Independence Day Essay Example for Free

Independence Day Essay â€Å"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.† Honourable Chief Guest, teachers and all my dear friends. This day 15th August of every year is a golden day engraved in the history of the world. We won our freedom on this date and it is a day of celebration. As we celebrate it hoisting the flag, playing our National Anthem with fervor, singing and rejoicing, we need to recall the past to remember and pay homage to the builders of our nation. My dear friends, we are the privileged lot to have been born in a free India. We are able to breathe in a land that is free from the day we were born. If at all we want to know the pangs of agony of being slaves under a foreign rule, we must ask our elders born before 1947. It was indeed a Himalayan task for every Indian in those days to fight against those powerful giants – the British rulers. We must not allow those hard times and struggles fade away from our memory. Hence it is befitting for us to celebrate such a National festivals and recall those heroic deeds of our National heroes. We remember them today. Right from Mahatma Gandhi to the many patriotic leaders to whom we owe our gratitude. As we regard those martyrs who laid their precious lives for our sake, we must not ignore the common people who sacrificed their lot for the good cause. There were farmers, land lords, businessmen, teachers, writers, poets and students who helped the land achieve the long cherished dream of being free from foreign rule. Today we have travelled a long way in the path of free India. We have proved ourselves worthy of freedom. We are considered as the largest democracy in the world. How proud we were when Sushil Kumar won the silver medal in 2012 London Olympics or when The Indian Cricket Team lifted The ICC Champions Trophy? We are proud of it and feel very happy about all these positive aspects. But can we afford to be blind to the black clouds surrounding us? Let us question ourselves have we used our freedom in the right manner? If so, why should there be so many problems facing our motherland that threaten its existence? Be it terrorist attacks or the blight of corruption; these are the dangers that threaten us all. Well what can a mere student do at this juncture? Should we go catch the terrorists? Should we fight against the corrupted politicians? Or should we take over the country by waging another war for  freedom? No, we are not expected to do anything that brings turmoil to our land. We must keep observing things around us. We will have our own day. Before that, let us do our duty of preparing ourselves to be well-educated citizens of tomorrow. Let us do our duty sincerely and study hard to achieve a goal that is to be responsible citizens of India who believe in their country. Today we require youngsters with lot of energy. Illiteracy is our first enemy for a democratic nation. Let us get rid of illiteracy and become informed citizens who take India to a bright future. Jai Hind

Science Education in Primary School Years Essay Example for Free

Science Education in Primary School Years Essay Introduction The importance of science in the education of schoolchildren goes beyond just providing the first steps in producing the next generation of scientist. Since science is becoming a large part of political debates such as in global warming, nutrition and energy (DeBoer, 2000) at least a basic understanding of how science works and what conclusions it can draw needs to be appreciated by the general population. The scientific literacy of a nation is therefore becoming a key element of some very important social and political questions that have to be answered by a population most of whom don’t have a scientific background (Nelson, 1999). The Nutt scandal demonstrates a recent example of the clash between what science informs us and the impact it can have on social and political debates. The Nutt scandal centred around a number of remarks made by David Nutt, the former chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. (Nutt, Governments should get real on drugs, 2009) Nutt published a journal article in 2007 discussing how the current classification of drugs in the United Kingdom was neither consistent nor transparent. He made recommendations to the government to change the classification so it was based on scientific research rather than by social pressures (Nutt, King, Saulsbury, Blakemore, 2007). However the impact of his review on the classification which said ecstasy was â€Å"no more dangerous than horse riding† eventually led to him losing his job (Nutt, Equasy an overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms. , 2009). The lack of appreciation for the scientific research was deemed to be less important as the socio-political climate surrounding the issues of drugs (to send a message to drug-users) (Easton, Ecstasy: Class A drug? , 2008). However, a more scientific rationale may have helped introduce a less emotionally heated-debate about drugs, in turn dissipating more information and educating the wider public by raising greater awareness and openness (Easton, Scientists v Politicians: Round 3, 2009) while at the same time dealing with drug use and possession in a more proportionally manner (BBC News, 2009). It is in these and other debates that an appreciation of science is needed by those who do not have a strong scientific background, but the teaching of science has a greater impact than just in Page 5 of 37 increasing the scientific literacy of a nation. Science is also an important tool in allowing pupils to utilise skills taught in other parts of the curriculum such as in literacy and numeracy (Hammerman Musial, 2007); science provides a way to apply what may otherwise be abstract aspects of mathematics, for example. As it stands, the curriculum in Scotland is based around four main principles and is called the â€Å"Curriculum for Excellence†. These are to produce children who are successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors (Education Scotland, 2011). It would appear that integration of one subject into another to develop these attributes is an important part of the government’s aim to develop good learners and citizens. CfE has been the curriculum for Scotland in two iterations; one that began in 2004 and the other in 2010 (Education Scotland). The reasons for the implementation of CfE included the feeling that teachers were only touching on topics rather than going in-depth as the previous curriculum had a lot of material to teach in it, pupils weren’t as engaged with the content, pupils were spending too much time preparing for exams and they weren’t actually learning new things, and also that some lessons were out of date (MacKinnon, 2009). From the beginning, the curriculum had established the importance of science and in a review from 2006, the CfE defined its aims for science as â€Å"to stimulate, nurture and sustain the curiosity, wonder and questioning of young people† (Curriculum Review Programme Board, 2006). Alongside CfE, there is also a supporting network of science specialists called Glow which allows further embedment of science into the curriculum. Through Glow, there are events in which students can ask questions to these specialists called Glow meets (School Science Summit, 2009). Some of the barriers to gaining the most out of science education include social factors such as class and gender (Oakes, Ormseth, Bell, Camp, 1990). The reason for these having an effect on accessing science is many-fold but includes the perception of science as being male-dominated (Steele, James, Page 6 of 37 Barnett, 2002) as well as factors such as the location of specialist schools, many of which are often in areas that are less deprived (Assessment of Achievement Programme, 2005). Research