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4 Opening a Speech: Get Their Attention from the Start!
Get the audience’s attention, or the rest of your speech is a waste. I mean it! Most people spend the majority of their speech preparation time working on the body of their speech and then they tack on an opening and a closing last minute.
The opening and closing deserve the most attention. Why? If you don’t get the audience’s attention and get them to pay attention to you instead of… the thoughts in their heads, their grocery lists, their neighbors, their social media…then all the rest of your brilliant content is wasted because they will never hear it. Lisa Marshall of Toastmasters International stresses the opening words are so important that “I spend 10 times more time developing and practicing the opener than any other part of the speech.”
Look at the description of Person A and Person B and tell me which person you like more.
envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, and intelligent
intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious
If you are like most people, you have a preference for Person B. This illustrates a study by Solomon Ashe. He had subjects rate these two people using a string of descriptive words. Now look back at the descriptions. Look closely and you will notice they are the same words in a different order. Most people put the most emphasis on the first three words in determining how they will create the person. Like Asche’s subjects, your audience will be evaluating those first three words. Let’s bring it back around to speechmaking. The first sentence out of your mouth is crucial and the first three words are especially important.
I am sure you are not surprised to know that people form opinions quickly. To prove this, researchers showed subjects either a 20-minute clip of a job applicant or a 20-30 second clip of a job applicant. They were asked to rate the person on likeability and self-assurance. People were able to form an opinion in under thirty seconds. Not only that but they were able to form the same opinions from a 30-second clip as a 20-minute exposure.
The Battle for Attention
Remember that every piece of content in our modern era is part of an attention war. It’s fighting against thousands of other claims on people’s time and energy. This is true even when you’re standing on a stage in front of a seated audience. They have deadly distracters in their pockets called smartphones, which they can use to summon to their eyes a thousand outside alternatives. Once emails and texts make their claim, your talk may be doomed. And then there’s that lurking demon of modern life, fatigue. All these are lethal enemies. You never want to provide someone with an excuse to zone out. You have to be a savvy general directing this war’s outcome. Starting strong is one of your most important weapons. Chris Anderson, TED Talks, The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking.
“People don’t pay attention to boring things,” according to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, “You’ve got 30 seconds before they start asking the question, ‘Am I going to pay attention to you or not?'”It is important to get your audience’s attention right away. In this chapter, I will share with you several ways to win the war for attention and to start your speech right. I will show you the basic opening and closing structure of speeches and give you many examples of what that looks like. A speech, like an airplane, needs a good take-off and a good landing. Now it’s time to prepare to have a strong take-off and learn everything that goes into a speech introduction. This chapter is full of examples from a variety of talks. I included quotes from those introductions, but I also included links to each of those talks hoping you will be interested enough to want to listen.
Ways to Start a Speech
Chris Anderson likens this to battle. “First there is the 10-second war: can you do something in your first moments on stage to ensure people’s eager attention while you set up your talk topic? Second is the 1-minute war: can you then use that first minute to ensure that they’re committed to coming on the full talk journey with you?”
When thinking about your speech, spend a lot of time thinking about how to win the battle for their attention. Your introduction should make your audience want to put down their phones and listen. Your introduction should be so compelling they stop their wandering minds and turn their thoughts to you and you alone. Your introduction should start with three strong words where they form a strong opinion of you and your speech. Let me share how to accomplish this.
Capturing the audience through the story is one of the most powerful ways to start a speech. A story engages the brain in powerful ways and causes the audience’s brains to sync with the speakers. A well-told story will allow the audience to “see” things in their mind’s eye and to join the speaker’s emotions.
Watch this clip by Ric Elias for how he begins his speech with a powerful story. Particularly notice his first four words, “Imagine a big explosion.”
When I was nine years old I went off to summer camp for the first time. And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. Because in my family, reading was the primary group activity. And this might sound antisocial to you, but for us, it was really just a different way of being social. You have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you, but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland inside your own mind. And I had this idea that camp was going to be just like this, but better. Susan Cain. The Power of Introverts.
Eleven years ago, while giving birth to my first child, I hemorrhaged and was transfused with seven pints of blood. Four years later, I found out that I had been infected with the AIDS virus and had unknowingly passed it to my daughter, Ariel, through my breast milk, and my son, Jake, in utero. Elizabeth Glaser, Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention.
Good stories immediately set the stage and introduce you to the place and to the people. Doing this helps your brain can form a structure where the story takes place. It helps you see the story unfold in your mind. If you need help starting a story, Vanessa Van Edwards suggests these prompts:
Once upon a time.
I’m here for a reason, and it’s an interesting story.
Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood. – Mary Hirsch
When Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane spoke at Harvard Commencement in the rain, he started with “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” People laughed, people smiled, and the speech was off to a strong start. Humor works because it gives the audience a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine. That is … if you are funny. If you decide to use humor, make sure you are funny. Test your humor on honest friends. In addition, the humor you use should fit your personality and your audience. Be warned, some groups would find humor inappropriate, do your research.
Watch this clip for how Tshering Tobgay begins his speech with humor.
I didn’t rebel as a teenager. I started late and was still going at it the summer I turned thirty. I just became an American citizen, I divorced my husband, I got a big tattoo of a bat on my arm, and I joined a New York City punk band. Danusia Trevino, Guilty
I need to make a confession at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret, something that I’m not particularly proud of.Something that, in many ways, I wish no one would ever know, but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal. In the late 1980s, in a moment of youthful indiscretion, I went to law school. Dan Pink, The Puzzle of Motivation.
Oh boy, thank you so much, thank you so much.Thank you, President Cowan, Mrs. President Cowen; distinguished guests, undistinguished guests, you know who you are, honored faculty and creepy Spanish teacher.And thank you to all the graduating Class of 2009, I realize most of you are hungover and have splitting headaches and haven’t slept since Fat Tuesday, but you can’t graduate ’til I finish, so listen up. When I was asked to make the commencement speech, I immediately said yes.Then I went to look up what commencement meant which would have been easy if I had a dictionary, but most of the books in our house are Portia’s, and they’re all written in Australian.So I had to break the word down myself, to find out the meaning. Commencement: common, and cement, common cement.You commonly see cement on sidewalks.Sidewalks have cracks, and if you step on a crack, you break your mother’s back.So there’s that.But I’m honored that you’ve asked me here to speak at your common cement Ellen DeGenres, Commencement Speech at Tulane.
Well, thank you. Thank you Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan, Norm, distinguished guests. Please join me in praying that I don’t say something we’ll all regret. That was for the FCC. If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is — is leather. Bono at the 54th annual National Prayer Breakfast.
Interesting or Startling Fact
Starting your speech by sharing a little-known fact, can be powerful. For this to fully work, you need to have the audience’s attention from the very first word. Read on for how these speakers started strong.
Okay, now I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar. (Laughter) Also, the person to your left is a liar. Also the person sitting in your very seats is a liar. We’re all liars. What I’m going to do today is I’m going to show you what the research says about why we’re all liars, how you can become a lie spotter and why you might want to go the extra mile and go from lie spotting to truth seeking, and ultimately to trust building. Pamela Meyer, How to Spot a Liar.
Using a physical object can draw the audience’s attention. Make sure you plan the timing of the prop, and you practice with it. It is important that it is large enough for the audience to see and they can see it well enough that they are not frustrated. Depending on your speech, it may be appropriate to put it away, so it is not distracting.
Powerful introductions using props
Darren Tay walks onto the stage and stares at the audience. He pulls a pair of underwear out of his pocket and puts them on over his suit. “Hey loser how do you like your new school uniform. I think it looks great on you. Those were the words of my high school bully Greg Upperfield. Now if you are all wondering if the underwear that Greg used was clean, I had the same questions. Darren Tay, Outsmart, Outlast. Toastmasters 2016 World Champion of Public Speaking.
Mohammed Qahtani walks onstage, puts a cigarette in his mouth … then looks up as if noticing the audience and says, “What?” As the audience laughs, he continues. “Oh, you all think smoking kills? Ha-ha, let me tell you something. Do you know that the amount of people dying from diabetes are three times as many [as the] people dying from smoking? Yet if I pulled out a Snickers bar, nobody would say anything.” He goes on to say, his facts are made up and his real topic is about how words have power. Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking
JA Gamach blows a train whistle and then starts his speech as if he were a conductor, “All aboard! It’s a bright sunny day and you are taking a train. You are wearing a pair of sandals you proudly made yourself. As you board the train one of your sandals slips off and falls beside the track. (J.A. loses one sandal that falls down the platform.) You try to retrieve it. Too late. The train starts to pull away. What would you have done? I would have cursed my bad luck, mad at losing a sandal. JA Gamache, Toastmasters 2007 World Championship.
Use a Quotation
Powerful introductions using quotes
Rules for using quotes
Be sure to use the quote purposefully and not just as placeholders.
Quotes can just take up valuable space where you could put content unless they are not properly used.
Let the quote be more important than the author. When using a quote at the opening, say the quote first and then the author. When using a quote at the end of a speech, say the author first and then the quote.
Keep it short and sweet. Use a quote that gets to the point quickly.
If you must use long quotes–put them on your slide.
If you project a quote, read it to the audience. Never expect them to read it while you talk about something else. Never say stupid things like, “You can read, I’ll let you read this for yourselves” or “Your adults, I’ll let you process this.”
Check the authorship and authenticity of the quote. There are so many quotes on the internet that are misattributed and misquoted. For example, who wrote the quote: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”?
Do not go for the overused quote or your audience is prone to dismiss it. Instead of quoting an overused “I have a dream quote” do as Jim Key, the 2003 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking did and pick an equally great but lesser-used Martin Luther King Quote: “The time is always right to do what is right!”
Watch Nate Stauffer at a Moth Grand Slam as he uses poetry to start and carry his story.
Watch this clip for how Andrew Solomon opens with a quote to make us think about depression.
Ceremonial speeches often call for acknowledgment of those in attendance or a mention of the occasion. Here is how Martin Luther King Junior set up his famous speech.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Martin Luther King Junior, I Have a Dream.
Get the Audience Involved
Having the audience stand, raise their hand, or even nod in encouragement can cause them to focus on your message. This can be particularly helpful if the audience has been sitting for a while. Let me show you a few examples of how that works.
Ask a Question
You can involve the audience from the start by asking them a question.
I’m here today to talk about a disturbing question, which has an equally disturbing answer. My topic is the secret of domestic violence and the question I’m going to tackle is the one everyone always asks. Why would she stay? Why would anyone stay with a man who beats her? Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave- Leslie Morgan Steiner
Here’s a question we need to rethink together: What should be the role of money and markets in our societies? Today, there are very few things that money can’t buy. If you’re sentenced to a jail term in Santa Barbara, California, you should know that if you don’t like the standard accommodations, you can buy a prison cell upgrade. It’s true. For how much, do you think? What would you guess? Five hundred dollars? It’s not the Ritz-Carlton. It’s a jail! Eighty-two dollars a night. Eighty-two dollars a night. Michael Sandel, Why We Shouldn’t Trust Markets with Our Civic Life.
How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, after year, they’re more innovative than all their competition. Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action.
If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, be sure to give them time to respond. If they raise their hands, be sure to acknowledge their response. You might have the answer by standing, by raising their hands, by speaking to their neighbor. You might call on one member of the audience to answer for the group.
If you ask a question you want the audience to answer, don’t let your presentation slide give away the answer. For example, one speaker had a slide behind him that said, “Lesson 1: Don’t Worry About IQ.” He has the audience raise their hand if they want to improve their grades then he asks, “So can I get a show of hands, how many would say IQ is going to be the most important to get those marks to go up?” Very few people responded because the answer was “written on the wall” literally.
Watch this clip as Allan Pease engages the audience.
Everybody hold your right hand in front like this in a handshaking position. Uncross your legs. Relaxed position. Right hand in front. When I say the word, “Now” here’s what we’re going to do. I am going to ask you to turn to someone besides you, shake hands as if you’re meeting for the first time, and keep pumping till I ask you to stop. Then you’ll stop and freeze it and we’re going to analyze what’s happening. You got that? You don’t have time to think about this. Do it now. Pick anybody and pump. Pump, everybody. Freeze it. Hold it. Stop. Hold it. Freeze it. Keep your hands locked. Keep them locked. The person whose hand is most on top is saying “I’ll be the boss for the rest of the day.” Allan Pease, Body Language, the Power is in the Palm of Your Hands.
More powerful introductions using audience participation
So I’d like to start, if I may, by asking you some questions.
If you’ve ever lost someone you truly loved, ever had your heartbroken, ever struggled through an acrimonious divorce, or being the victim of infidelity, please stand up.
If standing up isn’t accessible to you, you can put your hand up. Please stay standing and keep your hand up there.
If you’ve ever lived through a natural disaster, being bullied or made redundant, stand on up. If you’ve ever had a miscarriage, if you’ve ever had an abortion or struggled through infertility, please stand up. Finally, if you or anyone you love has had to cope with mental illness, dementia, some form of physical impairment or cope with suicide, please stand up.
Have a great first line that sets up the stakes and grabs attention
No: “So I was thinking about climbing this mountain. But then I watched a little TV and made a snack and took a nap and my mom called and vented about her psoriasis then I did a little laundry (a whites load) (I lost another sock, darn it!) and then I thought about it again and decided I’d climb the mountain the next morning.”
Yes: “The mountain loomed before me. I had my hunting knife, some trail mix and snow boots. I had to make it to the little cabin and start a fire before sundown or freeze to death for sure.”
Arouse Suspense or Curiosity
Watch this clip for how Kathryn Schulz creates curiosity by showing us Johnny Depp’s tattoo and then talks about her tattoo of regret. We hang on to her every word wondering, “Where is all this going and how bad can her tattoo really be?”
Saying unexpected things or challenging assumptions can get a speech started off right.
A herd of wildebeests, a shoal of fish, a flock of birds. Many animals gather in large groups that are among the most wonderful spectacles in the natural world. But why do these groups form? The common answers include things like seeking safety in numbers or hunting in packs or gathering to mate or breed, and all of these explanations, while often true, make a huge assumption about animal behavior, that the animals are in control of their own actions, that they are in charge of their bodies. And that is often not the case. Ed Yong. Zombie Roaches and Other Parasite Tales. TED Talk
Keys to Success
Memorize your first sentence so you can deliver it with impact.
Memorize your whole speech opening if possible.
Make sure your first three words have an impact.
Typical Patterns for Speech Openings
Get the audience’s attention–called a hook or a grabber.
Establish rapport and tell the audience why you care about the topic of why you are credible to speak on the topic.
Introduce the speech thesis/preview/good idea.
Tell the audience why they should care about this topic.
Give a transition statement to the body of the speech.
Step Two: Credibility
First, you hook the audience with your powerful grabber, then you tell them why you are credible to speak on the topic and why the topic is important. If they know your credentials, you would not need to tell them your credibility but you may still want to tell them why you are interested in the topic. Here are a few examples of how some speakers included credibility.
I started studying resilience research a decade ago at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was an amazing time to be there because the professors who trained me had just picked up the contract to train all 1.1 million American soldiers to be as mentally fit as they always have been physically fit. Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People.
Step Four: Tell the Purpose of the Talk (aka Preview/ Thesis)
“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond, author
Tell the audience your purpose, clearly give them an overview of the main points. MIT professor, Patrick Winston says one of the best things to add to your speech is an empowerment promise. You want to tell people what they will know at the end of your speech that they didn’t know at the beginning. It’s their reason for being here. His empowerment promise was, “Today you will see some examples of what you can put in your armory of speaking techniques and it will be the case that one of those examples–some heuristic, some technique, maybe only one will be the one that will get you the job. By the end of the next 60 minutes, you will have been exposed to a lot of ideas, some of which you will incorporate into your own repertoire, and they will ensure that you get the maximum opportunity to have your ideas valued and accepted by the people you speak with.” Notice that this statement told you what to expect and why it mattered.
Here are examples of how various speakers accomplished this.
For years, I’ve been telling people, stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I’ve turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress, and today, I want to change yours. Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend.
What I’m going to show you is all of the main things, all of the main features of my discipline, evidence-based medicine. And I will talk you through all of these and demonstrate how they work, exclusively using examples of people getting stuff wrong. Ben Goldacre, Battling Bad Science.
We are often terrified and fascinated by the power hackers now have. They scare us. But the choices they make have dramatic outcomes that influence us all. So I am here today because I think we need hackers, and in fact, they just might be the immune system for the information age. Sometimes they make us sick, but they also find those hidden threats in our world, and they make us fix it. Keren Elazari. Hackers: The Internet’s Immune System
Try This — Inspired by TED Master Class
After you write your thesis, send it to three people with the question,
“Based on what you read here, what do you think my speech will be about?”
Putting It All Together
At this point, you know you need to have a grabber, a preview, a credibility statement, and a so-what-who-cares statement. Let’s take a look at one of the top TED talks of all time by Jamie Oliver. This speech is a good illustration of everything we’ve been talking about so far and how all this works together.
Teach Every Child About Food
by Jamie Oliver Analyzed
Get the audience’s attention–
called a hook or a grabber.
So we’ve talked about hooking the audience, telling why you are credible, telling them why they should care, and giving them a preview of your talk, now let’s talk about what not to say or do. There are some things that speakers say to hurt their credibility and diminish the chances the audience will listen, be sure to avoid these.
“Everybody close your eyes.”
I don’t want to close my eyes; it makes me feel awkward and exposed to be in a group of people with my eyes closed. Because of that, I keep my eyes open. The problem is when I keep my eyes open, I feel like some sort of horrible nonconformist rebel. I feel awkward with my eyes closed and I feel guilty if they are open. Either way, I just feel bad. Besides, half of the time when speakers tell audience members to close their eyes, they forget to tell us when we can open them. If you are wanting me to imagine a story, just tell me to imagine it, don’t make me close my eyes (rant over).
“Can everybody hear me?”
You should plan your opening to be intentional and with power. “Can everybody hear me” is a weak and uncertain statement and this is not the first impression you want to leave. Do a microphone check before the audience members arrive and have someone stand in different corners of the room to make sure you can be heard. Don’t waste your valuable speech time with questions that you should already know the answer to.
“How long do I have to speak?”
You should know that before you begin. Even if the presentations for the day are running over and you are the last speaker, you should ask the MC before you begin. Always plan your first words with power.
“Can you read this?”
You should make your slides big, really big. Test out your slides in advance of your speech, walk all around the room and make sure you can read them. Have a friend check them out as well. You should know they are big enough because you planned for it and tested it.
“Turn off your cell phones and laptops.”
People really hate having things taken away, not to mention that your audience may want to take notes on their devices. Chances are you are speaking to adults, let them determine if it is appropriate to have out their technology.
“I’m sorry, I’m losing my voice.”
“I’m stopped up.”
“I’m under the weather.”
Stop apologizing! Stop making excuses! While these lines may be true, they just come of as excuses and can make the audience either feel like you don’t want to be there, or they just feel sorry for you.
“I’m so nervous right now.”
Talking about your nervousness will make you more nervous and will make them look for signs of your nervousness. Just start your speech.
“So, Um, Ok.”
Do not start with hesitation. Plan the first words, memorize the first words, practice the first words. Do not start with “Ok, so um, now I’d like…” Plan strong and start strong.
Do Not Discuss Your Business with People Watching…Really! I Mean It!
Many of us are giving and listening to presentations in an online format. I have attended numerous presentations this year through Zoom where I have to sit and watch while the organizers engage in personal small talk or deal with the details of the presentation.
This is how the speech I recently attended began.”Donna, you are going to share your screen, right?”
“Yes. I have my PowerPoint ready to go. Will you push “record” when I give the signal?”
“Sure. Where did you say that button is again? Do you think we should wait five more minutes, I think we had more who were coming? Dave, what was the total we were expecting?”
“Yeah, we had 116 sign up, but the reminders went out late so this may be all we have. We can give them a few more minutes to log on.”
“Donna, How is your dog? Is she still struggling with her cone since her spay surgery? My dog never would wear the cone –she tore her stitches out and broke her wound open. It was terrible. Well, it looks like it is about time to begin, thank you everyone for coming.”
If you are organizing an event online, hosting a speech online, giving a presentation online–please keep it professional. Most platforms will allow you to keep the audience in a waiting room until it is time to start. If you have a business to deal with, keep the audience out until you have everything ready to go. Once the audience is in the meeting, you should engage the audience in group-type small talk or you should just start the presentation. In professional settings, you should start the meeting on time. Why punish those who showed up on time to wait for those who aren’t there yet?
A Conversation Over Coffee with Bill Rogers
I asked my long-time friend, Bill Rogers, to write an excerpt to add to the book. I met Bill when he was the Chief Development Officer for a hospital in Northwest Arkansas and I met him again when he was reinventing himself as a college student getting a Master’s Degree in the theater. He would love to share a symbolic cup of coffee with you and give you advice about public speaking.
Perfect morning for a walk, isn’t it? Join me for a cup of coffee? Wonderful. Find us a table and I’ll get our coffee.
There you go; just like you like it. There’s nothing like a great cup of coffee on the patio of your neighborhood coffee shop, is there?
Now that you’re settled in your favorite chair, take a sip, and let that glorious caffeine kick in and do its stuff. Okay, let’s talk.
So, you were asking me about public speaking.
Well, let’s see. Where do we begin?
