Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hip Hop vs Country & Western Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hip Hop vs Country & Western - Essay Example Out of these modernized creations, hip hop and country and western were born. Hip hop and country and western music, both of which have become increasingly popular in the past few decades, are two very distinct genres. Reaching out to different crowds, each genre contains unique messages and remarkable ways of representing them. Despite their differences, the two distinguishable genres also have their similarities. Hip hop and country and western touch upon various aspects of life, ranging from love to death and everything in between. While both genres can show the negative and heartbreaking characteristics of love, hip hop might take a harsher perspective while country and western tends to take a more uplifting, positive point of view. Some music critics, including the musicians themselves, argue that hip hop shows the reality of life situations and country and western music reveals what people wish would take place instead in those situations (Palmer, 2005). Hip hop might explain w hat went wrong in a failed relationship, yet country and western will explain the good that might come of the relationship ending. This concept is due to the fact that it is believed that those that listen to hip hop are more seasoned to the hardships of life and those that listen to country and western are more optimistic for things to improve in the future (Palmer). Though each genre has their own unique way of expressing these life events, they both focus on sharing similar stories. Whether it involves a hip hop artist growing up in a tough city or a country and western singer being brought up in a rural area, the songs of these artists reveal what life was like having to deal with social or economic situations, growing up in their varying neighborhoods, love and death, and just simply getting through life in one piece. The sole purpose of the music that these musicians put out is to share with others what life was like for them, and how life continues to be. Similarly, the artis ts of both hip hop and country and western vary with the point of view of their songs. In some songs, the singer may be narrating their own stories, putting themselves at the center of a tale that happened to them or else placing themselves in a scenario that happened to someone that they knew. Yet in other songs, the singers are narrating stories that involved other people in their lives, or even putting into song an event that they obtained from the news. A common occurrence in regard to point of view in both of the genres is the narration of fictional events that happened to fictional characters, which serves the purpose of most fiction stories - to teach a life lesson to the listeners or to reveal something about life to the audience. No matter the story that is being told, how it is being told, or the genre that the story is being told in, hip hop and country and western exist to share these compelling stories and make them known to their audience. Another likeness between hip hop and country and western is that the singers usually have damaged personas (Rausch, 2011; Cusic, 2008). A hip hop artist and a country and western star may have come from completely different backgrounds, but they both could have faced identical issues with violent family members or personal drug and alcohol abuse. Oftentimes, these characteristics are why the musicians chose music as their expressive outlet to begin with, which is usually the basis for many of their songs. Since these musicians, regardless of their genre, sing about events that they struggled through in life, connections are going to be found between the two genres. Hip hop and country

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Lorenzo The Magnificent Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lorenzo The Magnificent - Research Paper Example I believe this to be a possibility because of the many works of art, sculpture and architecture that are being made during this period. Much of this beauty only exists because it was commissioned by the wealthy ruling families of Italy. People such as myself, Lorenzo Medici, commission artwork not only to promote culture and the arts in my city, but also to show off the material wealth my family commands. The types of works I commission demonstrate the recent advancements that have taken place in architecture and art as well as convey a sense of the impression I wish to make upon my neighbors and associates. Having been raised in a family already strongly committed to the arts, I hope to one day be remembered as one of art’s finest patrons but remain somewhat fearful that it is other areas of my life history will focus upon. The physical world I knew while growing up went a long way toward fostering my love of the arts, but it also helped shape my personality in other ways. In our Florentine society, it is necessary for princes who can afford it to build huge residential palaces, villas, fortresses, governmental buildings, churches and convents that we can then fill with statuary, paintings, sculptures, brilliantly performed original pieces of music and other fine works of art. This is how we demonstrate our status in our very class-conscious society. â€Å"Art historians bury the why – and hence the sociology – by their excessive emphasis on questions of form and style. Most of the great building projects of the Italian Renaissance †¦ had behind them the urge to exhibit now: to exhibit an identity, to show the power or piety of the man and his family dynasty, and to carve out a space in the city that would belong to that name, that individual and dynasty, for all times† (Marti nes, 1979: 236). These sentiments applied equally to other commissioned works of art as well. At three stories tall, the family’s Medici Palace in

Sunday, October 27, 2019

An Overview Of A Constructions Productivity Construction Essay