suggests that there is a difference in response between males and females when in an environment that appears to be oppositely gender biased; while females are more likely to feel vulnerable in these situations, men are less likely to be (Murphy, Steele, Gross, 2007). Many females also state that they are not interested in science (Hill PhD, Corbett, Rose, 2006), this, however, may stem from a variety of other factors including the belief that they won’t be able to succeed in that environment (Eccles, 2007). The majority of well known scientists are still mostly male which may diminish interest from females who may have the impression that there is a ceiling over how far they can take a career in science (Richardson, 2011). The effect of class, as previously mentioned, also plays a large part in the access of science by school children. Pupils in schools in England which teach science as three separate subjects at GCSE in more deprived backgrounds do better at A-levels though there are fewer schools in these areas providing the triple science option as described (National Audit Office, 2010). The reason for this maybe that the teacher training required and other changes needed to modify the curriculum are harder to justify financially for these schools. The impact of this discrepancy may also mean that children from poorer areas won’t have the same chance to succeed and therefore not be able to break out of their class.. Other barriers include factors such as the quality of teachers, both by way of confidence and knowledge (Harlen, 1997) . Teacher confidence has a direct impact on the uptake of science. It appears to be in science that teachers have the least confidence when compared to other parts of the core curriculum (Harlen, 1997). Many teachers have a background in degrees other than science (Holroyd Harlen, 1996). That primary educators do not have specialist knowledge in science means Page 7 of 37 that they struggle to portray the same confidence as they can in numeracy, literacy and art. Female teachers have less confidence in teaching science than their male counterparts and this does not help to relieve any of the pressure on female pupils who will struggle to relate even more to females in science (Harlen, 1997). Studies also suggest that teachers have more confidence in teaching biology than physical sciences and this is probably due to the ability to relate the material to real life; which is easier with biology than other sciences. However, a lack of knowledge and confidence in teaching science can be overcome with greater teaching experience and therefore the teaching of science to those who lack confidence should be able to be taught to primary educators. As with the lack of visibility of female scientists, another component in the difficulties found in promoting science education is the visibility of science as a career. The role models of young people are often in the entertainment industry such as musicians and actors. This may mean that children are therefore more likely to talk about what is going on in a TV show than they are to discuss science and therefore their interests are constrained to just within science lessons (Dindia Canary, 1998). If discussions could be opened up to include science into the everyday life for pupils, then they would probably be better at finding their own interest in science. Primary science is often too general and doesn’t give much way to the discovery of one’s own strengths and interests in science, something the CfE is trying to change. Moreover, practical work is often not employed as a teaching method for reasons that include financing, and health safety (House of Commons Science and technology Committee, 2011). However, practical work is very important in building skills providing a way for pupils to find excitement in science (Wellington, 2007). It also helps to provide a greater classroom dynamic where pupils can talk to each other and their teacher more which is an important in the teaching of science at this level (Atkin, 1998). Groups work furthers this too allowing pupils to discuss the content and be more engaged with it, however, as well as a lack of practical work, science lessons often lack group work focussing more on worksheets as an alternative. Lessons are often taught in a one way direction from teacher to pupil with very little interaction with the Page 8 of 37 content itself (Assessment of Achievement Programme, 2005)This project looked at teaching of science in primary education by visiting a school, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Finnieston, Glasgow as part of the Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme which is itself part STEMNET. Here, it was possible to observe the teaching of science as well as assist in the coordination of science and teach genetics-specific modules to a P7/6 class. . Page 9 of 37 Methods Through working with the science coordinator, the curriculum could be looked at as well as the teaching methods that were used. Discussions with pupils would provide information about their needs in science and what they may be lacking from their current education. It would also be possible to observe the classroom dynamic and consider what ways in which this could be improved to engage pupils more and enable better learning of science. It was anticipated that genetics would be a difficult subject to teach and therefore careful consideration had to be taken to ensure that it would be pitched at the right level for the P7/6 class. Due to the small number of students, many of the year groups were mixed so there was a combination of ages; more able P6 students and P7 students. Their exposure to science was quite limited and the curriculum itself did not appear to provide them with the knowledge and skills that would have allowed the lessons to be pitched at a higher level. Therefore, starting at a molecular level would have been a poor choice as their grasp of molecular ideas would not have been very strong. It was therefore decided to start with broader ideas that they may be more familiar with such as adaptation and habitation which are already part of the curriculum and then move into more molecular details. By going through the history of genetics through some of the key experiments and having the pupils do these experiments or a variation thereof, it was hoped that the scientific skills of hypothesising, testing, collecting data, analysing data and concluding could be built. It was more important to pass on these skills as the knowledge may not be useful to them in their career paths. St. Patrick’s RC Primary School The link to the primary school, St. Patrick’s RC Primary school, was set up as part of the Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme. The aim of this scheme is to encourage and assist in the teaching of science and related subjects in interested institutions using undergraduates as part of their Honours projects. The UAS is run as part of STEMNET which runs a number of other programmes in primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom (STEMNET, STEMNET: Page 10 of 37 Vision and Purpose, 2010). They are also involved in running activities outside of educational institutions such as in museums and in running science festivals. STEMNET has 45 local contract holders to which ambassadors are assigned; the West of Scotland has its local contractor based in the University of Glasgow and is called Science Connects (STEMNET, Local contacts: West of Scotland) which is the local contractor that helped with this Honours Project. Dr Rob Aitken was in charge of allocating places for students interested in the UAS and it was through the School of Education at the University of Glasgow that he was able to find interested schools and set up links. Once a school was found, arrangements were made to establish