One of the first pieces of advice I ever received was to imagine that every member of your audience is sitting there in their underwear! Yeah, right. That never worked for me. I tried it once with a local civic group of community leaders both male and female. If the intent of that tidbit is to make you relax, it certainly didn’t work for me. It just made me more self-conscious…and more nervous. I not only got distracted, but I also lost my train of thought, I started sweating, and, of course, imagined myself standing there without clothes. Needless to say, that speech was a disaster and I’ve never used it again. I suggest you don’t either.
In the early days, I also relied very heavily on my typed-up speech. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that unless you find yourself reading it word for word as I did. Nothing is more boring nor puts an audience to sleep quicker than a speaker with their nose down reading a speech. There’s no connection and connection with your audience is key.
As you know, I love theatre and I’ve done a bit of acting over the years. Early on, I learned that the quicker I learned my lines, the more I could play, experiment, and shape my character. It relaxed me and gave me enormous freedom. It led me to find a mantra for myself: “With discipline comes freedom.” This freedom will allow you to improvise as your audience or situation dictates while still conveying the core message of your presentation. That discipline and its resulting freedom apply to public speaking of any kind and, I think, will serve you well.
Another old adage we’ve all heard is Aristotle’s advice. You know the one. No? Well, roughly, it’s to tell your audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said. That’s the basic formula for public speaking. And it works as a good place to start.
However, effective speaking is much more and, to me, it starts with a story or even a simple sentence.
You know the feeling you get when you read the first sentence of a good book and it just reaches out and grabs you? That should be your goal with every presentation. One sentence to capture your audience’s attention. Something that causes them to lean forward. Something that sparks their imagination.
It doesn’t have to be all that profound either. It can be something very simple. A personal story that relates to your topic. A relevant fact or statistic that defines or illustrates the issue or subject matter at hand.
A couple of classics come to mind. The first is Alice Walker’s, “The Color of Purple.”
“You better not tell nobody but God.”
And the second one is from my favorite novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee.
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm broken at the elbow.”
Both sentences hook you immediately. A few simple words speak volumes. After reading or hearing those words, you naturally lean in. You want to learn more. You want to find out what happens next. Every effective speech or presentation does the same thing.
Of course, make sure that the first and last thing you say to your audience is both relevant and appropriate. I share this out of an abundance of caution. I once worked for an internationally recognized and well-respected children’s research hospital and I was given the privilege to speak at a national educational convention. The room was filled wall to wall with teachers. I thought I’d be cute and add a little levity. I opened my presentation with this line, “You know, I’ve had nightmares like this…” Instead of the roars of laughter, I was expecting, a wave of silence ensued. Not only was the line not funny, but it was also wholly inappropriate and I immediately lost my audience. Not my best day. Learn from my mistakes.
Finally, let’s touch on the importance of approaching a speech as a conversation. You and I are sitting here enjoying our coffee and having a friendly, relaxed conversation. Strive for that every chance you get. You may not always have that luxury. Some speeches and presentations simply demand formality. But even in those cases, you can usually make it somewhat conversational. I always try to write my speeches in a conversational style. Like I’m talking to a friend…or trying to make a new one.
So, to recap: tell a story, learn your lines, hook your audience with a simple sentence, close with a question or call to action, use repetition, keep it conversational, treat your audience as a friend, and give yourself permission to relax.
Above all, be yourself. Allow yourself to be as relaxed as you are with those closest to you. If you’re relaxed, if you try to think of your audience as a friend, then, in most cases, they too will relax and they will root for you. Even if they disagree with what you are telling them, they will respect you and they will listen.
How about another cup?
The most important part of your speech is the introduction because if you don’t get their attention, they are not listening to the rest of what you have to say.
To get attention, tell a story, use humor, share a quote, tell a startling fact, show a prop, ask a question, reference the occasion.
In addition to the grabber, a good introduction should establish rapport and tell the audience why you are credible.
An introduction often includes a “so what who cares statement” to tell the audience why this should matter to them.
The thesis/preview should be clear enough that someone could read just that sentence or couple of sentences and know what the speech is about.
Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.
I want to hear from you.
Do you have an activity to include?
Did you notice a typo that I should correct?
Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it?
Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?
Brooks, R. (2020). SAM Talk: Honesty, courage, and the importance of brushing your teeth. [Video] YouTube. https://youtu.be/SskgA2hHgFI Standard YouTube License.
Castel, A.D. (2008). Metacognition and learning about primacy and recency effects in free recall: The utilization of intrinsic and extrinsic cues when making judgments of learning. Memory & Cognition, 36,429–43. https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.36.2.429
Medina, J. (2014). Brain rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Pear Press.
Miller, N. & Campbell, D. T. (1959) Recency and primacy in persuasion as a function of the timing of speeches and measurements. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0049330
Ratanakul, S. (2017). A study of problem-solution discourse: Examining TED Talks through the lens of move analysis. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network Journal, 10(2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1229624.pdf | <urn:uuid:2b96a305-ccb2-4552-80cd-bfd67a177574> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://uark.pressbooks.pub/speaking/chapter/opening-a-speech/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646937.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531150014-20230531180014-00779.warc.gz | en | 0.958993 | 8,519 | 2.625 | 3 | The extract provides comprehensive coverage of public speaking skills, including strategies for capturing the audience's attention, establishing credibility, and structuring a speech. It offers various techniques, such as storytelling, humor, and using props, to engage the audience and convey the message effectively. The inclusion of real-life examples, quotes, and references to research studies adds depth and credibility to the content. The extract also touches on the importance of cultural awareness, digital literacy, and adaptability in modern public speaking. Furthermore, it encourages self-reflection, practice, and conversation, promoting a nuanced understanding of effective communication.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 775,732 | 1 |
Title: Crisis of confidence in God?
Theme: Presence and provision in times of drought
Sermon date: 30th June
Reading: 1 Kings 17
Provide a piece of paper and a pen for everyone and ask them to think of a time when they were in a difficult or drought period in their life when they felt that God spoke to them and gave them direction or provided for them. Ask them to write a mini testimony by answering the following questions:
What was the situation (just a couple of sentences!)?
How did God speak/provide?
How did it affect their faith and that of others?
Ask a few people to volunteer to share their testimony with the group. Encourage brevity.
As always, the questions below are intended to prompt so please be selective as you think best for your group. Do try and cover the whole passage in the study though.
Please read 1 Kings 17 v1 - 18 v. 4
Elijah enters the distressing story of the Kings of Israel with the simple introduction that he is “Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead”. Gilead is on the East bank of the Jordan River and is covered by the hills rising up from the Jordan River valley – it is now in the Kingdom of Jordan. The region would have been part of the Kingdom of Israel at that time – Ahab’s Kingdom. Elijah was the first in a long line of important prophets God sent to Israel and Judah.
At the time, the southern kingdom of Judah was enjoying a relatively long and peaceful period under the godly king Asa – he had been on the throne 38 years when Ahab came to power. But Israel had been through a succession of evil and cruel kings – in fact none of Israel’s kings had been godly people. Now Israel was saddled with King Ahab who “…did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16 v29) and his equally unpleasant wife Jezebel from Tyre; at the time a major city in Phoenicia (now the fourth largest city in Lebanon). She was a worshipper of Baal.
Q.1 Why was God’s message to Ahab so stark in v1? How do you think Elijah felt delivering it?
Look back at 1 Kings 18 v 29-33 and consider Ahab’s lifestyle, choice of wife and spiritual life. Delivering such a message to Ahab would have been a serious risk. It is interesting to note that Baal who Ahab and his wife were worshiping was supposed to be the bringer of rain and good harvests so this would have been a head-on challenge to Ahab.
Q.2 Why does God send Elijah out into the Kerith Ravine to hide?
Look at 1 Kings 18 v 1-4. Jezebel was systematically slaughtering the prophets of the Lord and God had plans for Elijah. God had plans for Elijah in the future.
Q.3 What indicated to Elijah that it was time to move on to Zarephath in Sidon?
Our heavenly Father speaks to us in many ways and we are called to discern his voice through His word, circumstances, prophesy and direct words from God amongst other things. We need to be discerning and learn to recognise God’s hand in things.
Q.4 How do we discern and test God’s word and his commands to us in our own circumstances? How brave are we in acting on His prompts? What might stop us or encourage us to act?
It is odd that God calls Elijah to go north to the region of Sidon, the area which Jezebel was from. It seems as though Elijah is being sent into the lion’s den. God’s promptings do not always lead us to the place of greatest comfort. However, there is a safe place prepared for him in Zarephath.
Q.5 Elijah had some very specific instructions from God which resulted in him going to Jezebel’s home territory of Sidon. Should we expect to get such clear guidance from God in our lives? Why?
Encourage the group to discuss openly and honestly their expectations of hearing from God – as far as possible get personal rather than discussing it in the abstract. There are lots of good accounts of God inspiring and directing ordinary people e.g. God’s Smuggler (Brother Andrew), The Cross and the Switchblade (David Wilkerson) – do include others you know about in the discussion.
Q.6 How could we be more like Elijah and more open to God’s prompting and direction in our lives?
Q.7 If we take a chance on God can we be assured of a smooth ride? Can we be sure God will provide?
There are no guarantees of our personal safety and there are many examples of people following God’s will for them and experiencing hardship or even death. However, God promises to be with us through thick and thin and to provide for our needs. Consider looking at one or more of these verses together:
Mark 4: 35-41, Matthew 28: 18-20; Isaiah 26: 3-4, Psalm 139: 7-10, Psalm 23
Q.8 How can we encourage and support one another as Christian brothers and sisters in discerning God’s will in our lives and responding to God’s call?
Prayer (These are just some prompts and ideas):
Pray for the Church that the leadership would be attuned to God’s voice and would know His will for the people of God – at a local, national and international level.
Pray for one another that we may discover and recognise God’s voice and prompting in our everyday lives.
Maybe there are some in the group who do have particular decision to make – raise them up in prayer and consider how you can support them through the uncertainty.
Phil Marlow, 14/06/2019 | <urn:uuid:77cda4d0-f0ea-4ea1-af47-61b368646736> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.sgsgashtead.com/Articles/549987/St_Giles_and/Discipleship/Housegroups/Resources/Presence_and_provision.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145742.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20200223001555-20200223031555-00457.warc.gz | en | 0.969124 | 1,258 | 3.390625 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive guide for a group study on the theme of presence and provision in times of drought, using the biblical story of Elijah. It encourages participants to share personal testimonies, discuss complex questions, and explore their expectations of hearing from God. The material promotes critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills, while incorporating cultural awareness and digital literacy is minimal.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 651,077 | 1 |
The Five Essentials checklists
Use our standards and checklists to bring the Five Essentials to life in your unit
The Five Essentials are key principles that run through the Girlguiding programme.
We've developed these checklists to help you make sure each standard from the Five Essentuals is being bought to life in your unit.
Working together in small groups
Girls enjoy working with different members of the unit and in different types of groups.
- Are you giving each girl regular chances to work with the whole group, in different group sizes and with different girls during your unit-based activities?
- Are you planning and arranging groups to give each girl the chance to contribute, thinking about the group dynamics and each girl’s personality and needs?
Encouraging self-government and decision making
Girls choose, plan and lead activities – and reflect on what they’ve experienced and learned.
Planning and leading activities
- At least once a term, do you involve all girls in planning the programme and deciding which activities to do?
- Are you encouraging girls to make choices during weekly activities and involving them in decisions about events and residentials?
- Do you support girls in choosing, planning and leading activities themselves, either for a small group or the whole unit?
- Are you encouraging girls to think about resources and possible risks, and creating a safe space where they can learn by doing?
- Do you allow girls to make mistakes or not meet the objectives of a task (unless it’s unsafe) to help them learn from experience and understand it’s OK to ‘fail’?
- Are you encouraging girls to take more ownership of the programme as they get older and (where appropriate) involving them in the running of the unit?
- Do you give girls regular chances to share what they like and don’t like doing in the unit, and what they’ve learned and achieved?
- Do you make sure every girl’s voice is heard by evaluating activities in different ways?
- Do you give girls the chance to reflect at different times – after activities, after weekly meetings and events, and looking back on the whole term or year?
- Do you take what girls thought about past activities into account when planning?
A balanced and varied programme which is girl-led
Girls develop skills for life through a variety of fun indoor and outdoor activities, residential experiences and social action projects. They achieve badges and awards for their efforts.
- Are your activities appropriate for the girls’ ages and abilities?
- Do the girls enjoy a range of unit-based activities across all six programme themes?
- Do you help girls to challenge and develop themselves – and to complete at least one stage of a skills builder across each of the six programme themes?
- Do you encourage girls to work towards interest badges independently – and celebrate and record their achievements?
- Do girls take part in activities outside your unit meeting place and have chances to experience residentials?
- Do you make sure girls know about all the things they can do outside your unit – with the wider guiding family, other organisations and in the local community?
Caring for the individual
All girls, volunteers and parents feel valued during their time with the unit and build positive relationships with each other. Whenever members are ready to move on, we help them decide the next steps in their guiding journey.
- Do you give all new members (girls and volunteers) friendly, inclusive information that clearly explains what to expect - and give visitors a warm welcome too?
- Do you manage your waiting list effectively to make sure girls don’t miss out on guiding? Do you keep girls and parents up to date and tell them about other ways they can enjoy guiding, including joining another unit?
- Are you approachable and do you take time to get to know each of your girls and fellow volunteers as individuals?
- Do you use what you know about people’s likes, dislikes, needs and abilities to make sure every member has a positive experience?
- Do you record and recognise girls’ individual achievements and progress through the programme, and celebrate this in your unit and beyond?
- Do you make sure parents know how to contact you, and keep them up to date about guiding activities and opportunities for both girls and adults (for example, as parent helpers)?
- When girls or volunteers are ready to move on, do you help them to explore their options and decide the next steps in their guiding journey?
- Do you work with other units and local commissioners to help young members move on to the next section or to another role in guiding when they reach the right age?
Sharing a commitment to a common standard
We help girls to understand the meaning of the Promise and the Law, and how they can stay true to these commitments in their daily lives. They choose how and when to make the Promise. Volunteers also live the Promise and Law in everything they do in guiding.
- Are you using current Girlguiding programme materials for your section so that the Promise and Law are at the core of your unit programme?
- Are you linking the activities you do with your girls to the ideals of the Promise and Law, and helping girls to understand that they’re part of a worldwide guiding family (the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) who share these values?
- Do you encourage girls to share and celebrate how they’re living the Promise and Law?
- Do your girls understand that they can decide whether they make the Promise, and that they can do this whenever they feel ready?
- Do you support girls to choose how and where they make the Promise, so that it’s a moment that’s special for them?
- Are you making time for your unit to explore and agree their expectations for behaviour (for example, through unit guidelines) in line with Girlguiding values?
- Are all volunteers in the unit following the volunteer code of conduct, acting as a role model and giving girls positive experiences?
A quick note on the terms we use in the checklists
- ‘Girls’ means the young members enjoying the Girlguiding programme in a unit.
- ‘Volunteers’ are everyone in the team who delivers guiding: leaders, young leaders, unit helpers, occasional helpers and parent helpers.
- By ‘parents’ we mean parents, carers and other adults with responsibility for a young member.
- When we say ‘term’ or ‘termly’, we’re assuming units have three terms in the year.
- When we say ‘you’, we’re speaking directly to the leaders and assistant leaders in a unit. | <urn:uuid:4f655c85-de0a-480b-8e85-1b3480f50b77> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/programme-and-activities/doing-our-best-standards/five-essentials-checklists/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370515113.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20200403154746-20200403184746-00311.warc.gz | en | 0.942786 | 1,397 | 2.78125 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive framework for guiding units to implement the Five Essentials, promoting teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence. It includes realistic scenarios, practical applications, and opportunities for girls to develop essential life skills. The content covers various aspects of soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and cultural awareness, with a strong emphasis on girl-led activities and individual development.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 772,777 | 1 |
Part C: School
Parts 4, 5, and 6 focus on gaining familiarity with a larger societal framework via analysis of the schools and communities in which the interns work.
What is happening at my school?
1. What is it like to be on my campus? (i.e., physical description of the school and its people).
How can I describe the following so that my reader has a sense of my school’s physical space and its feel?
The school’s location
The appearance, maintenance, and style of campus and its buildings
Important campus landmarks (if any)
My specific physical environment (Are there challenges associated with my classroom?)
Who are the people on my campus? (And has this changed over time? If so, why? And how do people feel about these changes?)
What is the composition (ethnic, linguistic, economic, gender, religious, political) of the students? Faculty? Administration? Staff?
Within each category, are there identifiable camps? How are these groupings signaled?
How do each of these parties feel about being at the school? How are these attitudes revealed?
What is the technology situation in the classroom? At the school? In the homes of my students? (These questions should be addressed in ED330/331).
What school events have I attended? Describe.
2. What school policies and practices shape my school’s culture and/or identity?
What are the school’s formal/stated and informal/inferred policies?
Student assignment into special programs (i.e., bilingual, SDAIE, GATE, Special Education, etc.)
Teaching programs (i.e. Open court)
How are decisions made and implemented within the school?
Who sets the agenda? Who doesn’t?
How are policies implemented?
How are decisions implemented?
How do different people on campus feel about the school’s policies and practices and how they are generated (Students? Faculty? Administration? Parents?)
3. What are other influences (including district, state, and federal policies and practices) that impact my school?
How do district, state, and federal policies impact the school?
Legislation (like Title I, Individuals with Disabilities, Assistive Technology Act, etc.)
Assessment / Accountability measures (like NCLB)
Requirements for funding
Besides policies, what are some other things that impact the school? The administration? The faculty? The staff? The students?
4. What kind of resources and support does my school have?
What kind of support services are there on campus? Are they utilized?
For students? (social, academic, career, college guidance, health, etc.)
For the community?
Who supports the school? Who does the school turn to help them meet their needs and goals?
What are the opposition factors? | <urn:uuid:7643ef02-aafc-41d6-8f50-6214333a9877> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.cgu.edu/pages/5296.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394011294162/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305092134-00087-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933654 | 598 | 3.390625 | 3 | This extract earns a high score due to its comprehensive coverage of soft skills, including cultural awareness, digital literacy, and critical thinking. It presents complex scenarios that require nuanced communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving, with a strong emphasis on intercultural fluency and technological adaptation.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 976,317 | 1 |
By now almost everyone knows that the U.S. has fallen badly behind other advanced nations in the kind of health care and education it delivers to its citizens. We spend twice as much per capita than most other countries on health care and don’t get better outcomes as a result. We also spend twice as much per full-time equivalent student on higher education than other OECD countries, and 38 percent more on elementary and secondary education with disappointing results in terms of what students know at the end of the process, according to international assessments of learning.
What has been less recognized are some of the similarities between these two sectors that help to explain why they are not performing better. These include 1) fee for service instead of pay for performance, 2) low productivity, 3) third-party payment, and 4) entrenched institutional and professional interests that mitigate against change.
Some have advocated a pure market-based approach to each. In my view, although some greater market pressure might help, these solutions are neither realistic nor without their own flaws. These are both sectors where consumers are too poorly informed and societal costs and benefits too great to leave decision-making entirely in the hands of individuals. Moreover, health and education are arguably goods that should be available to everyone in a rich country with a commitment to equal opportunity. That said, there is no reason that well-regulated access to each needs to be so expensive.
In both sectors, providers are paid based on what they deliver and not on the outcomes they produce. In education, teachers and professors are paid based on hours spent in the classroom and not based on what their students learn and in health care, providers are paid based on treatments prescribed and not on whether patients get well. The good news is that in both sectors there is an ongoing effort to link pay more closely to outcomes achieved, whether in accountable care organizations or in new ways of paying teachers based on the learning gains achieved by their students.
In addition, both sectors are labor intensive and have been largely by-passed by the technological and organizational advances that have made manufacturing, retail trade, and other sectors of American society so productive. Put differently, both sectors have been plagued by what economists call “the cost disease” – steadily rising costs necessitated by the failure of productivity in these sectors to advance as rapidly as in other sectors of the economy. The response to the cost disease must be to find cost-reducing technological solutions such as the use of generic drugs or para-professionals in health care and online learning in education.
The problem of rising costs is exacerbated by the fact that consumers are largely unaware of how much their education or health care is costing and thus less likely to shop wisely. Much of the problem is related to asymmetries of information — the fact that consumers are much less well-informed than the experts or those providing services, but some of it is related to the fact that consumers are insulated from the costs by government subsidies or insurance policies that pay for much or all of what they consume.
Another reason it is so difficult to improve these two sectors is the power of existing institutions and the people who work in them to retain the status quo. Whether it is public school teachers fighting new compensation schemes tied to performance or university professors resisting the replacement of lectures with online courses or doctors preventing nurses from providing more patient care or pharmaceutical companies trying to maintain high profits with marginally better new drugs, the consumer is the ultimate loser.
Another reason for the status quo is the dedication to maintaining access to both education and health care even when that access raises costs without actually helping its intended beneficiaries. Community colleges have provided broad access to higher education but 70 percent of students in this system fail to get a degree, a certificate, or transfer to a four-year institution within six years. Medicaid and Medicare have provided access to health care for millions of low-income and elderly households, but too many of them are receiving treatments with little or no evidence of effectiveness or are making lifestyle choices inconsistent with good health. Access to both higher education and to subsidized health care should be preserved or even expanded but it may be time to consider new ways of conditioning that access on individual behavior. Students don’t learn unless they are engaged in the process and patients don’t get well unless they comply with a treatment plan.