An Overview Of A Constructions Productivity Construction Essay Recently, construction productivity is on a long-term slide and it is recognized as industry challenge. System, people, materials, information and energy must flow effectively and efficiently to produce its objective at high productivity to complete construction at lowest possible cost with possible shortest timeframe (Picard, 2005). Productivity is critically important in construction industry. Many researchers have expressed their concern over productivity in construction industry. Defining productivity is not a simple task to everybody. Different people will give different definition and understanding. Most of them agreed that marketable output was essentially the main measure used. Increased productivity was a leading concern to all Committee stakeholders such as users, contractors, and construction labor unions and led by the owner. The construction users emphasized the need of collecting data directly relevant to productivity improvement. The Committee was concluded that the front-line construction foreman/supervisor would be a reliable source of information. These informants would be asked to provide their judgment of the greatest impediments to a productive construction project (Tucker, 2003). Definition of productivity Within these several decades, many researchers have defined the productivity term in their studies in a number of ways. The term productivity has different meanings to different people. Many individuals automatically think only of labor unions when the term productivity is mentioned. Others associate capital expenditures with the term. Each of these interpretations is only partly correct (Adrian, 1993). Many researchers have attempted to define precisely the meaning of productivity and below are some of it that referred from their studies: Oglesby et al. (1989), presented that productivity can be defined as in-place value divided by inputs . Some researchers have defined it as works-hours divided by the equivalent quantity of work. In construction, productivity normally can be understood as work quantity divided by man-hours (or work-hours) consumed to accomplish the work. Productivity = Work Quantity Man-hours According to Dolman, Parham, Zheng, (2007), productivity is a measure in order to know how much output is produced per unit of input. Diewert Lawrence, (2006) presented that productivity can be defined as the level of economic output per unit of input and also per worker. Productivity is important to the wealth and well-being of a nation and give efforts to improve productivity occur at all levels of society. According to Hwang and Liu, (2005), productivity is an effective index that can indicate output of construction work quantity versus the input of resources. Productivity of a crew is directly impacts the cost and time needed to complete a task. By analyzing and forecasting productivity, project manager can be more effective to control and predict project time and cost throughout execution up to completion. Thomas and Mathew, (1986) presented that no standardized productivity definition had been established in the construction industry. It is difficult to define a standard productivity measure because companies use their own systems which are not standardized. Association simply illustrates the productivity between an output and an input. The form has been widely used and existing in literature over the years in construction industry is; Productivity = Input/Output Prokopenko, (1987), defined the productivity as effective and efficient utilization of all resources, labor, plant and materials. According to Jugdev, et al.,(2001), productivity is a ratio between inputs and outputs. In calculating the productivity, it is important to specify the inputs and outputs that to be measured because there are many inputs such as labors, materials, equipments, tools, capital and design in construction system. Uusi-Rauva and Hannula, (1996), presented that productivity can be defined as internal efficiency of the organization or other object to be measured. A more precise definition of productivity is the following: output divide by the input that is used to generate output. Output is consists of products or services and input is consists of materials, labor, capital, energy, etc. Productivity is not only affected by the quantities of inputs and outputs but also the qualities of inputs and outputs. According to Halligan, et al., (1994), there are many ways to define productivity. In construction, it is usually taken to mean labor productivity which is units of work placed or produced per man-hour. Teicholz, (2004), stated that productivity in construction industry was measured by constant contract dollars of new construction work per hourly work hour The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2009) of the U.S. Department of Labor was defines productivity into two type which are labor productivity and multifactor productivity. Labor productivity can be measures as output per hour of labor and it is used in over 40 industries including construction. Productivity can be calculated by dividing the quantity of work completed (Quantity) by number of labor hours used to complete the work (Man Hours). A productivity value represents performance of an operation with respect to time and cost, where activity duration and activity cost is directly affected by productivity. Duration (Hours) = Quantity of Works (Quantity / Man Hours) = Quantity of Works Productivity The formula above indicates how critical the reliability of the productivity factors in estimation time. Measurement of productivity There is controversy surrounding productivity that rooted in the differences in data collection. It is due to incorrect in assuming productivity measured uniformly and that all published productivity values have the same basis (Whiteside, 2006) Overall conception of productivity is difficult to express or to measure. It is sometimes expressed either in terms of output from labor or from services or from capital invested. These parts of expressions often do not give an accurate picture of the overall position. Although, there are measurements of some or all of the inputs and outputs of the industry but they still failed to combine these measurements into any satisfactory measure of efficiency. In fact, the ratio is easy to compute if the unit uses a single input to produce a single output (Choy, 2008). According to Whiteside, (2006), production is average direct labor hours to install a unit material. He also stressed that in perfect world, perfect productivity (1.0) will be accomplished in 40-hour work week, with everyone taking all of their holidays and vacation days planned. It is regarding to all the engineering drawings must be 100% complete, there would be no delays of any kind, everyone would work safely, everything would fit perfectly at the first time, the weather would be 70 degrees Fahrenheit and there would be no litigation at the end of the project. But, we do not live in perfect world and true productivity is often poorly understood. The first challenge in understanding productivity is lacking of common terms. The definition of hours identified as direct labor should be consistent. Second is too much focus in determining productivity which is incorrectly placed on the individual worker. Productivity is something to do with the worker because many workers work at the s ame rates. The main thing should be focused in productivity measurement is proper or complete