Question Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Question - Personal Statement Example in the environment both in and out of class but hope to stretch more especially out of class so as to fit in the diverse student body and learn from the challenge of diversity so as to as to graduate as a world citizen. As part of the my growth and student life, I have come to appreciate the importance of giving equal opportunities to all people despite of the social class, ethnicity of origin. Having come from China and studied mostly out of my home country, I came to experience instances where opportunities for instance to lead in student organisations could be denied to me because largely because of my origin. In order to overcome the situation I stood high and rose against discrimination of any kind, proved my ability to both teachers and fellow students hence finally won the confidence of both. This is a strength I will be carrying with me to Delaware. One accomplishment that has taken a great deal of my time and effort was learning a second language, fitting in a new learning environment and keeping the pace of native students. As a foreign student in America, I have encountered challenges to do with communication and as such had to put a lot effort towards overcoming the same. My motivation has always been never giving up my academic success and thus I became a friend of teachers as well as other students who assisted me a great deal in learning the new language. Being close to teachers and being able to quickly befriend other students was quite helpful as I was able to overcome the fear of being laughed

The Fencing Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Fencing Problem - Essay Example Let us consider the square of sides 'a.' The Perimeter of square = Summation of all sides = a + a + a + a = 4 * a The Perimeter is given as 1000m 1000 = 4 * a a = 250m = each side of the square Area of square: A = a2 A = 2502 A = 62500m2 Hence if the shape the of the plot is square then the area that can be covered with the fencing of 1000m is 62500m2 Rectangle: Let the two sides of the rectangle be 'a' and 'b' Case I: Let side b = 2 * a i.e. the sides are in the ratio of 2:1 The Perimeter of rectangle = sum of all sides = 2 * (a + b) Here b = 2a P = 2 * (a + 2a) 1000 = 2 * (3 * a) a = 166.6m and b = 2 * 166.6 = 333.2m Area of rectangle A = a * b A = 166.6 * 333.2 A = 55511m2 Hence if the shape the of the plot is rectangular with sides in the ratio of 2:1 then the area that can be covered with the fencing of 1000m is 55511m2. Case II : Let the sides be in the ratio of 3:2 i.e. b = 1.5 * a P = 2 * (a + b) 1000 = 2 * ( a + 1.5 * a) 1000 = 5 * a a = 200m b = 1.5 * a = 300m Area of rectangle A = a * b A = 200 * 300 A = 60000m2 Hence if the shape the of the plot is rectangular with sides in the ratio of 3:2 then the area that can be covered with the fencing of 1000m is 60000m2. Equilateral Triangle: The equilateral triangle has three sides of the equal lengths. Here the three sides of triangle (a) will have length as: Total length of fencing/ 3 a = 1000/3 a = 333.3m The area of equilateral triangle is given by: A = * Base * Height A = * a * H The height of equilateral triangle is given by: sin60 = H/ side of triangle (a) H = sin60 * 333.3 (Angle 60o is the internal angle of the equilateral triangle) H = 289m A = * 333.3 * 289 A = 48098m2 Hence if the shape the of the...In this essay we shall first study the circle considering the perimeter as the circumference and from that finding the radius of the circle which than gives the area of the circle which can be covered with 1000m of the fence. Then we shall consider the square shape, for which first we shall find the sides of the square and then the area of the square. Thereafter we shall consider rectangle; in this we shall consider the sides of ratios 2:1 and 3:2, with the procedure same as that of the square. Then further we shall consider the triangle; first equilateral triangle is considered. For this the sides and the height of the triangle are found out and from that we get the area of the triangle. Then we have considered other two triangles; isosceles triangle and right angled triangle with the similar calculations. Thereafter various polygons are considered. Beginning with the pentagon its sides and the height are found and from that the area of the pentagon is found out. Similar approach is followed for the hexagon and the octagon. In the essay detailed calculations are shown for the various areas. The shape, which gives the maximum area, is also found and then the recommendations accordingly have been made. The calculations carried out are simple mathematical calculations. Pentagon is a type of the polygon with five sides. The sum of total angles inside the polygon is 3600.

Comparison of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK

Comparison of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK Comparative Analysis of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The overall development status of every country depends upon the standard of education prevalent across that country. It is an era of knowledge based economies, and countries failing in education find it hard to catch up with the developed world. In other words a countrys economic and cultural future as well as its scientific and technological growth owe to the academic standards being maintained by the teachers in its educational institutions. Thus teachers contributions are well acknowledged as builders of the nation and molders of personalities. In fact the key player of every educational system is the teacher, who is considered the backbone of the entire system all over the world, and a pivot around which the whole education system revolves. Teacher is the major implementer of all educational reforms at the grass root level. Teaching without doubt is considered one of the very noble professions. It offers constant intellectual challenges, acknowledgement, respect in the society a nd above all the opportunity to mould the personalities of a big majority of youth. This centrality qualifies teachers to be the crucial position holders in creating impact on all aspects of students personalities. They are the teachers who bring about positive behavioural changes in students by grooming and developing their personalities. That is why it is necessary that they should be adequately equipped with skills and abilities that would enable them to play an effective role in human development both from national and global perspectives. The Indian Education Commission 1964-66, as observed by Sheikh M.A (1998)[1] had ranked the quality and competence of the teachers as the most important factor determining the quality of education significantly contributing to the national development. Nothing is more important than securing a sufficient supply of high quality recruits to the teaching profession, providing them with the best possible professional preparation and creating satisfactory conditions of work in which they can be fully effective.† However, this central position, demands great care and attention in the education and training of teachers, who develop and enable students meet effectively the challenges of present and future. Ascertaining the effectiveness of these trainings asks for the analysis of teacher education programs in the social context of every country socio economic, cultural and historic factors substantially influence its nature and value. Concept of Teacher Education Teacher education is a discipline and sub sector of education with its distinct pre service and in service forms. It equips prospective and in service teachers with information, knowledge and pedagogical skills to help reform their attitudes and behaviour to the profession of education. The key objective is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) to students and to build their character and personalities. In other words teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the school and classroom. (Wikipedia, 09) [2] According to Sheikh M.A (1998), teacher education encompasses acquiring all that knowledge, skills and abilities which are relevant to the life of a â€Å"teacher as a teacher† It reshapes the attitudes, remodels the habits, and develops the personalities of teachers. Need for Teacher Education Teachers general education and professional training both require utmost care and attention, as whatever is acquired by them is transferred to their students with high multiple effects. The present has witnessed and is still experiencing a rapidly but positively changing scenario of processes and procedures of teacher training. New innovative methods are continuously being added to the already practiced traditional pedagogical techniques. Acquainting with these developments to the point of mastery is needed for the promotion and maintenance of good teaching learning standards. Good quality teacher education about these key elements paves the way of the development of the education system in the long run. Teachers are the layers of the foundations of future citizens, hence need to be educated with futuristic perspective, so that they can develop the personalities of their students, not only as per present requirements but also for the years to come, accommodating the new trends from the global outlook. This is very important as teacher is one of the key agents of change in all communities and a service provider as per needs of the future. Changes are taking place not only at national but also at international level. With every passing day distances are shrinking and communities are coming closer to each other affecting each others practices of life. Purpose of Teacher Education The purpose of teacher education primarily is to equip prospective teachers not only with suitable aptitudes for teaching but also with appropriate skills and abilities required to make them effective and efficient professionals. Through different theoretical and practical activities, they are helped to understand not only the philosophical, psychological, and sociological basis of teaching, but also the relationship of education with the society and its values through teaching and learning processes. The process of formal teacher education can help the prospective teachers minimize the troubles and save the students from the wastages of hit and trial. Appropriately rendered teacher education, provides ample opportunities to would be teachers to understand the nature of teaching; to envisage responsibilities of a teacher; to discover that to be a teacher is much more than learning by heart the philosophies and theories of learning; and to comprehend the practical implications of the pedagogical strategies. It is learnt that the profession of teaching is in fact facilitating the acquisition and retention of knowledge, values, skills and right attitudes for successful life that can initiate and promote positive changes in the society. Keeping this in view teacher education, through teacher-preparatory years focuses on the development of abilities and skills that would not only make them capable teachers but will enable them to discharge duties effectively, take initiatives, motivate students and facilitate learning. With the belief that practice makes one perfect, students during teacher education phase are given the opportunity to teach or instruct and receive constant guidance and encouragement during practical delivery, in order to strengthen good habits and to overcome the pedagogical weaknesses. Phases of Teacher Education Farrant, J. S. (1990)[3], observed that since the dawn of the twenty first century teacher education in developed countries remained divided into three phases: 1) Initial Teacher Education 2) Induction 3) Continuing Teacher Education 1) Initial teacher training / education This education pertains to the training that is undertaken before formally starting the teaching profession. It is a pre-service course done before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher. It is usually provided in education colleges and education departments of universities where the student teachers are introduced to the knowledge and skills needed to be professional teachers. The students are formally taught the important components of this profession including aims of education, history of education, perspectives of education, modern approaches to learning, assessment and evaluation of learning and basics of curriculum development, educational psychology, philosophy and pedagogy. It also provides first hand experience of the practical aspects of the teaching profession. It usually takes a year or so and culminates into a certificate or a degree. 2) Induction This informal phase begins when a student teacher changes from being a part time, visiting student teacher to a full time adequately responsible professional. Basically induction refers to the process of providing on the job guidance and support to the teachers during the first few months of teaching or the first year of the professional career. In countries like UK, during induction the teacher is on probation, and receives guidance and supervision formally by the teacher-tutor, and informally from all other colleagues head teacher. The work load during this phase of education is reduced in order to provide time and opportunity for guidance, reflection and grooming. This is a transitional phase from being a student to being a full time teacher. 