These two sectors now represent one quarter of the economy. Other advanced nations spend less and get more for their money. It is time for both voters and their elected representatives to recognize that without the kind of innovation that has made other sectors strong, the United States is doomed to become a second class nation. Health care and education are vital not only to the well-being of individuals but also to the strength of the nation. A little creative destruction in these two sectors might serve us well. | <urn:uuid:cb994774-db91-4369-a855-dce3d77c5d3c> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/americas-two-most-troubled-sectors-health-and-education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251694908.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20200127051112-20200127081112-00011.warc.gz | en | 0.970894 | 972 | 2.65625 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on healthcare and education policy analysis. It doesn't provide opportunities for developing communication, teamwork, or problem-solving skills. The text is informative but doesn't offer practical applications or scenarios for professional development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 14,985 | 0 |
Grade 12 Global Studies Nutrition & Health HFA 4C Human Development throughout the Lifespan HHG 4M Challenge & Change in Society HSB 4U West & the World History CHY4U / CHY4C Analysing Current Economics Issues CIA 4U Canadian & International Law CLN4U Canadian & International Politics CPW4U HFA 4C Relationship between Nutrition Health •On health at different stages of life & •on global issues related to food production The Role of Nutrition Health Disease Strategies for promoting Food Security Environmental Responsibility Students will learn about Topics Food Preparation Skills Food & Kitchen Safety Food preparation Follow a recipe Adapt a recipe Correct measuring & preparation techniques Cooking Opportunities Breakfast club Staff meetings Bake sales Kougar Kitten playschool Nutrition & Health Nutrients Food Guides Energy Balance Nutritional Status Project – Food for the Breakfast Club Plan & prepare a food item or items to address a specific nutritional deficiency common to Canadians (e.g. a high fibre snack to address a lack of dietary fibre) MARKET RESEARCH Do taste tests & determine what students like Food for the Breakfast Club Create educational advertisements to encourage students to eat breakfast & gain the nutritional deficiency WEEKLY prepare and portion food the breakfast club Topics Nutrition throughout the Lifespan Nutrition & Disease Trends & Patterns in Food & Nutrition Plan & Prepare food for . . . • Kougar Kittens • Age 2-4 years old • A specific health need like diabetes • A trendy food item like . . . Flax seed, high protein pasta, blueberries, chia Topics to investigate Food Security Food Production & supply Food Production & Environment Tour some Farms - Field Trip Apple Farm Organic Farm Learn about the agriculture business in Ontario Harvest fresh produce and cook with it at school! COURSE DESCRIPTION This course offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of human development throughout the life cycle. Students will study how early brain development are linked to lifelong learning, health and wellbeing. Students will gain practical experience working with children in the playschool. Students will use research skills to learn about human growth and development. UNITS Human Development: An Overview Human Development: Brain Development In The Early Years Human Development: The Early Years Parenthood: The Roles And Responsibilites Throughout The Family Life Cycle Socialization Factors That Influences Human Development DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT Physical Development Social Development Intellectual Development Emotional Development ASSIGNMENTS Research opinion paper Playschool assignment Brain development assignment Personal reflection paper ISU research assignment HSB 4U Description This course focuses on the use of social science theories, perspectives, and methodologies to investigate and explain shifts in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour and their impact on society. Students will critically analyse how and why cultural, social, and behavioural patterns change over time. Description They will explore the ideas of social theorists and use those ideas to analyse causes of and responses to challenges such as technological change, deviance, and global inequalities. Students will explore ways in which social science research methods can be used to study social change. Topics Social Change Foundations Cause & Effect Technological Change Social Patterns & Trends Demographics Forces that shape social trends Social deviance Global Social Challenges Global Inequalities Globalization Exploitation GR. 12 WEST & THE WORLD CHY 4U / CHY 4C Units: 1. 2. 3. 4. Renaissance & Reformation Enlightenment & Revolution Modern Europe World Wars RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION UNIT TOPICS: Feudalism Renaissance Wars of Religion Age of Discovery Catholicism vs. Protestantism ACTIVITIES: Survey of Renaissance art Create an Artifact from the 17th or 18th century ENLIGHTENMENT & REVOLUTION UNIT TOPICS: Enlightenment & Philosophers Despotic Rulers & Absolutism American Revolution French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte ACTIVITIES: Salon Assignment – Choose a historical figure of this time period and role them in the classroom Mock Trial of Louis XVI Photo Story – Describes the Enlightenment period through visuals MODERN EUROPE UNIT TOPICS: Industrial Revolution Congress of Vienna Age of Imperialism & Colonialism Slavery & Social Darwinism ACTIVITIES: Children’s Storybook Assignment – research an influential person of the 19th or 20th century; utilize text and visuals to describe the person’s philosophical approach WORLD WARS UNIT TOPICS: World War I Interwar Period World War II ACTIVITIES: Poster Board Exposition – Using visuals and text, describe a person/event from the unit Primary Source Document Seminars – Analyze primary source document of a historical figure and teach his/her ideologies to the class How do we earn that 30% FINAL EVALUATION 15% ESSAY (4U) / MINI ESSAY (4C) You will research and write about a historical topic that is engaging to you: Christopher Columbus – Good or Evil? Are humans inherently selfish? George Washington – Success or Failure? 15% WRITTEN FINAL EXAM This will be based on all the units studied throughout the course ANALYSING CURRENT ECONOMIC ISSUES CIA 4U Description This course investigates the nature of the competitive global economy and explores how individuals and societies can gain the information they need to make appropriate economic decisions. Students will learn about the principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, apply economic models and concepts to interpret economic information, assess the validity of statistics, and investigate marketplace dynamics. Students will use economic inquiry and communication skills to analyse current economic issues, make informed judgments, and present their findings. Topics Economic Decision Making Economic Stakeholders Self-Interest and Interdependence Economic Institutions Methods of Economic Inquiry &Communication CLU4U This course examines elements of Canadian and international law in social, political , and global contexts . Students will study the historical and philosophical sources of law and the principles and practices of international law and will learn to relate them to issues in Canadian society and the wider world . Students will use critical-thinking and communication skills to analyze legal issues , conduct independent research , and present the results of their inquiries in a variety of ways. Heritage Rights & Freedoms Criminal Law and Procedures Regulation & Dispute Resolution Methods of Legal Inquiry and Communication Visit the Toronto University Court House, as well as the appeals court and divisional court at old city hall Sit in on a variety of court cases, including a few high profile murder cases. This is always a highlight CPW4U is an exciting introduction to the study of politics. Students follow international events, but now this course will help you understand the power structure involved and the complicated world of rights and responsibilities. This course examines Canadian and world politics from a variety of perspectives. Students will investigate the ways in which individuals, groups, and states work to influence domestic and world events, the role of political ideologies in national and international politics, and the dynamics of international cooperation and conflict resolution. This course and unit begins with the topic, A Study of Politics, followed by an introduction to the basic concepts of political science. Students will spend some time on the concept of ideology and search out their own political ideology. This unit begins with an examination of the forms of government and models of political processes. Students will then have a look at how roles in the political process function. Students will be involved in a mock election, mock parliament. You will learn which ideology fit with your global point of view and examine your own bias. •The international system will be introduced and examined in depth. •Students will become familiar with the United Nations and the six international actors. Students learn best when they are engaged in a variety of ways of learning. Canadian and world studies courses lend themselves to a wide range of approaches in that they require students to research & think critically. •Your final grade will be determined based on your comprehension of political terms and concepts. •You will be required to apply theory to real political events of the day and write a major research essay based on a political autobiography. | <urn:uuid:1834d70f-775f-43cd-b113-84517c0adc5e> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://slidegur.com/doc/162741/grade-12-global-studies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128323908.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20170629103036-20170629123036-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.870878 | 1,606 | 3.15625 | 3 | The provided extract showcases a comprehensive curriculum for Grade 12 students, covering various subjects such as Global Studies, Nutrition and Health, Human Development, Economics, Law, and Politics. The courses incorporate discussions of soft skills, including communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving, with some practical applications and real-world contexts. However, the depth of coverage and complexity of scenarios vary across subjects.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 7,190 | 1 |
Education & Training > Footprints in the Field
The world has serious problems to solve and it needs your help. Sustaining agriculture to provide quality food, fiber, and landscape beauty for our planet is not just about training new farmers. Farmers require a variety of support systems to be successful. Knowledge of agriculture is integral to a wide range of careers. Rutgers is dedicated to providing individuals with the tools to solve the difficult problems facing our state, nation, and world.
Our students and farm interns come from diverse backgrounds and go on to serve the changing needs of agriculture and all related fields. As active participants in cutting-edge research and its direct application, they gain character building experiences, comprehensive knowledge, leadership skills, and develop life long relationships. Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the Rutgers Research and Extension Farms are a unique combination because together they provide experiential education where classroom studies are applied in the field. There is no better way to learn than working side-by-side in the field with renowned Rutgers professors and successful urban fringe farmers. Interested in being part of the solution to major world problems? Come get your hands dirty with us.
Want to get a taste of a career related to agriculture?
Sustainable Agriculture: This Junior/Senior Colloquium is offered through the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Get out of the classroom and into the field. Walk the rows with successful farmers of our state. Critically dissect controversial topics important to food and fiber production. Discuss sustainable agriculture issues with the movers and shakers of our region. Find your passion. | <urn:uuid:c2481e90-c05e-46fc-b455-8a2b9acb9e2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://njsustainingfarms.rutgers.edu/outstanding_learning_experiences.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701281163/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104801-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933598 | 321 | 2.796875 | 3 | The extract scores high for its emphasis on practical application, leadership skills, and real-world problem-solving. It highlights the importance of experiential education, comprehensive knowledge, and character-building experiences, indicating a strong focus on soft skills development. The mention of diverse backgrounds, cutting-edge research, and direct application suggests a nuanced approach to professional development and cultural awareness.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 215,318 | 1 |
How To Establish Boundaries With Your Children
To establish boundaries with your children in a healthy and constructive way, it is essential first to understand that how and when you do this makes all the difference.
To successfully lead children to behave within appropriate boundaries in the first six years of life requires a different approach compared with working with children oder than six.
When you attempt to set boundaries with children under six, remember that what you DO carries far more weight than what you say. Not until around the age of four-and-a-half does providing reasonable explanation demonstrate much influence over child behavior.
Keep the following in mind when you need to set limits on behavior with children under six:
1. Provide the child with as much freedom as possible to explore her world and exercise her abilities. If you attempt to impose boundaries more than necessary, you aggravate the child needlessly and cause the child to rebel, defy, and possibly even to engage in destructive behavior.
2. Remember the purpose of setting behavior boundaries. It is not to "teach the child to listen to you" but to prepare the child for making responsible choices on his own. Therefore, do not impose a boundary just to prove "who's in charge".
3. Especially for children under the age of six, your most powerful influence is in bonding. The child needs to feel deeply secure about your love to behave well. Therefore, when you establish boundaries with children in this stage of development, remain calm and loving. Any expressing of anger or annoyance from the parent incites worse behavior from the child.
4. Another powerful influence of yours is modelling. When you attempt to establish boundaries, be sure to do so in a mode that MODELS remaining in your own healthy boundaries. Since reactions of anger and stress are really not good for you, you overstep your own healthy boundaries when you react with anger and stress.
5. The most common mistake parents make when they attempt to when it comes to child behavior boundaries is confusing angry scolding, yelling or hitting with constructive child discipline. The more a parent uses these negative ways of relating with children, the more "out of bounds" the child's behavior is bound to be.
Whatever the age of your child, the time to step in and take charge is when it is in the child's best interest for you to do so. Being overly controlling with a child is a counter-productive as giving a child too much freedom. You need to observe each child carefully to see how much freedom that child can responsibly handle without your intervention.
The more we need to establish boundaries with our children, the more the child is expressing a need for involvement BEFORE his behavior goes too far. Sometimes, it is best to overlook the child's behavior, to let him find his own way. When you do need to get involved, get involved in a positive, loving way. You can use play to establish boundaries with children in a way they don't even realize it is happening. For instance, if your child is running wildly indoors, you might play a FREEZE game. When you call out "freeze", he has to stop and be still while you count to seven. This leads the child from wildness to self-control in a loving way.
When a children feel loved, when they feel that they have the attention and involvement from you that they need, you will have less of a need to establish boundaries with those children, because they will responsibly establish more of their own.
To learn more about how to establish boundaries with children, read Bob Lancer's Parenting With Love, Without Anger or Stress, and/or listen to the amazingly powerful and practical CD, How To Establish Your Authority. | <urn:uuid:52baa080-ca9f-4cc8-97b0-5c5500f2325e> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://boblancer.com/main/page_articles__links_how_to_establish_boundaries_with_children.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320915.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20170627032130-20170627052130-00635.warc.gz | en | 0.959493 | 756 | 2.703125 | 3 | The extract provides guidance on establishing boundaries with children, emphasizing the importance of understanding child development stages, leading by example, and using positive discipline methods. It promotes emotional intelligence, empathy, and effective communication, earning it a moderate to high score. The content integrates realistic scenarios, practical applications, and cultural awareness, but lacks comprehensive coverage of digital literacy and advanced problem-solving.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 150,149 | 1 |
An otherwise balanced review of selected aspects of Ebolavirus transmission falls apart when the authors hypothesize that ‘Ebola viruses have the potential to be respiratory pathogens with primary respiratory spread.’
The idea that Ebolavirus might become transmitted by the respiratory route was suggested last year by Michael Osterholm in a Times OpEd. That idea was widely criticized by many virologists, including this writer. Now he has recruited 20 other authors, including Ebola virologists, in an attempt to lend legitimacy to his hypothesis. Unfortunately the new article adds no new evidence to support this view.
In the last section of the review article the authors admit that they have no evidence for respiratory transmission of Ebolavirus:
It is very likely that at least some degree of Ebola virus transmission currently occurs via infectious aerosols generated from the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, or medical procedures, although this has been difficult to definitively demonstrate or rule out, since those exposed to infectious aerosols also are most likely to be in close proximity to and in direct contact with an infected case.
It is possible that some short-distance transmission of Ebolavirus occurs through the air. But claiming that it is ‘very likely’ to be taking place is an overstatement considering the lack of evidence. As might be expected, ‘very likely’ is exactly the phrase picked up by the Washington Post.
I find the lack of critical thinking in the following paragraph even more disturbing:
To date, investigators have not identified respiratory spread (either via large droplets or small-particle aerosols) of Ebola viruses among humans. This could be because such transmission does not occur or because such transmission has not been recognized, since the number of studies that have carefully examined transmission patterns is small. Despite the lack of supportive epidemiological data, a key additional question to ask is whether primary pulmonary infections and respiratory transmission of Ebola viruses could be a potential scenario for the future.
Why is the possibility of respiratory transmission of Ebolaviruses a ‘key additional question’ when there has been no evidence for it to date? To make matters worse, the authors have now moved from short-range transmission of the virus by droplets, to full-blown respiratory aerosol transmission.
The authors present a list of reasons why they think Ebolavirus could go airborne, including: isolation of Ebolaviruses from saliva; presence of viral particles in pulmonary alveoli on human autopsies; and cough, which can generate aerosols, can be a symptom of Ebolavirus disease. The authors conclude that because of these properties, the virus would not have to change very much to be transmitted by aerosols.
I would conclude the opposite from this list of what Ebolavirus can do: there is clearly a substantial block to respiratory transmission that the virus cannot overcome. Perhaps the virus is not stable enough in respiratory aerosols, or there are not enough infectious viruses in aerosols to transmit infection from human to human. Overcoming these blocks might simply not be biologically possible for Ebolavirus. A thoughtful discussion of these issues is glaringly absent in the review.
The conclusion that Ebolavirus is ‘close’ to becoming a full-blown respiratory pathogen reveals how little we understand about the genetic requirements for virus transmission. In fact the authors cannot have any idea how ‘close’ Ebolavirus is to spreading long distances through the air.
It is always difficult to predict what viruses will or will not do. Instead, virologists observe what viruses have done in the past, and use that information to guide their thinking. If we ask the simple question, has any human virus ever changed its mode of transmission, the answer is no. We have been studying viruses for over 100 years, and we’ve never seen a human virus change the way it is transmitted. There is no evidence to believe that Ebolavirus is any different.
Viruses are masters of evolution, but apparently one item lacking from their repertoire is the ability to change the way that they are transmitted.
Such unfounded speculation would largely be ignored if the paper were read only by microbiologists. But Ebolavirus is always news and even speculation does not go unnoticed. The Washington Post seems to think that this review article is a big deal. Here is their headline: Limited airborne transmission of Ebola is ‘very likely’ new analysis says.
Gary Kobinger, one of the authors, told the Washington Post that ‘we hope that this review will stimulate interest and motivate more support and more scientists to join in and help address gaps in our knowledge on transmission of Ebola’. Such hope is unrealistic, because few can work on this virus, which requires the highest levels of biological containment, a BSL-4 laboratory.
I wonder if Osterholm endorses Kobinger’s hopes. After all, he opposed studies of influenza virus transmission in ferrets, claiming that they are too dangerous. And the current moratorium on research that would help us understand aerosol transmission of influenza viruses is a direct result of objections by Osterholm and his colleagues about this type of work. The genetic experiments that are clearly needed to understand the limitations of Ebolavirus transmission would never be permitted, at least not with United States research dollars.
The gaps in our understanding of virus transmission are considerable. If virologists are not able to carry out the necessary experiments to fill these gaps, all we will have is rampant and unproductive speculation.
15 thoughts on “Ebolavirus will not become a respiratory pathogen”
Well stated – thanks!
I couldn’t understand all the crazy Osterholm was spouting last year, but I’m not a virologist. Glad to hear my instincts were “right”. Why is he using his position to panic the heck out of everyone?? I don’t understand why…
In teaching my freshman/sophomore, college level biology courses in rural Alabama, much of the students’ knowledge of Ebola comes from mainstream media sources. As a trained virologist (bacteriophage), and upon recognizing their ignorance on the topic, I assigned them to write research papers on the virus, which helped them not only understand the virus better, but also allowed them to apply the knowledge gained in our virus lectures to current events. Their interest became so great that we organized a fundraiser to assist with the purchase of supplies for the healthcare workers on the front lines in Liberia. It is most satisfying to provide a broader aspect of an education, which I believe is to become empathetic and well informed citizens. Whether or not they learn all of the biology is less of a concern knowing they are being taught to better critically read and think, rather than rely strictly upon the media. Thank you for all of your work!
Excellent. Convincing the government to shut down actual research on viral transmission will allow people to speculate as wildly as they want in the media, confident that no one will be able to actually test anything.
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As Brad DeLong is fond of saying with respect to scare-mongering in economics and politics: “grifters gotta grift.”
because he can and because most people are not knowledgeable. very few read books on the topic, while most digest the mainstream media…
I think we need to revisit the definitions for both droplet transmission
and airborne transmission. Airborne transmission refers to situations
where droplet nuclei (residue from evaporated droplets) or dust particles containing microorganisms can remain suspended in air for long periods of time.
I think the WashPost article got the title wrong, it should read Limited Droplet Transmission…
Vincent Racaniello (author) says, // “If we ask the simple question, has any human virus ever changed its mode of transmission, the answer is no. We have been studying viruses for over 100 years, and we’ve never seen a human virus change the way it is transmitted. There is no evidence to believe that Ebolavirus is any different. Viruses are masters of evolution, but apparently one item lacking from their repertoire is the ability to change the way that they are transmitted.” //
This argument is flawed because it’s based off of the false premise that Ebolavirus (EBOV) has the same stability and reproductive rate under all conditions.
Transmission efficiency of EBOV varies depending on conditions. According to Center for Aerobiological Sciences, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland:
(1) Ebola has an aerosol stability that is comparable to Influenza-A
(2) Much like flu, airborne Ebola transmissions need winter type conditions to maximize aerosol infection
Hence, EBOV does NOT need to change its mode of transmission because, according to the U.S. Army, it’s already more easily transmissible in colder temperatures because it has the same stability as flu under the same conditions. If this is true, then we can deduce the following: The reason EBOV hasn’t caused a larger outbreak extending into (colder) regions of the world, which have never been afflicted with EBOV epidemics, is because the virus has never been introduced by a human-to-human or animal-to-human vector during colder temperatures. The limited opportunity for EBOV to spread globally is because the natural reservoir for EBOV is the African fruit bat whose habitat is consistently warmer climates.
The reproductive rate of EBOV is about the same as the flu. If EBOV does have the same airborne stability as flu in colder temperatures, and the former gets introduced into colder regions of the world, then there will be larger epidemics dispersed throughout various regions of the world, and potentially a global pandemic.
In other words, EBOV does NOT have to “change” (mutation or recombinant) to become more transmissible via air. It might already posses the phenotype to be vectored in colder conditions. It simply just needs to be introduced by an index case in such colder climate(s).
“If we ask the simple question, has any human virus ever changed its mode of transmission, the answer is no. We have been studying viruses for over 100 years, and we’ve never seen a human virus change the way it is transmitted.” This argument is simply wrong, and people should stop citing its fallacious reasoning. First, in its native host, influenza A is a gastrointestinal virus. It acquires the ability to be transmitted by a respiratory route. It mutates from a virus that prefers the terminal sugars of bird glycoproteins to one that prefers the different terminal sugars of mammalian glycoproteins with very few substitutions required. Second, a virus need not “change” its mode of transmission. It could have multiple modes of transmission that differ in efficiency. When HIV was discovered to be able to be transmitted from mother to infant was that a “new” mode of transmission or merely a previously unrecognized mode of transmission? Third, is the argument being made that there is something special about humans and human viruses? Are human viruses a special creation? Actually influenza A is a human virus, and it does change its mode of transmission, although not in humans per se. Finally, since when is precedent a valid scientific argument? Until there were prions there were no infectious proteins. Until there were human retroviruses discovered, there were no human retroviruses. The “no precedent” argument should be retired.