planning. It is because like-out-sequence work will contribute to lower productivity due to the rework hours required to complete the original task. The final challenge is how to make productivity comparison when the data used in productivity studies before have the same basis. Productivity is not based on wage rates or cost data alone and it is improper to combine wage rate, hours and material quantities to make productivity comparison. According to Hwang and Liu, (2009), construction productivity studies have centered on the identification of factors that influence productivity and quantification of the impact of such factor on productivity. As a result, there were various qualitative and quantitative factors have been discovered and various methods for productivity have been presented. Majority of those methods are based on relationships between productivity and factors. Based on Thomas and Yiakoumis (1987), they stated that theory underlying the factor model is the work of crew is affected by a number of factors. If the cumulative effect of these disturbances can be mathematically represented, then the expected actual productivity can be estimate. But, it is not always feasible to quantify the impact of various factors and represent the relationships mathematically. Another limitation is the value of many related factors in future is not available and thus, they have to be estimated. In fact, some of the factors can be correlated with others which the correlation may be higher or lower under different situations. There is several research efforts have been devoted to developing models. The models that being used in the construction industry are such as below: According to Sonmez and Rowings, (1998); Portas and AbouRizk, (1997), recommended Neutral Network (NN) techniques which have been used to develop method of productivity prediction. Everett and Farghal, (1994), recommended learning curves that for various activities. Abdelhamid and Everett, (1999), have applied time series analysis to evaluate hoisting performance comparing the CRANIUM technology with the conventional technique. According to Brockwell and Davis, (2002), ARMA (autoregressive moving average) models are used to model time-lagged relationship of self-correlated observations within a single series. Cumulative Average and Simple Moving Average that wisely used to model a single time series Exponential Smoothing produce forecasts of weighted value of past observation with exponentially decreasing weights (NIST, 2006). Although there are numbers of publications exist on construction productivity, there is no agreed upon definition of work activities nor a standard productivity measurement system. Most of researchers have concluded that it is difficult to obtain a standard method to measure construction labor productivity because of project complexity and unique characteristics of the construction projects (Oglesby et al. 1989). The uniqueness and non repetitive of operation in construction projects make it is difficult to develop a standard productivity definition and measure (Sweis, 2000). Current measurement of productivity in construction industry Our labor productivity experts specialize in labor productivity analysis and may utilize the following industry-recognized methodologies, where appropriate: Measured Mile Analysis Work Sampling Comparable Work Study General and Specialty Industry Studies (Mechanical Contractors Association of America [MCAA],  Construction Industry Institute [CII], Business Roundtable, etc.) Total Cost Method Modified Total Cost Method Time and Motion Studies   The selection of a particular productivity analysis methodology is depends on the project facts, the nature of the events being analyzed, the nature and extent of available labor data and may vary from project to project. Each of the above-referenced productivity analysis methodologies has inherent its own advantages and disadvantages. Interface Consulting has extensive experience handling construction labor productivity claims and construction claims consultants are skilled at tailoring productivity analysis approach to suit a projects needs and constraints (ICII, 2009). Factors influence productivity in construction According to Tucker, (2003), he presented the most factors that can affect the construction productivity especially on site as below: Design: specifications, drawings, documents have to be improved Field support for timely responses; have architect/engineer on site with field competency Coordinate Design/Review Timely RFIs/RFPs (Request For Informations/Request For Proposals) Construction/Project management competency He also suggested that productivity improvement should be done based on this area: Constructability of the design documents with input of major contractors on schedule quality and realism Coordination among major contractors Pre-project planning Communication and teamwork between owners, design professionals, contractors and labor Improvement of the construction management process. Parisi, (2008) presented that potential factors influence the construction productivity are many, including out-of-sequence work; skilled labor shortages; worker crowding/congested work areas; interference of trades; owner interference; design problems and defects; contractors inadequate management/supervision; failure to properly staff the project; overtime; and acceleration. Lim et al (1995) studied factors affecting productivity in the construction industry in Singapore. Their findings indicated that the most important problems affecting productivity were: difficulty with recruitment of supervisors; difficulty with recruitment of workers; high rate of labour turnover; absenteeism from the work site; and communication problems with foreign workers. Olomolaiye et al (1996) studied factors affecting productivity of craftsmen in Indonesia, with their findings indicating craftsmen in Indonesia spent 75 % of their time working productively. Five specific productivity problems were identified: ie lack of materials; rework; absenteeism; lack of equipment; and tools. Kane et al (cited in Herbsman et al, 1990) classified factors affecting construction productivity into two main groups: technological factors and administrative factors. The technological factors encompass those related mostly to the design of the project; the administrative group factors relate to the management and construction of the project. Technological factors comprise sub-groups such as design factors, material factors and location factors. Administrative factors comprise sub-groups, such as construction methods and procedural factors, equipment factors, labour factors, and social factors. Heizer and Render (1990) classified factors influencing site productivity into 3 groups: labour characteristic factors; project work conditions factors; and nonproductive activities. Olomolaiye et al (1998) stated that factors affecting construction productivity are rarely constant, and may vary from country to country, from project to project, and even within the same project, depending on circumstances. They classified factors influencing construction productivity into 2 categories: external and internal, representing those outside the control of the firm s management, and those originating within the firm.. External factors included the nature of the industry, construction client knowledge of construction procedure, weather, and level of economic development. Internal factors included management, technology, labour, and labour unions. Enshassi et al 2006, Enshassi et al 2007, and Al Haddad 2007 stated that among the problems which the Palestinian construction industry is facing are material supply schedules and project scheduling techniques. Although a number of training courses were conducted to local contractors, these training efforts did not focus enough on the abilities to use project scheduling techniques such as Microsoft project and Primavera. Therefore training effort should also be tailored to improve methods of studying productivity and ways of productivity improvement on construction sites. The important productivity rate in project scheduling The duration of construction project is a key factor to consider before starting a new project which is it can be determine project success of failure. Despite the uncertainty and risk level is very high in construction industry, current construction planning which is more relies on traditional deterministic scheduling method is still not clearly ascertain the level of uncertainty involved in the project. Subsequently, it can prolong a projects duration and cannot be completed within the allocation time of the project (Lee, et al., 2009). Construction projects are subjected to changes which it require constant performance monitoring and follow-up schedule updates. Project manager must take proactive attitude to analyze project data and to predict potential problems and delay in order to make timely decisions and to reduce the negative impact on cost and schedule (Hwang and Liu, 2005). Planning in construction is a complex and iterative process. A plan usually is prepared based on the estimates by the participants actual commitment. Therefore, construction productivity plan plays a significant role in the process. Based on Parisi, (2008), in estimating labor, there are several key factors that should be considered: Productivity of its field forces Union labor agreements and requirements Past experience with the owner, designer, and construction manager Labor availability Specialty trades Therefore, if the actual construction work deviates from the anticipated plan, once the contract is signed and the project is underway, several situations may result as below: The job may take more time because the progress is not being made at the rate projected in the original baseline schedule and thus, project completion must be extended. (In such cases, acceleration of the remaining activities may be implemented to recover time) More hours of labor may be required to install the work items because materials are not being installed by the contractors workforce at the productivity rates (the anticipated quantities of material to be installed per hour) same as estimated in the original bid. An overrun of both time and labor may occur. In order to succeed, the companies must make a phase affirmative action into the total management of productivity through a formalized, documented process such as depicted in Figure 2.0. The process should be started with historical productivity analysis. The knowledge that gained from this processes should then be utilized to forecast and manage future productivity. The supervisor that involved in this process must implement and monitor the predetermined productivity values. Only then the companies can be more competitive and successful in todays global market Figure 2.0: A model to manage construction productivity Construction industry seemed as low sector when there is low technology and low skilled employments occur. According to Saad, (2002), in order to raise level of construction productivity, it is recommended that the projects should have the following features: High degree of standardization Design is preferred to use pre-fabricated units or pre-assemble forming system Building system should be easy and simple to construct and repetitive Well managed construction methods with details planning and specification High level of mechanized methods and skilled workers Roof works Roof is a basic human need is for shelter, which for most of us consists of a few walls and a roof over our heads. Roofs come in many shapes and sizes. One of the main reasons for having a roof is to keep out rainwater and snow. The selection of roof is based on the following characteristics: Stability Protection from the sun, weather, wind and rain Durablity Heat resistance Brightness and ventilation Beauty Construction of roof must be strong and able to support the load and stressed that going to happen. The load that is attributable to roof, firstly is dead load which is the weight of the roof trusses, roof covering; secondly is live load which is consists of tools, equipment, workers, rain water and lastly is wind load. Wind is a major stress to the roof which is difficult to forecast accurately. Roof stability is depends on the support such as roof trusses, column, walls, beams and foundation of the building. Design of roof also takes into account the respective functions of the building. Building for residential and office should have a comfortable situation in terms of condition, light, air and dam parts sounds. Industrial buildings and warehouses may require heat insulation on the roof to maintain the same conditioning in buildings. Traffic in the building to allow use of the pillars supporting the roof of the short-range distance. Roof for theater and stadium, must be supported by long span of roof trusses and the support in the middle will distrupt the view and noise and sound effect protection from the audience. Productivity work to be consider in roof works The productivity works to be considered in this study as below: Installation of roof trusses (cold form) Installation of insulation Installation of roof covering (concrete roof tiles and metal decking) No. of workers in group Daily Productivity (m2) METHOD PRODUCTIVITY OF ONE WORKING DAY Handling Half Mechanized Full Mechanized Summary From the literature review of the productivity in construction is important especially to provide accurate duration of task in building project