3) Teachers continuous professional development It is an in-service process for professional refinement of practicing teachers. It is a life long process in which efforts are made to improve and polish up the potentials of the teachers. It includes professional trainings like workshops, short courses and seminars. This is usually formally arranged by good schools or can be self directed through reading of professional books, discussions with colleagues, benefiting from on line courses, or attending training workshops, conferences, and symposiums. With the passage of time, all institutions have started to value in service training of teachers more and more; and are regularly arranging training programs of different durations for their teachers. These trainings are sometimes general in nature for the improvement of the overall teaching methodologies, and sometimes focused on improving specific subject-teaching skills, enabling teachers master innovative concepts recently incorporated in the existing curriculum. Such in service trainings are usually taken up in anticipation for the expected promotions. Usefulness of Comparing Teacher Education Systems Sodhi (1993)[4] documented, â€Å"Comparative education is a popular educational venture and is considered very useful in countries like USA, UK, Russia and even India. It is considered so, as education has been recognized an investment for development of human resources, which is in fact the development of human capital formation. All people engaged in the field of education have much to learn from the policies and educational practices of other lands. Apparently the educational system of a country grows out of the historical background, economic and social conditions, geographical features and political systems and no country is in a position to totally adopt the educational patterns of another country as such. But lessons can be learnt, and successful practices can be adopted to meet the needs from the angle it looks upon them.† With advancement in technology and with communication explosion, the geographical distances are shrinking and people are coming closer to each other. The similarities caused by science and technology are overpowering the differences resulting from cultural diversities. The fact suggested by increasing similarities is that different nations of the worldwhich looks like a global village now, can learn a lot from each others experiences and progress to save time, energy and resources required for the ‘try and learn activities. The knowledge about the successes and failures of other systems can be very awakening and beneficial in comprehending ones own educational problems. The backwardness or advancement of ones own system can be ascertained only through analytical comparison, particularly with those of the economically and educationally advanced countries. In spite of increased investment in education sector, Pakistan has not yet achieved its target of UPE (Universal Primary Education) set in 1960 that was to be achieved by 1980. Analysis of the educational status of Pakistan reveals that a reasonable progress has been made by it since independence. At that time not even a million students were studying in schools, whereas now more than twelve million children are in schools. But at the same time due to a very high population growth rate, more than twelve million school age children are out of school, doing jobs or just doing nothing. The recent comparisons with the educational situation in China and India show that Pakistan is still far behind than the more thickly populated neighbouring countries, where China with literacy rate of 90% and India with 65% are substantially ahead of Pakistan. The situation of full enrollment which is a far cry is further aggravated by an alarmingly high rate of dropouts. Female literacy rate is abysmall y low, and education of females and rural population at all levels is much underrepresented. As the population is growing at a geometrical rate, the need for more schools and for more and better teachers has risen substantially. With increased focus on the quantitative expansion necessitated by substantial raises in population, the qualitative dimension of teacher education in Pakistan has not received adequate attention, resulting in passing out of scores of teachers from different teacher education institutions with inadequate grip over the content and teaching methodologies. This demands special focus to improve the status of teacher education, by learning through analysis and comparison with education systems that are progressing and delivering well in other countries of the world. As the education system has grown over years, the number of teachers has also shown increases, but it is still far from being adequate, particularly for subjects like science and mathematics. Along with this teacher education programs in Peshawar based teacher education institutions like other similar institutions of Pakistan have some critical deficiencies, which are hampering their effectiveness. Some of those were summarized by Asia and the Pacific Program of Educational Innovation for Development (APIED)(1987)[5], and are reproduced hereunder: i) Short duration of teacher training programs ii) Minimal interaction of trainee teachers at schools iii) Outmoded methods of teaching and evaluation iv) Shortage of audio visual aids and other educational equipment in teacher training institutions. v) Deficiency of supplementary reading material/professional magazines/ research journals vi) Lack of co ordination among training institutions. vii) Absence of incentives for prospective teachers These and similar other deficiencies ask for keen analysis of the local system and for its comparison with better performing systems. The best way to analytically compare any two teacher education systems, as highlighted by Galambos C. Eva, (1986) [6] would be to find out: 1) How the two systems strengthen subject area preparation? 2) How long and adequate is the duration of pre service training of teachers? 3) How theory and practice address better inclusion of the practice of teaching in learning to teach effectively and efficiently? 4) What level of general education would be necessary for all prospective teachers? and 5) What major and minor subjects would be preferred as most supportive for the profession of teaching? In order to survive successfully in the global community, and to bring the indigenous teacher education at the international level it would seem pertinent to critically analyze the local prevailing teacher education programs and to compare them with one of the educationally advanced countries, like that of the United Kingdom, which had laid the foundation of the existing education system in the sub-continent during the colonial rule. Education System in Pakistan Education in Pakistan comes in the domain of the responsibilities of the provinces. However the Federal government is responsible for over viewing Pakistans entire system of education, and is assisted by the provincal ministries and departments of education in all the provinces. The Federal Ministry of Education (MOE) deals with policy-making, curriculum development, accreditation and coordination as an advisory authority, along with the direct administration of the educational institutions situated in and around the capital. Education up to Secondary level is provided by public and private schools, and by Islamic madrasahs, (the faith schools). Education provided at the public/government schools is free of cost, but in the private sector institutions educational expenses are borne by the parents for the purpose of good quality of education. Provincial governments overview and administer all the Universities which are financed by the Federal government through the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Both public and private universities and other higher education institutions are overviewed by HEC for the planning, development and granting of charters. The academic progress of these institutions is coordinated, reviewed and evaluated by the HEC. Primary Education Primary education begins at five years of age and is completed in five years. The medium of instruction at the government schools is either Urdu or the regional language and is English at the private educational institutions. The curriculum revolves around Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, General science, Social studies, Islamic studies, and Physical training. Secondary Education Secondary Education comprises of three stages: a three-year stage of middle level education; other two-year of secondary education; and a further two-year of higher secondary education at intermediate and degree colleges. At the Middle level, (Grades VI to VIII), at ages 11-13, compulsory subjects of Urdu, English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Islamic studies are studied and students are examined on terminal and annual basis. In Grades IX and X at ages 14 and 15 studies are divided into streams of Science and Humanities, and externally examined by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education to award Secondary School Certificate on successful completion of ten years of education. However, Intermediate or Higher Secondary Education stream involves studies of Grade XI and XII either in Science or Humanities at the ages of 16 and 17, with external examination and certification by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Many students in the private sector opt for the examination of (GCE) General Certificate of Education. Madrassahs / Madaris: (Religious Schools) The madaris, operating simultaneously with regular schools are fewer in number as compared to the public and private schools. These provide Islamic education through Urdu and Arabic as languages of Instruction. The key features of the curriculum are the study of the Holy Quran and Hadith (teachings of the prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h). Enrollment and boarding lodging facilities are mostly free of charge, although in some cases they receive grants from the federal government. The primary level institutions called maktabs, are usually attachments of mosques, and provide basic Islamic education focusing on the reading and learning the holy Quran by heart. Secondary school madrasahs deal with the higher level of Islamic education. For better standards of education and in order to integrate the Islamic and formal education systems, the formal schools curriculum of English, mathematics, general science and computer Science are now studied compulsorily at all madaris. Madrasahs are largely self-governing and independent. The official regulatory and certificates/Sanads awarding bodies include ‘Jamea-tus Safiya ‘Wafaq-ul-Madaris, and ‘Tanzeem-ul-Madaris. Different madrasah levels correspond to the formal system, like ‘Tajweed wa Qiraat Ibtidaya is equal to primary schooling, ‘Mutawassita is at par with Middle level, ‘Saniya Aama is equated with Secondary School Certificate, and ‘Saniya Khasa to the Higher Secondary School Certificate, after which the students are eligible to continue higher education at Madrasah or at Universities of the formal sector. Vocational / Technical Secondary Education Nearly all vocational schools run both certificate and diploma programmes. The duration of certificate courses is one year and that of diplomas is two years, in various trades at the secondary level (Grades IX and X) leading to the Secondary School Certificate in technical education; qualifying students to continue their education at Technical Institutes of higher education. Higher Education At the time of partition in 1947 the country had only one University, the Punjab University. Now as of 2008-2009 Pakistan, according to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), there are 124 recognized Universities in the country, 68 of these universities are public sector universities and 56 are from the private sector. The guidelines for charter and operations of Universities are issued by the HEC. For standardization, all degree-granting higher education programmes are assessed by HEC. With English as medium of Instruction the Higher Secondary School Certificate, a pass in the entry test, are the essential pre requisites for admission to the study at the university. University Higher Education Stage I: A Bachelors Degree is awarded after two years of formal education and with honours after three years of fulltime study in humanities, sciences or commerce. Four years of formal education is required for Bachelors degrees in engineering, pharmacy computer science, whereas five years are needed for Bachelors in medicine. Stage II: Two years of study after the bachelors degree and one year after the honors bachelors degree leads to the acquisition of Masters Degree Stage III: A minimum of four to five years of study beyond masters degree leads to the doctoral degree. But the duration of study is five to seven years for programmes like the Doctor of Literature (DLitt), Doctor of Science (DSc) and Doctor of Law (LLD). Higher Education (Non University) Polytechnics, technical and commercial institutes and colleges provide non-university higher education comprising programmes of two or three years leading to certificates and diplomas in commercial and technical fields, awarded by Provincial Boards of Technical Education. Teacher Education Programs at Pakistan Primary School Teachers Teacher training at the post secondary level takes place in Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITE), and at the Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad for a one-year program known as the Primary Teaching Certificate. In addition, prospective teachers are also prepared at the private sector institutions affiliated or enlisted with universities of public or private sector. Secondary School Teachers Government training institutes of education and different affiliated colleges in private sector train teachers for the secondary school level. They are awarded a Certificate of Teaching (CT) for one year study after passing the examination of Higher Secondary School Certificate. Teacher Education at Universities The prospective teachers aspiring to teach at the higher secondary school level study for one year at the Education Colleges for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree, after two-year bachelors of Arts or Science (BA/BSc) education. Teachers possessing B.Ed degree are eligible to teach at the Secondary school level. Masters of Education (M.Ed) is a one year university education after completion of B.Ed. Policy Priorities for Teacher Education All the National Education Policies of Pakistan have accorded great importance to teacher education. The 1959 