Business Planning and Forecasting Research Paper

Business Planning and Forecasting - Research Paper Example 2008 48 51 21 34 i. Scatter Diagram: As the data describes sales for each season for a particular year, with no sign of any multiplicative or exponential jump, therefore the additive model should be used to analyze the data. The main reason is the progression, which is quite straight-forward, as compared to multiplicative plotting, which is more exponential, with later figures of comparatively much higher values. ii. Moving Average for Calculation of Trend: For the calculation of moving averages, the process is done in a way such that each season's moving average has been calculated with the data provided of the past 3 years. The moving averages for each season are as follows. iii. Seasonal Indices: Year Quarter Original Values(Y) 4 Figures Moving Total 4 Figures Moving Average 2 Figures Moving Total 2 Figures Moving Average(T) Ratio-to-Moving Average(%)(Y)/ (T)*100 (Seasonal Indices) 2006 1 46 2 53 3 18 4 33 150 37.5 2007 1 52 156 39 76.5 38.25 47.05882353 2 47 150 37.5 76.5 38.25 86.2745098 3 20 152 38 75.5 37.75 137.7483444 4 39 158 39.5 77.5 38.75 121.2903226 2008 1 48 154 38.5 78 39 51.28205128 2 51 158 39.5 78 39 100 3 21 159 39.75 79.25 39.625 121.1356467 4 34 154 38.5 78.25 39.125 130.3514377 iv. Trend Extension: The trend for 2009 is calculated by first formulating a regression formula for the new values using the given data. The methodology used is the Method of Least Squares, as follows: Quarter(X) Original...The main reason is the progression, which is quite straight-forward, as compared to multiplicative plotting, which is more exponential, with later figures of comparatively much higher values. For the calculation of moving averages, the process is done in a way such that each season's moving average has been calculated with the data provided of the past 3 years. The moving averages for each season are as follows. The initial scatter plot suggested that the autumn sales are the lowest of all the seasons. Also when we calculated the moving averages the result came that the seasonal variations in sales are smothered in the overall run. On this base the new sales figures for 2009 were calculated which were as given above. When the real values of the sales of the three brothers are seen and compared, taking one year at a time, then its is observed that when we take 2006 as a base year, we find that the sales figures for Dick was higher than his two brothers'. Also Rick's sales were better than Mick's, although the actual figures are lower. Mick's sales real values have been going continuously down, while those of Rick's have gone down only in 2008. For Dick, the real value of sales has been going up continuously.

Leading them to Believe Essay Example for Free

Leading them to Believe Essay To serve God and our country, we must develop our talents and skills. Use what talents you possess; the wood be silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best By: Henry Van Dyke Each of possess different and unique talents that we can use to serve our country specially our God who give this special skills to us. Each of us can make a difference if we believe in ourselves that we can make it for our country because we use it on the right way // We can change other people’s life if we lead them to show their talents and not just only to hide it/ But the most important thing that we must know and not to forget is in everything that you do/ Do it all for the glory of God! Use what talents you have. Many singers, actors, dancers, philosophers, mathematicians, inventors, have succeed because they use their skills and do their best to achieve their dreams. As you can see, they use their skills to serve our country. Inventors invented many machines and technologies to make our life easy. Several singers like lea Salonga, Jessica Sanchez and Charice Pempengco have received numerous awards that brings glory on our country Philippines. Some people claim they don’t have any special talents or skills, or they don’t pursue discovering them. But God desires every member of the body of Christ to use abilities he divinely gave. Therefore, each believer has the responsibility to seek out and discover God given talents doing this can launch a lifetime of enjoyable service to God. One way to recognize our talents is to ask close friends or family members which areas they see as our strengths. In receiving this talents, we have several choices, we can set them aside in disappointment and pursue something that looks better in our own eyes, we can develop them for personal gain or we can cultivate and practice them as our own gifts back to God. When it comes to long term fulfillment, however we find greatest satisfaction when our gifts and abilities are used as intended. When God gives you a talent, he expects you to use it. It’s like a muscle, if you use it, it will grow. If you don’t, you’ll lose it. If you have a talent but are afraid to use it, or if you get lazy and don’t use it to benefit others, you’re going to lose it. Like the parable of the ten talents in the bible, if you don’t use what Godhas given you, he will take it away and give it to someone else who will. But if you use talents wisely, God will give you more. God will bless your level of faithfulness.

The Introduction To What Is Learning?