scheduling. Rerefences: Dolman, B., Parham, D., Zheng, S. (2007), Can Australia match US productivity performance?, Retrieved May 7, 2007, from http://www.pc.gov.au/commission/work/productivity/publications/reports.html. Diewert, W. E. and Lawrence, D. (2006), Measuring the contributions of productivity and terms of trade to Australias economic welfare, Retrieved May 7, 2007, from http://www.pc.gov.au/commission/work/productivity/publications/reports.html. Oglesby, C.H., Parker, H.W. and Howell, G.A., (1989), Construction productivity improvements, McGraw Hill, New York Adrian, J.J. (1993), Construction Estimating: An accounting and productivity approach 4th Edition, 1993 Hwang, S. and Liu, L.Y. (2005), Proactive project control using productivity data and time series analysis, Computing in Civil Engineering 2005 Thomas, H.R. and Mathew, C.T., (1986), An analysis of the methods for measuring construction productivity, SD 13, Construction Industry Institute, The University of Texas. Whiteside, J.D., (2006), Construction Productivity, AACE International Transaction, 2006 Picard, (2005), Construction productivity qualifications, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Prokopenko, J.,(1987), Productivity management, Geneva International Labor Office. Jugdev, K., Thomas, J. and Delisle, C., (2001), Rethinking project management old truths and new insight, International Project Management Journal, 7(1), pp. 36-43 Uusi-Rauva, E. and Hannula, M., (1996), Measurement A tool for productivity Improvement, 9th International Working Seminar on Production Economics, Innsbruck, pp. 13-29 Halligan, D.W., Demsetz, L.A., Brown, J.D. and Pace, C.B., (1994), Action-response model and loss of productivity in construction, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 120 No. 1, March 1994 Teicholz, P., (2004), Labor productivity declines in the construction industry: Causes and remedies, AECbytes Viewpoint #4, April 14 2004. Tucker, W.W., (2003), Construction Productivity Study Summary, Eastern Michigan University, 2003. Choy, C.F., (2008), Productive efficiency of Malaysian construction sector, Built-Environment Department, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. Lee, H.S., Shin, J.W., Park, M. and Ryu, H.G, (2009), Probabilistic duration estimation model for high-rise structural work, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, December, 2009 Hwang, S. and Liu, L.Y. (2009), Predicting short term productivity I: Contemporaneous time series and forecasting Methodologies, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, December, 2009 Sonmez, R. and Rowing, J.E., (1998), Construction labor productivity modeling with neutral network, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, December, 124(6), 498-504 Portas, J. and AbouRizk, S. (1997), Neutral network model estimating construction productivity, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 123(4), 399-410 Everett, J.G. and Fargahl, S. (1994), Learning curve predictors for construction field operations, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 120(3), 603-614 Abdelhamid, T.S. and Everett, J.G., (1999), Time series analysis for construction productivity experiments, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 125(2), 87-95 NIST, (2006), Engineer statistic handbook Oglesby, C.H., Parker, H.W., and Howell, G.A., (1989), Productivity improvement in construction, McGraw-Hill, New York. Sweis, G.J., (2000), Impact of conversion technology on productivity in masonry construction, PhD dissertation, Northwestern University, Evanston, III. Interface Consulting International, Inc.(ICII), 2009 Parisi, R.F., (2008), When the best-laid plans go astray A primer on labor productivity, Capital Project Management, Inc. Saad, D.A, (2002), Standard labor productivity of reinforced concrete building structures and factor affecting on it, Thesis presented to university of Technology, Iraq FACTORS AFFECTING LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY IN BUILDING PROJECTS IN THE GAZA STRIP Adnan Enshassi1, Sherif Mohamed2, Ziad Abu Mustafa1 and Peter Eduard Mayer3

Friday, October 25, 2019

Charles de Secondat, Baron De La Brede Et De Montesquieu Essay

Charles de Secondat, Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu was born in 1689 to a French noble family. "His family tree could be traced 350 years, which in his view made its name neither good nor bad." (The Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, p. 68) Montesquieu's views started to be shaped at a very early age. A beggar was chosen to be his godfather to remind him of his obligations to the poor. Montesquieu's education started at the age of 11 when he was sent to Juilly, a school maintained by the Congregation of the Oratory. From 1705 to 1709 he studied law in Bordeaux. "From 1705 to 1709 he was a legal apprentice in Paris. There he came to know some of the most advanced thinkers of his time: Fredet, the Abbe Lama, and Boulainvilliers.(Ibid.). In 1716 Montesquieu got a seat of president a mortier in the parlement of Guyenne from his deceased uncle. Even though he did not like his job he believed parliaments were necessary to control the monarchs. In 1721 Montesquieu published the Persian Letters, which he began working on while studying in Bordeaux. The book was a success. In the Persian Letters Montesquieu showed how relative all of the French values were. Even though the technique used in this witty book was previously used by other writers, Montesquieu did a great job making fun of the European values. At that time he already believed in the immorality of European practices such as religious prosecution. The book gave roots for Montesquieu's later arguments and ideas. When in 1728 Montesquieu, with the help of his Parisian connections he got elected to the French Academy, he was happy to sell his office of president a mortier. In the course of the next three years he traveled all over Europe, visiting Germany, Hungary, England, Holland, Austria, and Italy. It is not surprising that out of his European tour the country which had the greatest impact on his later work (just like it did on Voltaire's) was England. During his stay there he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. After he returned to France the second portion of his carrier had began. He became a full time writer, traveling between his La Brede estate and Paris. It is during this period that the C... ...e world will always be remembered. Montesquieu can easily be considered a model Enlightment figure. His ideas produce a mild paradox. He wanted change for the better without crushing the current government. He wanted to educate the people of a country, but was not a radical, and therefore didn't include the peasants. He respected reason, and used it to help the mankind by creating an idle society. He critisised religion, and yet had faith in God. As a whole he tried to improve things without turning the world upside down. He was the model figure for the steady advancement of the human civilization. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Hollier, Denis , A New History of French Literature, Harvard University Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1989. 2. The Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, p. 467-476. 3. Loy, John Robert, Montesquieu, New York, Twayne Publishers, 1968. 4. A History of World Societies volume II, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p. 669-679. 5. Robert Shedlock, Lessons on World History, 1980, p. 38a-38c.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Discipline management Essay