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A definition of what type of pathogen the Ebola virus is, it’s
characteristics and how it is pathogenic (its method of pathogenicity)
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When pigs fly.
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:5c6f344d-16e7-4e58-bc42-ff4e020ae782> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://virology.ws/2015/02/21/ebolavirus-will-not-become-a-respiratory-pathogen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647525.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601010402-20230601040402-00040.warc.gz | en | 0.947916 | 2,715 | 3.125 | 3 | The extract scores 4 points due to its in-depth discussion of critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific literacy, with realistic scenarios and complex arguments. It also demonstrates advanced communication skills, such as nuanced interaction and sophisticated language. However, it lacks a strong emphasis on intercultural fluency and teamwork, which prevents it from receiving the highest score.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 538,921 | 1 |
What is Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP), a type of factitious disorder, is a
mental illness in which a person acts as if an individual he or she is caring
for has a physical or mental illness when the person is not really sick. The
adult perpetrator has MSP and directly produces or lies about illness in another
person under his or her care, usually a child under 6 years of age. It is
considered a form of abuse by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of
Children. However, cases have been reported of adult victims. (The term "by
proxy" means "through a substitute.")
People with MSP have an inner need for the other
person (often his or her child) to be seen as ill or injured. It is not done to
achieve a concrete benefit, such as financial gain. People with MSP are even
willing to have the child or patient undergo painful or risky tests and
operations in order to get the sympathy and special attention given to people
who are truly ill and their families. Factitious disorders are considered mental
illnesses because they are associated with severe emotional difficulties.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition (Text Revision DSMIV-TR), which is the standard
reference book for recognized mental illnesses in the United States, organizes
factitious disorders into four main types: those with mainly psychological
symptoms; those with mainly physical symptoms; those with both physical and
psychological symptoms; and those that do not match the conditions for the other
three types. MSP falls into the fourth category. Fortunately, it is rare (2 out
of 100,000 children).
MSP most often occurs with mothers—although it can
occur with fathers—who intentionally harm or describe non-existent symptoms in
their children to get the attention given to the family of someone who is sick.
A person with MSP uses the many hospitalizations as a way to earn praise from
others for her devotion to the child’s care, often using the sick child as a
means for developing a relationship with the doctor or other health care
provider. The adult with MSP often will not leave the bedside and will discuss
in medical detail symptoms and care provided as evidence that he or she is a
good caretaker. If the symptoms go away in the hospital, they are likely to
return when the caretaker with MSP is alone with the child or elderly parent.
People with MSP might create or exaggerate the child’s
symptoms in several ways. They might simply lie about symptoms, alter diagnostic
tests (such as contaminating a urine sample), falsify medical records, or induce
symptoms through various means, such as poisoning, suffocating, starving, and
causing infection. The presenting problem may also be psychiatric or behavioral.
What are the symptoms of Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
Certain characteristics are common in a person with MSP:
- Often is a parent, usually a mother, but can be the adult child of an elderly patient
- Might be a health care professional
- Is very friendly and cooperative with the health care providers
- Appears quite concerned (some might seem overly concerned) about the child or designated patient
- Might also suffer from Munchausen syndrome (This is a related disorder
in which the caregiver repeatedly acts as if he or she has a physical or
mental illness when he or she has caused the symptoms.)
Other possible warning signs of MSP in children include the following:
- The child has a history of many hospitalizations, often with a strange set of symptoms.
- Worsening of the child’s symptoms generally is reported by the mother and is not witnessed by the hospital staff.
- The child’s reported condition and symptoms do not agree with the results of diagnostic tests.
- There might be more than one unusual illness or death of children in the family.
- The child’s condition improves in the hospital, but symptoms recur when the child returns home.
- Blood in lab samples might not match the blood of the child.
- There might be signs of chemicals in the child’s blood, stool, or urine.
What causes Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
The exact cause of MSP is not known, but researchers believe both biological
and psychological factors play a role in the development of this disorder. Some
theories suggest that a history of abuse or neglect as a child or the early loss
of a parent might be factors in its development. Some evidence suggests that
major stress, such as marital problems, can trigger an MSP episode.
How common is Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
There are no reliable statistics regarding the number of people in the
United States who suffer from MSP, and it is difficult to assess how common the
disorder is because many cases go undetected. However, estimates suggest that
about 1,000 of the 2.5 million cases of child abuse reported annually are related to MSP.
In general, MSP occurs more often in women than in men.
How is Munchausen syndrome by proxy diagnosed?
Diagnosing MSP is very difficult because of the dishonesty that is involved.
Doctors must rule out any possible physical illness as the cause of the child’s
symptoms, and often use a variety of diagnostic tests and procedures before considering a diagnosis of MSP.
If a physical cause of the symptoms is not found, a
thorough review of the child’s medical history, as well as a review of the
family history and the mother’s medical history (many have Munchausen syndrome
themselves) might provide clues to suggest MSP. Often, the individual with MSP
may have other comorbid psychiatric disorders. Remember, it is the adult, not
the child, who is diagnosed with MSP. Indeed, the most important or helpful part
of the workup is likely to be the review of all old records that can be
obtained. Too often, this time-consuming but critical task is forgotten and the diagnosis is missed.
How is Munchausen syndrome by proxy treated?
The first concern in cases of MSP is to ensure the safety and protection of
any real or potential victims. This might require that the child be placed in
the care of another. In fact, managing a case involving MSP often requires a
team that includes social workers, foster care organizations, and law
enforcement, as well as the health care providers.
Successful treatment of people with MSP is difficult
because those with the disorder often deny there is a problem. In addition,
treatment success is dependent on the person telling the truth, and people with
MSP tend to be such accomplished liars that they begin to have trouble telling fact from fiction.
Psychotherapy (a type of counseling) generally focuses
on changing the thinking and behavior of the individual with the disorder
(cognitive-behavioral therapy). The goal of therapy for MSP is to help the
person identify the thoughts and feelings that are contributing to the behavior,
and to learn to form relationships that are not associated with being ill.
What are the complications of Munchausen syndrome by proxy ?
This disorder can lead to serious short- and long-term complications,
including continued abuse, multiple hospitalizations, and the death of the
victim. (Research suggests that the death rate for victims of MSP is about 10
percent.) In some cases, a child victim of MSP learns to associate getting
attention to being sick and develops Munchausen syndrome himself or herself.
Considered a form of child abuse, MSP is a criminal offense.
What is the prognosis (outlook) for people with Munchausen syndrome by proxy?
In generally, MSP is a very difficult disorder to treat and often requires
years of therapy and support. Social services, law enforcement, children’s
protective services, and physicians must function as a team to stop the behavior.
Can Munchausen syndrome by proxy be prevented?
There is no known way to prevent this disorder. However, it might be helpful
to begin treatment in people as soon as they begin to have symptoms. Removing
the child or other victim from the care of the person with MSP can prevent further harm to the victim.
Stirling J. Beyond Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Identification and Treatment of Child Abuse in a Medical Setting,
Pediatrics. 2007;119:1026-1030. pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/119/5/1026. Accessed December 22, 2010.
Endom EE. Munchausen syndrome by proxy. uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=peds_soc/6036&selectedTitle=1%7E20&source=search_result. Accessed December 22, 2010.
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This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on: 12.2.2010...#9834 | <urn:uuid:a9f5f459-1b37-4155-bb4b-0519efa396ae> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/factitious_disorders/hic_munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999653402/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060733-00033-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951318 | 1,996 | 3.03125 | 3 | The extract provides in-depth information about Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of child abuse. However, it lacks discussion of soft skills, communication scenarios, team dynamics, emotional intelligence, leadership challenges, and critical thinking opportunities. The content is informative but does not offer practical applications or professional development opportunities for soft skills.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 805,410 | 0 |
Nayeli Guzman is a young Mexica woman who went to New Mexico to be part of the effort to restore traditional agriculture. Throughout the US, Native, Chicano, and other peoples are rejecting industrialized agriculture and are growing their own food instead, thereby reclaiming the health of their traditions, culture, bodies, and land. They are contributing to one of the largest movements in the US today: creating a sustainable food supply chain. Here, Nayeli talks of one such program at the Tesuque Indian Pueblo, where she and other farmers are using long-abandoned farmland to grow long-abandoned crops, building up seed libraries, and teaching others ecological methods for growing food.
Nayeli Guzman | New Mexico, USA
Damn, I should have brought my beans! I wanted to show you my collection. One of my favorites is called powami, a Hopi ceremonial bean. There’s a really beautiful one called Maine Yellow Eye, which is all white and right at the part where the bean sprouts, there’s a little yellow moon on there. There’s another one called Provider. When you put it against the sun, it looks like an oil spill from your car. Man, those beans are so beautiful.
We cooked some red Mexican beans for the harvest festival, and everyone loved them.
It’s always good to be able to give food. It’s the best, dude. We don’t think of what we’re producing in terms of money, but just in terms of health and food for our families.
Farming was in my prayers for a long time. This land is my teacher; it’s my altar. It’s at the heart of my culture. We’ve always done that. We’ve strayed so far from it that I feel we have to go back, no matter where we come from. I’m just being responsible to the struggles my ancestors went through. They fought for tierra y libertad, which means land and liberty. In fact, we’re still going through that struggle today, with our food and even our genes being colonized.
A goal of this program is for the Pueblo to become completely self-sustaining so that during the growing season, people don’t have to purchase what they can grow themselves. Another goal is to preserve the traditional way of life here. We need to keep the traditions alive. We need to preserve the seeds. We need to preserve the soil. We need to preserve the planet.
What we want to do next year at the Head Start is to have each kid have their own little garden. This year our program was too young to do that, but we were able to deliver pumpkins for Day of the Dead. The kids carved them´and gave them to us as gifts, like a little thank-you note. We want to have workers from the Tesuque farm program go in and help them maintain the gardens.
We are also working with the senior center, giving them food from the harvest. For our harvest festival we gave them squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, all kinds of things. We’re trying to stay connected with the elders and to keep them around as long as possible.
We sell food at the farmers’ market, and people on the Pueblo can order the food they want from the fields. Part of me feels like we should be giving the food away to the people because we’re growing it on their land. But if they’re able to work, they should be farming for themselves, at least having a little plot of corn.
A few have become inspired to go out there and do it themselves. And I’ve noticed a higher level of pride among the people about being Native and preserving their way of life.
I see this plan spreading to different communities, not just the reservations but all over the place. I see other communities coming over here and learning, and taking that back to their people and starting it up all over again. We see it happening on a global scale already. There are farmers meeting together from all over the world. We need to all work together as land-based people and not look at what color we are or where we come from, because the land is not like that. Creator is not exclusive, so there’s no reason we should be. They tell us, “The more biodiversity you have, the richer your soil is going to be.” It’s like that with people. The more different kinds of people you have, the more we’re going to be able to survive. That’s why we need everybody working together. We can’t compartmentalize ourselves. That’s what industrial agriculture does.
If people would only open their eyes and their ears and their hearts to living in community, everything would work so much smoother. It’s not a Native thing. Community is a human thing. It’s already in us, we just have to bring it back out. One person can grow corn, one person can grow something else, and they can share. That’s how people used to survive way back when.
What we’re doing is very simple. These ideas are not an alternative for us, they’re just a way of life. We’re just doing what Creator meant for us to do.
Inspired? Here are a few suggestions for getting involved!
- Just Harvest USA bridges the healthy and local food movement with the farmworker rights movement. Join them (www.justharvestusa.org/getinvolved.html).
- Grassroots groups all over the US are forming food policy councils to strengthen food systems that meet local needs. Consider joining one near you, or starting your own (www.foodsecurity.org/FPC/council.html).
- The US Food Sovereignty Alliance brings together food justice initiatives to organize for domestic food sovereignty and link up with the global movement for food sovereignty. Consider having your organization join (www.usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org).
- Organize a local campaign to protect your community from corporate farming and other corporate takeovers of natural resources. The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund runs the Democracy Schools to help you get started (www.celdf.org).
- Organize a plant or seed swap. Boycott corporate-owned seeds, especially those owned by the largest agro-corporations such as Monsanto and Syngenta. Get involved with campaigns against agro-giants; check out the Organic Consumers’ campaign against Monsanto (www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm).
- Sign up for the Community Food Security Coalition’s policy email list for monthly updates on federal policy that affects community food security. Check out their platform for the 2012 Farm Bill (www.foodsecurity.org/2012FarmBill.html).
- Encourage your or your child’s school to buy local and healthy food through farm-to-school programs.
- Organize with other parents or students to make it happen (www.farmtoschool.org).
- Share a garden space with your neighbors or friends. Share your harvest with those you love (and those you haven’t met yet!)
And check out the following resources and organizations:
- National Family Farm Coalition, www.nffc.net
- Food First, www.foodfirst.org
- Family Farm Defenders, www.familyfarmers.org
- Grassroots International, www.grassrootsonline.org
- Agricultural Missions, www.agriculturalmissions.org
- Fair Food Network, www.fairfoodnetwork.org
- The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, www.ilsr.org
- International Indian Treaty Council, The Right to Food, www.treatycouncil.org/new_page_5241.htm
- New Farm of the Rodale Institute, www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm
- Women, Food, and Agricultural Network, www.wfan.org
- White Earth Land Recovery and Native Harvest Online Catalog, www.welrp.org & www.nativeharvest.com
- Peter Rosset, Food Is Different (Zed Book, 2006)
- Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005) | <urn:uuid:0a40f718-a97d-4028-866c-1f4839ffc73c> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/9401-this-land-is-my-teacher-preserving-native-agriculture-and-traditions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320489.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20170625101427-20170625121427-00158.warc.gz | en | 0.943051 | 1,788 | 2.734375 | 3 | The extract scores high for its comprehensive discussion of soft skills, including teamwork, community building, and cultural awareness. It features realistic scenarios that integrate emotional intelligence, leadership challenges, and critical thinking opportunities, such as Nayeli's efforts to restore traditional agriculture and promote sustainable food systems. The extract also showcases advanced communication and problem-solving skills, including collaboration with various stakeholders and adaptation to community needs.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 244,308 | 1 |
ESL Kids Class
The aims of our English classes are practical, teaching young learners English as an international language that includes taking a developmentally appropriate approach and building 21st century skills to prepare children for the world they live in.
What makes English unique is that it is both the medium and the method of learning.
It is through English communication skills that all other skills and knowledge can be acquired. We aim to motivate students to communicate as fast as they can!
Our teaching methods build upon individual understandings, knowledge and interests, emphasizing how to learn and how to delve deeper, while developing critical thinking skills. Our student-centered curriculum helps tailor the course to meet children’s immediate needs. Students practice their new language through variety of interactive activities!
- We aim to motivate our learners to communicate as fast as they can.
- We aim to help build confidence and increase motivation with particular attention given to developing an achievable sequence of language.
- We stress improving students’ English proficiency and communication skills, especially in interpersonal communication.
- We also emphasize increasing students’ knowledge of English-speaking cultures and making them “international persons”
- We encourage classroom interaction in English from the beginning of each class through a focus on question and answer forms, dialogues, pair work and communicative games.
- We provide flexible learning options for everyone to learn without boundaries and support our students in every modality of learning.
- We review what was learned from previous lesson to introduce new vocabulary and functional dialogue practice with communication games that encourage classroom interaction with students.
- Grammar is introduced systematically and integrated with the situations and topics students need to communicate in English.
- Personalization activities make language useful, practical and easier for young learners to remember by connecting it to their everyday lives.
- Small groups-maximum 4-6 students per group
- Our overall aim is to prepare global citizens for the 21st Century and to do whatever we can to help our students connect learning with real life and to provide them with the necessary skills to prepare them for success.
Our balanced range of speaking, reading, writing, listening, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation activities help students develop well-rounded language skills.
Students learn structures through student-centered activities and apply them in practical situations.
Fun activities, humor and appealing characters help to draw the students into the course.
All language targets are constantly brought alive through personalization and interactive activities.
Vocabulary and patterns are recycled throughout each course allowing sustained practice in a supportive environment.
Functional grammar dialogs, phonics program, songs and chants make language easy to remember.
We introduced carefully chosen Students Book and Activity Book with audio CD which provides listening options for in and out of class.
Our phonics program is designed to help young learners attain success in pronunciation, reading and spelling activities. Students learn all the necessary sounds without being overwhelmed by difficult vocabulary. Our phonics-based activities are designed for Japanese children to make reading and writing easy, and encourages active communication skills.
Every lesson contains a song or chant that provides fun reinforcement and extends the language practice; music and movement activities as well as extension games and activities are provided. The fun chants, music and movement engage learners’ interests while facilitating vocabulary acquisition.
We focus on practical high-frequency words to enhance the vocabulary of learners from high beginning to advance levels.
Sample sentences, and illustrations to help students to understand the words better. Target words in the stories are highlighted for learners to recall the meanings of the words while reading them.
Small groups-maximum 4-6 students per group
- Warm up
- Review previous lesson
- Phonics practice introduced through familiar vocabulary
- Student-centered themes and vocabulary
- Vocabulary focus and Role-play
- Question time
- Age : 3-12 years
- Time : Mon.~Fri. 14:00~19:00
- Details : For details and fees, please contact us directly. TEL：0120-970-250 | <urn:uuid:dd8f4b1a-fd8b-47f4-8e21-91cc33477ed6> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://fussa-heritage-is.com/afterschool/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251694176.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20200127020458-20200127050458-00558.warc.gz | en | 0.927586 | 825 | 3.890625 | 4 | The extract scores high for its comprehensive approach to teaching English as a second language, emphasizing communication skills, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. It incorporates interactive activities, personalized learning, and practical applications, demonstrating a strong focus on developing essential soft skills. However, it lacks explicit discussion of advanced problem-solving, leadership, and strategic thinking.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 13,418 | 1 |
What do we see in this scene?
Arrow is the story of Oliver Queen, spoiled billionaire playboy, who was presumed missing after his father’s yacht capsized. Five years later he returns, changed and determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante.
As a side note, most episodes are below average and the story is only worth watching if you enjoy kung-fu fights and wrong decisions at every turn.
In this scene we see Oliver and his best friend Tommy have a conversation. Tommy has a hard time adapting to the changes in his surroundings and now that he knows Oliver’s secret it has become even more complex.
Earth is a big place and each one of us is a world on its own. People experience the context they live in as their own extension. Through our senses, we try to understand or realize what is physically going on. Our brain then computes the information and uses the data acquired to make sense and connect with our personal set of values. This basically means that the world is different for each of us based on one’s perception. More about it can be found in Husserl’s work about Phenomenology.
Cognitive dissonance and Egoïsm
When something weird and unexpected happens and we start feeling discomfort or mental stress we tend to ask the following 3 questions:
How did it happen?
Why did it happen?
What’s the impact on me?
Egoïsm, in its psychological state, view that humans are always motivated by self-interest, even in what seems to be acts of altruism. As the world is our extension, we will work on it to improve our situation. When someone experiences a cognitive dissonance such as Tommy, things get complicated. In Tommy’s case, to find back his balance, he decides to quit.
When Oliver’s friends and family found out that Oliver is back, they were in shock and had to start computing that information. In order to adapt to this new context, they had to ask Oliver certain questions: where was he, how did he survive, why did it take so much time to come back and so forth. While they felled compelled to ask these questions, they didn’t really care about Oliver’s context. They expected to have answers that will help them understand how this change, Oliver’s return, will impact their live and how they can adopt it or adapt to it.
Arrow’s story revolves around helping each other out, and yet, somehow it fails completely. Instead everything seems to be focused on selfishness. Me! Me! Me! And this is where it gets interesting.
These last couple of months were strong in emotions. First we had the stories with thousands of refugees coming to Europe and now the focus is on Volkswagen using a software to cheat.
We all remember Aylan Kurdi’s sad yet powerful picture, and while probably most of us forgot his name, we haven’t forgotten what happened. The boy’s picture and very convincing news headlines have literally put all of Europe in a situation of cognitive dissonance. The war wages a couple of years now in Syria, yet, suddenly, we realize bad things happen to innocent people. Egoïsm then kicks-in and people start to send calls to action and help arriving refugees. Now a month later, most have done their required action to get back to a congruent state and returned to their dormant self.
Volkwagen is the latest case where a giant in the car industry decided to cheat on their diesel car emissions. When this was discovered and then communicated to the masses, most people followed the same scheme.
How did it happen?
Why did they do it?
And finally because they don’t have answers to both these questions, how does it impact me?
People without a volkswagen car, do not feel directly related to the case, but still may think that their car manufacturer could do the same. Volkswagen customers on the other hand, who bought such a car with the idea they’ll pollute less, now realise they have been lied to, feel a discomfort, and want compensation.
Here again, the press started spreading fearsome headlines putting all of the world in mental stress. The company’s stock value dropped over 40% in two days and the end of the world is near…
And yet, nothing has really changed. The moment I’m writing this post, Volkswagen’s stock has increased over 20% and people are still buying their cars. We don’t really care about what happens with Volkswagen, we don’t even talk about what could happen to the tens of thousands of employees, who had nothing to do with it. While we cry out loud on Volkswagen, we don’t even try to find out the reasons behind this fraud and how this could be used in a constructive way. No, what’s important is how I can make the situation better for me.
Once the novelty effect (in this case a negative one) will go down, all of us will return to our daily routines and some short term investors would have earned a few millions.