The Introduction To What Is Learning? Philosophy is taking a theory on what one believes and why s/he believes, and these beliefs are based on ethics. It is also based on how and what one thinks about something. In short, philosophy is ideas that create reality and makes ones view clear. In this paper, in order to address my philosophy of education with regard to the Zambian education system, the purpose of education, what learning is, and what teaching is, will be discussed. Thereafter, my educational philosophical statement shall be discussed to summarize my final paper on Teacher Education. In the first place, this paper will look at the purpose of education for Zambia, at its different stages of development to what it is and serves at the moment. Purpose of Education: Education, in the Zambian scenario, has moved from indigenous, pre colonial, colonial, post colonial and after independence to the present times. It has also continued to move through the three political republics and economic phases the country has experienced. In all these periods, the school system and the education at large have tried to answer to the demands of the prevailing trends and were tailored to satisfy the needs of society at that time. This is because political changes define the purpose of education when a particular party is in power or leadership. From time immemorial, before formal education came into existence, Africans and Zambians in particular, had their indigenous form of education, which usually stressed on communal and social aspects of life rather than on individual and competitive aspect. This was true as everyone in the community took responsibility in making sure that certain values in the community were preserved. This was also part of each community members social responsibility for the common good of all. This, therefore, made this kind of education meaningful, unifying, holistic, effective, practical and relevant since it was meant to address immediate social and communal concerns. In todays education system, these characteristics can still create meaning though with a broader view of addressing both immediate and long term problems. The education offered must possess the above characteristics if it has to promote healthy democratic societies of this century. Indeed this kind of education is relevant as it addr esses the whole human being in his/her entirety. During pre colonial and colonial times, schools did not take into consideration various needs of the people, especially indigenous locals. Colonial masters and settlers gave minimal education to Zambians, which later proved to be a source of economic inequalities and social stratification, as well as an instrument of imperialism. This kind of education was not just inadequate but was also largely irrelevant to the needs of the locals (Kelly, 1999). On the other hand, missionaries introduced some kind of formal education to Zambians. This education condemned the African indigenous ways of teaching and learning to the strongest terms and labeling it as paganism or worship of idols. In their quest to introduce some form of western education, missionaries faced difficulties converting the elderly Africans. This made them target young people so that they could teach them how to read in order to help spread the gospel messages to the locals. However, this formal education given to Zambians was also just limited to learning literacy and numeracy, while other missionaries tried to develop locals skills in the vocational type of education, that is, Agriculture, Carpentry, Black smith, and many other skills. This was said to be a better way of improving the living standards of the African locals. To the contrary, the skills imparted in young Africans were meant to serve the colonial masters and missionary interests. With all the efforts missionaries put in to bring some form of formal education, colonial masters did not support the idea. Instead, the Northern Rhodesia government pursued an education policy designed to foster a rural school system biased toward education of the masses, preparing them to work in a rural setting and consolidating a conservative social order, based on tribal authority, in the interest of a settler class (Camody, 1992). This type of school system was meant to keep the Zambian locals under developed even when natural resources, such as Copper, earnings and taxes were being collected form Northern Rhodesia. The colonial government made sure that if education was to be provided, it did not go beyond primary or elementary level. It was believed that locals with this kind or level of education would carry out clerical and vocational kind of jobs for the white settlers and colonial masters with less difficulty. After independence, Zambia realized the importance of formal education to its locals. This had to be done by constructing more Primary and Secondary schools. From that time to the present, most locals look at schools as liberators and a stepping stone to a brighter and better future life. During pre colonial and colonial times, locals that received good education also got some good jobs. With good education and good jobs, living standards of some people was seen to be changing for the better as they could afford basic necessities when they got their pay. With this clear view of what education could do, Zambians realized the need for their children to go to school and get jobs that they could not get before independence. The school today is seen as a window toward economic independence for a family as one member gets a good paying job. It is believed that going to school is the best chance Zambian children have to take control of their lives. This is because an educated population wi ll help tackle the overwhelming problems of poverty. For a Zambian child today, the opportunity to stay in school and obtain a secondary education can mean the whole world to a young student. This is surely the chance to keep learning, developing and dreaming, as the gift of education is one that really never stops giving. As Young (1971) stated that, for children from disadvantaged homes, active participation in school may be the only opportunity that they have to acquire powerful knowledge and be able to move, intellectually at least, beyond their local and the particular circumstances. Most schools in Zambia have provided this service to many as they have rekindled the urge to learn and abilities imbedded in most people who might not have realized their potential without the current school system or education. The current Zambian government has developed a policy of universal free primary education. This has allowed enrollment of about 95% primary school age children with about 2 0% continuing to secondary school level