1. Behavioral learning is mainly concerned with what can be ob severed and measured in any human behavior. It is a continuous process where one can learn and unlearn hence children of young ages play a dormant role. The assumptions it makes is that all things that can be seen and observed are real but things like brains cannot be seen. According to Ivan and Thorndike (1913), they argued that behavior is controlled highly by its consequences. They set up an experiment to show how cats can learn how to open a box. This was to be done through trial and error method where by the cat ended up opening the box. This theory developed showed clearly that, people are just like cats and these is how they spontaneously learn. Those behaviors which bring positive consequences are said to reoccur oftenlyoften than those with negative cosequences. This augment is a bit true because human beings learn slowly through practical, experience or theoretical. It shows that all living things are very active and can easily learn regardless of the species type. Ivan (1903), did an innate reflex experiment with a dog. Once they ring a metronome when giving the dog food, the dog responded with saliva. It was noted that, once the metronome rang, the dog could respond regardless of whether there was food or not. This showed that, any animal can learn provided that it is exposed to. 2. In Behavioral learning it is believed that learning is segmented into steps. The final goal is achieved once the learners are guided on how to follow these steps. Problems have always arisen for students who are slow learners for they need some more steps. In cognitive learning it is believed that multitude ways of learning are followed by students. This is because not all students have the same learning processes and also strategies. Some are very efficient while others are inefficient. In cognitive learning the teacher helps the student gain more efficient techniques for studying by discerning the students thoughts. It is only through cognitive learning that one can inquire for the correct answer. This usually helps in discussion especially for a new alternative. Ones experience and personal judgment can be used in making the dicission with the students. Metacognition. Nelson. T. ,(2007). He defined metacognition as monitoring and making prior decisions on a person’s memory strength. He also added that one should be capable of using those decisions to guide learning choices. Flavell (1976), defined metacognition as a self-regulation or self- awareness study. It also means to have personal knowledge on his/her cognitive activities or on anything that touches them. It has the following components: Metacognition knowledge – This is what one knows on himself or herself and others to be cognitive processors. Metacognitive regulation – This is what makes students regulate their learning through a set of tasks after they have controlled their cognition and experiences from learning. Metacognitive experiences – These are the experiences with something regarding cognition endeavor that is presently happening. My metacognition ability is to see and focus on the future happening. Through my experience i can judge what will happen in the next two day. Evaluation of the present events leads me to knowing the future. Fore example, what the whether will be tomorrow. This will not only help me prepare psychologically but also the whole community. 3. Badura’s theory is based on oneself judgment on his performance. It regards the amount of work done over a given time period. One should be in a position to perform well in a given situation. In this case people judge themselves. Here, it defines four areas in which self-efficacy can be obtained. Firstly, through actual experience self-efficacy can be achieved through past experience. Whether one was successful or unsuccessful tell a lot about self-efficacy. Secondly , through looking. Children get learning through watching others performing a similar task. Thirdly, through oral persuasion. This is through encouraging a child to perform to her level best by telling her sweet word of trials. Fourthly, through physiological arousal. Vygotsky’s theory brings to view the social relationships and interactions contributes to cognitive development. It is true that in every child’s growth there are two levels: the social level which comes during the tender age and the individual level. Vygotsk (1976). He also recognises the environment of one’s development. Where one grows in, contributes a lot to one behavior. Implications. †¢ They create an environment of socializing and relationship development. †¢ Identity. It is through these institutions that one is identified and recognized. †¢ Sharing of knowledge. As we think together we grow together. We develop ourselves better when we share knowledge. †¢ Social problems addressing. We try to solve our problems together. Ones problem can be viewed, analyzed and solved as a group. No. It has never happened to me. 4. Physical education and learning strategies which are self-regulated are encourageble in creating a friendly learning environment full of physical and social motivation. In so doing, students will be relieved from class boredom and instead relax as they socialite. Students should also be given freedom to express themselves and their weaknesses. Kounin (1977), discovered that there was always a ripple effect among the student where the behaviour of one student spread quickly to the rest if not corrected quickly. He noted poor class management by teachers due to their poor organization and preparations. He pointed out that, for a good management of a class the following should be clearly observed: 1. Overlapping to avoid conflict ions of a teacher when two or more activities occur simultaneously, the teacher will only be effective if he has a procedure to follow. Fore example, the teacher should move around assisting the needy people while those who are already fit in the class should be given an extra exercise or work. 2. Momentum. A teacher should always make sure that his lectures are short. This will allow mingling of the students with each other and with the teacher too for more knowledge. This will also avoid boredom among the students. He should also make the lecture interesting and meaningful for the learners to comprehend easily. 