a footing in the establishment. A meeting was set up with the head teacher of the school, Susan O’Donnell. With her, the science education as well as other aspects of the curriculum was discussed. It was decided that a Friday slot at 0930 would be used to teach a genetics module to the P7/6 class. Wednesday was the only day that science was taught to the pupils and this was done by Tom Fabling so it was decided that assistance could also be provided to him to embellish the science curriculum at the school. On the same day as the meeting with the head teacher, an arose to shadow the P7/6 class opportunity while they were learning literacy. Unfortunately, this was on a Friday so shadowing of science wasn’t possible. A seat was placed on the side of the class to allow for observation of the ability of the pupils as well as to watch the rapport between the class and the teacher. From this session it was also possible to see the lesson structure and the teaching techniques that the teacher felt was most comfortable with the class. Page 11 of 37 The science coordinator, Tom Fabling, had collected data about the students by way of short questionnaires which he provided copies of. He also provided copies of the original questionnaires. As well as teaching science modules on a Wednesday, Fabling was also in charge of the science resources and having a hand in the discussions around the curriculum. Later in the year he would also set up a science club for which he would be able to utilise the materials. Returning the next Wednesday of term allowed both shadowing and assisting in the teaching of science. Through speaking with the pupils their needs in science were better elucidated and this provided a number of things to consider when teaching and assisting teaching in science and allowed for a better observation of the science in action in the school as the teaching of science is very different to that of literacy. From this, the scientific literacy of the pupil’s could be surveyed and enquiries could be made into what they wanted from the science curriculum. Assisting in science teaching would take place every Wednesday and would include both teaching and providing resources from the University to aid in the teaching of science. For example, the first Wednesday looked at static electricity. Science Connects kindly made available a van der Graaf generator as well as a number of other teaching resources such as confetti and balloons. A lesson was then planned around the van der Graaf generator to teach static electricity as well as the molecular ideas behind it. Every Friday, a module of genetics would be taught to the P7/6 class to enable them to understand a discipline of science that they were previously unaware of. The lessons were planned beforehand and would take the journey from classical genetics to molecular genetics with the aim of allowing the pupils to delve deeper and deeper into what a gene is. For example: looking at speciation through Darwin; pea plants and breeding through Mendel; DNA extraction through Miescher; and the DNA model through Crick/Watson. It would conclude with a look at some of the applications of genetics as a career such as in forensics and human genetic diseases. Unfortunately, Page 12 of 37 the project was cut short and so only one module of genetics was taught to the class focussing on Charles Darwin and his voyage with the HMS Beagle. The class was made up of pupils from various backgrounds. A number of children were known to frequently misbehave and disrupt the teaching in the class. The class was made up of ten boys and eleven girls so there wasn’t much of a gender bias in the class. It was expected, however, that friendship groups would be mostly single-sexed (Graham Cohen, 2006) and therefore interactions with groups would have to take this into consideration. Similarly, friendship groups are often mostly single-â€Å"raced† and this would also have to be taken into account. While this may not be good for social dynamic, it does make teaching easier if it is thought that certain teaching methods are better for one group over another. Another distinguishing factor was how well English was understood in the class. However, apart from one pupil, the pupils understood it well. Genetics lesson plan: Charles Darwin and Evolution This lesson began with a quick questionnaire to gauge the knowledge of the pupils. The questions covered various aspects of science and, with the rest of the lesson, were displayed by an overhead projector linked to a computer. The class remained in their usual groups and were provided whiteboards and pens to answer multiple choice questions such as: Which of the following is a famous scientist? A. Isaac Newton B. Dawn French C. Mahatma Ghandi. It was thought that if the pupils didn’t have an individual worksheet then they wouldn’t feel as self conscious about their answers. It was also hoped they wouldn’t feel as much pressure if they didn’t get any right answers as there was no way to know if that was the case. Page 13 of 37 After this, a portrait of Darwin was shown and then the lesson moved into his life, his career, voyage with the HMS Beagle, and his impact on science. To demonstrate how certain features evolved, a spot the difference was done between similar looking animals which were one of either a shark, a bird or a horse but with subtle differences as can be seen in a completed version in Figure 1. The activity was produced to open discussions about these differences that may make some â€Å"species† more adapted to one environment over another, much like with Darwin and his finches. These were drawn by hand, photocopied and edited without using a computer. Figure 1: One pupils completed Darwins spot the difference A map with different habitats was created prior to the lesson. The map had various islands and water features that were described as such: †¢ †¢ †¢ Not much grass Small bushes Some fruit. These were associated with the features of the animals and so allowed them to think about which habitats would encourage the selection of which features. To round off the lesson, a picture of a ten pound note was shown, as in Figure 2, which shows Darwin on the right hand side alongside his work on the left. It was thought that this was a very good way to summarise the lesson and give the pupils something they could tell others about. Page 14 of 37 Figure 2: An English ten pound note [source: http://www. thednastore. com/images/coins/scan0034m. jpg] Questionnaires Unfortunately, the time spent at SPRCP was cut short due to a lack of positive chemistry with the P7/6 teacher and therefore data was collected to gain further insights into the teaching of science at primary level. An email-based questionnaire was sent to fellow undergraduate ambassadors and a Google Docs(r) form was passed to Primary Education students. The questionnaire to other ambassadors (as in Appendix A) looked at their experience with the primary schools they were in. Of particular interest was the rapport between the pupils and teachers especially in terms of interaction and activity. The questionnaire that was sent to the Primary Education students at the University of Glasgow (as in Appendix B) looked at the knowledge and attributes that they could bring to teaching science at primary education as well as their expectations. Analysis of the questionnaire’s included judging the content of responses and categorising them so that responses could be compared. Page 15 of 37 Results Charles Darwin and Evolution lesson At the beginning of the first lesson – to gauge the ability of the pupils – a questionnaire was presented on different aspects of science. Unfortunately the results from this weren’t recorded, however it appeared as though the knowledge of general science was good in the class. Questions on the solar system, and