Actually, this is the same as Apple launching their new iPhone and the reason they have to launch an s version after 6 months. Each new iPhone creates a cognitive dissonance for Apple fans (and most of the press) and they must talk about it and potentially buy it. Therefore, each time novelty ebss away, the company has to come with a new product to recreate the effect and increase (or at least maintain) sales.
How does this relate to leadership?
We’ve seen in previous posts that leadership is not about oneself, but about the (positive) impact we can have on others. The simple fact that a CEO has to step down indicates that, at least for listed companies, leadership and management are indeed to separate concepts.
Right now people are trying to make sense of the situation and once they feel they have their answer (and compensation) things will return to normal. It happened many times throughout mankind’s history, in the car industry (Toyota, GM) , with the oil industry (BP) and it will continue to happen in the future.
For you as a leader
When such large context changes happen, time is at your side. People get quickly infuriated, but when the novelty effect has gone or when they understood how the situation impacts them and what they can do about it, the situation will quiet down.
These kind of cases also happen daily on smaller scales and can be rapidly fixed. An employee that gets promoted and has a very different job, an employee who lost a relative, or someone who heard 100 people will get fired.
When dealing with an issue that changes someone’s context, it is all about helping that person answer the 3 questions:
How did it happen?
Why did it happen?
What’s the impact on me?
And this requires transparency.
In the Arrow and Volkswagen case, everything happens because people don’t get the answers they deserve and therefore focus solely on trying to weigh the impact.
Henceforth, when someone is in a state of mental stress or feels out of context, help them get back in it. Help them rebuild the context as being their own extension.
Start by explaining how the company or that person got into this situation and what it actually means. Tell them about the big picture and how they relate to it while being concrete and earnest. Give them the information and the tools they need to control their context.
Professional coaches use techniques such as Neuro-linguistic programming and Non-violent communication to help restructure the broken link. Systemic thinking is also a very powerful way to understand and explain the context and impact of a specific problem. Systems theory helps provide a holistic view of a given situation and should be taught to managers and leaders. While unknown or forgotten by business and politics, it has the potential to help solve many cases.
Once the person can directly relate to the context and has all the required information to compute, then they will be better equipped to accept the impact and come up with constructive suggestions and alternatives.
The most important is that the relationship between the leader and the follower takes place in a trusting and constructive context. Act in a different way than Oliver who keeps secrets because he believes that the truth may break his friends. You as leader are not the only one who has the right to change and evolve. Your people deserve it too and it is your role to help them get there.
In the series Oliver often say to the criminals he capture that they have failed the city. He as a leader has often failed his team, but you don’t have to. | <urn:uuid:f117d7b1-5329-4f5b-a1ae-a89b8c2c4e2b> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.leadwms.com/dieselgate-explained-with-the-arrow | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945279.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20230324082226-20230324112226-00643.warc.gz | en | 0.969874 | 1,833 | 2.59375 | 3 | The extract discusses soft skills, including leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence, with realistic scenarios and practical applications. It explores complex concepts like cognitive dissonance, egoism, and systemic thinking, providing nuanced insights into human behavior and relationships. The text also emphasizes the importance of transparency, trust, and constructive context in leadership, making it a valuable resource for professional development.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 306,914 | 1 |
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that simply means you have an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism. Because of this, your immune system targets and attacks your thyroid, which causes it to produce more of your natural thyroid hormones. These hormones control how your body uses energy and can affect every organ, even your eyes and skin.
Like most autoimmune diseases, you are more likely to be diagnosed with Graves' disease if you already have an autoimmune disease.
The cause of Graves' disease is still unknown, but research has suggested there may be a genetic factor involved or a possible virus.
+ Swollen thyroid
+ Cysts on thyroid
+ Heat sensitivity
+ Mood or mental health changes
+ Menstrual cycle changes
+ Weight loss
+ Hand or finger tremors
+ Rapid or irregular heartbeat
+ Eye problems such as bulging, light sensitivity, vision loss, double vision or pressure
+ Primary care provider
+ And in some cases: Ophthalmologist Surgeon
+ TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)
+Antithyroid medication: These medications disrupt how the thyroid uses iodine. There is a good history of long-term results when this therapy is used for a year or longer. They may be used alone or with beta blockers or radioactive therapy. Some of these include: Methimazole Propylthiouracil
+ Beta blockers help block how hormones affect your body and usually provide quick relief of Graves symptoms. Some of these include: Propranolol Metroprolol Atenolol Nadolol Radioactive therapy Also called radioiodine, this is a pill you take by mouth that targets and destroys overactive thyroid cells and causes your thyroid to shrink over time. People usually have to do an additional treatment later to bring thyroid levels up to normal numbers.
+ It is important to include vitamins and minerals in your diet. Some specifically important to graves disease are: Calcium Vitamin D Iron Zinc Selenium
METHODS OF HEALING
Research foods. Most specialists recommend a low iodine diet. This includes unsalted nuts and nut butters, unsalted popcorn, homemade breads, and egg whites. Cruciferous vegetables are also thought to help graves disease. These include broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and bok choy.
I also recommend increasing your vitamins and typical wellness routines at this time because you will be admitted to a hospital or outpatient center for your imaging diagnosis or possible surgery.
Here are some great links and resources to help you as you navigate your Autoimmune Disease.
HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED MORE SUPPORT?
ABOUT CLAIRE | I am a wife and mother living in the US Southwest. Since my autoimmune diagnosis, I have learned to love my body through food. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen coming up with allergy friendly recipes my family will love. I also love to keep my body active and occasionally participate in distance running. Our family has a passion for the outdoors, so you can always find us there!
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE | Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Graves' Disease
Their stories are brave, honest and intimately revealing of their diagnosis, their successes, their hardships and their lives. Sharing their stories allows them to put words to their journey while providing inspiration to others with an autoimmune disease. | <urn:uuid:85534756-04f9-4130-96b7-b1b52776a647> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://autoimmunesisters.org/diseases/graves-disease | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371805747.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20200407183818-20200407214318-00345.warc.gz | en | 0.920015 | 695 | 2.921875 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing primarily on medical information and personal experience with autoimmune diseases. There are no scenarios or opportunities for developing communication, teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving skills.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 960,374 | 0 |
Workplace burnout is not reserved for CEOs of international organizations or heart surgeons. Average employees experience the fatigue and discomfort of burnout every day in the United States and around the world. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases now categorizes work burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Burnout results from chronic stress, can impact workers in any industry and often leads to decreased productivity, unhappiness and exhaustion.
Publications from the American Psychological Association provide an understanding of how workplace burnout can occur. Common causes of burnout include:
- Too much work
- Imbalanced work
- Lack of control over work
- No financial or emotional rewards for work
- Unsupportive community
The World Health Organization’s recent classification has reignited a meaningful conversation about mental health in the workplace.
How Common Is Burnout?
According to Gallup research for occupational burnout statistics, about two-thirds of employees admit to feeling sometimes or very often burned out in the workplace. According to an article published by Harvard Business Review, even highly engaged employees can suffer from burnout.
Employees are at higher risk for burnout when they have unrealistic expectations of themselves, never feel good enough, are in the wrong role and feel unappreciated. Companies can and should provide support that helps prevent employee burnout. Some support strategies companies can use include:
- Adequate vacation time
- Boundaries between work and home life
- Expansion of wellness programs
- Employee recognition
- A culture of celebrating achievements
Regular touch points with management that are positive can be an essential element in promoting employee mental wellness.
Effects of Workplace Burnout
Symptoms of burnout in the workplace may not be obvious and can be confused with other issues. Some people react to stress in anger, frustration or sadness. It is important for employers to be aware of the ways burnout can manifest in different employees. Some signs of burnout at work may include:
- Severe lack of energy
- Cynicism or extreme criticism
The effects of burnout at work can impact a company’s culture and bottom line. The American Institute of Stress developed a survey in 1998 that they use to screen for workplace stress. This and other research has led them to the conclusion that stress-related factors that affect job attendance and productivity cost companies in the United States $300 billion a year. Creating a company culture and opportunities for mental wellness is essential for companies to avoid significant financial loss.
Managing Work-Related Stress
Stress is a primary source of workplace burnout. Managing stress at work is an important coping tool that can provide guidance on how to avoid burnout in the workplace. It’s important to identify the source of stress. Once it’s clear what factors in a person’s workplace cause burnout, they can begin to take steps to address them. Companies can learn how to prevent burnout in the workplace by using tools and strategies to promote mental wellness among their employees.
The American Institute of Stress. “Workplace Stress.” Accessed June 20, 2019.
Seppala, Emma et al. “1 in 5 Employees is Highly Engaged and at Risk of Burnout.” Harvard Business Review, May 16, 2018. Accessed June 20, 2019.
Wigert, Ben et al. “Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes.” Gallup Workplace, July 12, 2018. Accessed June 20, 2019.
Wilson, Susan M. “Avoid the burn.” American Psychological Association GradPSYCH Magazine 2011. Accessed June 20, 2019.
World Health Organization. “Burn-out an occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases.” May 28, 2019. Accessed June 20, 2019. | <urn:uuid:6f253699-3a4c-4c6f-8302-6af4c7a90c45> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/stress/news/who-officially-recognizes-workplace-burnout/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250626449.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20200124221147-20200125010147-00184.warc.gz | en | 0.936928 | 781 | 2.734375 | 3 | The extract discusses workplace burnout, its causes, symptoms, and effects, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. It touches on the importance of mental wellness, company culture, and stress management, but lacks interactive or practical applications for developing soft skills. The content is informative, with references to reputable sources, but does not delve into nuanced communication scenarios, leadership challenges, or complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 61,670 | 0 |
Bad local health systems and an extremely slow international response contributed to the rapid spread of Ebola in West Africa in 2014. Evaluations of the global response exposed significant failings by groups like the World Health Organization, who bore the brunt of the criticism. When reports emerged late last year that the Zika virus was linked to birth defects in Latin America, the international community acted as quickly in response.
“You don’t ever want to get behind the problem. You really want to get ahead of the problem,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in a media call yesterday. “And that’s the reason why you are seeing such attention being paid. And why you have a level of activity from the president himself, through the Congress, and through agencies.”
The immediate attention is evidenced by the $1.8 billion requested by the White House for emergency Zika funding. More than half of the money is directed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the domestic response to the mosquito-borne virus and support the countries currently affected in order to prevent the problem from getting worse. Fauci said the NIAID’s priority is developing a vaccine that can prevent people from getting sick with Zika.
Both Fauci and CDC head Tom Frieden agreed that the U.S. response is proportionate to the problem. They do not think that the money allocated and warnings about travel are an overreaction. Frieden reiterated the agency’s recommendation that pregnant women from the U.S. should not travel to Zika-infected countries and should not have sex with men who may be or are infected with the virus.
“With Ebola, we had a very clear set of knowledge about what was needed. Zika is very different,” said Frieden. “The threat appears to be currently to pregnant women.”
There are concerns that Zika may cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, a link Frieden says would not be surprising if true, but it is not all that dangerous to the majority of people. Its link to microcephaly, a birth defect, in children of mothers infected with the virus during pregnancy is most troubling. Efforts are under way to determine the causal link. New research found the virus in the amniotic fluid of two women who had had Zika-like symptoms during their pregnancies.
A recent theory is that larvicides used to kill insects in Brazil are the culprit for the birth defect. Fauci said that it is hard to disprove the theory, but impossible to ignore the fact that evidence of the virus is turning up in mothers and their children born with microcephaly. A vaccine could be available in a few years, but that will depend on how the trials go and whether the outbreak persists. Ebola vaccines were under way by the time the West African outbreak worsened, but there was little research due to the sporadic instances of Ebola outbreaks. Zika is starting behind and could see a similarly slow path of development if the spread is managed.
For Frieden, the spread of Zika is a reminder of the need to invest in global health systems. Like Ebola, weak health infrastructures make it hard to manage the spread of a virus and track it. He said it is quite possible this problem existed well before now, but we are only just finding out because it reached a tipping point. Better access to health care is crucial.
Puerto Rico is a particular concern for the CDC. There are now eight confirmed cases of Zika spread by local mosquitoes in the country so far. More than 20 CDC staffers are in Peurto Rico to assist the 50 staff already in the country responding to the spread of dengue. The country is a popular destination for American travelers, particularly college spring breakers who are set to go there in the next month.
“We will only be safe in this country when we have a safer system around the world to find and stop health threats,” Frieden said. “Both Ebola and Zika remind of us the importance to strengthen health systems, find problems early, and prevent them before they get worse.” | <urn:uuid:d3b3f7b7-07f2-44fd-9505-898d31de4052> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.humanosphere.org/global-health/2016/02/lessons-from-mishandling-ebola-crisis-seen-in-zika-response/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549448146.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20170728083322-20170728103322-00554.warc.gz | en | 0.963101 | 883 | 2.8125 | 3 | The extract lacks direct discussion of soft skills, focusing on a real-world health crisis. However, it implies the importance of global communication, leadership, and problem-solving in addressing health threats. It touches on teamwork and international cooperation but lacks depth in emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and digital literacy.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 411,243 | 0 |
Reshaping the world of research through remote experimentation
We all remember the impact of stay-at-home-orders on our everyday lives in spring 2020. However, it was not only restaurants, salons, flower shops, and bookstores that had to close their doors. National user research facilities shut down most operations, closing the doors to thousands of visiting scientists, and bringing research on new batteries, pharmaceutical drugs, and many other materials to a grinding halt, at a time when the country needed these facilities more than ever. So, seven user research facilities decided to form a team of experts, the Remote Access Working Group (RAWG), to figure out how these facilities could keep the science going even when the researchers couldn't access them in person.
The solution is as simple as it is difficult. Research facilities that serve visiting researchers have to create an environment in which experiments can be run from afar—with nearly no human interaction. Scientists have dubbed this new way of doing research remote experimentation. While each facility started the unexpected journey to remote experimentation on their own, the RAWG has brought all the different ideas together to help each facility overcome the numerous challenges encountered along the way.
Most challenges result from the nature of how these facilities operate. All seven facilities are neutron or light sources funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. This means they generate highly intense beams of neutrons or X-rays that visiting scientists use to study the inner workings of materials. These visiting researchers, or users, collaborate with facility staff to study everything from ancient mummies to novel quantum materials, generating new knowledge daily.
The Desolation of COVID-19
In a world before COVID-19, these user facilities were a hub for research teams. Scientists traveled to them, used unique tools to study their materials, worked with brilliant people on all kinds of scientific questions, then left the facility with new data that could answer these questions. With the ongoing pandemic, traveling to a facility in a different state—let alone a different country—is not an option. And with this, the well-established cycle of creating new knowledge was broken.
To re-start this cycle without going back to the old ways, each facility was confronted with a host of challenges that ranged from how to control an experiment from afar to how to get the samples to the facility in the first place. This was just the tip of the iceberg of issues the pandemic created. The RAWG's mission is to share experiences and solutions for these issues among the facilities.
The fellowship of remote experimentation
The RAWG was built upon the existing collaboration of the five DOE light source facilities. Their directors meet twice a year to discuss common challenges so that they can form teams to tackle various issues. So, it was only natural to join forces again when COVID-19 hit.
The light sources—namely the Advanced Light Source (ALS), the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)—were soon joined by the two neutron sources at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Once the team was assembled, it was time to identify the challenges and start the journey to find their solutions.
Defining the lay of the land: Surveys
"The facility directors saw that remote experiments were a challenge for all of us during the pandemic, but that they weren't going to go away after the pandemic. So, we needed to make a serious coordinated effort to understand the problems and work together on solutions," said Dula Parkinson, a beamline scientist, deputy for photon science operations at ALS, and RAWG member. "When we started sharing experiences across facilities, it was good to hear that others were struggling with the same challenges we were. We pretty quickly identified some of the urgent ones where we could work together."
The team shared anything from ideas to documents, but this shift to remote experimentation affected every aspect of facility operations. So, they needed more information and more points of view.
"We ran several surveys to get an understanding of what issues staff and users saw," said Ritimukta Sarangi, a senior scientist in hard X-ray spectroscopy from SSRL and RAWG member. "Our surveys really shed light on some issues that weren't clear in the beginning. For example, most users felt their experimental needs could be met by remote experimentation, while most facility staff members were more critical of that option. The results also revealed a shift in activities for light source staff. They changed from developing and maintaining instrumentation for user science to actively participating in user experiments."
A virtual seat at the table: Forum and website
"We realized early on that communication was key. If we wanted to learn from each other's progress, we needed a place to share our experiences. We, at NSLS-II, had a virtual weekly meeting for staff to show their projects to other staff members. It worked well for us. So, the RAWG decided to create a series of meetings with staff from all facilities for this purpose," said Lisa Miller, a biochemist, manager of the user services, communication, education and outreach office at NSLS-II, and RAWG member.
The ongoing monthly Neutron & Light Source Forum is a chance for staff from all facilities to present their current projects connected to remote experimentation. Each session has a different speaker from one of the facilities and ensures that the presentation or demonstration is followed by a discussion involving experts from other facilities.
"The balance between presentation and discussion is important. We can all learn from each other. The forum offers a direct exchange between staff from our facilities that had not existed in this form before. We record the sessions. Together with the slides we host the presentations on our website. Our website is becoming a great resource for everyone working on this topic. Additionally, we also host all RAWG presentations on a YouTube channel," said Alex Wallace, an engineer, head of the experiment control system development department at LCLS, and a RAWG member.
Preparing the gear: Controlling the beamlines
"In the forefront of all of this stood the question of how can we run an experiment at a beamline without actually being there. Sure, the beamline is controlled by a computer but that is usually in walking distance of the instrument," said Stuart Wilkins, a physicist, manager of the data science and systems integration program at NSLS-II, and RAWG member. "Now, we needed to create a solution that would allow a user to login into that computer from anywhere while keeping it safe, ensuring that every part of the experiment—a motor, a heat source, a detector, anything—worked flawlessly, and making it work 24 hours a day."
All facilities used secure remote access software to connect to their instrumentation. This allowed the researchers to see and interact with programs such as measurement software running on each other's computers. By sharing their experiences during the forums, the different facilities could identify the best software solutions for their beamlines.
"Running real experiments remotely requires also effective real-time communication between the staff and the users at their home institution. Here, again, all facilities experimented with different methods of video conferences, audio connections, screen sharing, and video feeds," said Wallace. "Finding the right cameras, microphones, video tools, and so on is important. So, we ensured that the experiences and solutions were shared between all the facilities."
New travel companions: Robots
"Replacing what a human can do at the beamline isn't easy, even something as simple as changing a sample. Every user's samples look different, and finding a robotic solution that can handle different types of samples is a real challenge. Our experts started by adapting solutions from APS; now, we are sharing new solutions with the other facilities. Once the robots can handle the different samples, we have to integrate its controls with the rest of the beamline, but we are all learning from each other how best to do this. This is a great collaboration; it only started because of the work of the RAWG," said Kevin Stone, a staff scientist in the materials science division at SSRL and RAWG member.
At light source facilities, automation was a new trend for most beamlines prior to the pandemic because of the challenges created by varying sample shapes. However, even before the current push for remote access, developments in automation offered advantages to all beamlines in some way. The pandemic just forced these facilities to invest in more automation than before.
"There's always pressure to be more efficient with our limited resources. Pre-pandemic, our staff handled approximately 1,500 users, 800 experiments, and 10,000 samples annually. For that volume of work, automation is required wherever possible. By applying robots and automation in the right places, we increased our productivity and allowed scientists to focus on science instead of 3 a.m. sample changes," said Harley Skorpenske, a science support group leader at Oak Ridge's neutron sources and RAWG member. "During the pandemic, a common theme was 'shifting of the burden.' In this case, our 1,500 users became remote, and our staff conducted all on-site activities. We always appreciated the sleep automation permitted, but now it's absolutely critical to our operations."
There and back again: Sample shipping
"One really big issue was sample shipping, tracking, and handling during experiments, which has traditionally been overseen by the user with tools provided by the facility to help with transportation and safe handling. During shelter-in-place orders and remote operations, these responsibilities fall on the shoulders of beamline staff, who are ill-equipped to handle them. It is a huge undertaking when there are hundreds of samples per beamline in a year," said Sarangi. "The forum was great to bounce ideas for solutions. We learned from and adapted the shipping, handling, and communication process from crystallography beamlines. They have been optimized for remote access operations for some time."
Crystallography beamlines study tiny frozen protein crystals to understand their structure on the atomic scale. Since these crystals are always roughly the same shape, researchers concentrated their development efforts into automated experimentation with fast robots even before the pandemic. Most other beamlines measure data on samples in a variety of shapes, forms, and physical states (e.g., liquid, solid, hot, cold, etc.). These beamlines invested in other instrumentation for their experiments, while remote access tools were only partially developed.
"When a system is stressed, you gain a new perspective on its weaknesses and strengths. As a neutron facility, we have an obligation to track our samples due to radiation. For over a decade our lab staff have developed and supported our sample tracking and shipping protocols, and it has been absolute godsend during COVID. I think, the value of sharing our success with the RAWG forum, and the broadening of our perspective on the collective issues presented by the pandemic cannot be overstated," said Skorpenske.
Digging through the treasure: Data & Visualization
The last—but definitely not least—important area is data. It is important to ensure that user get their data and can produce results as fast as possible. This means not only after the experiment, but also while it is still running, in case they want to adjust the next run," said Alec Sandy, an associate division director at APS and RAWG member. "Many facilities accelerated ongoing work on streaming data to portals for ready access by users. We had exciting presentations about this in the forum."