and 2% of the 20 to 24 age group in tertiary level (www.unicef.org/zambia/children). This shows that drop out rate is very high and only about one third of children enrolled at first grade reach the anticipated levels at grade six. Without schools, Zambia would not have seen the current development and economic growth. The school system has helped tap talent and skill in most young Zambians who have in turn contributed to the economic and social being of our country. For sure the knowledge acquired in school may not have been acquired at home. So, we see that the purpose of education is to make sure that learners gain access to different specialist fields of knowledge, thus uplifting their social economic status in life. However, the school in Zambia needs to do more as many reasons why it existed in pre colonial and colonial times are still evident that only a few rich are able to access high and tertiary education. The poor have had difficulties realizing their dreams as they cannot afford the expensive education, which can easily change their social economic status in a short time once acquired. Only a selected few and their families achieve or attain this purpose. The curriculum seems to promote the interests of the rich and powerful citizens of our time. Politicians and ministers send their children to good schools, which are well funded and with qualified teachers while the poor people will send their children to mostly public schools, which are also poorly equipped and lack teachers. Higher education is equally very expensive making it only accessible by the few rich people. It is like a school is not, truly, just a place where everyone is special. Therefore, it is important that education is given to all regardless of their social and economic status. Government must provide equal access and same conditions to all public schools. Boyer, in his book The Basic School says that, a school is a place where everyone comes together to promote learning. If everyone is allowed to come to any school of choice in terms of specialty, then sharing of ideas will cater across all sections of life. These ideas put together would bring about national development for the good of our country. Above all, the purpose of education for the future of Zambia should be to create democratic citizens. Democracy is mentioned and stated in various forums and is documented but is also less practiced or not put into practice at all. The effective democratic principles need to be imparted in each and every learner so that the political climate and values are protected in our nation. Since the school is a disciplined place, students begin to understand that everyone lives within limits, along with free dom, and that the rights of others must be sensitively respected. Therefore, it is true to say schools have a unique role to reproduce human societies and in providing the conditions which enable them to innovate and change. Society must change as times change and try to be innovative with new ideas to ease human conditions of survival, in order to be at par with latest demands and changes in the education system. Without schools, life would have been as difficult as the world would have been fragmented and underdeveloped. Without schools, each group of people would have had difficulties to begin doing things, thus making life for each generation difficult. This is because education is there to assure coherence or continuity from one generation to the next. Schools are important for each generation as we live in a world of new developments. However, this education can only be meaningful if the learning that goes on the schools has meaning. So, what students learn, help in defining what the purpose of education is for a country like Zambia to develo p, but the question may be asked as to what really is learning? What is Learning? Learning is a wider term that may not have one specific meaning. However, it can easily be defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, or study or by being taught. This knowledge acquired is usually new or the modification of existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types. Websters Dictionary also defines learning as the act or experience of one that learn; knowledge of skill acquired by instruction or study; modification of a behavioural tendency by experience. Basically, from an educators perspective, learning involves helping people along the learning process, and learning includes all of the things that we do to make it happen. As an end result, we know that learning occurs when people take newfound information and incorporate it into their life. Munsaka (2011) defines learning as a relatively permanent change that happens to behaviour and/or knowledge due to experience. So, learning m ust bring some form of change in one in order to be meaningful and qualify as learning. Children learn in many ways, as can be confirmed through the many theories of learning that notable scientists and researcher have devised, such as Humanist, Behaviorism, Social Learning, Cognitive, Critical Reflection and/or Constructivism. Humanists believe that learners will naturally progress toward increased competence, autonomy, freedom, and fulfillment, while Behaviorism emphasizes on changes in observable behaviors. Social learning theorists explain that most of what children learn is through observation and interactions with other learners in a social context. Cognitive learning is a process occurring inside the learner in an attempt to make sense out of the world and give meaning to experiences, while Critical Reflection refers to learning that is deeper, more fundamental, relating to values, philosophical, and worldview and the nature of knowledge itself. Constructivists look at the importance of active involvement of learners in constructing knowledge for themselves. Cons tructivism, therefore, emphasizes top-down kind of learning, that is, begin with complex problems and teach basic skills while solving these problems. In todays learning, how children learn is just as important as what they learn. They are taught the basic skills in all the fundamental areas and also to be active seekers of information and constructors of knowledge. This is accomplished through learning activities that emphasize problem solving, communication, collaboration, seeking connections, technology, and engaged learning as children are actively involvement in the learning process. This is opposed to the current system where it is expected that learning goals should be achieved by a certain age, (Medina, 2008: 67). So, one of the first things a teacher must do when considering how children learn is to acknowledge that each child does not learn in the same way. This means children develop