kings. The Egyptians believed that a king’s soul continued to guide affairs of the kingdom even after his death. To ensure that they would continue to enjoy the blessings of the gods, they preserved the pharaoh’s body through the mummification process. They built the pyramids to protect the pharaoh’s body; the pyramid was a symbol of hope, because it would ensure the pharaoh’s union with the gods. Ancient Chinese rich people had fancier houses, and people also built fancy temples and palaces. All ancient Chinese architecture was built according to strict rules of design that made Chinese buildings follow the ideas of Taoism or other Chinese philosophies. The design idea was that buildings should be long and low rather than tall – they and symmetry: both sides of the building should be the same, balanced, just as Taoism emphasized balance. Both Ancient Egypt and Ancient Egypt were both river civilizations that faced the challenge of flooding of their nearby rivers, which made irrigation systems and tracking floods important. While researching ancient Chinese and ancient Egypt I saw that each civilization had the same ideas but they took their prior knowledge and bulled on it, in different ways. Based on this evidence and facts I gathered I conclude that ancient Egypt and ancient China are the strongest and longest lasting civilizations because of their organization. Also since each civilization’s location was closed off, intruding and trying to conquer weren’t a major issue. While writing this paper I learned that with each civilization’s advanced tools and inventions it impacted everything and influenced all the technology we have today.