Commission on National Education stressed upon the necessity of adequate pre service teacher education gave recommendations about functions of teachers in a university and about selection and promotion of teachers. The Education Policy 1972-80 estimated the teacher producing capacity of then existing 12 teacher training colleges and 55 teacher education institutions in Pakistan, to be four thousand which was much less than the estimated demand of three hundred thousand additionally required teachers. It recommended the introduction of Education subject at Secondary, Higher Secondary and Degree level and students qualifying these subjects were suggested to be taken as primary, middle and high level teachers. Relaxation of training requirements for women teachers in special cases was recommended in order to increase the number of women teachers. An academy for teachers and educ ational Administrators training was recommended to be set up. The outdated nature of the teacher training courses was admitted, and their revision was recommended, along with this preparation of model standard textbooks for teacher trainees were advised. The National Education Policy 1979 had vividly valued the significant role of teachers in the effective implementation of the education policies. It was asserted that teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system. In order to promote pre-service teacher education, all the Primary Teacher Training Institutions were planned to be upgraded to Colleges of Elementary Education. An Academy of Higher Education was approved to be established to provide in-service and pre-service training to the College and University teachers. Another Academy for Educational Planning and Management was also established to provide opportunities of training to administrators and supervisors working at different levels of the educational system. This National Education Policy envisaged that every teacher would be expected to undergo one in-service course during five-year cycle of his/her service. A system of National Awards for best teachers was planned to be instituted. Every year ten teachers of vario us levels and categories were planned to receive these awards from the President of Pakistan at national level. Similar awards were planned to be given to selected teachers by the respective provincial governors. The Sixth five Year Plan (1983-88), earmarked sixty million rupees for the teacher education programs to establish additional primary and secondary teacher training institutes and to enhance the training capacity of the existing primary and secondary teacher training institutions, and departments of Education at the Universities. This plan was unique in the sense that it allocated special funds categorically for the teacher education programs. Prior to this the trend of blanket approval was in practice and the badly needed requisite improvement in the standard of teachers could not be facilitated. The incremental allocation, as given in the following table reflected the increased importance accorded to teacher education. Table: 1.1 The Sixth Five Year Plans (1983-1988) Allocations for Teacher Education Year Recurring Expenditure Developmental Expenditure (in million rupees) 1983-84 12 16 1984-85 14 20 1985-86 18 27 1986-87 20 32 1987-88 24 38 Total 88 133 The Seventh Five-Year Plan (1988-93) identified a number of shortcomings in the teacher training programs, which included the irrelevancy of curriculum for PTC and CT; the inadequacy of the training duration, of in service training, and lack of good career prospects due to which good students were not attracted to the profession of teaching. It was proposed to improve the efficiency of teachers by gradually raising the minimum qualification, revitalizing the teacher training programmes, continuous in-service education and providing better career proposals to teachers. The Ninth Five-Year Plan focused upon the strengthening of one hundred and twenty then available teacher training institutes. The high priority attached to the promotion and facilitation of teacher education as envisaged in the above mentioned policies and plans spoke of the importance accorded to teacher education by all the governments of Pakistan. Entry Qualification The requisite entry qualifications into the teaching profession at different levels are as follows: a) Primary Level (I-V) : Matriculation + one year teaching certificate (PTC) b) Middle Level (VI-VIII) : Intermediate + one year teaching certificate (CT) and, c) Secondary Level (IX-X) : B.A/B.Sc + one year Bachelor of Edu. degree course/B.Ed Non Formal Teacher Education Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is offering non formal teacher training courses for both male and female students living in the far away areas of the country. These programs are substantially contributing to the provision of trained teachers. United Kingdoms System of Education In Britain compulsory schooling takes place between the ages of five and sixteen. The over riding objectives of the governments education policies are to raise standards at all levels of ability, increase parental choice, make further and higher education more widely accessible and more responsive to the needs of the economy, and to achieve the best possible returns from the resources invested in the education service. (Britain 1990) [7] Parents are legally bound to ensure that their children aged five to sixteen regularly receive efficient full time education. Most students receive free education financed from public funds, and a small proportion attends private schools independent of public financial support. Pupils follow a common curriculum leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and Vocational Certificate of Secondary Education (VCSE). Students are allowed to select a number of GCSEs, VCSEs as per their personal preferences and aptitudes. Quite a few sch ools cater for the educational needs of the students for additional two years till they sit for the Advanced Level of General Certificate of Education. (GCE A Levels) Primary and Secondary Schools Ninety percent of boys and girls are taught together in most primary schools. Most independent/private fee-charging schools are mixed at the primary level and single-gender at the secondary level. These schools are registered with, and inspected by the government and governed by an independent board. No fees are charged in government schools, which are governed by the Local Education Authorities (LEA). There is no statutory requirement to provide education for the under-fives, but nursery education is well established now. Compulsory education begins at five at infant schools and at seven they go to junior/primary schools. The average age of passing out from primary school and entry into secondary school is eleven years. Schools are organized in a number of ways including secondary schools with age range, from 11 to 18; middle schools whose students move on to senior comprehensive schools at the age of 12 to 16. Tertiary colleges offer a full range of vocational and academic courses for students over 16. Examinations At the completion of the secondary education at UK, at the age of sixteen, secondary school students appear for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). This examination in order to raise the standard of performance has replaced General Certificate of Education (GCE), Ordinary Level (O Level), and the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) since 1988. GCSE examination is taken after five years of Secondary Education and evaluated at a seven point scale of grades, A to G. The GCSE Advanced level (A Level) examination is taken after two years of further study. Its successful completion qualifies the student for induction into universities. Educational Standards Her Majestys inspectors report to ministers on the quality of education provided at all schools colleges and universities. They also advise the Local Education Authorities (LEA) and the government, and publish the reports. LEAs also employ inspectors or advisers to gu Comparison of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK Comparison of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK Comparative Analysis of Teacher Education Programmes in Pakistan UK CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The overall development status of every country depends upon the standard of education prevalent across that country. It is an era of knowledge based economies, and countries failing in education find it hard to catch up with the developed world. In other words a countrys economic and cultural future as well as its scientific and technological growth owe to the academic standards being maintained by the teachers in its educational institutions. Thus teachers contributions are well acknowledged as builders of the nation and molders of personalities. In fact the key player of every educational system is the teacher, who is considered the backbone of the entire system all over the world, and a pivot around which the whole education system revolves. Teacher is the major implementer of all educational reforms at the grass root level. Teaching without doubt is considered one of the very noble professions. It offers constant intellectual challenges, acknowledgement, respect in the society a nd above all the opportunity to mould the personalities of a big majority of youth. This centrality qualifies teachers to be the crucial position holders in creating impact on all aspects of students personalities. They are the teachers who bring about positive behavioural changes in students by grooming and developing their personalities. That is why it is necessary that they should be adequately equipped with skills and abilities that would enable them to play an effective role in human development both from national and global perspectives. The Indian Education Commission 1964-66, as observed by Sheikh M.A (1998)[1] had ranked the quality and competence of the teachers as the most important factor determining the quality of education significantly contributing to the national development. Nothing is more important than securing a sufficient supply of high quality recruits to the teaching profession, providing them with the best possible professional preparation and creating satisfactory conditions of work in which they can be fully effective.† However, this central position, demands great care and attention in the education and training of teachers, who develop and enable students meet effectively the challenges of present and future. Ascertaining the effectiveness of these trainings asks for the analysis of teacher education programs in the social context of every country socio economic, cultural and historic factors substantially influence its nature and value. Concept of Teacher Education Teacher education is a discipline and sub sector of education with its distinct pre service and in service forms. It equips prospective and in service teachers with information, knowledge and pedagogical skills to help reform their attitudes and behaviour to the profession of education. The key objective is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) to students and to build their character and personalities. In other words teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the school and classroom. (Wikipedia, 09) [2] According to Sheikh M.A (1998), teacher education encompasses acquiring all that knowledge, skills and abilities which are relevant to the life of a â€Å"teacher as a teacher† It reshapes the attitudes, remodels the habits, and develops the personalities of teachers. Need for Teacher Education Teachers general education and professional training both require utmost care and attention, as whatever is acquired by them is transferred to their students with high multiple effects. The present has witnessed and is still experiencing a rapidly but positively changing scenario of processes and procedures of teacher training. New innovative methods are continuously being added to the already practiced traditional pedagogical techniques. Acquainting with these developments to the point of mastery is needed for the promotion and maintenance of good teaching learning standards. Good quality teacher education about these key elements paves the way of the development of the education system in the long run. Teachers are the layers of the foundations of future citizens, hence need to be educated with futuristic perspective, so that they can develop the personalities of their students, not only as per present requirements but also for the years to come, accommodating the new trends from the global outlook. This is very important as teacher is one of the key agents of change in all communities and a service provider as per needs of the future. Changes are taking place not only at national but also at international level. With every passing day distances are shrinking and communities are coming closer to each other affecting each others practices of life. Purpose of Teacher Education The purpose of teacher education primarily is to equip prospective teachers not only with suitable aptitudes for teaching but also with appropriate skills and abilities required to make them effective and efficient professionals. Through different theoretical and practical activities, they are helped to understand not only the philosophical, psychological, and sociological basis of teaching, but also the relationship of education with the society and its values through teaching and learning processes. The process of formal teacher education can help the prospective teachers minimize the troubles and save the students from the wastages of hit and trial. Appropriately rendered teacher education, provides ample opportunities to would be teachers to understand the nature of teaching; to envisage responsibilities of a teacher; to discover that to be a teacher is much more than learning by heart the philosophies and theories of learning; and to comprehend the practical implications of the pedagogical strategies. It is learnt that the profession of teaching is in fact facilitating the acquisition and retention of knowledge, values, skills and right attitudes for successful life that can initiate and promote positive changes in the society. Keeping this in view teacher education, through teacher-preparatory years focuses on the development of abilities and skills that would not only make them capable teachers but will enable them to discharge duties effectively, take initiatives, motivate students and facilitate learning. With the belief that practice makes one perfect, students during teacher education phase are given the opportunity to teach or instruct and receive constant guidance and encouragement during practical delivery, in order to strengthen good habits and to overcome the pedagogical weaknesses. Phases of Teacher Education Farrant, J. S. (1990)[3], observed that since the dawn of the twenty first century teacher education in developed countries remained divided into three phases: 1) Initial Teacher Education 2) Induction 3) Continuing Teacher Education 1) Initial teacher training / education This education pertains to the training that is undertaken before formally starting the teaching profession. It is a pre-service course done before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher. It is usually provided in education colleges and education departments of universities where the student teachers are introduced to the knowledge and skills needed to be professional teachers. The students are formally taught the important components of this profession including aims of education, history of education, perspectives of education, modern approaches to learning, assessment and evaluation of learning and basics of curriculum development, educational psychology, philosophy and pedagogy. It also provides first hand experience of the practical aspects of the teaching profession. It usually takes a year or so and culminates into a certificate or a degree. 