people in science were answered well (see Appendix A for questions) but genetic and more specialised aspects of science were less well understood. Such aspects of science as the definition of evolution and the evidence which supports evolution was poorly answered. Also, the pupils did not know what a gene was, which was not surprising considering the age group. Shadowing and assisting Tom Fabling allowed for a rapport to be built with the pupils and therefore they seemed more interested and engaged with the content. Though the lesson was quite lecture style in some parts, it was intersected with activities which meant that the pupils had to be focused throughout the lesson. During the more lecture style parts of the lesson, the pupils were also able to ask questions. These questions covered a vast amount of topics such as about the process of fossilisation, how â€Å"monkeys† became â€Å"man†. The quality of question were overall quite good and this allowed for pupils to gain greater insight into aspects that they were finding difficulty with. The questioning also showed that they were engaged with the material. The questions would also have allowed for furthering tailoring of future lessons by considering the demands of the pupils. The command â€Å"thumbs up or down† would be used to allow the gauging of how well the pupils understood the material. Looking at a ten pound note at the end of the lesson which has printed on it Darwin alongside his work seemed to summarise the lesson really well. It also provided the pupils with something they could tell others about as they could describe the different aspects of the work and relate it back to the ideas from the lesson. Page 16 of 37 At the end of the lesson, feedback was requested and some of the pupils definitely found it interesting even if they hadn’t fully understood all the content. The teacher said that the activities and content were pitched at the right level but too much material was covered in too little time and that in the future more concise lessons should be done. Science teacher assisting Input in the teaching of general science was greatly appreciated by Tom Fabling as his own knowledge of science is based around his interests rather than from a degree in science and therefore his scientific knowledge can sometimes be limited. Since he sometimes struggled to teach science, his methods for teaching often revolved around more arts techniques. This included activities such as drawing equipment rather than asking questions or having more interaction with the pupils. Wednesday is the science day at the school and as such, Tom Fabling teaches each class a certain aspect of science. The theme for one of these days was Guy Fawkes Night and there was very little mention of science. While there is significance to Guy Fawkes Night in a social and political arena, there is little bearing in science and this topic would be better suited to history or citizenship. During the assisting, it was possible to open the discussion about the Night into science by discussing gunpowder, its composition and how explosions work. Another example of where a citizenship module was used as a science module was with â€Å"Drugwise† which looked at the use of illegal substances. The disadvantage of teaching about drugs in schools is that is heavily based on shock tactics and not about providing information (BBC News, 2002). One of the activities involved pupils drawing what they would think a drug user would look like. Most of the pupils drew someone who looked scruffy, had no teeth or hair, bad skin, etc. ignoring that people from all background could be drug users (Pedersen Skrondal, 1994). The medical side of the education is also only in the negative effects and the cause-and-effect of drugs, something important in science, is inevitably neglected as it shows what drugs can do in a way which is not damaging in the short-term or at all (Kinder, Pape, Walfish, 1980). Page 17 of 37 Looking at some of the questionnaires that Tom Fabling had collected from the pupils, there are many questions that did not appear to be scientific amongst those that were. Questions such as â€Å"What planet do you live on? † are probably too easy and questions such as â€Å"Isaac Newton dropped an apple and discovered g______† are based on an apocryphal story. Such questions were probably there to make pupils feel more comfortable as it would be more difficult to get no marks at all but the overall calibre of the questions were not particularly well picked. However, without a good appreciation of the requirements of the curriculum it is hard to make a definite conclusion. Apart from the older classes, P5/4 and P7/6, there is very little that distinguishes individual students by way of achievement on the test as can be seen in Figure 3. In the older classes it can quite clearly be seen that there are some students who were a lot more challenged by the questions than others. If the individual topics where pupils were struggling with were recorded then it would help in identifying weak points that could be later worked on. 2/10 4% 5/8 19% 10/10 41% 6/8 23% 7/8 27% 9/10 18% 8/8 31% 6/10 23% 7/10 9% 8/10 5% P3/2 class P4/3 class 15/15 21% 6/15 13% 8/15 4% 9/15 4% 10/15 9% 11/15 4% 12/15 8% 14/19 5% 16/19 5% 3/19 5% 4/19 9% 5/19 5% 6/19 5% 7/19 5% 8/19 5% 13/19 14% 12/19 10% 14/15 8% 13/15 29% 9/19 11/19 14% 10/19 9% 9% P5/4 class P7/6 class Page 18 of 37 Figure 3: Graphs showing the results of science tests from different-aged classes The segments of the pie charts show the percentage of students that got a specific mark. The labels have two numbers; the upper being the mark and the lower being the percentage of pupils with that mark. Looking at the science topics, there are also points which suggest that the teaching of science As previously mentioned, some of the topics such as â€Å"drugwise† would be better placed in other parts of the curriculum. Also some of topics for younger students such as toys, clothes, etc. that are also not strictly scientific. Table 1: Science topics at SPRCPS Primary 1 †¢ Starting school Aug-Oct Primary 2 †¢ Ourselves – Our bodies Primary 3/2 †¢ Dental health Primary 5/4 †¢ Healthy eating Primary 6/5 †¢ Healthy living Primary 7/6 †¢ Substance abuse (Drugwise 2) Oct-Dec †¢ Light and darkness †¢ Fruit and vegetables †¢ Wheels †¢ Materials †¢ Clothes †¢ Buildings †¢ Trees – Autumn †¢ Toys – Technology †¢ Changes in autumn †¢ The seasons †¢ Electricity †¢ Electricity †¢ The Solar system †¢ Research †¢ Weather †¢ Magnetism †¢ Under the sea †¢ Under the sea Jan-Mar †¢ Friction †¢ Air travel †¢ Research †¢ Birds and minibeasts Apr-Jun †¢ The seashore †¢ Mini-beasts and plants †¢ Robotots – technology †¢ Toys †¢ Robotots – technology †¢ Toys †¢ New life on the farm The lesson on static electricity that was part of the general science assisting was mostly a success. The children were very engaged with the lesson that was taught. However, the van der Graaf generator did fail for a period of time which was unfortunate but other activities were also available such as picking up confetti with a balloon that had been charged up by rubbing against the pupils’ hair. Due to a misunderstanding it was not known how much time would be spent on teaching this topic; a short demonstration of the van der Graaf generator turned out to be a whole lesson on static electricity. Tom Fabling highly praised the lesson and commented that he had learnt Page 19 of 37 from it too. Other members of staff were also provided an opportunity to view the demonstration and were as enthusiastic as the pupils. Questionnaires UAS questionnaire The general consensus from other students who were on the UAS was that they and the schools they worked with had a very positive experience. The questionnaire was completed by five UAS students. Most of the students (4/5) shadowed