Data from neutron and light sources can come in many different forms. So, the solution for distributing data to a wide range of users needs to be able to handle all the different formats and offer various ways to access it securely.
"Making the data available is only part of the puzzle. Helping researchers visualize their data is essential too. With the right online tools, fast visualization during an experiment can enhance the success of the experiment. In order to move this field forward, we are working together with the Light Source Directors Computing Steering Committee, which was founded to work on all data- and computing-related issues prior to the pandemic," said Suresh Narayanan, a beamline group leader at APS and RAWG member.
The Return of the User—Hybrid Operations
Even as some of these challenges have been solved at the different facilities, for many of them the journey towards new solutions continues. The RAWG, together with staff from all facilities, continues to keep the experiments running so that science moves forward.
The monthly forum series will continue to enhance the exchange between all facilities throughout 2022, while the RAWG will continue to work with other overarching groups such as the computing group to move remote access forward.
Overall, all facilities have concluded that remote experimentation will stay in place well beyond COVID-19 due to its many advantages. It opens the doors for more collaboration with researchers who can't travel due to personal or professional reasons. It allows user facilities to reach more researchers, which in turn will open pathways for more exciting science in the future. This is the beginning of a new era of hybrid operations at neutron and light source facilities. | <urn:uuid:4f398f9d-e631-4a74-b178-0e8d234aa1b9> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://techxplore.com/news/2022-01-reshaping-world-remote-experimentation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650201.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604161111-20230604191111-00506.warc.gz | en | 0.961329 | 2,740 | 3.46875 | 3 | The extract discusses the formation of the Remote Access Working Group (RAWG) to address challenges in remote experimentation at user research facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It showcases collaboration, communication, and problem-solving among facility staff and users, demonstrating emotional intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking. The extract highlights the importance of cultural awareness, digital literacy, and technological adaptation in overcoming obstacles.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 727,060 | 1 |
The recently worldwide attacks from ransomers have opened Pandora’s box: are we enough protected against malware and hackers? And what can we do to make sure that both our personal and business data is safe from such attacks?
The point of this article is to explain and focus on the steps you need to take in order to keep your computer protected against viruses, threats and ransomware attacks. The reason is very simple: most of these infections are determined by users themselves, their online behavior being responsible for a huge percentage of malware infections.
These are the main tips to keep your computer uninfected and protected against attacks.
1. Don’t trust any received email
The WannaCry ransomware was spread by email. What it took was a single person from a network to open an infected attachment and then the malicious software replicated itself through the network and infected multiple unprotected computers. Apparently, the emails look legit and this is the main reason you need to make sure that you check the identity of the sender and make sure you know him and that he’s a real person
To protect against this type of approach it’s best to have installed a strong antispam email, able to filter the received emails in real time.
2. Use an anti-ransomware software
If you’re targeted by a ransomer attack and you have all your files encrypted, you can’t do almost anything to recover your data without paying the attacker. If you want to prevent such scenario it is best to have installed on your computer a strong anti-ransomware solution.
We recommend you a tested solution, Bitdefender Antivirus which have included an anti-ransomware module. You can read an in-depth review of this security solution, here.
The WannaCry attack has affected multiple users using the same network. Basically, a single user can infect thousands of computers from the same network. This is the main reason a security solution like the described one above can make the difference.
3. Don’t click on anything unusual
If you receive something unusual on Skype or you see some weird attachment to an email, don’t open it until you don’t know what it is. An archive or an attachment may hide a malicious ransomware, able to encrypt all your important data in a matter of seconds.
4. Keep your operating system updated
Regardless of your operating system, Windows or Android, if you want to benefit from a reduced risk of infection, download and install the latest updates for your operating system. The WannaCry attack could be prevented if users install a patch launched by Microsoft about two months ago.
They even posted an article about the risk of keeping your computer when the security patch was launched. Unfortunately, a lot of people have ignored the warning and the result was the biggest ransomware attack of all times, with factories closed and major data loss.
The lesson? Keep your operating system updated and you’ ll be protected against this type of attack.
5. Don’t install software from unofficial sources
Another important problem responsible for malware and ransomware infection is the software installed from untrusted sources. To make sure the software you need to install is legit, use the packages with a safe provenience. The official site is the best place to download and install a software.
Check the provider of the application when you install it: the verified publisher is the place you need so verify before you confirm that a software can be installed on your computer. If a software doesn’t have a digital signature, you’re exposed to risks because the software is modified or its provenience is uncertain.
With very few exceptions. this signature can’t be faked, so you know for sure that the software installed is legit and doesn’t affect your computer.
6. Make backups of your data
This is probably the simplest thing you can to make sure you don’t lose anything. Make sure you backup your important data into the cloud or on a different hard drive. As long as you have a backup, you can ignore any potential ransomware attack.
These tips can save your work and your money. Remember that you can be protected against ransomware and malware if you are very careful with your important data only and you follow these basic yet important rules. | <urn:uuid:6ccbeb15-7850-4aae-92da-15c63304f497> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://thepixelpedia.com/best-methods-protect-ransomware/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250593937.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20200118193018-20200118221018-00264.warc.gz | en | 0.945839 | 888 | 2.640625 | 3 | The extract provides basic tips for protecting against malware and ransomware attacks, focusing on individual actions such as email caution, anti-ransomware software, and updates. While it touches on digital literacy and basic problem-solving, it lacks depth in soft skills like teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence. The content is straightforward and lacks nuanced interaction or complex scenarios.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 88,818 | 0 |
We all want to praise children for doing good things. But not all praise is created equal. The following points address how to effectively praise children.
1. If you would not use the same praise to an adult, resist using it with a young person.
2. Eliminate starting with, “I’m so pleased that….” The inference is that the youngster’s motivation is to please YOU.
Here is an alternative to praise: acknowledgments. They are more effective than praise and accomplish what you want without praise’s disadvantage.
(Please keep in mind that I am NOT suggesting NEVER praise children; just keep it to a minimum and acknowledge more.)
Saying, “I’m so proud of you for doing your work” implies that the student is doing the work to please you. “I see you did your work” acknowledges without your judgment or evaluation. IT IS THE RECOGNITION THAT YOUNG PEOPLE (really everyone) WANT MORE THAN PRAISE.
When to Praise Children
If a student is already acting on Level D (see the Levels of Development for more information), then praise is unnecessary and counterproductive. If you do, you will never know if, in the future, the youngster is acting to please you (Level C EXTERNAL motivation) or because it is the right thing to do (Level D INTERNAL motivation).
You can never know another person’s motivation with certainty. Relating one’s motivation perhaps is necessary if you are writing a novel or solving a crime. However, assuming someone’s motivation in real life is often a guessing game and can lead to wrong conclusions. A typical example is when a young person does not follow the adult’s directive and the adult assumes the youngster is disobedient. But the young person had no intention of disobeying; the kid’s frustration directed the action.
Resist the temptation of guessing someone’s motivation. Instead, explain the difference between “external motivation” (Level C) and “internal motivation” (Level D) so the young can differentiate and choose their motivation.
Whether the adult asks a child to pick up the trash and the youngster does (EXTERNAL motivation) or if the young person takes the initiative to pick up the trash without being asked (INTERNAL motivation), the BEHAVIOR is identical; the trash has been picked up. The difference is in the MOTIVATION.
Being able to articulate the difference between “external” and “internal” motivation is empowering and increases both choice and reflection. | <urn:uuid:bfbb237a-6b36-4577-be76-dfaecf4277dd> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://withoutstress.com/praise-children-right-way/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296944996.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20230323034459-20230323064459-00510.warc.gz | en | 0.941259 | 546 | 3.875 | 4 | The extract earns a score of 4 due to its in-depth discussion of nuanced communication and motivation concepts, providing practical applications and scenarios that integrate emotional intelligence and critical thinking. It promotes self-reflection, empowerment, and awareness of internal vs. external motivation, demonstrating a strong emphasis on sophisticated communication and problem-solving.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 94,647 | 1 |
by Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D
A new study from the University of Chicago found that the more gestures babies used at 14 months (shaking a head "no," raising arms to be picked up, pointing at an object of interest, etc.), the more words they had in their vocabulary at three years old.
Which is no surprise to those of us who study body language. Here' are a few facts I found while researching my book, The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work.
Gesture and speech are so tightly connected that we can't do one without the other. Brain imaging has shown that a region called Broca's area, which is important for speech production, is active not only when we're talking, but when we wave our hands. And as we grow into adulthood, gesturing becomes more complex, more nuanced, and more interesting.
Did you know...
o A blind person talking to another blind person will use gestures.
o All of us use gestures when talking on the telephone.
o When people are passionate about what they're saying, their gestures become more animated.
o Studies have found that when you communicate through active gesturing, you tend to be evaluated as warm, agreeable, and energetic, while remaining still makes you be seen as logical, cold, and analytic.
o On the other hand, over-gesturing with flailing arms (especially when hands are raised above the shoulders) can make you appear out of control, less believable and less powerful.
o Some gestures have an agreed-upon meaning to a group and are consciously used instead of words. (The "thumbs up" gesture in North America is one example). These gestures vary by culture - and what is acceptable in one culture can be rude or insulting in another.
o Many deception cues are subconscious gestures - like the hand to mouth or nose gestures which are typically use when lying. (And, by the way, those same gestures are often displayed when listening to someone you don't believe.)
o Pacifying gestures are used to help us deal with stress: Any self touching can be calming. You may rub your legs, pull at your collar, play with your hair, rub your neck, or even cross your arms in a kind of "self-hug."
o Open palm gestures indicate candor, while hidden hands (or hands in pockets) signals that the person has something to hide or doesn't want to participate in a conversation.
o Low confidence is often shown by wringing hands and interlacing fingers.
o High confidence can be displayed by a steepling gesture (palms separated and fingers touching). You'll see this used most often by politicians, executives and professors.
So, remember, it's okay to talk with your hands - as long as you know what they're saying!
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is a professional speaker, executive coach, and the author of THE NoNVERBAL ADVANTAGE - Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work. Carol's programs on this topic include: The Nonverbal Advantage (general business audience), The Nonverbal Advantage in Sales, The Silent Language of Leadership, and Body Language for Women Who Mean Business. For information about booking Carol to speak at your next event, contact her by phone: 510-526-1727, email: [email protected], or through her web site: http://www.NonverbalAdvantage.com.
Some Related Articles:
When Leaders Talk With Their Hands: What Hand Gestures Mean
Why Feet Don't Lie
Body Language For Public Speakers: the Right Perspective
Reading Body Language: 5 Mistakes People Make
Guidelines for Gesturing When You Speak in Public | <urn:uuid:979ef46e-6d70-4ce7-a75a-270262f5f533> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://hodu.com/talk-hands.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394020792760/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305115952-00030-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939154 | 775 | 3.28125 | 3 | The extract provides insightful information on body language, gestures, and their impact on communication, which is relevant to soft skills development. It discusses the connection between gestures and speech, cultural differences, and the implications of various gestures on perception. However, it lacks practical application, nuanced interaction, and complex problem-solving opportunities, limiting its depth.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 759,140 | 0 |
Leadership, according to Ronald Heifitz, is defined as the ability to mobilize adaptive work (dealing with adaptive challenges). Adaptive challenges are defined as problems that:
- Have no existing solution.
- Require learning while defining the problem.
- Require learning during implementation of the solution.
- Require a change in behavior.
- Require a change of mental models.
In short, adaptive challenges require a great amount of learning, innovation, creativity, and hard work. A few examples of adaptive challenges:
- Producing more with less (Budget cuts anyone?).
- Providing quality healthcare in the face of ballooning costs.
- Responding to low cost competitors from China.
- Breaking down silos and increasing collaboration in large organizations.
- Transitioning to sustainable business practice and corporate social responsibility.
With this in mind, we created our leadership development program with focus on creativity, learning, systemic thinking, appreciative inquiry, and personal and organization change models.
In our design, not only do leaders learn how to become more creative, but they also learn how to foster this creativity in others; they learn about the conditions for individual and group creativity. Furthermore, they learn concepts such as mental models, and triple loop learning.
We believe leaders cannot bring about change until they are able to change themselves.
Leaders understand our world is interconnected; this is why we help leaders make sense of this complexity with our focus on systemic thinking.
Organizations grow in the direction they measure. Therefore, when organizations focus on their strengths, they grow stronger. This is why, we not only help leaders become aware of their own strengths, but also the strength of others. | <urn:uuid:8a3289bb-1ee9-46ff-b129-70e341dce3c3> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://joeypauley.com/services/leadership-development/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105341.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819105009-20170819125009-00625.warc.gz | en | 0.940017 | 350 | 3.375 | 3 | The extract scores high due to its comprehensive discussion of soft skills, particularly leadership, and its emphasis on practical application through a development program. It features realistic scenarios, integrates emotional intelligence, and critical thinking opportunities, while incorporating cultural awareness and modern digital literacy skills.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 907,382 | 1 |
The Venezuelan Program for Education and Action on Human Rights (Provea) was created in Caracas on October 15, 1988 as a non-governmental organization whose efforts were focusd on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR), without neglecting the interdependence and integrity of the set of human rights.
Its founders are Ligia Bolívar, who had just worked with Amnesty International; Dianorah Contramaestre, experienced in the Christian-based communities located in Caracas’ neighborhoods; and Raúl Cubas, one of the arrested and disappeared by the Argentinean dictatorship at the ESMA (Escuela de Suboficiales de Mecánica de la Armada).
Provea provides education and legal support to vulnerable sectors that are victims or potential victims of human rights violations; documents and investigates their situation; and denounces abuses of power and human rights violations by working along with other social and popular organizations and movements.
Through perseverance and fidelity to the values of independence, autonomy and the principles of human rights, Provea has been consolidated as a highly credible NGO in broad sectors of the country. Since its inception, it promotes the humanist and transforming contents present in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with the aim of contributing to the construction of a democratic society based on pluralism, solidarity and participation, as well as social and economic equality, without any kind of discrimination.
Our goal Is to be an NGO specialized on the defense and promotion of Economic, Social and Cultural Human Rights, aiming at making human rights and the respect for rule of law a complete reality, within the parameters of a democratic and participative society. All our actions are directed towards the benefit of the victims or potential victims, widening the scope of their message voices and the social consciousness of their rights.
- Document, investigate and denounce the human rights situation in Venezuela from a comprehensive and multidisciplinary prespective.
- Promote and educated in and from human rights perspectives.
- Support and assess social groups in the legal and -legal defense of human rights before national and international institutions.
- Promote public policies and legislation that is favorable to human rights.
- Contribute in the creation of a democratic, fair and participative society within the framework of a democratic state that guarantees the force of social justice and full respect of the human rights.
- Base actions on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as on their regional and international declarations and instruments of protection and promotion, on the guarantees contained in the national constitution and the national norms contained in human rights.
- Position the comprehensive and interdependent vision of human rights.
- Be independent and autonomous from any political party, economic group, religious institution, international organization or government.
- Demand the respect to the autonomy of organizations, groups and individuals from their action.
- Believe in the practices of multiple disciplines and solidarity, respectful to the internal democracy, pluralism and management transparency.
- Improve the human rights situation in Venezuela, especially the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as a foundation for a true democracy.
- Prevent the human rights violations, especially of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
- Contribute to the comprehensive strengthening of human rights in Venezuela.
- Promote the actions of social demand in terms of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, promoting the social alliances between organizations of human rights, development NGOs and other social organizations.
- Contribute to the enforcement and application of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both nationally and internationally.
- Provide support to the progressive development of the norming and institutional framework within the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, so that is coherent with the constitutional and international principles in human rights matters.
- Oversee for the strengthening and institutional positioning of Provea, nationally and internationally, as a human rights organization specialized in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Acknowledgement for its great support and stimulus to the development of the Venezuelan youth, through the participation in the Forum “Youth facing Human Rights.” (29 November 1995).
On Human Rights (24 November 1996).
For its work in benefit of human rights. (10 december 1999).
Acknowledgement. As a faithful sample of admiration to the Guaicaipuro council as a result of the valuable support provided in the promotion of development and strengthening of our municipality. (8 February 2001).
Acknowledgement. For their trust, facilitation, technical support and financing of six modules on the realization of the “Project empowerment for ESCR.” (7 september 2003).
Certificate of honor. For twenty years of hard work, promoting, spreading and defending human rights in Venezuela and contributing, therefore, to the development of a better country. (17 October 2008).
Acknowledgement. For the valuable and selfless collaboration and solidarity of Provea in the defense to the right of free education in the USB and Venezuela. (21 November 2008).
Prize. For the admirable contribution to the cause of human rights and democratic development. (7 December 2010).
For their ineffable daily work in the struggle and work for the defense, promotion and dissemination of human rights (11 December 2012). | <urn:uuid:8a11bdf3-571e-4f9d-88be-25ed89013db2> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://provea.org/provea-en/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648000.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601175345-20230601205345-00162.warc.gz | en | 0.91833 | 1,085 | 2.515625 | 3 | The extract provides a detailed overview of the Venezuelan Program for Education and Action on Human Rights (Provea), its mission, and goals. While it touches on teamwork and collaboration, it lacks depth in discussing soft skills, emotional intelligence, and nuanced interaction. The content primarily focuses on the organization's objectives, values, and achievements, with limited practical application or real-world context for soft skills development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 630,807 | 0 |
About The Charts and Nutrition Facts
- For accuracy, the calorie chart and fat chart are based on the biggest serving size available.
- These nutrition facts came directly from the USDA or manufacturer/restaurant.
- If you're using a calorie counter, remember that Fat, Carbs, and Protein calories are just close estimations based on the Atwater factors:
Fat: 9 cal/g Carb: 4 cal/g Protein: 4 cal/g
- Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Please remember this when using this information to make healthy food choices for your diet.
Calories - Total Calorie count at this serving size: 624 Calories. The calorie chart below shows the breakdown for Fat, Carbs, and Protein. In this case, Calories from Fat = 360, Calories from Protein = 220, and Calories from Carbohydrate = 52.
Fat - One serving has 40 grams of Total Fat. This is made up of 10 grams of Saturated Fat and unfortunately the Trans Fat amount was not listed for this food. The rest of the Fat (30 grams) is unaccounted for.
Cholesterol - There are 314 mg of Cholesterol in each serving.
Carbohydrates - Total Carb count for one serving: 13 grams. Sugar: 5 grams, Fiber: 5 grams, and Net Carbs: 8 grams (helpful to know if you're counting carbs).
Protein - There are 55 grams of Protein in each serving of this food.
Minerals - At this serving size the Iron and Calcium amounts could not be obtained (they were not provided to us).There are 1350 mg of Sodium in this food.
Vitamins - The amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C are unknown for this food. | <urn:uuid:0001f243-b08d-4ce6-b367-e7a42845ed96> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | http://quitehealthy.com/nutrition-facts/bob-evans/FF13541.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370506870.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20200402080824-20200402110824-00380.warc.gz | en | 0.907121 | 366 | 2.640625 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing solely on presenting nutritional information. It provides factual data without opportunities for communication, teamwork, or problem-solving, and does not address cultural awareness or digital literacy.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 986,161 | 0 |
I began today’s class by asking my students to participate in an active learning strategy, prior to reading Chapter 4 of Fellowship. Active learning is an educational term that refers to instruction that places the responsibility of learning on the learner. Many of the reading strategies my students employ on a regular basis fall into this category and today I asked them to specifically focus on predicting. Whether they are aware of it or not, most readers constantly predict before, during, and after reading. It is an ongoing internal dialogue that occurs within the mind of the reader as they are processing the sequence of events in the text. The constant impulse to know what’s going to happen next when reading a book, hearing a story, or watching a movie is prime evidence that your brain is actively predicting.
When my students walked into the classroom, I had written Dark Days Ahead on the board. I told them I had written this to get them thinking about some dark events that may transpire in the rest of the book. Ori interjected, “oooh, I love evil”, as I gave them instructions to make a list of predictions about the text in their steno pads. Once the students compiled their pre-reading predictions, they were told to keep their pads and pencils handy, in case any further predictions came to them as we were reading or when class was finished.
Their predictions ranged from odd-ball to spot-on:
Bifur-“I think evil is going to eat their heads, so they’ll all die….or not?”
Oin-“All 3 hobbits (referring to Frodo, Sam, and Pippin) will die. Gollum will return and mid-evil days will come” (I was a bit surprised at Oin‘s phonetic spelling of medieval as mid-evil. I’m not sure if that was an intentional play on words, as we’ve only briefly discussed the influence of medieval literature on Tolkien’s fiction.)
Ori-“I think Gollum is going to kill Frodo and take the ring. Then Gandalf is going to kill Gollum.”
Fili-“Bilbo is going to die in the story and Gollum is going to come back and kill Frodo and take the ring.”
Bofur-“Everyone dies. The eye of Sauron is going to make everyone turn evil.”
Thorin-“I think Sauron’s spirit is going to die later. I think Gollum will kill Frodo.”
Balin-“Evil stuff are going to happen like there’s going to be crimes and killing people. There’s probably going to be more songs. ‘Hail Frodo’ reminded me of ‘all hail, Plankton’ from Spongebob Squarepants.” (As the students shared their responses, some others connected “hail Frodo” to “all hail, Macbeth”, which they studied last fall.)
Gloin-“Gollum is going to appear and Frodo is going to lose the ring. Gollum is going to have the ring again.”