2) Induction This informal phase begins when a student teacher changes from being a part time, visiting student teacher to a full time adequately responsible professional. Basically induction refers to the process of providing on the job guidance and support to the teachers during the first few months of teaching or the first year of the professional career. In countries like UK, during induction the teacher is on probation, and receives guidance and supervision formally by the teacher-tutor, and informally from all other colleagues head teacher. The work load during this phase of education is reduced in order to provide time and opportunity for guidance, reflection and grooming. This is a transitional phase from being a student to being a full time teacher. 3) Teachers continuous professional development It is an in-service process for professional refinement of practicing teachers. It is a life long process in which efforts are made to improve and polish up the potentials of the teachers. It includes professional trainings like workshops, short courses and seminars. This is usually formally arranged by good schools or can be self directed through reading of professional books, discussions with colleagues, benefiting from on line courses, or attending training workshops, conferences, and symposiums. With the passage of time, all institutions have started to value in service training of teachers more and more; and are regularly arranging training programs of different durations for their teachers. These trainings are sometimes general in nature for the improvement of the overall teaching methodologies, and sometimes focused on improving specific subject-teaching skills, enabling teachers master innovative concepts recently incorporated in the existing curriculum. Such in service trainings are usually taken up in anticipation for the expected promotions. Usefulness of Comparing Teacher Education Systems Sodhi (1993)[4] documented, â€Å"Comparative education is a popular educational venture and is considered very useful in countries like USA, UK, Russia and even India. It is considered so, as education has been recognized an investment for development of human resources, which is in fact the development of human capital formation. All people engaged in the field of education have much to learn from the policies and educational practices of other lands. Apparently the educational system of a country grows out of the historical background, economic and social conditions, geographical features and political systems and no country is in a position to totally adopt the educational patterns of another country as such. But lessons can be learnt, and successful practices can be adopted to meet the needs from the angle it looks upon them.† With advancement in technology and with communication explosion, the geographical distances are shrinking and people are coming closer to each other. The similarities caused by science and technology are overpowering the differences resulting from cultural diversities. The fact suggested by increasing similarities is that different nations of the worldwhich looks like a global village now, can learn a lot from each others experiences and progress to save time, energy and resources required for the ‘try and learn activities. The knowledge about the successes and failures of other systems can be very awakening and beneficial in comprehending ones own educational problems. The backwardness or advancement of ones own system can be ascertained only through analytical comparison, particularly with those of the economically and educationally advanced countries. In spite of increased investment in education sector, Pakistan has not yet achieved its target of UPE (Universal Primary Education) set in 1960 that was to be achieved by 1980. Analysis of the educational status of Pakistan reveals that a reasonable progress has been made by it since independence. At that time not even a million students were studying in schools, whereas now more than twelve million children are in schools. But at the same time due to a very high population growth rate, more than twelve million school age children are out of school, doing jobs or just doing nothing. The recent comparisons with the educational situation in China and India show that Pakistan is still far behind than the more thickly populated neighbouring countries, where China with literacy rate of 90% and India with 65% are substantially ahead of Pakistan. The situation of full enrollment which is a far cry is further aggravated by an alarmingly high rate of dropouts. Female literacy rate is abysmall y low, and education of females and rural population at all levels is much underrepresented. As the population is growing at a geometrical rate, the need for more schools and for more and better teachers has risen substantially. With increased focus on the quantitative expansion necessitated by substantial raises in population, the qualitative dimension of teacher education in Pakistan has not received adequate attention, resulting in passing out of scores of teachers from different teacher education institutions with inadequate grip over the content and teaching methodologies. This demands special focus to improve the status of teacher education, by learning through analysis and comparison with education systems that are progressing and delivering well in other countries of the world. As the education system has grown over years, the number of teachers has also shown increases, but it is still far from being adequate, particularly for subjects like science and mathematics. Along with this teacher education programs in Peshawar based teacher education institutions like other similar institutions of Pakistan have some critical deficiencies, which are hampering their effectiveness. Some of those were summarized by Asia and the Pacific Program of Educational Innovation for Development (APIED)(1987)[5], and are reproduced hereunder: i) Short duration of teacher training programs ii) Minimal interaction of trainee teachers at schools iii) Outmoded methods of teaching and evaluation iv) Shortage of audio visual aids and other educational equipment in teacher training institutions. v) Deficiency of supplementary reading material/professional magazines/ research journals vi) Lack of co ordination among training institutions. vii) Absence of incentives for prospective teachers These and similar other deficiencies ask for keen analysis of the local system and for its comparison with better performing systems. The best way to analytically compare any two teacher education systems, as highlighted by Galambos C. Eva, (1986) [6] would be to find out: 1) How the two systems strengthen subject area preparation? 2) How long and adequate is the duration of pre service training of teachers? 3) How theory and practice address better inclusion of the practice of teaching in learning to teach effectively and efficiently? 4) What level of general education would be necessary for all prospective teachers? and 5) What major and minor subjects would be preferred as most supportive for the profession of teaching? In order to survive successfully in the global community, and to bring the indigenous teacher education at the international level it would seem pertinent to critically analyze the local prevailing teacher education programs and to compare them with one of the educationally advanced countries, like that of the United Kingdom, which had laid the foundation of the existing education system in the sub-continent during the colonial rule. Education System in Pakistan Education in Pakistan comes in the domain of the responsibilities of the provinces. However the Federal government is responsible for over viewing Pakistans entire system of education, and is assisted by the provincal ministries and departments of education in all the provinces. The Federal Ministry of Education (MOE) deals with policy-making, curriculum development, accreditation and coordination as an advisory authority, along with the direct administration of the educational institutions situated in and around the capital. Education up to Secondary level is provided by public and private schools, and by Islamic madrasahs, (the faith schools). Education provided at the public/government schools is free of cost, but in the private sector institutions educational expenses are borne by the parents for the purpose of good quality of education. Provincial governments overview and administer all the Universities which are financed by the Federal government through the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Both public and private universities and other higher education institutions are overviewed by HEC for the planning, development and granting of charters. The academic progress of these institutions is coordinated, reviewed and evaluated by the HEC. Primary Education Primary education begins at five years of age and is completed in five years. The medium of instruction at the government schools is either Urdu or the regional language and is English at the private educational institutions. The curriculum revolves around Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, General science, Social studies, Islamic studies, and Physical training. Secondary Education Secondary Education comprises of three stages: a three-year stage of middle level education; other two-year of secondary education; and a further two-year of higher secondary education at intermediate and degree colleges. At the Middle level, (Grades VI to VIII), at ages 11-13, compulsory subjects of Urdu, English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Islamic studies are studied and students are examined on terminal and annual basis. In Grades IX and X at ages 14 and 15 studies are divided into streams of Science and Humanities, and externally examined by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education to award Secondary School Certificate on successful completion of ten years of education. However, Intermediate or Higher Secondary Education stream involves studies of Grade XI and XII either in Science or Humanities at the ages of 16 and 17, with external examination and certification by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Many students in the private sector opt for the examination of (GCE) General Certificate of Education. Madrassahs / Madaris: (Religious Schools) The madaris, operating simultaneously with regular schools are fewer in number as compared to the public and private schools. These provide Islamic education through Urdu and Arabic as languages of Instruction. The key features of the curriculum are the study of the Holy Quran and Hadith (teachings of the prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h). Enrollment and boarding lodging facilities are mostly free of charge, although in some cases they receive grants from the federal government. The primary level institutions called maktabs, are usually attachments of mosques, and provide basic Islamic education focusing on the reading and learning the holy Quran by heart. Secondary school madrasahs deal with the higher level of Islamic education. For better standards of education and in order to integrate the Islamic and formal education systems, the formal schools curriculum of English, mathematics, general science and computer Science are now studied compulsorily at all madaris. Madrasahs are largely self-governing and independent. The official regulatory and certificates/Sanads awarding bodies include ‘Jamea-tus Safiya ‘Wafaq-ul-Madaris, and ‘Tanzeem-ul-Madaris. Different madrasah levels correspond to the formal system, like ‘Tajweed wa Qiraat Ibtidaya is equal to primary schooling, ‘Mutawassita is at par with Middle level, ‘Saniya Aama is equated with Secondary School Certificate, and ‘Saniya Khasa to the Higher Secondary School Certificate, after which the students are eligible to continue higher education at Madrasah or at Universities of the formal sector. Vocational / Technical Secondary Education Nearly all vocational schools run both certificate and diploma programmes. The duration of certificate courses is one year and that of diplomas is two years, in various trades at