the teacher before starting their own teaching. This would have given them the chance to evaluate the confidence, knowledge and lesson styles, etc. of the teacher. As can be seen from Figure 4, more of the teacher’s were confident than weren’t. The reason for this was either down to the science background of one of the teacher’s (they had a degree in science engineering) or down to a large amount of teaching experiencing (one had taught for 25 years). The teacher with the degree in science engineering was quite apt when it came to science knowledge, as was one other teacher; two teachers were judged not have a very good knowledge of science. The teaching techniques for most of the classes didn’t vary greatly with most teachers opting to use paper-based (e. g. worksheets, books, etc. ) and computer-based (e. g. looking up articles/videos on the internet) activities over practical activities. This also shaped the lesson structures which was described in one school as being â€Å"very lecture style†. The lack of practical work – which would have been hands-on and exciting for pupils – also meant that there wasn’t much group work involved. Another disadvantage of this is that group work encourages pupils to help other pupils and allows them to appreciate each other’s ability in a subject area opening discussion between pupils rather than limiting it to between the teacher and pupils. It can often be daunting to ask questions in front of classmates and therefore it is often good to develop the chemistry of groups to encourage information flow between pupils. Page 20 of 37 Since most of the science lessons were not taught in a practical manner, it is not surprising that the science resources of thes schools need not contain more than books though one school these books, did have a dedicated â€Å"science cupboard†. There were a lot of resources at SPRCPS but they were poorly organised and therefore difficult to locate equipment. Figure 4: UAS students’ perception of the normal teachers qualities This figure summarises the responses to the questionnaire about how the students who shadowed the usual teacher felt about their certain characteristics and the availability of resources. Confiden and science Confidence knowledge were measured mostly by responses that had a â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† answer. Teaching techniques were judge by variety therefore mostly paper paper-based lessons would be considered negative. Lesson structures were also . judged by variety and science resources by availability. ce As well as bringing subject expertise, and ease with teaching the subject that they were (Murphy, Beggs, Carlisle, Greenwood, 2004) another advantage of having a student from UAS was 2004), that some financial support was provided towards the cost of teaching resources. This meant that inancial pupils who may have been less familiar with practical activities were given that opportunity and this would have effected not only the structure of lessons, making it easier to focus, but also the easier enthusiasm of the pupils towards science. One of the important things to note is the difference in having a younger person or a student teach pupils. Pupils may relate more with students than teachers as they are both young and in education (Goebel Cashen, 1979) and therefore will be happier to ask question Students also questions. don’t possess the same authority as teachers and therefore the divide between themselves and students is not as vast. Additional the generation gap is also not as wide, thereby creating the Additionally, , potential for a rapport to be built faster or more strongly. Figure 5 summarises how the pupils responded to the UAS teacher. Page 21 of 37 Figure 5 How the pupils at each of the UAS student’ schools responded to their presence As in Figure 4, the responses were judged to be either positive or negative. For the â€Å"using different teaching techniques†, negatively indicates that either it was unknown as to how the normal teacher teac teaches or that different techniques were not used. Also having teachers that have backgrounds in the fields they are teaching would make the interaction easier too. Not only can questions be aimed at the UAS students but, due to the background in more general science , questions in bro

Trade Kings A Zambia Consumer Company Marketing Essay

Trade Kings A Zambia Consumer Company Marketing Essay For a firm in its initial internationalisation, it will have to use indirect export strategies where it uses intermediary organisations that have the necessary experience in handling export sales on behalf of experienced or low level exporting organisations. As the firms export grows and the firm acquires knowledge in the export market including the preparations of the export documents, it may now opt to use the direct export strategy with less use of intermediaries Most companies would prefer to remain domestic if their domestic market were large enough. Managers would not need to learn other languages and laws, deal with volatile currencies, face political and legal uncertainties or redesign their products to suit different customer needs and expectations. A higher degree of involvement in the domestic market and the company may need a larger customer base to achieve economies of sale. As Trade Kings expanded in Zambia, its marketing pesonnel was able to collect information on the potential opportunities in Malawi. It was actually observed that travelers going to Malawi had introduced the brand maheu there and was a popular brand. This information provided the basis for conducting formal market research which revealed that the brand would successfully sale in Malawi. The company eventually entered the Malawian Market in 2001 through an indirect export strategy. LEARNING CURVE REQUIREMENTS Firms which intend a heavy future involvement might need to learn from the experience that close involvement in an overseas market can bring, some companies may not have any major resources and experience in international trade. Trade Kings did not have any experience in international marketing as it was initially only selling its brands in Zambia. RISKS Some risks such as political risks or the risk of the expropriation of overseas assets by foreign government encourages firms entering into overseas markets to persue an indirect exports strategy as it is safer. On the other hand, the risk of losing touch with customers and their requirements would encourage a direct export strategy. There is political stability in Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa and this provided opportunities for Trade Kings to enter these foreign markets. The lack of experience in export marketing meant that Trade Kings would have to use already experienced exporters, although it would not be in touch with the customers in these countries. CONTROL NEEDS Control over the export operations, particularly over the marketing mix and the distribution channel varies between indirect and direct exporting strategies. Indirect export strategy offers virtually no control to the exporters. Trade Kings had no control over indirect exporters. These were willing to sale on behalf of Trade Kings. However, Trade Kings later opted to use direct export strategy which allowed for greater control over its export operations in Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. HOW MANY MARKETS TO ENTER The company must decide how many foreign markets to enter and how fast to expand. The risk is the substantial resources needed and the difficulty of planning export strategies into many diverse markets. (Kotler 2004, Page 640). EVALUATING POTENTIAL MARKETS It is important to evaluate the potential of several foreign markets. Many companies prefer to sell to neighbouring countries because they understand these countries better and