As he was furiously scribbling away in his steno pad, Bofur asked me, “what’s that precious-guy’s name, again?” “Gollum!!”, everyone shouted in annoyance. The students are entertaining themselves trying to properly pronounce the Elvish words they find in the text. I explained to them that there are dictionaries available for Tolkien’s languages where they can learn the pronunciations and meanings. When I asked them if they thought learning Elvish would be fun, Ori said, “No, that wouldn’t be fun….it would be a lot of fun!” There were also some more artistic impressions rendered today. Both Ori and Oin drew pictures of the black riders (shown below).
Predicting is both an ongoing and rewarding process. Confirming and revising their predictions is something my students can look forward to as they continue to progress through the book. It is very gratifying to observe them experiencing the joy of Tolkien for the first time and we hope it is just as rewarding for all of you to share in our adventures. May they serve to remind you of the many enjoyable reading experiences you once found in Middle-Earth. | <urn:uuid:8bd2037a-7a1e-498b-bff9-6d376cfffa89> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://teachingtolkien.com/2013/03/14/dark-days-ahead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886104631.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818082911-20170818102911-00187.warc.gz | en | 0.975022 | 944 | 3.4375 | 3 | The extract demonstrates a thoughtful approach to teaching, incorporating active learning strategies and encouraging student participation. It showcases students' creative predictions and engagement with the text, highlighting their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, the extract primarily focuses on literary analysis and reading comprehension, with limited explicit discussion of soft skills.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 691,625 | 0 |
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
annealing of steel part 2
Introduction ANNEALING is a generic term denoting a treatment that consists of heating to and holding at a suitable temperature followed by cooling at an appropriate rate, primarily for the softening of metallic materials. Generally, in plain carbon steels, annealing produces a ferrite-pearlite microstructure (Fig. 1). Steels may be annealed to facilitate cold working or machining, to improve mechanical or electrical properties, or to promote dimensional stability. The choice of an annealing treatment that will provide an adequate combination of such properties at minimum expense often involves a compromise. Terms used to denote specific types of annealing applied to steels are descriptive of the method used, the equipment used, or the condition of the material after treatment.
Metallurgical Principles The iron-carbon binary phase diagram (Fig. 2) can be used to better understand annealing processes. Although no annealing process ever achieves true equilibrium conditions, it can closely parallel these conditions. In defining the various types of annealing, the transformation temperatures or critical temperatures are usually used. (See the article "Principles of Heat Treating of Steels" in this
Critical Temperatures. The critical temperatures that must be considered in discussing annealing of steel are those that define the onset and completion of the transformation to or from austenite. For a given steel, the critical temperatures depend on whether the steel is being heated or cooled. Critical temperatures for the start and completion of the transformation to austenite during heating are denoted, respectively, by Ac1 and Ac3 for hypoeutectoid steels and by Ac1 and Accm for hypereutectoid steels. These temperatures are higher than the corresponding critical temperatures for the start and completion of the transformation from austenite during cooling, which are denoted, respectively, by Ar3 and Ar1 for hypoeutectoid steels and by Arcm and Ar1 for hypereutectoid steels. (The "c" and "r" in the symbols are derived from the French words chauffage for heating and refroidissement for cooling.) These critical temperatures converge to the equilibrium values Ae1, Ae3, and Aecm as the rates of heating or cooling become infinitely slow. The positions of the Ae1, Ae3, and Aecm lines are close to the more general (that is, near equilibrium) A1, A3, and Acm lines on the iron-carbon binary phase diagram shown in Fig. 2. Various alloying elements markedly affect these critical temperatures. For example, chromium raises the eutectoid temperature, A1, and manganese lowers it. It is possible to calculate upper and lower critical temperatures using the actual chemical composition of the steel. The following equations will give an approximate critical temperature for a hypoeutectoid steel (Ref 1):
In practice, specific thermal cycles of an almost infinite variety are used to achieve the various goals of annealing. These cycles fall into several broad categories that can be classified according to the temperature to which the steel is heated and the method of cooling used. The maximum temperature may be below the lower critical temperature, A1 (subcritical annealing); above A1 but below the upper critical temperature, A3 in hypoeutectoid steels, or Acm in hypereutectoid steels (intercritical annealing); or above A3 (full annealing).
Because some austenite is present at temperatures above A1, cooling practice through transformation is a crucial factor in achieving desired microstructure and properties. Accordingly, steels heated above A1 are subjected either to slow continuous cooling or to isothermal treatment at some temperature below A1 at which transformation to the desired microstructure can occur in a reasonable amount of time. Under certain conditions, two or more such cycles may be combined or used in succession to achieve the desired results. The success of any annealing operation depends on the proper choice and control of the thermal cycle, based on the metallurgical principles discussed in the following sections.
Subcritical Annealing Subcritical annealing does not involve formation of austenite. The prior condition of the steel is modified by such thermally activated processes as recovery, recrystallization, grain growth, and agglomeration of carbides. The prior history of the steel is, therefore, an important factor. In as-rolled or forged hypoeutectoid steels containing ferrite and pearlie, subcritical annealing can adjust the hardnesses of both constituents, but excessively long times at temperature may be required for substantial softening. The subcritical treatment is most effective when applied to hardened or cold-worked steels, which recrystallize readily to form new ferrite grains. The rate of softening increases rapidly as the annealing temperature approaches A1. Cooling practice from the subcritical annealing temperature has very little effect on the established microstructure and resultant properties. A more detailed discussion of the metallurgical processes involved in subcritical annealing is provided in Ref 2.
Austenite begins to form when the temperature of the steel exceeds A1. The solubility of carbon increases abruptly (nearly 1%) near the A1 temperature. In hypoeutectoid steels, the equilibrium structure in the intercritical range between A1 and A3 consists of ferrite and austenite, and above A3 the structure becomes completely austenitic. However, the equilibrium mixture of ferrite and austenite is not achieved instantaneously. For example, the rate of solution for a typical eutectoid steel is shown in Fig. 3. Undissolved carbides may persist, especially if the austenitizing time is short or the temperature is near A1, causing the austenite to be inhomogeneous. In hypereutectoid steels, carbide and austenite coexist in the intercritical range between A1 and Acm; and the homogeneity of the austenite depends on time and temperature.
The degree of homogeneity in the structure at the austenitizing temperature is an important consideration in the development of annealed structures and properties. The more homogeneous structures developed at higher austenitizing temperatures tend to promote lamellar carbide structures on cooling, whereas lower austenitizing temperatures in the intercritical range result in less homogeneous austenite, which promotes formation of spheroidal carbides.
Fig. 3 Austenitizing rate-temperature curves for commercial plain carbon eutectoid steel. Prior treatment was normalizing from 875 °C (1610 °F); initial structure, fine pearlite. First curve at left shows beginning of disappearance of pearlite; second curve, final disappearance of pearlite; third curve, final disappearance of carbide; fourth curve, final disappearance of carbon concentration gradients.
Austenite formed when steel is heated above the A1 temperature transforms back to ferrite and carbide when the steel is slowly cooled below A1. The rate of austenite decomposition and the tendency of the carbide structure to be either lamellar or spheroidal depend largely on the temperature of transformation. If the austenite transforms just below A1, it will decompose slowly. The product then may contain relatively coarse spheroidal carbides or coarse lamellar pearlite, depending on the composition of the steel and the austenitizing temperature. This product tends to be very soft. However, the low rate of transformation at temperatures just below A1 necessitates long holding times in isothermal treatments, or very slow cooling rates in continuous cooling, if maximum softness is desired. Isothermal treatments are more efficient than slow continuous cooling in terms of achieving desired structures and softness in the minimum amount of time. Sometimes, however, the available equipment or the mass of the steel part being annealed may make slow continuous cooling the only feasible alternative.
As the transformation temperature decreases, austenite generally decomposes more rapidly, and the transformation product is harder, more lamellar, and less coarse than the product formed just below A1. At still lower transformation temperatures, the product becomes a much harder mixture of ferrite and carbide, and the time necessary for complete isothermal transformation may again increase.
Temperature-time plots showing the progress of austenite transformation under isothermal (IT) or continuous transformation (CT) conditions for many steels have been widely published (Ref 3, 4) and illustrate the principles just discussed. These IT or CT diagrams may be helpful in design of annealing treatments for specific grades of steel, but their usefulness is limited because most published diagrams represent transformation from a fully austenitized, relatively homogeneous condition, which is not always desirable or obtainable in annealing.
In the continuous annealing process, which is discussed in detail in the following article in this Section, an intercritical annealing practice is used to develop dual-phase and tri-phase microstructures. In this practice, the steel is rapidly cooled from the intercritical temperature. The rapid cooling results in the transformation of the pools of austenite to martensite. The final microstructure consists of islands of martensite in a ferritic matrix. Depending upon the alloy content of the austenite pools and the cooling conditions, the austenite may not fully transform and the microstructure will consist of martensite/retained austenite regions in a ferritic matrix.
Cooling after Full Transformation. After the austenite has been completely transformed, little else of metallurgical consequence can occur during cooling to room temperature. Extremely slow cooling may cause some agglomeration of carbides, and consequently, some slight further softening of the steel, but in this regard such slow cooling is less effective than high-temperature transformation. Therefore, there is no metallurgical reason for slow cooling after transformation has been completed, and the steel may be cooled from the transformation temperature as rapidly as feasible in order to minimize the total time required for the operation.
If transformation by slow continuous cooling has been used, the temperature at which controlled cooling may be stopped depends on the transformation characteristics of the steel. However, the mass of the steel or the need to avoid oxidation are practical considerations that may require retarded cooling to be continued below the temperature at which the austenite transformation ceases.
Effect of Prior Structure. The finer and more evenly distributed the carbides in the prior structure, the faster the rate at which austenite formed above A1 will approach complete homogeneity. The prior structure, therefore, can affect the response to annealing. When spheroidal carbides are desired in the annealed structure, preheating at temperatures just below A1 sometimes is used to agglomerate the prior carbides in order to increase their resistance to solution in the austenite on subsequent heating. The presence of undissolved carbides or concentration gradients in the austenite promotes formation of a spheroidal, rather than lamellar, structure when the austenite is transformed. Preheating to enhance spheroidization is applicable mainly to hypoeutectoid steels but also is useful for some hypereutectoid low-alloy steels.
Supercritical or Full Annealing
A common annealing practice is to heat hypoeutectoid steels above the upper critical temperature (A3) to attain full austenitization. The process is called full annealing. In hypoeutectoid steels (under 0.77% C), supercritical annealing (that is, above the A3 temperature) takes place in the austenite region (the steel is fully austenitic at the annealing temperature). However, in hypereutectoid steels (above 0.77% C), the annealing takes place above the A1 temperature, which is the dual-phase austenite-cementite region. Figure 4 shows the annealing temperature range for full annealing superimposed in the iron-carbon binary phase diagram from Fig. 2. In general, an annealing temperature 50 °C (90 °F) above the A3 for hypoeutectic steels and A1 for hypereutectoid steels is adequate.
Austenitizing Time and Dead-Soft Steel. Hypereutectoid steels can be made extremely soft by holding for long periods of time at the austenitizing temperature. Although the time at the austenitizing temperature may have only a small effect on actual hardnesses (such as a change from 241 to 229 HB), its effect on machinability or cold-forming properties may be appreciable. Long-term austenitizing is effective in hypereutectoid steels because it produces agglomeration of residual carbides in the austenite. Coarser carbides promote a softer final product. In lower-carbon steels, carbides are unstable at temperatures above A1 and tend to dissolve in the austenite, although the dissolution may be slow. Steels that have approximately eutectoid carbon contents generally form a lamellar transformation product if austenitized for very long periods of time. Long-term holding at a temperature just above the A1 temperature may be as effective in dissolving carbides and dissipating carbon-concentration gradients as is short-term holding at a higher temperature.
Guidelines for Annealing The metallurgical principles discussed above have been incorporated by Payson (Ref 6) into the following seven rules, which may be used as guidelines for development of successful and efficient annealing schedules:
· Rule 1: The more homogeneous the structure of the as-austenitized steel, the more completely lamellar will be the structure of the annealed steel. Conversely, the more heterogeneous the structure of the asaustenitized steel, the more nearly spheroidal will be the annealed carbide structure
· Rule 2: The softest condition in the steel is usually developed by austenitizing at a temperature less than 55 °C (100 °F) above A1 and transforming at a temperature (usually) less than 55 °C (100 °F) below A1
· Rule 3: Because very long times may be required for complete transformation at temperatures less than 55 °C (100 °F) below A1, allow most of the transformation to take place at the higher temperature, where a soft product is formed, and finish the transformation at a lower temperature, where the time required for completion of transformation is short
· Rule 4: After the steel has been austenitized, cool to the transformation temperature as rapidly as feasible in order to minimize the total duration of the annealing operation
· Rule 5: After the steel has been completely transformed, at a temperature that produces the desired microstructure and hardness, cool to room temperature as rapidly as feasible to decrease further the total time of annealing
· Rule 6: To ensure a minimum of lamellar pearlite in the structures of annealed 0.70 to 0.90% C tool steels and other low-alloy medium-carbon steels, preheat for several hours at a temperature about 28 °C (50 °F) below the lower critical temperature (A1) before austenitizing and transforming as usual
· Rule 7: To obtain minimum hardness in annealed hypereutectoid alloy tool steels, heat at the austenitizing temperature for a long time (about 10 to 15 h), then transform as usual These rules are applied most effectively when the critical temperatures and transformation characteristics of the steel have been established and when transformation by isothermal treatment is feasible.
From a practical sense, most annealing practices have been established from experience. For many annealing applications, it is sufficient simply to specify that the steel be cooled in the furnace from a designated annealing (austenitizing) temperature. Temperatures and associated Brinell hardnesses for simple annealing of carbon steels are given in Table 2, and similar data for alloy steels are presented in Table 3.
Table 2 Recommended temperatures and cooling cycles for full annealing of small carbon steel forgings
Data are for forgings up to 75 mm (3 in.) in section thickness. Time at temperature usually is a minimum of 1 h for sections up to 25 mm (1 in.) thick; 12 h is added for each additional 25 mm (1 in.) of thickness.
In isothermal annealing to produce a pearlitic structure, particularly in forgings, an austenitizing temperature as much as 70 °C (125 °F) higher than that indicated in Table 4 may be selected in order to decrease the austenitizing time. For most steels, as indicated in Table 4, annealing may be accomplished by heating to the austenitizing temperature and then either cooling in the furnace at a controlled rate or cooling rapidly to, and holding at, a lower temperature for isothermal transformation. Both procedures result in virtually the same hardness; however, considerably less time is required for isothermal transformation.
Uniformity of Temperature. One potential contribution to the failure of an annealing operation is a lack of knowledge of the temperature distribution within the load of steel in the furnace. Furnaces large enough to anneal 18 Mg (20 tons) of steel at a time are not uncommon. In some large forging shops, workpieces can weigh in excess of 270 Mg (300 tons). The larger the furnace, the more difficult it is to establish and maintain uniform temperature conditions throughout the load, and the more difficult it is to change the temperature of the steel during either heating or cooling.
Furnace thermocouples indicate the temperature of the space above, below, or beside the load, but this temperature may differ by 28 °C (50 °F) or more from the temperature of the steel itself, especially when the steel is in a pipe or box, or when bar or strip is packed in a dense charge in a quiescent atmosphere. When these conditions exist, the distribution of temperature throughout the load during heating and cooling should be established by placing thermocouples among the bars, forgings, coils, and so on. A good practice is to spot weld a thermocouple to the workpiece or to use embedded thermocouples (thermocouples placed in holes drilled into the workpiece). Regulation of the furnace during the annealing operation should be based on the temperatures indicated by these thermocouples, which are in actual contact with the steel, rather than on the temperatures indicated by the furnace thermocouples.
The majority of all spheroidizing activity is performed for improving the cold formability of steels. It is also performed to improve the machinability of hypereutectoid steels, as well as tool steels. A spheroidized microstructure is desirable for cold forming because it lowers the flow stress of the material. The flow stress is determined by the proportion and distribution of ferrite and carbides. The strength of the ferrite depends on its grain size and the rate of cooling. Whether the carbides are present as lamellae in pearlite or spheroids radically affects the formability of steel. Steels may be spheroidized, that is, heated and cooled to produce a structure of globular carbides in a ferritic matrix. Figure 5 shows 1040 steel in the fully spheroidized condition. Spheroidization can take place by the following methods:
· Prolonged holding at a temperature just below Ae1
· Heating and cooling alternately between temperatures that are just above Ac1 and just below Ar1
· Heating to a temperature just above Ac1, and then either cooling very slowly in the furnace or holding at a temperature just below Ar1
· Cooling at a suitable rate from the minimum temperature at which all carbide is dissolved to prevent reformation of a carbide network, and then reheating in accordance with the first or second methods above (applicable to hypereutectoid steel containing a carbide network) It should be noted that it is difficult to establish consistent designations for critical temperatures. In discussions about heating with prolonged holding, the critical temperatures of interest should be the equilibrium temperatures Ae1 and Ae3. Terminology becomes more arbitrary in discussions of heating and cooling at unspecified rates and for unspecified holding times.
For full spheroidizing, austenitizing temperatures either slightly above the Ac1 temperature or about midway between Ac1 and Ac3 are used. If a temperature slightly above Ac1 is to be used, good loading characteristics and accurate temperature controls are required for proper results; otherwise, it is conceivable that Ac1 may not be reached and that austenitization may not occur.
Low-carbon steels are seldom spheroidized for machining, because in the spheroidized condition they are excessively soft and "gummy," cutting with long, tough chips. When low-carbon steels are spheroidized, it is generally to permit severe deformation. For example, when 1020 steel tubing is being produced by cold drawing in two or three passes, a spheroidized structure will be obtained if the material is annealed for 1
2 to 1 h at 690 °C (1275 °F) after each pass. The final product will have a hardness of about 163 HB Tubing in this condition will be able to withstand severe deformation during subsequent cold forming.
As with many other types of heat treatment, hardness after spheroidizing depends on carbon and alloy content. Increasing the carbon or alloy content, or both, results in an increase in the as-spheroidized hardness, which generally ranges from 163 to 212 HB (Table 4).
As the hardness of steel increases during cold working, ductility decreases and additional cold reduction becomes so difficult that the material must be annealed to restore its ductility. Such annealing between processing steps is referred to as in-process or simply process annealing. It may consist of any appropriate treatment. In most instances, however, a subcritical treatment is adequate and least costly, and the term "process annealing" without further qualification usually refers to an in-process subcritical anneal. Figure 9 shows the range of temperatures typically used for process annealing. It is often necessary to specify process annealing for parts that are cold formed by stamping, heading, or extrusion. Hotworked high-carbon and alloy steels also are process annealed to prevent them from cracking and to soften them for shearing, turning, or straightening.
Process annealing usually consists of heating to a temperature below Ae1, soaking for an appropriate time and then cooling, usually in air. In most instances, heating to a temperature between 10 and 20 °C (20 and 40 °F) below Ae1 produces the best combination of microstructure hardness, and mechanical properties. Temperature controls are necessary only to prevent heating the material above Ae1 and thus defeating the purpose of annealing. When process annealing is performed merely to soften a material for such operations as cold sawing and cold shearing, temperatures well below Ae1 normally are used and close controls are unnecessary.
In the wire industry, process annealing is used as an intermediate treatment between the drawing of wire to a size slightly larger than the desired finished size and the drawing of a light reduction to the finished size. Wire thus made is known as annealed in process wire. Process annealing is used also in the production of wire sufficiently soft for severe upsetting and to permit drawing the smaller sizes of low-carbon and medium-carbon steel wire that cannot be drawn to the desired small size directly from the hot-rolled rod. Process annealing is more satisfactory than spheroidize annealing for a material that, because of its composition or size (or both), cannot be drawn to finished size because it either lacks ductility or does not meet physical requirements. Also, material that is cold sheared during processing is process annealed to raise the ductility of the sheared surface to a level suitable for further processing.
Annealed Structures for Machining
Different combinations of microstructure and hardness, considered together, are significant in terms of machinability. For instance, Fig. 10 shows that a partially spheroidized 5160 steel shaft was machined (by turning) with much less tool wear and better surface finish than the same steel in the annealed condition with a pearlitic microstructure and a higher hardness. Based on many observations, optimum microstructure for machining steels of various carbon contents are usually as follows:
The type of machining operation is also a factor. For example, certain gears were made from 5160 steel tubing by the dual operation of machining in automatic screw machines and broaching of cross slots. The screw-machine operations were easiest with thoroughly spheroidized material, but a pearlitic structure was more suitable for broaching. A semispheroidized structure proved to be a satisfactory compromise.
Semispheroidized structures can be achieved by austenitizing at lower temperatures, and sometimes at higher cooling rates, than those used for achieving pearlitic structures. The semispheroidized structure of the 5160 steel tubing mentioned above was obtained by heating to 790 °C (1450 °F) and cooling at 28 °C/h (50 °F/h) to 650 °C (1200 °F). For this steel, austenitizing at a temperature of about 775 °C (1425 °F) results in more spheroidization and less pearlite. Medium-carbon steels are much more difficult to fully spheroidize than are high-carbon steels such as 1095 and 52100. In the absence of excess carbides to nucleate and promote the spheroidizing reaction, it is more difficult to achieve complete freedom from pearlite in practical heat-treating cycles.