the secondary level (Grades IX and X) leading to the Secondary School Certificate in technical education; qualifying students to continue their education at Technical Institutes of higher education. Higher Education At the time of partition in 1947 the country had only one University, the Punjab University. Now as of 2008-2009 Pakistan, according to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), there are 124 recognized Universities in the country, 68 of these universities are public sector universities and 56 are from the private sector. The guidelines for charter and operations of Universities are issued by the HEC. For standardization, all degree-granting higher education programmes are assessed by HEC. With English as medium of Instruction the Higher Secondary School Certificate, a pass in the entry test, are the essential pre requisites for admission to the study at the university. University Higher Education Stage I: A Bachelors Degree is awarded after two years of formal education and with honours after three years of fulltime study in humanities, sciences or commerce. Four years of formal education is required for Bachelors degrees in engineering, pharmacy computer science, whereas five years are needed for Bachelors in medicine. Stage II: Two years of study after the bachelors degree and one year after the honors bachelors degree leads to the acquisition of Masters Degree Stage III: A minimum of four to five years of study beyond masters degree leads to the doctoral degree. But the duration of study is five to seven years for programmes like the Doctor of Literature (DLitt), Doctor of Science (DSc) and Doctor of Law (LLD). Higher Education (Non University) Polytechnics, technical and commercial institutes and colleges provide non-university higher education comprising programmes of two or three years leading to certificates and diplomas in commercial and technical fields, awarded by Provincial Boards of Technical Education. Teacher Education Programs at Pakistan Primary School Teachers Teacher training at the post secondary level takes place in Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITE), and at the Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad for a one-year program known as the Primary Teaching Certificate. In addition, prospective teachers are also prepared at the private sector institutions affiliated or enlisted with universities of public or private sector. Secondary School Teachers Government training institutes of education and different affiliated colleges in private sector train teachers for the secondary school level. They are awarded a Certificate of Teaching (CT) for one year study after passing the examination of Higher Secondary School Certificate. Teacher Education at Universities The prospective teachers aspiring to teach at the higher secondary school level study for one year at the Education Colleges for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree, after two-year bachelors of Arts or Science (BA/BSc) education. Teachers possessing B.Ed degree are eligible to teach at the Secondary school level. Masters of Education (M.Ed) is a one year university education after completion of B.Ed. Policy Priorities for Teacher Education All the National Education Policies of Pakistan have accorded great importance to teacher education. The 1959 Commission on National Education stressed upon the necessity of adequate pre service teacher education gave recommendations about functions of teachers in a university and about selection and promotion of teachers. The Education Policy 1972-80 estimated the teacher producing capacity of then existing 12 teacher training colleges and 55 teacher education institutions in Pakistan, to be four thousand which was much less than the estimated demand of three hundred thousand additionally required teachers. It recommended the introduction of Education subject at Secondary, Higher Secondary and Degree level and students qualifying these subjects were suggested to be taken as primary, middle and high level teachers. Relaxation of training requirements for women teachers in special cases was recommended in order to increase the number of women teachers. An academy for teachers and educ ational Administrators training was recommended to be set up. The outdated nature of the teacher training courses was admitted, and their revision was recommended, along with this preparation of model standard textbooks for teacher trainees were advised. The National Education Policy 1979 had vividly valued the significant role of teachers in the effective implementation of the education policies. It was asserted that teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system. In order to promote pre-service teacher education, all the Primary Teacher Training Institutions were planned to be upgraded to Colleges of Elementary Education. An Academy of Higher Education was approved to be established to provide in-service and pre-service training to the College and University teachers. Another Academy for Educational Planning and Management was also established to provide opportunities of training to administrators and supervisors working at different levels of the educational system. This National Education Policy envisaged that every teacher would be expected to undergo one in-service course during five-year cycle of his/her service. A system of National Awards for best teachers was planned to be instituted. Every year ten teachers of vario us levels and categories were planned to receive these awards from the President of Pakistan at national level. Similar awards were planned to be given to selected teachers by the respective provincial governors. The Sixth five Year Plan (1983-88), earmarked sixty million rupees for the teacher education programs to establish additional primary and secondary teacher training institutes and to enhance the training capacity of the existing primary and secondary teacher training institutions, and departments of Education at the Universities. This plan was unique in the sense that it allocated special funds categorically for the teacher education programs. Prior to this the trend of blanket approval was in practice and the badly needed requisite improvement in the standard of teachers could not be facilitated. The incremental allocation, as given in the following table reflected the increased importance accorded to teacher education. Table: 1.1 The Sixth Five Year Plans (1983-1988) Allocations for Teacher Education Year Recurring Expenditure Developmental Expenditure (in million rupees) 1983-84 12 16 1984-85 14 20 1985-86 18 27 1986-87 20 32 1987-88 24 38 Total 88 133 The Seventh Five-Year Plan (1988-93) identified a number of shortcomings in the teacher training programs, which included the irrelevancy of curriculum for PTC and CT; the inadequacy of the training duration, of in service training, and lack of good career prospects due to which good students were not attracted to the profession of teaching. It was proposed to improve the efficiency of teachers by gradually raising the minimum qualification, revitalizing the teacher training programmes, continuous in-service education and providing better career proposals to teachers. The Ninth Five-Year Plan focused upon the strengthening of one hundred and twenty then available teacher training institutes. The high priority attached to the promotion and facilitation of teacher education as envisaged in the above mentioned policies and plans spoke of the importance accorded to teacher education by all the governments of Pakistan. Entry Qualification The requisite entry qualifications into the teaching profession at different levels are as follows: a) Primary Level (I-V) : Matriculation + one year teaching certificate (PTC) b) Middle Level (VI-VIII) : Intermediate + one year teaching certificate (CT) and, c) Secondary Level (IX-X) : B.A/B.Sc + one year Bachelor of Edu. degree course/B.Ed Non Formal Teacher Education Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is offering non formal teacher training courses for both male and female students living in the far away areas of the country. These programs are substantially contributing to the provision of trained teachers. United Kingdoms System of Education In Britain compulsory schooling takes place between the ages of five and sixteen. The over riding objectives of the governments education policies are to raise standards at all levels of ability, increase parental choice, make further and higher education more widely accessible and more responsive to the needs of the economy, and to achieve the best possible returns from the resources invested in the education service. (Britain 1990) [7] Parents are legally bound to ensure that their children aged five to sixteen regularly receive efficient full time education. Most students receive free education financed from public funds, and a small proportion attends private schools independent of public financial support. Pupils follow a common curriculum leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and Vocational Certificate of Secondary Education (VCSE). Students are allowed to select a number of GCSEs, VCSEs as per their personal preferences and aptitudes. Quite a few sch ools cater for the educational needs of the students for additional two years till they sit for the Advanced Level of General Certificate of Education. (GCE A Levels) Primary and Secondary Schools Ninety percent of boys and girls are taught together in most primary schools. Most independent/private fee-charging schools are mixed at the primary level and single-gender at the secondary level. These schools are registered with, and inspected by the government and governed by an independent board. No fees are charged in government schools, which are governed by the Local Education Authorities (LEA). There is no statutory requirement to provide education for the under-fives, but nursery education is well established now. Compulsory education begins at five at infant schools and at seven they go to junior/primary schools. The average age of passing out from primary school and entry into secondary school is eleven years. Schools are organized in a number of ways including secondary schools with age range, from 11 to 18; middle schools whose students move on to senior comprehensive schools at the age of 12 to 16. Tertiary colleges offer a full range of vocational and academic courses for students over 16. Examinations At the completion of the secondary education at UK, at the age of sixteen, secondary school students appear for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). This examination in order to raise the standard of performance has replaced General Certificate of Education (GCE), Ordinary Level (O Level), and the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) since 1988. GCSE examination is taken after five years of Secondary Education and evaluated at a seven point scale of grades, A to G. The GCSE Advanced level (A Level) examination is taken after two years of further study. Its successful completion qualifies the student for induction into universities. Educational Standards Her Majestys inspectors report to ministers on the quality of education provided at all schools colleges and universities. They also advise the Local Education Authorities (LEA) and the government, and publish the reports. LEAs also employ inspectors or advisers to gu

Analysis of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Essay -- Papers Poem Po

Analysis of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost ?The Road Not Taken? (1916) tells of someone faced with two of life?s decisions however only one can be chosen. Whichever road is taken will be final and will determine the direction that their life takes. Frost drives this poem by a calm and collective narrative, spoken by the traveler of the diverged roads. Who is speaking with himself trying to convince himself of which road is the better choice. Frost wrote this poem using standard, modern language. In line one Frost introduces the diverging roads, which are his main metaphors. Diverging being the key word in this line because it suggests that the traveler must make a choice. Line two the speaker expresses his grief of not being able to travel both. Yet, the choice is not easy, since ?long I stood? (1.3) before coming to a decision. The next two lines examines the path as best as he can, but his vision is limited because the path bends and is covered over. This indicates that the speaker would like to know more about this road but is prevented by the immediate environment. Six through eight seems to be suggesting that the second path mentioned is a more attractive choice because it appears to have not been traveled recently. However, he seems to contradict himself since he also describes the path as being ?just as fair? as the first rather than better. Although the poet breaks after line ten, the main idea continues into the third stanza, creating a link between these parts of the poem. Here the speaker states that the paths are ?really about the same.?(2.1 0). Neither path has recently been traveled, although he is searching fro a clear logical reason to decide one path over the other, he cannot find a suitable reason. Lin... ...ng were clear. ?The Road Not Taken? was far from complex, its metaphor was blatant and the word traveler left no room for assumption as to what the speaker was referring. I identified with the theme immediately and because we are all faced with important choices in life, I was able to relate to Frost. The poem was psychological because it dealt with thoughts. Through out the entire poem the speaker held an internal conversation. His choices where entirely thought through by himself. It was definitely a psychological narrative. This poem in its condensed state contains a dilemma of everyday life choices. Bringing forth the sometimes-harsh reality that, whichever decision is made ultimately makes all the difference. Works Cited: Frost, Robert. The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged.New York. Henry Holt and Company, Inc. 1979.