at different rates even when they are of the same grade or at the same age. Therefore, un derstanding the learners before they learn is inevitable. Because of this, some will learn better by modeling others, while some learn better when either positively or negatively reinforced or motivated. On the other hand, many children will learn well when they do things for themselves. This has not been the case in many instances as children are usually viewed as blank slates, meaning people who do not know anything until the teacher has imparted something in them. Since learning refers to changes in the learners knowledge that arise from experience, learners should not be viewed as passive receivers of information, but rather as active participants in the process of generating knowledge (Munsaka, 2011). Learning can, therefore, be viewed from the perspective of the changes that take place in behaviour and/or the changes that take place in knowledge through learners own initiative to create their own content or information to learn. Our role as teachers is to make sure that as ch ildren learn; they gain knowledge in the learning process and actually implement the new skills over a long period of time. For learning to take place, learners must be actively involved in the learning process. Some interaction of some kind between a learner and his/her environment should happen. This means the learner determines the course of learning as s/he tries to solve problems and constructs ideas to answer to the questions at hand. In this case, the teacher acts as a guide who assists the learners to make sense of the information recorded in order to create meaning through correct interpretation. Resnick (1989: 2), states that, learning occurs not by recording information but by interpreting it. It is very true that learning occurs when the students are confronted with something new or different from what they already know. Learners learn when they respond by incorporating new ideas, adapting to the new environment or even rejecting what is new. As learners attack or respond to new ideas, it is the duty of the teacher to help out as learners are not the sole players in the constructivist learning process. Other players, such as tutors, lecturers, and friends are very important if meaningful learning is to take place. Since learners are allowed to build their own understanding from various sources and make this learning a very personal construct, I believe constructivism is the way to go if learning has to be relevant to learners. For instance, in my teaching of Art and Design, learners are at liberty to determine what they want to know and how they want to learn, especially with their practical learning, which requires them to produce artifacts. At the moment, the students use sketch books to draw and come up with artworks of their choice and ideas. However, to design effective environments, one needs a very good understanding of what learners know when they come to the classroom. Constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge or experience. In other words, learning involves constructing ones own knowledge from ones own experiences. (Devries Zan, 2003) Constructivist learning, therefore, is a very personal endeavor, whereby internalized concepts, rules, and general principles may consequently be applied in a practical lesson. Regardless of the variety of content, constructivism promotes a students free exploration within a given framework or structure. Learners have to construct and do what they want to learn since Constructivism demands that learning be an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. This knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment and learners continuously test these hypotheses through social negotiation. Each learner has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process. The learner therefore is not a blank slate (tabula rasa) as other theories might suggest but brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation. The teacher acts as a facilitator who encourages students to discover principles for themselves and to construct knowledge by workin g to solve realistic problems. Aspects of constructivism can be found in self-directed learning, transformational learning, and experiential learning. I strongly believe that learning makes sense when learners determine what they want to learn. Learning also brings meaning when learners discover for themselves and can learn from even unexpected sources. If all teachers can give room for learners to decide what and how they want to learn, then learning will make meaning, be exciting and also relevant to the learners. This, however, does not rule out the importance of teaching. A teacher remains important in the learning process, thus the need to look at what teaching really is and what it does to complete the whole process of learning. Though learning can take place without a teacher, guidance is cardinal in order to be systematic in the learning process of students. What then is teaching and what role does it play in the education of students? What is Teaching? Teaching is a term that one may not be so clear if in its definition learners are not mentioned anywhere. Most importantly, the two cannot be separated as they go hand in hand. Teaching, in my view, is learning, challenging, trying in great ways, and is caring for the learners as it involves helping them. Anderson and Burns (1989) defines teaching as an interpersonal, interactive activity, typically involving verbal communication, which is undertaken for the purpose of helping one or more students learn or change the ways in which they can or will behave. So, we see that teaching is a process which is designed and performed to produce change in behaviour of students. It is however important to realize that the purpose is not to teach students how to memorize information, or how to know all the correct answers, but it lies in getting students to truly understand the concepts being put across for their benefit. If well handled, teaching is a profession that can produce something amazin g when the right ideas and beliefs are implemented in the classroom. Therefore, teaching refers to the teachers construction of environments for the students that are intended to foster changes in the learners knowledge and behaviour. (Gagne, 1974) As a strong supporter and believer of constructivist theory, I always acknowledge that no one learner learns the same way as the other. Each learner learns in his/her own way and understands things differently. Hence, careful selection of styles or methods of teaching would be of help for better comprehension in learners. This means if a teacher chooses just one style of teaching, the students will not be