can control their costs effectively. Most Zambians are familiar with Malawi due to historical and political factors. Trade Kings would not find it difficult to enter the Malawian Market. DECIDING HOW TO ENTER THE MARKET Once a company decides to target a particular country, it must determine the best mode of entry. Its broad choices regarding export strategies include an indirect export strategy and a direct import strategy. A firm internationalizing for the first time has no experience in export documentation, lack local knowledge in the foreign market and valuable distribution contacts. Trade Kings had to depend on the experienced exporters. In this case it would have to use indirect export strategy. EXPORTING STRATEGIES Exporting is the easiest, cheapest, and most commonly used route in to a new foreign market. Many firms become exporters in an unplanned haphazard and reactive way, simply by accepting orders from the potential customers who happen to be based overseas. However it was common for a firm to take a proactive approach to exporting by the systematic planning and the identification and the selection of target markets for its exports. This gives rise to several advantages over those entry methods which require greater involvement in the overseas market. 3.1 ADVANTAGES TO THE EXPORTER 3.1.1 The principal benefit is that the exporters are able to concentrate production in a single location, in order to achieve economies of scale and consistency of product quality. Trade Kings would produce the Maheu brand and distribute it to its foreign markets in Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. The demand as at now does not require the setting up of a plant in these countries. However Trade Kings is considering a plant in Malawi that will produce a range of consumer products similar to the ones produced in Zambia. 3.1.2 Firms lacking the know-how and experience can try internationalization on a small scale. Trade kings had started exporting maheu brand on a small scale until the brand gained popularity in 2002. The demand for the brand had increased in Malawi. 3.1.3 Exporting enables firms to develop and test their plans and strategies. Trade Kings had to attain the learning curve effect and eventually was able to persue a more expansionary export sales to Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa by persuing direct export strategy. 3.1.4 Exporting enables firms to minimize their operating costs, administrative overheads and personnel requirements. 3.2 INDIRECT EXPORT STRATEGY 3.2.1 EXPORT HOUSES Export house are firms which facilitate exporting on behalf of the producer. There are three main types of export houses: EXPORT MERCHANTS These act as export principals, they buy goods from a producer and sell them abroad. Trade Kings was able to sell its maheu brand to export merchants in Lusaka who where exporting a range of consumer products in Malawi. ADVANTAGES OF EXPORT HOUSES The producer gains the benefits of the export houses market knowledge and contacts. Trade kings was able to use a major export house ABC international export that was able to buy a range of consumer products from various suppliers in Zambia and transport them to malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. As business continued with ABC company, Trade Kings acquired knowledge that was helpful in setting its own export market department. Except in the case of export agents the producer is relieved of the need to do the following: Finance the export transaction Suffer the credit risk Prepare export documentation Trade Kings was not able to incur any promotional and distribution expenses. This was borne by ABC Company. All export documentation was done by the exporter. In some cases export merchants receive preferential treatment from foreign institutional and organisational customers. ABC International Exporters is a large company that has been in the export marketing of consumer products to Malawi including supplying goods to government institutions and organizations. It has developed strong relationships with valuable contacts in the country that it exports to. DISADVANTAGES OF EXPORT HOUSES Ultimately, it is not the producer but the marchants decision to market a product and so a producer is at the Merchants mercy. At this time the merchant was buying less Trade Kings brand in preference to their company brands. Any goodwill created in the market usually benefits the Merchant and not the producer. As with all intermediaries, an export house or Merchants might service a variety of producing organization. An individual producer cannot rely on the Merchants exclusive loyalty. Trade kings brands has created strong loyalty in Malawi, However ABC Company was not effectively marketing the brand. It was also over -pricing the brand leading to lower sales. The exporter also was also increasing stock of Trade Kings Competitor. This lead to the creation of Trade Kings export marketing department. Export houses are not normally willing to enter into long term arrangements with a producer. Trade King had entered with a 2 (two) year contract with ABC International Exporters as they did not want a 5 (five) year contract initially.However as demand for the brand increased in Malawi, the exporter wanted a long term contract. Trade Kings entered in to contract with a specialist export management firm, International Distributors Limited, a specialist export Consultancy and logistics firm. DISADVANTAGES OF SPECIALIST EXPORT MANAGEMENT The drawbacks of using the specialist export managers include:- As the export manager is an independent organisation, it can leave the producers service and the producer will have gained as inhouse expertise. The contract was not renewed because the international distributor firm lacked the resources to fully exploit the foreign markets. As the producer does not learn from experience of exporting, this may adversely affect future options by restricting those available. The Trade Kings did not benefit any export knowledge from the distributors as all export management functions were done by the firm. The specialist export manager may not have sufficient knowledge of all the producers in the market. International distributors proved to lack adequate knowledge in the foreign markets in which Trade Kings could increase its sales. 3. COMPLIMENTARY EXPORTING Complementry exporting or piggy back exporting occurred when one producing organisation refered to as the carrier uses its own established international marketing channels to market the products of another producer referred to as the rider as well as its own. ADVANTAGES OF COMPLIMENTARY EXPORTING There are advantages to both the carrier and the rider as follows: The carrier earns increased profit from a better use of distribution capacity and can sell a more attractive product range. The rider obtains entry to a market at low cost and low risk. Trade Kings did not use this mode of indirect export strategy. 4. TURNKEY CONTRACTS Turnkey contracts may also provide opportunities for complementary exporting. A single firm engaged in a particular project overseas such as construction, petroleum refining, pharmaceutical and civil engineering projects will often acquire products and services from other firms in the home country for the project. (Hill 2005, page 485) Trade kings did not use much of indirect export strategy. DIRECT EXPORT STRATEGY Direct export strategy occurs where the producing organisation itself performs the export tasks rather than using an intermediary. Sales are made directly to customers overseas who may be wholesalers, retailers or final users. Sales may increasingly be made via e- commerce on the internet. As the volume of sales increased and a forcast of demand showed that Trade Kings brand were steadily growing including detergents, candles, match ticks. Sweets , snacks and bathing soaps. Marketing in this environment is similar to the marketing in the domestic market, although there are the added problems of distance product regulations language and culture.