How It Affects Economic Growth Essay

In my opinion, supporting and promoting IT investment is one of the best ways to promote economic growth and stability with minimal side effects such as inflation, and easily overcome hurdles like unequal income distribution. While I don’t think you can really influence people’s personal ownership of computers, I do believe that offering tax incentives for IT investment and development will increase overall GDP, lower unemployment, and ensure an economically stable future. First and foremost, investment towards information technology increases productivity, and makes workers more efficient in what they do. With more resources such as faster word processing, 3D Model Rendering, and instantaneous transfer of data over the internet, laborers in every facet of the economy benefit from technology and enjoy greater productivity as a result. This increase in productivity means more products and services are produced with less time invested, and this means that Gross Domestic Product can go up. Furthermore, GDP is often defined as a function of both Capital and Labor. It is widely acknowledged that GDP growth can be measured by K/L, or Capital divided by Labor. Clearly, then, if each worker is using a higher value of capital (here in the form of fancier computers etc), then GDP is sure to go up. The concern then becomes, â€Å"what about inflation?† Surely, if GDP goes up, inflation will follow, no? Not quite. The accompanying graph gives us a rough idea of why. This increased efficiency will shift the Philips curve inward, meaning that for every unemployment rate, there is less inflation. More IT investment will mean that we will require more service technicians, troubleshooters, software programmers, etc, and we will see unemployment go down. Also, with more children learning about IT, they will also be more likely to get jobs when they grow up. When unemployment goes down, though, we typically see that there are less available â€Å"desperate† workers, and thus workers will have more power to bargain collectively. They will get wage increases, which will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on final goods and services. This is offset by increased efficiency, as it takes less worker hours to make those products and services. As the Philips curve below shows us, the decrease in unemployment WOULD cause higher inflation, but because of increased efficiency, this change in inflation is offset. It is important to note the short run and long run effects of tax incentives on both the macro and micro levels. Here is a graph to get us started: We know that in the short run Demand shifts out as IT becomes more and more necessary. Supply shifts out because manufacturing costs go down, and thus existing firms will produce more at every price. These reductions to cost shift MC and ATC down; we don’t’ know how much each of these shifts is, though. We don’t know what P2 is, but we know that costs go down, so there is abnormal short term profit, and we know that each firm is going to produce more. In the long run, more firms will enter (shifting supply out further) until each player in the market is operating at their lowest cost on the ATC curve, which is the point where long run profits are equal to 0. We know that long run market quantity is greater because there are more firms in the industry, and we know that each firm produces in the long run what it did before all the shifts. Each firm is producing more in the short run than in the long run. Assuming that the government offers tax incentives to BOTH SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS of IT, we can expect to see the same demand shifts and supply shifts as we did in the 90s, when demand shifted out and the cost to produce came down. The tax rebates to suppliers means a reduction of cost (same as in the last example) and the tax rebates to buyers will make the price they have to pay lower, which will increase demand. One of the few drawbacks to the subsequent increased IT spending, of course, is the negative effect on the environment, as computers become obsolete quickly and are usually just thrown out. In my opinion, the environmental effect is definitely a huge drawback to increased IT investment. I believe that the government should give further incentives to companies who donate old or â€Å"B-stock† products to schools (preferably those in bad areas) or charities when they buy new ones . Donating these slightly flawed or last-year-model computers to schools would be an investment in human capital, which would increase GDP in future generations, as children become more tech savvy and productive with computers. Since the government is reducing the cost of production with tax incentives, I think they could get away by contrasting these incentives with slightly stricter environmental regulations as far as waste goes. They should set requirements on the packaging (which is created solely to be thrown out) that comes with IT goods, and should give even more incentives to companies that collect and recycle re-usable components such as circuit boards, plastic cases, and semiconductors – all components that are not biodegradable and are a large part of the junk filling our nation’s landfills. Another set of short and long term effects you must consider is the effect of tax incentives on those already involved in the market: IT workers. Again, we have a graph to help us visualize these effects. For this discussion, because of inflation, we must assume that we are talking in terms of real dollars, and that these wage prices are adjusted for inflation. In the 1980’s (short run), as IT became more important to industry, we see the demand curve for IT work shift outward, causing an increase in price and quantity as more qualified people started doing IT. In the long run, more competitors enter and the number of CS majors doubles; supply shifts outward, but we’re not sure by how much. We know that real wages go back down, but we don’t know if they are above, at, or below the original prices. We just know that they are decreasing, and that the overall quantity is much higher. The last major concern would be the â€Å"Digital Divide† – the concept that low income families do not use computers and thus are isolated from their potential benefits. This â€Å"digital divide† essentially means that poorer families have less access to the computer and tech skills to compete in the modern job industry, such as word processing and online research. They also have less access to online educational resources, and thus have less human capital. This means they are less likely to rise out of poverty, and are at a disadvantage. Those fortunate enough to be able to afford computers & internet access will get more educated and richer, and those who are not fortunate enough get poorer. I personally am against racial discrimination in all forms, and I think targeting out minorities and saying â€Å"here, you need a computer† is wrong. I do, believe, however, that there should be some sort of program to give less fortunate children of all ethnicities the IT skills and access to computers that they will need to function in the modern labor market. This is where my idea of offering tax incentives to companies that donate â€Å"last year model† computers to charities or schools in bad neighborhoods could really benefit these people and help them accumulate human capital. I think that offering tax incentives to people who put computers in their home will be too difficult to manage, and I also think that in many cases, people without the means to get a good job (no technical background) will not be able to afford a computer either way – thus, it’s a vicious cycle. Additionally, I think people who can’t afford $40/mo for DSL are in this predicament because they don’t have technical skills, and thus, probably don’t value technology as much as they should. They probably still won’t be interested in broadband. I think the president’s broadband initiative should focus more on getting faster internet and more technical training into schools, so that the next generation, who still has the desire and patience to learn about computers, can do so at an early age. Overall, you can see that there is a long list of benefits, and a short list of easily overcome problems with increased investment. In fact, even the Fed benefits. Normally, increased investment would make the Fed have to increase interest rates to prevent inflation and â€Å"cool off† the economy. IT is unique, however, in that it also provides greater efficiency, thus shifting the curve as discussed earlier. I would argue that it makes the Fed’s job easier – it’s promotes economic growth and employment, without jeopardizing economic stability. All in all, I say that giving tax incentives to producers and suppliers of IT goods and services is a great plan!