maximizing their learning potential. However, in my style of teaching, I have in many times believed that students can construct their own learning and that all students have something to contribute to the classroom environment. By connecting students learning to something they know, they get involved in their works with the seriousness it deserves and are motivated more than ever before. My job solely remains as a facilitator, where I clearly guide and assist the students through their tasks and their own discoveries. As a guide, I provide access to information rather than acting a s a primary source of information. This allows students to search for knowledge through the artifacts they make, thus answering to the questions on their minds. So, for students to construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in real situations. Providing students access to hands on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the topic being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to take place. I take learning in a direction relevant to students interest by asking them to come up with their own practical projects. In this way, students generate ideas and set goals that make for much richer activities than I could have created or imagined myself. Therefore, I view teaching as a process of encouraging students to make links between their real world experiences and the subject being studied. In Art and Design, it is important to provide students with hand s on activities because it makes students have ownership in the project or activity. They are motivated to work hard and master the skills necessary to reach their potential and/or goals. Being clear, however, about my expectations and communicating them clearly helps my students to learn more and perform better. Teaching is not just telling and supplying students with facts and information in much the same way that an empty glass is filled or a plain paper is filled with writings or even as though they were blank slates, as convinced by most of the behaviorists. These educational practices have been successful at producing proficiency in the lower order skills measured on many tests, but have generally met with little success in developing the kind of knowledge and abilities that students need in real life situations (National Assessment of Education Progress, 1981). Newer understanding of how people learn present a formation of teaching that focuses on developing thinking students who understand and can use what they learn. This idea is what is termed as constructivist because it sees learning as an active internal process in which learners actively create knowledge by connecting new information to what they already know, rather than as a process in which learners are passive recipients of information transferred to them from external sources. Teaching in this way emphasizes on developing students capacities for analysis and problem solving, rather than on having them cover the curriculum in the most efficient manner possible. It is rooted in the assumption that all human beings have a deep drive to make sense of the world (Carini, 1987). Constructivist classrooms function on the basis that learning in school should not be different from the many rich natural forms of learning that students have experienced before they have ever entered the school. Real life situations form the basis for learning and teaching is based on the confidence that in the course of trying to solve practical problems, students have continual opportunities to organize and reorganize their understandings and to develop various access routes to their knowledge. In my teaching, students are allowed to do practical activities, which are mainly hands on type of artworks. My teaching style, based on the constructivist theory of learning, allows students to use their own imaginations and personal experiences to come up with artifacts. As students interact socially, their learning is supported by multiple exposures since they bring into one place various experiences. In this way, they determine their course of learning. They are also allowed to copy and learn from other prominent artists and craftspeople in the community. This gives them an opportunity to learn from other people other than the teacher or lecturer and peers. This kind of learning remains natural as it does not alter the usual form of learning, which the community has always embraced. Although in most cases the choice of a teaching strategy depends on the topic being covered and the availability of teaching resources, the use of materials and tools is definitely inevitable in order to motivate the learners to develop their manipulative skills and to be creative students. Lessons guided by constructivist understandings provide opportunities for the students to actively explore, inquire, discover, and experiment with the materials provided. The learning and teaching materials, which are so essential in the teaching of Art and Design, provide students with insights and practical realities of concepts and theories they are learning. On the other hand, some students l earn well through observation and curiosity. They are able to reproduce artworks of others after learning by observation. In my teaching, I emphasize on the use of a critical eye, asking students to go beyond just looking at things but to see things with an extra eye. Some students learn faster while others learn slower, but the fact is they are able to use their curiosity to learn and do well on what they see. As a teacher who is always there to facilitate teaching and learning, I give more time to the students so that they can perfect their curiosity. Above all, I should know how to employ the most effective teaching and learning strategies to enable students make progress. The whole process of teaching using the constructivist ideas, as a teacher, is to help the students learn as much as their potential permits (Travers et.al, 1993). Using the four practical starting points in Art and design, the teacher makes sure that performance based teaching provides opportunities for real world experiences in which the student can apply prior knowledge, create new understandings and extend their skill in practical ways. Perkinson in Muzumara (2011) also emphasizes that as teachers we need to involve our pupils in the lessons we teach through practical work where they can use their knowledge, manipulative skills and apply their different senses to learn new ideas and develop knowledge and understand. Much of the art lessons are practical, where students usually learn by doing, which helps to enhance and promote the development of processes, manipulative skills, attitudes, as well as the acquisition of knowledge. The available