(Hill, 2005 Page 488) OVERSEAS AGENCIES Overseas export agent is an overseas firm hired to effect a sales contract between the principal (i.e the exporter) and a customer. Agents do not take title of goods, they earn a commission. Trade Kings entered into a contract with Malawi export agent, Malawi export Limited. THE ADVANTAGES OF OVERSEAS AGENTS An exporter may use overseas agents due to the following reasons:- They have extensive knowledge and experience of overseas market and the customers. Malawi Export Limited, an indeginous local firm, large importer was able to increase the sale of trade Kings products. Their existing product range is usually complementary to the exporters. This may help the exporter penetrate the overseas market. Unlike ABC international exporters who were able to stock Trade Kings Competitors brands. The exporter does have to make a large investment outlay. Trade Kings did not have to spend resources in building a depot and managing it. This was all done by the Malawi Export Limited. The political risk is low Malawi export Limited is an indigenous Malawian firm and has vast local knowledge and local contraact. It is able to withstand any political challenges in Malawi. DISADVANTAGES OF USING OVERSEAS AGENTS The disadvantages of using overseas agents and these are: An intermediarys commitment and motivation may be weaker than the producers. The Malawi export Limited was still able to market others brand by different suppliers and was based towards brands whose turnover was very high compared to Trade Kings brands. Agents usually want steady turnover using an agent may not be the most appropriate way of selling low volume, high value goods with unsteady patterns of demand, or where sales are infrequent. Trade Kings brand were of average turnover and Malawi Export Limited failing to meet the expectations of Trade Kings. This led to the formation of a Trade Kings branch office in Malawi. This would also deal with Mozambique and South Africa. Many agents are too small to exploit a major market to its full extent. Many service only limited geographic segments. As a market grow large it becomes less efficient to use as an agent. A branch office or subsidiary company will achieve economics of scale. The demand for the Trade king brands kept on growing since 2004 and management had to commit its resources in developing an overseas branch office in Malawi. A careful analysis was done by Trade Kings prior to the selection of the Malawi Export Limited Company to act as an overseas agent for the Malawian market. COMPANY BRANCH OFFICES ABROAD A firm can establish its own office in a foreign market for the purpose of marketing and distributing its product. ADVANTAGES OF A COMPANY BRANCH OFFICE The advantage of Companys branch office in setting its own distribution office, a firm may have the following advantages: When sales have reached a certain level branch offices become more effective than agencies. A Trade King Branch was finally opened in the capital city, Lilongwe in Malawi on 1st June, 2005 with most staff being Malawians. Sales performance will improve as the commitment and motivation of a producers own staff should be more effective than those of an agent. Trade Kings Staff were committed to ensure that they attained the sales targets. The level of motivation was high leading to surpassed sales targets in 2006, this lead to the expansion of the branch to also effectively manage sales in Mozambique. The producer retains complete marketing control. Trade Kings had now a strong presence in Malawi and in Mozambique.The branch was now able to pursue aggressive marketing of Trade Kings brands through advertising campaigns, sales promotions campaigns and participation in trade exhibitions in Malawi and Mozambique. DISADVANTAGE OF COMPANY BRANCH OFFICES ABROAD Trade Kings experienced the following drawbacks when it set- up firm setting an overseas Company branch in Malawi Higher investment overhead and running costs are entailed. There can be a political risk particulaly expropriation of assets. The firm will be subject to local staff legislation which it may not welcome. CONCLUSION Mode of entry has implications for the distribution channel. Although in domestic markets firms often give some control over distribution to intermediaries this problem is magnified in international terms. Trade Kings later experienced distribution problems through its indirect export strategy in Malawi. The distributors had earlier on provided Trade Kings with higher sales. However it started to over stock a range of products from various competing firms. This led to a decline in Trade Kings maheu brand despite the product having established brand loyalty on the Malawian market. It can be observed that, for many overseas operations means they are forced into the aims of intermediaries even though this may not be the ideal means of the satisfying the needs of the end consumers. Trade kings enventually had to opt for investing directly in the Malawian market through a direct export strategy.

Sympathy, by Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Reflection of the African America

Sympathy, by Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Reflection of the African American's Struggle for Freedom I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bud sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals-- I know what the caged bird feels! "Sympathy" was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar in 1899, right at the end of the Nineteenth Century. It is a poem about the caged bird who wants to be free and tries, tries and tries again to break out of its cage. Each time, it is unable to break free and instead only injures itself, adding to injuries left over from past escapes. Dunbar depicts the bird's desperate and unsuccessful struggle for freedom and images of nature, that beckon outside. The first paragraph touches on the situation that black people faced at the turn of the century. Black people ahd recently been freed as slaves, but there was still no racial equality. The Supreme Court had recently upheld Plessy vs. Ferguson, which allowed "separate but equal." In reality, it gave the government and business license to discriminate against black people. In the 1890's, most blacks were reduced to holding poorly paid jobs, or being servants in people's homes. They were barred from most educational and economic opportunities enjoyed by whites. Dunbar uses the analogy of the caged bird and nature outside to the situation that black people faced in the 1890's. Blacks had been emancipated in 1863, but they did not achieve equality with white people for another century. Black people did not have the same opportunities as whites... ...e caged bird sings a pretty tune, not because it is happy with its situation, or out of a desire to please its owner, but to alert other birds to its plight and also to try to keep depression from overcoming it. Its only lifeline was its singing. During slavery, black people often sung, not because they loved being slaves, but because they were singing escape codes to other slaves and to hang on mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, that they would one day be set free. Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote this poem to illustrate the station in life for so many African Americans. It is clear that African Americans were "caged" in society at the turn of the century and wanted desperately to be seen as equal to whites. However, at the time this poem was written, black people had little hope of achieving that goal. That was a hypocrisy in the "Land of the Free."