Madonna Case Study

Question 1 Described and explain the strategy being followed by Madonna in term of the explanation of competitive strategy given in Chapter 6. Answer 1 Table 2: Bowman’s strategy clock Based on the Bowman’s strategy clock above, we identify strategies been used in her albums through the years below; Lucky Star 1982 Trashy pop – lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the Christian cross, and bleached hair. Young wannabe girls, dovetailing from fading disco to emerging ‘club scene’influential among young girls and women 1. ‘No frills’ – combines a low price, low perceived product/service benefits and a focus on a price- sensitive market price Like a Virgin- Like a Prayer(first number one album on the U. S. lbums chart) 1984 Originally a Marilyn glamour image, then became a saint and sinner She performed the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards – trademark â€Å"Boy Toy† belt and cruc ifix jewelry More grown-up rebellious fan base, more critical female audience and male worshippers – featured role in â€Å"Desperately Seeking Susan† – embarked on her first concert tour in the U. S. in 1985 titled The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys. 2. Low price – risk of price war and low margins; need to be cost leader Vogue Erotica Bedtime Stories (eighth U. S. umber-one single -Academy Award-winning song) 199019921994 Erotic porn star, sadomasochistic, sexual control, more minelli in Cabaret than Monroe signed an endorsement deal with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi debuted her new song, â€Å"Like a Prayer†, in a Pepsi commercial and also made a music video for it. Peculiar mix of target audiences: gay club scene, 1990s’ women taking control of their own lives, also pure male titillation -Madonna's first publication Sex, a book consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images – caused media controversy but sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. 3. Hybrid – seeks simultaneously to achieve differentiation and a price lower than that of competitors Something to Remember Evita (won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy) 1995 Softer image, ballads preparing for glamour image of Evita film role Broadest audience target, picking up potential film audiences as well as regular fan base – designed to appeal to the mature audience that would be the target of Evita. Most conventional image.Max Factor later used this mixture of Marilyn and Eva Peron to market its glamour image 4. Differentiation – seek to provide products or services that offer benefits that are different from those of competitors and that are widely valued by buyers. Ray of Light – (U. S. top 5 singles – won three Grammy Awards – won a Grammy for â€Å"Best Short Form Music Video. â€Å") 1998 E arth mother, Eastern mysticism, dances music fusion – album influenced by electronica, techno, and trip-hop, thereby updating her classic dance-pop sound for the late '90s. â€Å"Most adventurous record. â€Å") Clubbing generation of the 1990s, new cohort of fans plus original fan base of now 30somethings desperately staying trendy – used by Microsoft in its advertising campaign to introduce Windows XP. 5. Focus differentiation – strategy seeks to provide high perceived product/service benefits justifying a substantial price, usually to a selected market segment (niche) Music 2000 Acid rock, tongue in cheek Miss USA/cow girl, cool Britannia – having a video which depicts murders by car, was banned by MTV and VH1.Managing to hit the changing club scene and 30-something Brits – starred in the film Swept Away a commercial and critical failure and released straight-to-video in the UK. 6. Increased price/standard value – higher margins if comp etitors do not follow; risk of losing market share American Life 2003 Militaristic image Che Guevara Anti-consumerism of American dream – Madonna kissed the heirs to her throne, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — and then got the two of them to make out with each other.Unclear audience reliant on existing base – sold 4 million copies, the lowest selling album of her career. The release of Madonna's successful children's book, -The English Roses, which was followed by several more novels in future years. 7. Increase price/low price – only feasible in monopoly situation Confession on a Dance Floor 2005 Retro-1980’s disco imagery, high-motion dance-pop sound Strong gay-icon audience, pop-disco audience, dance-based audience – radio stations were boycotting Madonna's singles because she publicly spoke of disapproval against the war n Iraq. 8. Low value/standard price – loss of market share Hard Candy (Most successful release from the album, reaching #1 in twenty-seven countries worldwide including the United World Chart and becoming one of Madonna's biggest-selling singles. ) 2008 ‘M by Madonna' clothes collection, which was designed by Madonna for H&M consist of classic designs and accessories which reflect Madonna’s timeless, unique and always glamorous style. Madonna sliced away at genre straightjackets like a surgeon, opening the doors for the future hip-hop explosion. U. S. Canada, North & South America and European concert tour â€Å"Sticky and Sweet† in promoting her new album – Madonna's adding a new twist to a whole new distribution model the mobile handset Samsung and Sony Ericson. Focus differentiation – strategy seeks to provide high perceived product/service benefits justifying a substantial price, usually to a selected market segment (niche) Madonna’s new album Hard Candy 2008 has rebuild her strategy from ultimate failure to focused differentiation as her new album has an urban vibe, while remaining a dancepop record at heart.Stuart Price, the producer of Confessions on a Dance Floor, described the new album as moving in an urban direction. It had initially been defined as having â€Å"a lot of producers from a lot of genres in there. † The Sun proclaiming that â€Å"it could be her most ambitious project yet†, while The New York Times reviewed the album as â€Å"a set of catchy, easily digestible, mass-appeal songs†. (Wikipedia 2008) Question 2 Why has she experienced sustained success over the past two decades?Answer 2 For stay maintaining in entertainment industry Madonna has use a ways of attempting to sustain advantage through differentiation ; Create difficulties of imitation – Factors that can make strategies difficult to imitate. ? Music genre Madonna always changed her music genre in her new album and her music genre never been the same genre from one album with other album. For example in her ear ly career the music genre her bring is Trashy pop and for current album the genre was urban vibe. Targeted audiences Madonna always set her target audience with her new album release in market and her target audience is different for each album. For example in album Ray of Light her target audience was Clubbing generation of the 1990s and for album Confession on a Dance Floor the target was Strong gay-icon audience. ? Style or Image Madonna style and image always changed with her new album release in market and not many celebrities willing to do the same thing with Madonna because its take a higher cost.For example that we can give here about Madonna style or image is in her album name Music here image was Acid rock, tongue in cheek Miss USA/cow girl and in album Like a Virgin like a Prayer her image is originally a Marilyn glamour image. ? Trademark The trademark of Madonna was her dance, which is her dance for all albums is different from one and other and for all album Madonna ha s set her own dance. For example in album Ray of Light the dance step was a classic dance pop and for album hard candy the dance step is more to hip hop. Sex appeal As what we know Madonna like to show her sex appeal to public and it’s was her attraction to make her fans buy her album or watch her movie. Her sex appeal is hard to imitate by other celebrity because her has her own persona of sex appeal that other artist didn’t has and also Madonna really confident with her sex appearances in public. Create a situation of imperfect mobility – The capabilities that sustain differentiation cannot be traded. Her self Something that cannot being change or imitate by other celebrity is Madonna voice. Even her now already 25 years in entertainment industry but she still can maintain her vocal establish and didn’t has any singer have a similar voice like Madonna, ever her singing style also cannot be imitate by other singer and it never change until now. ? Tradema rk As we know Madonna trademark was her dance, and Madonna dance step is difference from other celebrity because it has an own style and persona while her dance.Madonna and dance is something that we cannot change because Madonna started her career in entertainment industry with dance and until now she still with her interesting in dance. ? Sex appeal Sex and Madonna is one of the thing that we cannot change because Madonna always come out with her sexuality story in media and it’s like something compulsory to Madonna in this entertainment industry. Most of Madonna fans also know her because of her sex appeal story and not because her talent in music.Establish a lower cost position – Competitors can allow an organization to sustain better margins that can be reinvested to achieve and maintain differentiation. ? Album All Madonna album was receive a good feed back from her fans and most of her albums are sold more than what she expected because a price of her album was an affordable and anybody can buy it. Not just that, the quality of her album also appropriate with the price given and make her fans feel satisfied. Tour / Concert In all Madonna tour most of the ticket is sold out and it’s proving to us that Madonna concert get an excellent reception from her fans. Her ticket price also affordable and the place divided also make all her fans can watch her performances in suitable situation. Not just that, Madonna basically has a surprise to her fans in her performance. Question 3 What might threaten the sustainability of her success? Answer 3 There have several factors that can be threatening the sustainability of Madonna successful in entertainment industry and the factor is: ?Her own self Her own self can be the biggest threat for her future career in show business because with her habit like to present the controversy in media will arrive the negative impact for her in long term. After 25 years in music industry she always makes the nega tive controversy and it will make the fans keep bored with the bad story about their idol. If that happen, Madonna career also will goes down and it’s hard for her to wake up again after that. ? Criticism Madonna gets too many criticisms along her career because of the controversy that her always make when her new album need to release in market.Maybe for her it’s just the trick to promote her new song and just a part of her marketing strategy, but for the other parties who give the critic to her will feel that Madonna is wrong icon for them because don’t know how to care her fans sensitivity. ? New artists with new talents Now days too many new talent or star came out in entertainment industry and it will give bad impact to Madonna because most of the new generation likes to watch and give their support to new artists compare than the oldies.Most of the new artist now has a new talent that we can’t see from the previous evergreen generation. So that Mado nna should work harder to make sure her reputation will not go down and can become a diva forever. ? Reality shows The reality show also can be the biggest threat for Madonna in music industry because of too many reality shows playing in television now and the contestant for the program also has a big talent and their idea also new and fresh. When the new talented star will come out from that reality shows, it will give pressure to Madonna to stay in entertainment industry for a long term. Sex appearances Madonna and sex appeal is synonym in entertainment industry because her always like to show her sex appearance to public more compare to promoted her album or films. Most of her story in magazine or from paparazzi is about her sex appeal is too much and have a one time her well known as a sex icon more than a singer or movie star and it’s can become a threats to her because her sex story more than her album or movie story. ? Competitor As we know all celebrity has their own competitor in entertainment industry and it’s goes same to Madonna.For her latest competitor in music industry was a Britney Spears. It is because Britney and Madonna do a come back in music industry almost in the same time and when the time that downfall of Madonna, Britney also face the same situation as Madonna. Not just that, Madonna and Britney also well known as a celebrity who like to do a controversy and always come out with their sex appearance in public. Conclusion Madonna rocketed to stardom so quickly in 1984 that it obscured most of her musical virtues.Appreciating her music became even more difficult as the decade wore on, as discussing her lifestyle became more common than discussing her music. However, one of Madonna's greatest achievements is how she manipulated the media and the public with her music, her videos, her publicity, and her sexuality. Arguably, Madonna was the first female pop star to have complete control of her music and image. Madonna named al so list as a one of People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People of 1991†², and '25 Most Intriguing People of 2001†².It is because Madonna has her own Image, music genre and targeted audiences for each albums that been produced in market. She also was the first global brand name to make content delivered to mobile phones seem downright dope. Not just for consumers in Asia and Europe, who'd long been exposed to any number of mobile content and marketing campaigns, but to mobile newbie’s who just happen to be the ultimate arbiters of pop culture cool: America's teenagers. Madonna has been dubbed â€Å"one of the greatest pop acts of all time† and dubbed â€Å"The Queen of Pop† by some media.She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums. Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over US$400 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Profile of the Roman God Jupiter