3. Withitness. Eye contact should be maintained by the teacher to all the learners. In so doing the students will avoid wrong doings while in class. The teacher should be aware of the behavior of each student and more so, know each on a personal perspective. He should appreciate those with good behavior and comment on bad and unacceptable behaviors. To make the students alert he should call each student by his name unexpectedly. 4. Group focus. The lecturer can do this in several ways: (a) Accountability: The teacher should tell the students that they will be awarded marks according to their participation in their respective groups. (b) A list of all the students should be available with the teacher and at any time pick any name at random to answer a question. This will keep them on their toes. (c) Students discussion: The teacher can allow the students to have a discussion after the lecture to compare the answers of each other. 5. (i) Behavioral approach. When a student does well in the class he should be rewarded in order to motivate her. Those with desired behavior should be contingently rewarded. Extrinsic motivation also known as contingent rewards (ii) Human approach. This approach is a bit different from the others in that it emphasizes on determinism rejection. It puts across that human beings have a variety of choices from where they can pick their preference from and they also have responsibilities that they do not admire or require. It is believed that people do intrinsic motivation to themselves hence encouraging their personal growth. They are self-determination in attaining their own fulfillment. (iii) Cognitive approach. It mainly refers to activities that take place in our minds. This may be thinking and language learning. Our understanding rention increases when we learn and understand the concepts of our learning. With this theory, how one behaves is determined by how largely he thinks hence this incorporates all kinds, types and forms of knowing for example, thinking and motivation. It brings competency to person especially when one is capable of interpreting well what he is learning. (iv) Sociocultural approach. In this approach, critical thinking is encouraged. It acknowledges the need for socialization and interactions among people. The more time you participate in community activity the more knowledgeable you become. You become more identified within the community. You earns yourself fame and recognition. From the above explanations, i can recommend the teacher to put in to place behavioral approach for the student. This will not only encourage her to be in class but also alert and attentive. References. Flavell, J. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive motivation: Cognition development. America, v24 p 16 Ivan, R. (1903). Behavioral change and development. Harvard university press. Iva n and Thoendike (1913). Behaviour change. Cambridge. Kounin, J. (1976). Discipline management in class. New Yolk. Nelson, T. (2007). Metacognition. New Yolk. Vigotsk, S. (1983). Minds of the society. Cambridge; Harvard University Press.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Of Mice and Men Assignment Essay

Q. With reference to chapter four, what do you learn about prejudice and injustice in 1930’s America? â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was set around the 1930’s in California, America; where at the time of this classic novel was located. The New York Wall Street stock market had hit an all time low which led to and helped contribute to â€Å"The Great Depression†. Unemployment had hit and harsh poverty too had meant that migrant workers travelled to California in search of work. As the paragraph continues, we learn that the living conditions and working conditions were very poor. Workers couldn’t do their jobs properly and were always worried about being â€Å"canned as they say†. Living conditions weren’t very good either; the ranches were very dirty, compact etc. I believe that Steinbeck wrote this novel because of his past experiences. He was a labourer, he worked very hard, the characters in this book can relate to Steinbeck himself, he wanted to express his views for everyone to see. Also, you can really tell that in Steinbeck’s opinion he is in favour of the workers in this novel. He being a labourer sways his views as in favour of the workers; you can tell he really thought â€Å"The Great Depression† was an awful experience to be involved in. When you see what his characters are saying, they reveal his feelings and thoughts, give good and bad memories, only inside a book. As we are in chapter four, we learn many things about some of the main characters. At the very beginning, we learn about the relationship of some of the characters with each other. The scene is set in Crook’s room, many of the men have gone to the cathouse which is basically a ‘whore house; most of the men have gone but Crooks, Lennie, Candy and Curleys wife have not gone. The most probable reason for this is due to the fact that Crooks, is a black stable buck and also an outsider, Lennie was told not to go by George, Candy is a very old man and Curley’s wife is a woman. Even though Lennie doesn’t really understand, he stumbles across Crooks room and decides to go in. Lennie really sets this chapter alight; he breaks off the divide between black and white and wants to make friends with Crooks: â€Å"Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends†. Despite not knowing he is doing it, he is helping out a divide of people and bringing it together. He is such an interesting character but he wouldn’t really know that he is so different to the other characters. â€Å"Noiselessly Lennie appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  no one else in the bunkhouse would have had the guts to enter Crooks’s room although Lennie didn’t really know he wasn’t supposed to. Lennie does quite the opposite to the others, which makes him so astonishing. A major part in this chapter shows how the other characters act when he is around. His actions and works influence others to bring back memories of their childhoods and really open up to him. k†I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is one example of Crooks opening up to Lennie as he would do to no other person. The characters relax more with Lennie in reflection of this chapter. One more interesting thing in this section of the book is the way Lennie is and is not affected by prejudice and injustice. At one part, he is affected by prejudice and injustice as he witnesses it happening and is picked on by others; â€Å"Listen Nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?