literature, however, reveals that there is not any theory of teaching at all. There are only models or paradigms of teaching. Teaching theory takes a wider viewpoint. Thus, teachers and students are the major variables of teaching theory. It is based upon learning theory, learning conditions and learning mechanisms. Constructivists, therefore, provide students with flexible schedules and lots of time to explore a variety of issues and topics. This gives them the opportunity to temporarily shift their attention, if they want, and their work to focus on other studies and to return, at later dates, to previously unfinished projects or interests. Even if this theory is integrated around a theme and generally consists of more active assignments than written tasks, the ideas in it are developed and organized by someone other than the student, who in this case, is the lecturer or teacher of Art. In contrast, curricula developed through constructivist teaching are not only driv en by students pursuits of their own questions but also are built to include opportunities for students themselves to connect, organize, and integrate their understandings from the information they encounter in the course of their various experiences. As a teacher or lecturer, I act as a guide, a mentor, and an advisor, building bridges between my students individual interests and understandings and the common skills and knowledge society expects them to acquire. Falk (1994) affirms to this fact that constructivist teachers help students understand that there is a place for everyone in the classroom and the school. My philosophy of Education In order to define the purpose of education, what learning is, and indeed what teaching is, it is important also to state my philosophy of my involvement in education, thus my philosophy of education. In my teaching of Art and Design to the students, I have come to believe that my students have something to offer in my art classes. In order to foster critical thinking in my students, my teaching philosophy is to make sure students learn by discovery, do things with their own minds and own creativity. I believe this kind of teaching and learning brings true meaning of what education must be like or is like. By doing things for themselves and directing their learning, students truly understand the concepts for each topic under study. Art and design is a practical subject. In its practicability, it allows me as a lecturer to give guidance and facilitate students learning as they discover relevant information. The practical nature of the subject I teach allows every learner, slower or faster, to give in their best abilities even as I give guidance. Through encouraging students in what they do practically, students are connected to the real world as they produce things they see in the environment through hands on activities. I also believe that as a guide and as an educator, I must accord a fertile ground for my students to meet their fullest potential in their construction of knowledge through the artworks they make. I do this well by providing access to relevant knowledge that will help them develop emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually. The use of a variety of strategies due to a number of topics which require diversity in teaching will be/is considered but students do more of discoveries and construct their own knowledge, thus constructivist theory. A variety of material used in Art and design accords my students a chance to improve their manipulative skills and creativity. As I provide these materials, the students take this opportunity to experiment and discover answers to the questions that puzzle their minds. With the materials provided, students discover information relevant and of interest to their lives, thus self motivation in their own course of study. This also creates ownership of the artifacts for the students. As an educator, my role is to instill the desire to find out more by students as they discover and re discover new information and knowledge through their various artworks. My role as lecturer is to give students the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge. To accomplish this goal, I will teach to the needs of each student so that all can feel capable, competent and successful. I will present the curriculum that involves the interests of the students and makes learning relevant to life. This is easily done when students are directly in hands on learning in order to make them active learners. This ensures learning is tied into the world community to help students become caring and active members of the society, who will also function effectively in a dynamic world. The acquisition of knowledge for long life skills is d

Struggling to Succeed: An Examination of Black Business Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If one were to take a look at the American business world today, much as if one were to look at it a hundred or more years ago, one fact would be easily noticeable. The majority of positions of power and authority in most American businesses are white males. In fact, white males outnumber all other races n these positions far more than they outnumber the actual populations of these other people in our country. Specifically, black men are sorely represented in executive positions in corporations and businesses across the board. So why is that? Is there some fundamental character of black people that keeps them from success? Is society still oppressive to blacks nearly forty years after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s? Actually, the answer lies somewhere in between. Joane Nagel states, â€Å"Ethnic Identity, then, is the result of a dialectical process involving internal and external opinions and processes, as well as the individual’s self-ide ntification †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (240). So if blacks have an anti-business ethnicity, then the responsibility for that must be shared between blacks themselves and their oppressors. Similarly, upon examining Micahel Omi and Howard Winant’s definition of hegemony, which they assert has been the dominant mode of rule in the United States, wee see that â€Å"hegemony [is] always constituted by a combination of coercion and consent† (152). So any societal oppression that the white males in power are able to levy against blacks must be accepted by blacks in order to be effective. In other words, both blacks and their white oppressors must share the responsibility for the decided failure of black men (and women) to take their places as leaders in business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of black success in a corporate world such as America is best understood as one of culture and ethnicity. Generally, success in business demands a certain personality and level of ability, just as does success in politics. A quick look at the current status quo of power and authority in the business world will prove that. But existing societal conditions remnant of the evil specter of slavery have created a persona within the common black identity that is fundamentally opposed to business success. Nagel writes: â€Å"Culture is constructed †¦ by the actions of individuals and groups and their interactions within the larger societ... ...tion, and the economic status of a historically deprived people certainly won’t be an exception. As many successful black entrepreneurs have proven, it is very much possible for good businessmen to succeed greatly despite the opposition, and there is still plenty of room for success. Works Cited Cummings, Scott. â€Å"African American Entrepreneurship in the Suburbs: Protected Markets and Enclave Business Development.