Ted Bundy Essays -- essays research papers

Murder is the most vindictive crime society can commit. As individuals in society, the belief of being born a murderer is false. No one is born a murderer; society gives birth to that murderer. In Ted Bundy's case the lack of parental guidance and constant rejection of women contributed to him evolving into a vicious serial killer. Bundy was a man who let his fantasies run his life, he believed that life was a game. All this contributed to making Bundy revengeful, bitter, and not quite mentally stable. Bundy took countless numbers of young female lives in the 70's. This man seemed to have a highly unstable personality and was often confused in life, some have suggested that, "Bundy was insane and that he should have been in a mental institution." Bundy was executed in 1989 in Florida for his crimes, but the real question is what really made this vicious man tick? Ted Bundy went down in history as one of the most brutal serial killers of the 20th century (AP 10). Ted Bundy was born on November 24, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont in a home for unwed mothers. His 22-year-old mother Eleanor Louise Cowell felt forced by the norms of society to have her parents raise Ted as their own and she portrayed herself to be her son's older sister. As for Ted's natural father Lloyd Marshall, who was an Air Force veteran was unknown to him throughout his life. When Ted turned four, his mother, Louise took him with her and moved to Tacoma, Washington where she married Johnnie Bundy. Ted Bundy felt nothing towards his stepfather, he was very bitter that he was forced to move across the continent from his grandfather, the only man he looked up to. Although, a psychiatrist had concluded after talking with Bundy year's later, that his grandfather was an abusive brute or even worse. As a young boy, Bundy had started becoming obsessed with females and obscure sexuality, "..as a boy, he was already roaming his neighborhood and picking through trash barrels in searc h of pictures of naked women" (Davis.) This seems to be the result of very poor to no parental guidance, he stated himself that he couldn't talk to his parents about many things. Ted Bundy had expressed feelings during an interview that, parental involvement and security is very important in a young child's life and that he never had that protection. Bundy was very shy as a youth and he was often bullied... ...y to travel in the mind of a killer. AOFP. "Ted Bundy: Pathological Profile" www.datagraph.com/bundy.profile.html October 1996 A.P. "Dentist, Using Photos, links Bundy to Bites on Victim in Slaying" The New York Times 19 July 1979. A10 Davis, Barbara. "Ex-deputy tries to cash in Bundy's car" The Seattle Times www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/alttedd_071697.html Duijndam, Rachael. "investigation " www.crimelibrary.com/bundy/investigation.html November 1998. Duijndam, Rachael. "A Time of Terror " www.crimelibrary.com/bundy/terror.html November 1998. Duijndam, Rachael. "The Time of Change" www.crimelibrary.com/bundy/change.html November1998 Larsen, Richard W. Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger (New York, Pocket Books) 1986 Mello, Michael. "Crazy Joe, Ted Bundy and Us" The Miami Herald 18 May 1997 B10 Michaud, Stephen G. and Aynesworth, Hugh. Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer (Toronto, Penguin Group) 1989 Reinhold, Robert. "Student says Bundy fled Murder Scene in Florida" The New York Times 17 July 1979, B15 Rule, Ann. The Stranger Beside Me (Toronto, Penguin Group) 1989

lucid dreaming :: essays research papers

Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as flying or meeting the deceased. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM (dreaming) sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness. The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming. However, the quality of lucidity can vary greatly. When lucidity is at a high level, you are aware that everything experienced in the dream is occurring in your mind, that there is no real danger, and that you are asleep in bed and will awaken shortly. With low-level lucidity you may be aware to a certain extent that you are dreaming, perhaps enough to fly or alter what you are doing, but not enough to realize that the people are dream representations, or that you can suffer no physical damage, or that you are actually in bed. 1.2 IS LUCID DREAMING THE SAME AS DREAM CONTROL? Lucidity is not synonymous with dream control. It is possible to be lucid and have little control over dream content, and conversely, to have a great deal of control without being explicitly aware that you are dreaming. However, becoming lucid in a dream is likely to increase the extent to which you can deliberately influence the course of events. Once lucid, dreamers usually choose to do something permitted only by the extraordinary freedom of the dream state, such as flying. You always have the choice of how much control you want to exert. For example, you could continue with whatever you were doing when you became lucid, with the added knowledge that you are dreaming. Or you could try to change everything--the dream scene, yourself, other dream characters.

Bcg Matix

Placing products in the BCG matrix results in 4 categories in a portfolio of a company: BCG STARS (high growth, high market share) – Stars are defined by having high market share in a growing market. – Stars are the leaders in the business but still need a lot of support for promotion a placement. – If market share is kept, Stars are likely to grow into cash cows. BCG QUESTION MARKS (high growth, low market share) – These products are in growing markets but have low market share. – Question marks are essentially new products where buyers have yet to discover them. – The marketing strategy is to get markets to adopt these products. Question marks have high demands and low returns due to low market share. – These products need to increase their market share quickly or they become dogs. – The best way to handle Question marks is to either invest heavily in them to gain market share or to sell them.BCG CASH COWS (low growth, high ma rket share) – Cash cows are in a position of high market share in a mature market. – If competitive advantage has been achieved, cash cows have high profit margins and generate a lot of cash flow. – Because of the low growth, promotion and placement investments are low. Investments into supporting infrastructure can improve efficiency and increase cash flow more. – Cash cows are the products that businesses strive for. BCG DOGS (low growth, low market share) – Dogs are in low growth markets and have low market share. – Dogs should be avoided and minimized. – Expensive turn-around plans usually do not help. And now, let's put all this into a picture: Main Steps of BCG Matrix * Identifying and dividing a company into SBU. * Assessing and comparing the prospects of each SBU according to two criteria : 1. SBU’S relative market share. 2. Growth rate OF SBU’S industry. Classifying the SBU’S on the basis of BCG matrix.* Developing strategic objectives for each SBU. Benefits * BCG MATRIX is simple and easy to understand. * It helps you to quickly and simply screen the opportunities open to you, and helps you think about how you can make the most of them. * It is used to identify how corporate cash resources can best be used to maximize a company’s future growth and profitable too Limitations * BCG MATRIX uses only two dimensions, Relative market share and market growth rate. * Problems of getting data on market share and market growth. High market share does not mean profits all the time. * Business with low market share can be profitable too BCG analysis Unilever MISSION STATEMENT * Unilever's mission is to add Vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition; hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. From sumptuous soups to sensuous soaps, our products all have one thing in common. They help you get more out of life. Brands C ooking & eating Let our culinary experts bring pleasure to your palate. Healthy living Let us make the healthy choice your easy choice. Beauty & styleWe want to help you feel good about yourself. Around the house Hints to make your household chores that little more manageable. BCG Analysis Chart for Unilever Portfolio Cash Cows Stars Products Question Marks Dog Products Decisions after Analyses BCG * Build Market Share: Make further investments (for example, to maintain Star status, or turn a Question Mark into a Star) * Hold: Maintain the status quo (do nothing) * Reduce the investment (enjoy positive cash flow and maximize profits from a Star or Cash Cow) * Get rid of the Dogs, and use the capital to invest in Stars and some Question Marks.