† This shows prejudice and injustice around him towards Crooks. On the other hand, he is not affected by it as he has George to protect him from it and also doesn’t really understand what it is. A vast part of prejudice and injustice in his book is the way Crooks is treated. Crooks is a middle aged black man who has had to work hard all of his life. Sadly, his role on the ranch is an unfortunate one. He is not allowed in the bunkhouse at all, or play games with the other members or be with them at certain times. He lives way out of the way of everyone else in a small room and spends most of his time there. This really shows how black men were treated in this period of time. Luckily, Crooks is not treated as badly as he could have been. He has an education and can read and write which can and also cannot help him at times. For instance, he can understand what others are saying about him, which is not very good. They don’t like him because of the colour of his skin. â€Å"Listen Nigger.† This shows the colour of his skin being used against him by Curley’s wife. As Lennie enters the room, Crooks does not really want him to come in, â€Å"You got no right to come into my room.† Soon after, they get into conversation and are soon talking normally after opening up to each other like friends would. When Candy enters, he tells him he might as well come in as ‘everyone else’ is. Soon, he joins in conversation too. Not until Curley’s wife enters though, do we see a change in Crooks. He doesn’t have any power over anyone in the ranch and soon goes back into his shell. Women were not treated well either, of course, but Curley’s wife could say or do whatever she wanted to a black man, including Crooks. â€Å"You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?† This shows Curley’s wife overpowering Crooks and unfortunately Crooks cannot do anything about it. With Crooks being educated and able to read, he has set himself real goals. He has learned how to cope with the bullying and racism and knows what to do. By not setting his goals too high, he does not expect anything too good, therefore does not mean he is too sad about what happens to him through his lie. Another person who plays a part in giving and experiencing racism is Curley’s wife. She has certain powers compared to other women yet is still treated badly like other women. We learn that with women along with black people, had less power and were discriminated badly; therefore this shows that Curley’s wife situation was similar to most other women, they were not respected and were treated badly. The men do not really like her in reflection, the likes of George, Crooks etc. don’t really warm to her at any time. Her reaction to this is to snap at Crooks in this particular part of the book, she cannot take her anger out at anyone as she does not really have the power to apart from Crooks, so she bullies Crooks in this part, â€Å"Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I can get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† Curley’s wife enters Crooks room with auction, she asks a question to which she knows the answer to, so she can join them, â€Å"Any you boys seen Curley?† shows this. In this chapter, we have to feel a bit sorry for her. We see how lonely she is at this time and since she is not allowed to be with anyone else, she cannot help herself looking for companionship. The reason behind her being so bitter about her life is simple; nothing has ever really gone right for her. By marrying Curley it has not helped her at all and she really thought she would make it as a Hollywood star, however, this did not turn out to be the life that she wanted, â€Å"Think I’m gonna lead with his left twice and then bring in the ol’ right cross?† This piece shows her loneliness and her trouble which leads on to when she is told she is not wanted by the guys, she tells of her sadness and also decides to take it out on Crooks to help herself, it shows a similarity with Crooks , deprived of her rights and very lonely. Finally, the last person in this chapter to experience injustice and prejudice is Candy. A very old man, he was a typical old man who was not well liked, lonely and had a poor time of living with a bad job too. Candy, like most old men back then had a big worry of being ‘canned’ as he was not really needed. There was no pension schemes or benefits, he would have had no where to go and would have probably just died. â€Å"I planted crops for dam near everybody in this state, but they wasn’t my crops, and when I harvested them, it wasn’t none of my harvest.† This shows Candy has worked very hard but does not have much and is not appreciated. The dream to have a place with George and Lennie means so much to him as if it does not happen, he will be eventually canned and have nowhere to go, â€Å"You god dam right were gonna do it.† This shows passion for the dream ranch. In truth, Candy is very similar to the dog he had. He, like the was old, not wanted and not of much use. This is very significant as you can see how much he was appreciated by everyone; not at all. In conclusion, we learn so much about life in the 1930’s in America. We have four different accounts of people being treated unfairly and having injustice upon them. Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Crooks all experience racism in some way. Lennie is abused for being quite clumsy and slow as well as being big, Crooks was racially abused for being old and black, Curley’s wife is not liked because she is a woman and Candy is abused for being an old man. As you can see, there is not ethnic minority groups that escaped being abused; 1930’s America was a racist and prejudice place to be. The writer Steinbeck is really sending a strong message out to the readers here. He tries to tell us all about how life could be if you were in a minority group. He repeats certain phrases and words to show enthusiasm of how bad it really was. All of his characters have strong points of view towards one another and really act as if they were real people. Basically, John Steinbeck shows that racism and injustice were strong in the 1930’s and whoever you were, you could not really avoid it. Steinbeck gets this message across very well to the readers, by showing the characters different attitudes towards each other; most of the time there were not very pleasant. Whether you were black or white, male, female, disabled or anything else, you had a very good chance of either giving or being racially abused in America in the 1930’s.