† Journal of the American Planning Association Winter 1999: 50-61. Educational Attainment in the United States - March 2000 Detailed Tables. 19 December 2000. US Census. 2 April 2001. Green, Shelly and Paul Pryde. Black Entrepreneurship in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1990. Nagel, Joane. ‘Constructing Ethnicity: Creating and Recreating Ethnic Identity and Culture.’ New Tribalisms: The Resurgence of Race and Ethnicity. New York University Press. 1998 Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States: From the 1960s to the 1990s. Routledge: NY, 1994. Walker, Juliet E. The History of Black Business in America. NY: Macmillian Library Reference, 1998

Complex Phenomenon of Obesity

Obesity a Complex Phenomenon When a person hears the word obesity thoughts that may come to mind are overweight, big, or unhealthy. Obesity is a growing outbreak in America that effects all ages and gender. Obesity today is becoming or has become a problem in America. Comparing to other countries, not one has an overweight problem near as bad as the United States. With that in mind, people’s health is a huge concern in America in which obesity has a big impact on. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than what they burn.The human body needs calories to sustain life and be physically active, but to maintain weight it needs to balance the energy we eat with the energy that’s use to operate. Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control. This has made fast food a major health issue in young teenagers’ lives, parents need to take charge and help out the situati on. Obesity is a complex phenomenon, but â€Å"the main causes can be grouped into three main topics, poor food choice, lack of exercise, and the lack of awareness. (Obesity; study) Poor food choice is one of the main causes. People today eat more and more fast food which is high in fats, cholesterol, and contains too much carbohydrate. The body is overloaded with fats and sugar, which is converted into body fat. The second main cause is lack of exercise. A recent study shown in Diabetes week states that â€Å"kids in elementary schools spend an average of 22-24 hours a week watching television† (Weight Loss). Kids no longer spend their free time playing outside; instead they sit in a couch all day and watch TV or play video games.The danger in some rough neighborhoods can also add to the situation, because some parents do not feel that it is safe for their children to play outside. A third contributing factor is lack of awareness about good eating habits. Mothers give their children too much choices and too little guidance in what to eat, advertising confuses kids and leaves them debating whether a fast food product is good or bad for their health, and conflicting information about diets and healthy eating from the food industry and medical experts just makes them confused about diets.Fast-food joints have not only come to dominate the American landscape, they are also the most visible American export around the globe. Unfortunately, â€Å"fast food contains almost no nutrients and is loaded with added salt, sugar, refined flours, fat, and preservatives. †(Weight loss) The irony is that even though at the moment getting a meal from a fast food restaurant seems great, it’s not. For every dollar that is spent on fast food, and every second saved at a drive-through, over a lifetime it comes back and puts people at serious health risk.Obesity amongst children is a serious matter that goes beyond a child putting on a few pounds. It is an issu e that has many health and social consequences, which often continue into adulthood. According to Su Shaoyong in his article Genetics and Obesity â€Å"obesity increases one’s risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, cancers, pulmonary disease, bone joint disorders, and early death. † (1) Obesity also often causes psychological problems.Many are judged on their appearance rather than their personality, meaning that people with obesity also suffer from discrimination and rejection by their peers. This ultimately causes poor self-image, which leads to low self-esteem. Meaning the greater the degree of obesity, greater the chance of suffering physical and psychological health problems. The good news is that there is no doubt that obesity can be prevented at an early age. Physical activity and inputting nutritional knowledge on kids are the main methods to preventing obesity.Parents and schools provide the connection to counterfeit a kid’s urge for fast-food. Adapting a healthy lifestyle at a young age is very important, since it is difficult to change later on. â€Å"The quality of food in schools, including school meals, vending machines, has a huge impact on a children’s physical health. †(Obesity; Study) Schools should be careful and take into great consideration to try to provide a healthy overall menu. Schools need to require physical education during school and provide after-school opportunities for physical activities to help regularize a more active lifestyle for a kid.Second, parents are the most important role models. â€Å"Adults have the responsibility to encourage children to become active, help them watch their diet†. (Shaoyong 1) Some parents argue that they should be able to feed their children what they want, and it’s their kids own body so it’s up to them to take care of themselves. That should not be an excuse, being obese comes with sev eral other problems. Why would any parent want to worry about their children having any type of health risks? Adults need to fulfill their jobs as being parents towards heir children, by being able to teach and show their kids how to live a healthy lifestyle. Doing a lot of small things for example limiting the amount of times they eat out at a fast-food restaurant or buying more fruits and vegetables instead of convenience foods that have a lot of fat in it can have a big impact on their child’s health. Every day the number of obese children increases. It should be a number one priority in many families to eat properly and exercise, their lives depend on it.Most people in the United States have changed their lifestyle completely, from one in which there was more walking, physical and outdoor activity, into a lazy lifestyle with little or no exercise. Most citizens take cars to work and do office jobs, spend their days off watching TV, and would rather much prefer fast food o ver an exhausting home cooked meal. America has brought this problem upon themselves, now it’s up to its citizens to take precaution about the situation and help solve it by getting educated and becoming more aware of it. Word Count: 1030