Profile of the Roman God Jupiter Jupiter, also known as Jove, is the god of sky and thunder, as well as the king of gods in Ancient Roman Mythology. Jupiter is the top god of the Roman pantheon. Jupiter was considered the chief deity of Roman state religion during the Republican and Imperial eras until Christianity became the dominant religion. Zeus is Jupiter’s equivalent in Greek Mythology. The two share the same features and characteristics. Due to Jupiter’s popularity, the Romans named the largest planet in the solar system after him. Attributes Jupiter is depicted with a beard and long hair. His other attributes include scepter, eagle, cornucopia, aegis, ram, and lion. Jupiter, the Planet The ancient Babylonians were the first known people to record their sightings of the planet Jupiter. The Babylonians’ recordings date back to the seventh century BC. It was initially named after Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. To the Greeks, the planet represented Zeus, their god of thunder, while the Mesopotamians saw Jupiter as their god, Marduk. Zeus Jupiter and Zeus are equivalents in ancient mythology. They  share the same traits and characteristics. The Greek god Zeus was the top Olympian god in the Greek pantheon. After he took credit for rescuing his brothers and sisters from their father Cronus, Zeus became king of heaven and gave his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, the sea and the underworld, respectively, for their domains. Zeus was the husband of Hera, but he had many affairs with other goddesses, mortal women, and female animals. Zeus mated with, among others, Aegina, Alcmena, Calliope, Cassiopeia, Demeter, Dione, Europa, Io, Leda, Leto, Mnemosyne, Niobe, and Semele. He is king on  Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. He is also credited as the father of  Greek heroes  and the ancestor of many other Greeks. Zeus mated with many mortals and goddesses but is married to his sister  Hera (Juno). Zeus is the son of the  Titans Cronus and Rhea. He is the brother of his wife Hera, his other sisters Demeter and Hestia, and his brothers Hades, Poseidon. Etymology of Zeus and Jupiter The root of both Zeus and Jupiter is in a  proto-Indo-European  word for the often personified concepts of day/light/sky. Zeus Abducts Mortals There are many myths  about Zeus. Some involve demanding acceptable conduct of others, whether human or divine. Zeus was enraged with the behavior of  Prometheus. The titan had tricked Zeus into taking the non-meat portion of the original sacrifice so that mankind could enjoy the food. In response, the king of the gods deprived mankind of the use of fire so they wouldnt be able to enjoy the ​book theyd been granted, but Prometheus found a way around this, and stole some of the gods fire by hiding it in a stalk of fennel and then giving it to mankind. Zeus punished Prometheus with having his liver pecked out every day. But Zeus himself misbehaves- at least according to human standards. It is tempting to say that his primary occupation is that of a seducer. In order to seduce, he sometimes changed his shape into that of an animal or bird. When he impregnated Leda, he appeared as a swan [see Leda and the Swan]. When he abducted Ganymede, he appeared as an eagle in order to take Ganymede to the home of the gods where he would replace Hebe as cupbearer; and when Zeus carried off Europa, he appeared as a tempting white bull- although why the Mediterranean women were so enamored of bulls is beyond the imaginative capacities of this urban-dweller- setting in motion the quest of Cadmus and the settling of Thebes. The hunt for Europa provides one mythological version of the introduction of letters to Greece. The Olympic Games were initially held to honor Zeus.

Piaget Toy Project Essays

Piaget Toy Project Essays Piaget Toy Project Paper Piaget Toy Project Paper While in the toy store I watched owe kids were interacting with one another, and how they handled some of the toys. Having, a niece, nephew, and Godson who are infants it was easier to find toys for the seniority stage. Not all toys on the market are labeled for the right age group. There are some toys for two year old that are way too complex for them to understand. Because of the complexities they will not know how to use it which can result to them hurting themselves eventually. This was a very interesting project, I learned a lot about different toys, now knowing about these stages shopping for children in my family will be a lot different. Pigged argued reality involves transformations and states. Transformation is all aspects of change a person can undergo. States is the condition or appearance which things or people can find between transformations. (Ex: Shape- Humans features change as they grow) If intelligence is to be adaptive there must be functions of reality and transformation. Operative: Active part of intelligence, involves all actions, anticipate transformations of objects or people of interest. Figurative: Less active, representation used to retain in mind states that intervene between transformations. Pigged also focused on assimilation, and accommodation. Assimilation is the input/ direct information processing, info contradicts the mental map (schema). Accommodation changes the schema to fit the new information also known as the output. Seniority is the first stage of Piglets developmental theory which begins at birth and lasts until 2 years of age. They are able to discern themselves from the environment, understanding environment still exist outside of their reach. Infants construct knowledge and understanding of the world by experience (vision, and hearing). They interact physically with objects by sucking, grabbing, touching, etc. Since they are able unable to predict reactions they constantly experiment and learn through trial and error. Use of motor activity and reflexes without use of symbols are also learned during this stage. Language development occurs when a child turns 2. Object permanence (7-9 months): demonstrates memory is developing, infants realize objects are there even when its out of sight. Fisher Price Musical Tether Ring price: $15. 96 Product Details Features fun sounds, debatable surfaces, and bright colors Each of 3 buttons individually activate their own sound effect and song A link is included so baby can play with the Keys wherever he or she is All 3 keys are having a debatable surface Handy link for take-along fun This toy is perfect for this sage because it allows the child to touch, grab, and the texture is perfect for an infant while teething. There are many colors and shapes which is educational for a child. Melissa Doug Pound a Peg Wooden Bench price: $9. 9 Product description Pound the eight colorful wooden pegs into the wooden bench then, flip it over to peat the activity again and again! Four pairs of pegs for color matching and (manufacturers review) wooden hammer included . This toy may seem perfect for a 1 or 2 year old, but according to the reviews the pegs are easy to go through the holes. Which means the hammer is pointless because a child can ea sily force the pegs through the holes by hand. The pegs arent soft, so if a child tries to chew or suck on it, chances are they will hurt themselves. The operational stage occurs during toddlers and early childhood (2-7). At this stage a child learns to use language to able objects by words and pictures. Egocentric thinking- a child believes you see and know what they know. They do not see other peoples side of view. Ex: if I have two sided picture and I ask a child what he sees, he will tell me, NOW if I ask him what I see he is going to expect that I am seeing the same picture as him. They have the ability to classify objects by single features such as shapes with shapes, and color with color. Memory and imagination is developed during this stage. Children engage in make believe understand and express relationship between past and future. Mega Blob Barbie FAA Marina price: $44. 99 Product Description Barbie and Ken can Jump on their Jet skis for a fun water adventure or sit back and enjoy the cool water breeze in the summer sun with the Glam Vacation Series FAA Marina from Mega Blobs Barbie. Build Barbies climactic Marina and enjoy the summer out on the water alone or with friends. Barbie and Ken can Jump on their cool Jet skis and zoom out for a fun time on the water, have an awesome party on the floating patio while buying a hot dog or ice cream, or quietly watch luxurious yachts come into port on the lavish observational deck. Features: Available two-story Marina and two Jet skis Many fun and highly detailed accessories such as a barbecue, ice cream freezer, store rack, patio tables, lounge chair, observation deck chairs, glasses, hot dogs, bushes and flowers More sparkling block pieces including Barbie themed building blocks, awnings, and ice cream freezer door Available Barbie and Ken mint-fashion figs Combine with all of the Mega Blobs Barbie sets to build a fabulous world of fashion, friends and fun! LOGOS are perfect for this stage it gives children a chance to use their imagination to build whatever they want. One thing I really like about this toy is the different sections of it, a childs imagination can truly run wild with this Logo set. Hasher Near N-Strike Deploy price: $19. 59 The Near N-Strike Barrel Break Blaster is one of the best blasters around! It has removable ammo rails, holds 8 darts and has double barrel blasting fun! Fire one Whistler dart at a time, or launch both barrels at once! The Near N-Strike Barrel Break IX-2 Blaster includes: 10 whistler darts Ammo rail Instructions This toy is inappropriate for this stage and all stages because its an act of violence. Although a child will be using their imagination it can also affect the way they interact with others. Most kids who have this toy are more likely to get into trouble. When children use their imagination we do not want them to be thinking violently, because as we know most kids will act on it. Concrete operation stage occurs between ages 7-11 . At this age children are able to think logically about objects and events. Increasing their awareness of their surroundings, they also grow out of egocentrics. Conservation: logically determine a certain quantity will remain the name despite adjustments. Melissa Doug Deluxe Play Money Set price: $19. 99 Includes dozens of pretend bills from 1 to 100 Also includes play coins in all US denominations For ages 3 years and up This gives children the ability to think logically and perform operations on objects that mare only imaginative. They will gain the concept of conservation. They will understand if Bobby has 4 $5 bills and Timmy has 2 $20 bills, Timmy has more money than Bobby because of the value. This set can also help with math skills as well.