Important Tips and Guides for Students When Writing Academic Papers

Important Tips and Guides for Students When Writing Academic Papers Several academic papers exist, such as reflection, descriptive, persuasive, narrative, analysis, argumentative, and expository essays, among others. Process analysis is one of the most common types worth noting. This type of paper is common among the students taking technical subjects because they are tasked with explaining the specific process. It describes how something takes place, and as a result, the student must chronologically reflect this. In the process, you need to define the words that may be unknown to your reader. So, when choosing good process analysis essay topics, consider ideas that are fascinating to complete the paper. In many cases, our writers work full time to help students excel. As usual, a process essay must have an introduction, body, and conclusion. So, it has a normal structure characteristic of any paper. When writing, you must look for topics for process analysis essay, that is interesting to you and the one you can handle easily. In your first paragraph, you need to include an introduction and ensure to write about the actual process. Also, you must prove that it is a sensible worth discussion. In the part of the body, the paragraphs are written while reflecting the range of instruments akin to the process. Also, be sure to discuss any resource that is important in the completion process. Lastly, an outline will present the exact intended process. This is often done sequentially. Importantly, the format should be simple and easy to comprehend. This way, you will be sure to improve your skills. Take a look at some of our easy process analysis essay topics that you can often choose from. Most of them will give you a tip when you are faced with a question requiring sequence. How Jews pray; How to cook fish; How to handle a drug addict; How to install spy application; How to recycle polythene bags; How gambling firms benefit from playing mind games; How digestion takes place in the body; How to survive the first year in college; How to identify a psychopath; How to protect indigenous animals. There are several other topics that you can often get from us. We can write a customized one to fit your question. For this reason, we urge you to join us today so that you can benefit from our service, majorly improving your grades. Tackling Interesting Process Analysis Essay Topics: Why Student Seek Help Besides explaining how to tackle this kind of papers, this portion will seek to explain why students may opt for the assistance online for their essays. First of all, on how to handle these assignments, you must be aware of the question at hand before starting. However, you don’t need to do these papers alone. We are here to help having noted that students often have a problem handling essays of this kind. To get the best process analysis essay topics, you need to join us so that we can help you write your papers proficiently. Your quality of writing may be low, and this has caused you significant losses in terms of grade. You sadly watch your scores dwindle because you have little expertise. Well, this is the reason why we want to help you. We have numerous college process analysis essay topics you can often choose from. Also, our writers can customize one for you to suit the question that the professor gave you. In an instance, when you lack time attending social events, such as attending rugby matches, we come in handy to alleviate that dilemma. We will write your process analysis paper at an affordable price while you will be enjoying your moments away from classroom matters. After completion, you will get an email notifying you of completion, and then you be able to log into your account and download it. Another reason is related to task difficulty. You may have tried as much as possible to answer the question at hand, yet you can’t manage to understand the question, and even write a proper essay. You don’t have to worry, noting that we have numerous experts who are highly qualified in handling assignments of different complexities. Thus, we will assign the best writer for your paper. Where to Get the Process Analysis Essay Topics for College Students If your professor gives you freedom of finding of choosing your process paper, do not hesitate to create one that you comprehend perfectly. This idea will save you from searching for too much information. You can get some good topics for an process analysis essay from our website – ones you may feel easy to handle. The hassle of looking for information may be daunting. If you still not sure or you have questions left, and you are now wondering about where to find someone who can help you write the paper, then do not waste time from reaching us. We will be glad to help you write your paper at an affordable rate. Importantly, we will assign the best writer to script depending on the question. Those who often use online services have already improved their grades, so don’t be left out. Seize this opportunity and improve your grades today. We boast of many years of in helping students achieve better grades by writing their essays, and even offering guides, such as topics to write an process analysis essay on. Some of the attributes you will encounter from our service include timely delivery, plagiarism free papers, customized content, unlimited revisions, and privacy. Our customer service will be happy to assist you so that we can help you write your paper that may be disturbing your mind, and that we are here to find an amicable solution for your woes. You can reach us through email or phone call. Also, you can use the fill order button to submit the instructions for your work. We will assign a writer who has relevant qualification and expertise to work on it within the timeline stipulated. Do not hesitate, join us, and improve your grades.