At lower carbon levels, structures consisting of coarse pearlite in a ferrite matrix often are found to be the most machinable. In some alloy steels, this type of structure can best be achieved by heating to temperatures well above Ac3 to establish a coarse austenite grain size, then holding below Ar1 to allow coarse, lamellar pearlite to form. This process sometimes is referred to as cycle annealing or lamellar annealing. For example, forged 4620 steel gears were heated rapidly in a five-zone furnace to 980 °C (1800 °F), cooled to 625 to 640 °C (1160 to 1180 °F) in a water-cooled zone, and held at that temperature for 120 to 150 min. The resulting structure--coarse, lamellar pearlite in a ferrite matrix--had a hardness of 140 to 146 HB (Ref .
Types of Furnaces
Furnaces for annealing are of two basic types: batch furnaces and continuous furnaces. Within either of these two types, furnaces can be further classified according to configuration, type of fuel used, method of heat application, and means by which the load is moved through, or supported in, the furnace. Other factors that must be considered in furnace selection are cost, type of annealing cycle, required atmosphere, and physical nature of parts to be annealed. In many cases, however, the annealing cycle used is dictated by the available equipment.
Batch-type furnaces are necessary for large parts such as heavy forgings and often are preferred for small lots of a given part or grade of steel and for the more complex alloy grades requiring long cycles. Specific types of batch furnaces include car-bottom, box, bell, and pit furnaces. Annealing in bell furnaces can produce the greatest degree of spheroidization (up to 100%). However, the spheroidizing cycles in bell furnaces are long and last from 24 to 48 h depending on the grade of material being annealed and the size of the load.
Continuous furnaces such as roller-hearth, rotary-hearth, and pusher types are ideal for isothermal annealing of large quantities of parts of the same grade of steel. These furnaces can be designed with various individual zones, allowing the work to be consecutively brought to temperature, held at temperature, and cooled at the desired rate. Continuous furnaces are not able to give complete spheroidization and should not be used for products that require severe cold forming. For more detailed discussion of the types of furnaces available for annealing, see Ref 9 and the article "Types of Heat- Treating Furnaces" in this Volume.
Electric furnaces used with air atmospheres, and gas furnaces used with atmospheres consisting of the products of combustion, cannot be regulated for complete elimination of oxidation of the steel being treated. Only atmospheres independent of the fuel are generally considered satisfactory for clean or bright annealing. Excessive oxidation during annealing usually is prevented by the use of controlled atmospheres in conjunction with a suitable furnace that is designed to exclude air and combustion gases from the heating chamber. The gases and gas mixtures used for controlled atmospheres depend on the metal being treated, the treatment temperature, and the surface requirements of the parts being annealed. The need to eliminate decarburization as well as oxidation is often a significant factor in the selection of annealing atmospheres.
The gas most widely used as a protective atmosphere for annealing is exothermic gas. This gas is inexpensive, the raw materials for making it are readily available, and the results obtained with it are generally excellent. Hydrocarbon gases such as natural gas, propane, butane, and coke-oven gas are commonly burned in an exothermic-gas producer, creating a self-supporting, heat-producing combustion reaction. A commonly used exothermic gas mixture contains 15% H2, 10% CO, 5% CO2, 1% CH4, and 69% N2. This gas is used for bright annealing of cold-rolled low-carbon steel strip. It will decarburize medium-carbon and high-carbon steels, however, because of the carbon dioxide and water vapor it contains. Exothermic gas sometimes is refrigerated to reduce its moisture content, particularly in geographic areas where the temperature of the water used for cooling is high. When decarburization of workpiece surfaces must be prevented, water vapor and carbon dioxide must be completely removed from the gas. Purified exothermic gas, with its carbon dioxide and water vapor removed, has many applications in heat treatment of steel without decarburization.
Purified rich exothermic gas, formed by partial combustion, is used for short-cycle annealing and process annealing of medium- and high-carbon steels of the straight-carbon and alloy types. For long-cycle batch annealing, however, this gas is unsuitable because its high carbon monoxide content results in soot deposits on the work and because of the possibility of surface etching as a result of the relatively long time for which the work is in the critical low-temperature range where gas reactions can occur. In short-cycle annealing these effects are minimal, and the high-CO gas is then desirable because of its high carbon potential. The fairly lean purified gas formed by more complete combustion is used for long-cycle annealing of medium- and high-carbon steels of the straight-carbon and alloy types, and for batch and continuous annealing of low-carbon steel strip for tin plating.
Allowable decarburization on spheroidize annealed blanks or coiled rod can be quite restrictive. As long as the furnace has excellent sealing characteristics, low dewpoint exothermic gas can protect the steel from decarburization. Many commercial heat treaters compensate for the sealing problems of furnaces by using a blend of exothermic and endothermic gases. Depending on the carbon content of the stock that is being processed, the blend can be varied. A great deal of caution has to be exercised when such blends are used because endothermic gas forms an explosive mixture with air as the temperature drops below 760 °C (1400 °F).
Other atmospheres commonly used in annealing include endothermic-base, dissociated ammonia, and vacuum atmospheres. Nitrogen-base atmospheres became popular among heat treaters in the 1980s due in part to rising costs of utilities such as natural gas and water. The nitrogen is blended with small percentages of additives such as methane, propane, propylene, and carbon monoxide. For more complete information, see the article "Furnace Atmospheres" in this Volume.
Annealing of Sheet and Strip
In terms of total tonnage of material processed, annealing of sheet and strip during production of steel-mill products represents the major use of annealing. Because such annealing is done to prepare the material for further processing (such as additional cold rolling or fabrication into parts), and because the temperatures employed are usually below the A1 temperature, the more specific terms subcritical annealing and process annealing are appropriate, although common practice is to use the term annealing without qualification.
In annealing of sheet and strip, two techniques predominate: the batch process and the continuous process. In the batch process (also called box annealing), coils or cut lengths of sheet are placed on an annealing base and covered with containers that are sealed to hold the appropriate atmosphere. A furnace is then placed over the covered steel. A protective atmosphere is introduced within the inner covers to protect the steel from oxidation and is circulated through the coils by use of fans and convector plates. Heating is provided by the outer furnace and may be done either through the use of radiant tubes or by direct firing. The charge is heated to the required temperature and held for a period of time that will result in the desired properties. The outer furnace is then removed, and the coils are allowed to cool under the inner covers. When the temperature has been reduced to the point where oxidation of the steel will not occur, the inner covers are removed and the steel is forwarded for further processing.
In the continuous process, steel coils are uncoiled and drawn through a furnace where they are subjected to the annealing cycle under a protective atmosphere. After the sheet or strip has been cooled and removed from the furnace, further inline processing (such as hot dip galvanizing) may be done, or the steel may be cut into sheets. In general, however, the steel is recoiled and then forwarded as in the batch process. For more detailed information, see the article "Continuous Annealing" that immediately follows in this Section.
In addition to the obvious differences in equipment, the batch process and the continuous process differ considerably in several other ways. Batch annealing may require up to a week because of the large mass of material being treated, whereas continuous annealing is accomplished in about five minutes. Differences are also evident in the temperatures employed, with the batch process generally being conducted at lower temperatures. Because in batch annealing it is difficult to ensure that the temperature is uniform throughout the charge (which may consist of several hundred tons of steel), the continuous process offers the potential of more uniform properties. The short annealing times of the continuous process, however, frequently result in hardness levels slightly higher than those of similar material annealed by the batch process.
Cold-Rolled Plain Carbon Sheet and Strip. The usual method of manufacturing cold-rolled sheet and strip is to produce a hot-rolled coil, pickle it to remove scale (oxide), and cold roll it to the desired final gage. Cold rolling may reduce the thickness of the hot-rolled material in excess of 90%, which increases the hardness and strength of the steel but severely decreases its ductility. If any large amount of subsequent cold working is to be done, the ductility of the steel must be restored.
Annealing of the cold-rolled steel normally is designed to produce a recrystallized ferrite microstructure from the highly elongated, stressed grains resulting from cold work. Figure 11 shows the effect of annealing on the microstructure of a low-carbon cold-rolled sheet steel. The cold-rolled microstructure is shown in Fig. 11(a) in contrast to the partially and fully recrystallized microstructure in Fig. 11(b) and 11(c). During heating of the steel, and in the first segment of the holding portion of the cycle, the first metallurgical process to occur is recovery. During this process, internal strains are relieved (although little change in the microstructure is evident), ductility is moderately increased, and strength is slightly decreased.
As annealing continues, the process of recrystallization occurs, and new, more equiaxed ferrite grains are formed from the elongated grains. During recrystallization, strength decreases rapidly, with a corresponding increase in ductility. Further time at temperature causes some of the newly formed grains to grow at the expense of other grains; this is termed grain growth and results in modest decreases in strength and small (but often significant) increases in ductility. Most plain carbon steels are given an annealing treatment that promotes full recrystallization, but care must be taken to avoid excessive grain growth, which can lead to surface defects (such as orange peel) in formed parts.
The rates at which the metallurgical processes noted above proceed are functions of both the chemical composition and the prior history of the steel being annealed. For example, small amounts of elements such as aluminum, titanium, niobium, vanadium, and molybdenum can decrease the rate at which the steel will recrystallize, making the annealing response sluggish and therefore necessitating either higher temperatures or longer annealing times to produce the same properties. Although the presence of these alloying elements is generally the result of deliberate additions intended to modify the properties of the sheet (as in the case of aluminum, titanium, niobium, and vanadium), some elements may be present as residual elements (molybdenum, for example) in quantities great enough to modify the response to annealing. Conversely, larger amounts of cold work (greater cold reductions) will accelerate the annealing response. Therefore, it is not possible to specify a single annealing cycle that will produce a particular set of mechanical properties in all steels; the chemical composition and the amount of cold work also must be taken into account.
Cold-rolled plain carbon steels are produced to a number of different quality descriptions. Commercial quality (CQ) steel is the most widely produced and is suitable for moderate forming. Drawing quality (DQ) steel is produced to tighter mechanical-property restrictions for use in more severely formed parts. Drawing quality special killed (DQSK) steel is produced to be suitable for the most severe forming applications. Typical properties of these grades may be found in the article "Carbon and Low-Alloy Steel Sheet and Strip," in Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels, and High-Performance Alloys, Volume 1 of ASM Handbook, formerly 10th Edition Metals Handbook. Structural quality (SQ) steel is produced to specified mechanical properties other than those for the above three grades.
Typical annealing cycles for all possible combinations of composition, cold reduction, and grade cannot be listed here. However, typical batch-annealing temperatures range from 620 to 690 °C (1150 to 1270 °F) for the coldest point in the charge. Cycle times vary with the grade desired and the size of the charge, but total times (from the beginning of heating to removal of the steel from the furnace) can be as long as one week. Figure 12 shows a typical heating and cooling cycle for batch-annealing coils of low-carbon cold-rolled steel sheet.
Continuous-annealing cycles are of shorter duration and are conducted at higher temperatures than batch-annealing cycles. In some applications, the annealing temperature may exceed A1. Typical cycles are 40 s at 700 °C (1290 °F) for cold-rolled commercial quality steel and 60 s at 800 °C (1470 °F) for drawing quality special killed sheet. Most continuous annealing of cold-rolled sheet includes an overaging treatment designed to precipitate carbon and nitrogen from solution in the ferrite and to reduce the likelihood of strain aging. Overaging for 3 to 5 min at 300 to 450 °C (570 to 840 °F) accomplishes the desired precipitation of carbon and nitrogen.
Batch annealing and continuous annealing differ slightly in the properties they produce. Typical average properties of batch-annealed and continuous-annealed commercial quality plain carbon steel are as follows:
High-strength cold-rolled sheet and strip are growing in importance due to their high load-bearing capacities. Strength of sheet and strip can be increased through modifications of chemical composition and/or selection of different annealing cycles, but these methods result in decreased ductility. Plain carbon steels, produced by conventional techniques, may be batch annealed or continuous annealed under conditions that result only in recovery or partial recrystallization. Typical batch-annealing cycles of this type employ soak temperatures of 425 to 480 °C (800 to 900 °F) and various soak times. High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels containing alloying elements such as niobium, vanadium, and titanium also may be produced as cold-rolled grades. The additional alloying produces a stronger hot-rolled steel, which is strengthened even more by cold rolling. Cold-rolled HSLA steels may be recovery annealed to produce higher-strength grades or recrystallization annealed to produce lower-strength grades. Successful production of cold-rolled HSLA steel requires selection of the appropriate combination of steel composition and hot-rolled strength, amount of cold reduction, and type of annealing cycle. For more information on HSLA steels, see the article "High-Strength Structural and High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels," in Volume 1 of ASM Handbook, formerly 10th Edition Metals Handbook.
Another series of high-strength sheet steels are the dual-phase steels. These steels are generally annealed for a short period (usually less than 5 min) in the intercritical range, followed by rapid cooling. The resulting microstructure is 10 to 20% martensite by volume in a matrix of ferrite. The continuous-annealing process is ideal for producing dual-phase sheet grades (more details are in the next article in this Section). Dual-phase steels are unique in that they deform by a continuous yielding behavior because the martensite is a continuous source of dislocations during plastic deformation (see the article "Dual-Phase Steels" in Volume 1 of ASM Handbook, formerly 10th Edition Metals Handbook). Most other low-carbon steels that display a yield point upon deformation need to be skin passed or temper rolled to provide a source of dislocations for continuous yielding behavior. Steels displaying a yield point are undesirable for many forming operations because of the formation of Lüders bands that blemish the surface.
Hot dip galvanized products are produced on lines that process either preannealed (batch annealed) or full hard coils. Lines for processing full hard coils incorporate an in-line annealing capability so that annealing and hot dip galvanizing can be accomplished in a single pass through the line. This in-line annealing, like continuous annealing of uncoated steel, generally results in slightly higher strength and slightly lower ductility than batch annealing. Maximum strip temperatures are below the A1 temperature for commercial quality steel, but temperatures in excess of 845 °C (1550 °F) are required for DQSK grades. Galvanizing of preannealed steel results in properties similar to those of ungalvanized material. The atmosphere in a continuous galvanizing line, in addition to protecting the sheet from oxidation, must remove any oxides present on the strip to promote metallurgical bonding between the steel and the zinc or zinc alloy. Tin mill products are distinguished from their cold-rolled sheet mill counterparts chiefly by the fact that they are produced in lighter gages (0.13 to 0.38 mm, or 0.005 to 0.015 in.) and by the fact that some of them are coated with tin or chromium and chromium oxide for corrosion resistance. The sequence used for processing single-reduced tin mill products is similar to that for cold-rolled sheet, that is, pickling, cold reducing, annealing, and temper rolling of hot-rolled coils. Double-reduced products are cold rolled an additional 30 to 40% following annealing (this step replaces temper rolling). Whereas much of the tonnage produced in tin mills is batch annealed, a considerable amount is continuous annealed (facilities for continuous annealing currently are more prevalent in tin mills than in sheet mills). Because tin mill products traditionally have been produced at facilities separate from sheet mills and because applications for these products are different from those for cold-rolled sheet, tin mill products have been assigned separate designations for indicating the mechanical properties developed during annealing. A list of these temper designations is given in Table 5.
Open-coil annealing, which is done in batch furnaces, involves loose rewinding of a cold-reduced coil to provide open spaces between successive laps. This allows the controlled atmosphere gases to be drawn between the laps, providing faster and more uniform heating and cooling than are obtained with tightly wound coils. In addition, by control of the hydrogen content and dew point of the atmosphere, decarburizing conditions can be established. The carbon content of the steel can thereby be reduced to low levels for such materials as enameling steel and electrical steel.
Loose rewinding of coils for open-coil annealing is done on a turntable having a vertical mandrel. As the coil is wound, a twisted wire spacer is inserted between the laps. This spacer remains in the coil during annealing and is removed after the coil has been removed from the furnace. The coil is then tightly rewound and is ready for temper rolling.
Annealing of Steel Forgings
Annealing of forgings is most often performed to facilitate some subsequent operation, usually machining or cold forming. The type of annealing required is determined by the kind and amount of machining or cold forming to be done as well as the type of material involved. For some processes it is essential that the microstructure be spheroidal, whereas for others spheroidal structures may not be necessary or even desirable.
Annealing of Forgings for Machinability. In many cases, a structure suitable for machining can be developed in low-carbon steel forgings by transferring the forgings directly from the forging operation to a furnace heated to a proper transformation temperature, holding them at this temperature for a time sufficiently long to permit all the austenite to transform, then cooling in air. In this process, the effective austenitizing temperature is the finishing temperature of forging, not the initial forging temperature. This process is capable of producing reasonably uniform structures in forgings of uniform sections. However, in forgings shaped such that some portions are cooler than others, this difference in finishing temperature will cause the structures to be dissimilar. This process generally will not produce a spheroidal structure except in high-alloy steels containing large amounts of carbide-forming elements. If a lamellar structure is suitable for subsequent operations, however, this process can minimize the energy usage and lower costs by reducing processing and handling time.
In many instances where the product or subsequent process requires a more consistent hardness, forgings can be subcritical annealed by heating to a temperature between 10 and 20 °C (20 and 40 °F) below Ae1, holding sufficiently long (determined by degree of softening required), and then cooling in air (or equivalent). Care should be taken to maintain the temperature below Ae1 to prevent formation of austenite, which would require a much lower cooling rate. In forgings produced from higher-carbon steels with or without significant amounts of alloying elements, a spheroidal structure generally is preferable for high-speed machining operations. Direct transfer of high-carbon steel forgings to a furnace for transformation sometimes can be used as the preliminary step of an annealing cycle and as a means of preventing the possibility of cracking in deep-hardening steel parts, but seldom will produce satisfactory properties alone. Most annealing of high-carbon steel forgings is done either in a batch furnace or in a continuous tray pusher furnace. Typical schedules for spheroidizing 52100 steel in a batch furnace are as follows:
· Austenitize by holding at least 2 h at 790 °C (1450 °F), furnace cool at 17 °C/h (30 °F/h) to 595 °C (1100 °F), then air cool
· Austenitize by holding at least 2 h at 790 °C (1450 °F), cool as rapidly as practical to 750 °C (1380 °F), cool at 6 °C/h (10 °F/h) to 675 °C (1250 °F), then air cool
· Austenitize by holding at least 2 h at 790 °C (1450 °F), cool as rapidly as practical to 690 °C (1275 °F), transform isothermally by holding at this temperature for 16 h, then air cool
In all instances, the load should be distributed to promote uniform heating and cooling. Use of circulating fans in the furnace chamber will greatly aid in producing a product that is uniform in both hardness and microstructure. A typical continuous furnace for annealing steel forgings might consist of five or six zones. An example of a specific spheroidize annealing treatment in such a furnace is given in the next section.
Annealing of Forgings for Cold Forming and Re-Forming. If a steel forging or blank requires further cold forming, it may be necessary to soften it in order to enhance its plastic-flow characteristics. In general, this type of annealing is done only to the extent that the forming operation requires, that is, to satisfy dimensional, mechanical, and tool-life requirements, as well as to prevent cracking and splitting. Much intermediate annealing is done successfully, but cold forming processes are best performed on parts with totally spheroidized microstructures, especially for parts made of high-carbon steels. In one plant, both 5160 and 52100 steels have been successfully spheroidized with a common cycle in a six-zone tray pusher furnace. In this cycle, the temperatures in the six zones are 750, 750, 705, 695, 695, and 680 °C (1380, 1380, 1300, 1280, 1280, and 1260 °F). Time in each zone is 150 min. This process yields 5160 steel forgings with hardnesses of 170 to 190 RB and 52100 steel parts with hardnesses of 175 to 195 RB, both suitable for cold or warm restrike operations. In another cold-forming plant, 15B35 steel is processed in either a continuous roller hearth furnace or a bell furnace depending on the severity of the cold-forging operation. The continuous furnace is a two-zone furnace with zone temperatures at 750 °C (1380 °F) and 695 °C (1280 °F). Annealing time in each zone is between 90 to 120 min. The parts then enter a water-cooled cooling bed and exit the furnace at about 260 °C (500 °F). Only a partially spheroidized structure is obtainable in this furnace. If a nearly full-spheroidized structure is required, bell furnaces are used (see Fig. 13). A typical cycle for a 4500 kg (10,000 lb) load involves soaking at 760 °C (1400 °F) for 8 h followed by a slow cool to 675 °C (1250 °F) and a rapid cool afterwards.
A commercial heat treater uses a further variation of the processing cycle in its bell furnaces. The cycle for a 14,000 kg (31,000 lb) load involves soaking at 765 °C (1410 °F) for 24 h, furnace cooling to 675 °C (1250 °F), and holding at that temperature for 16 h followed by a rapid cooling.
Low-carbon steels generally can be cold formed successfully after being heated to temperatures near A1 and then being cooled through 675 °C (1250 °F) at a controlled rate. In one plant, 5120 steel annealed 1 to 2 h at 745 °C (1375 °F) and slow cooled has been cold formed successfully. Large quantities of 1008, 1513, 1524, 8620, and 8720 steels are being cold formed after annealing cycles consisting of 1 to 6 h at 720 °C (1325 °F) followed by slow cooling. The severity of the forming operation, as well as the grade of steel and history of the part, determines the extent of annealing required. Batch furnaces, continuous tray pusher furnaces, and continuous belt furnaces are being used successfully to perform these types of annealing operations on low-carbon steels.
Any part that contains significant stresses resulting from cold forming or restrike operations should be reviewed for some type of stress-relief process. Stress relieving usually is done by means of time-temperature cycles that result in slight reductions in hardness. These cycles often consist of 1 h at 425 to 675 °C (800 to 1250 °F).
Annealing to Obtain Pearlitic Microstructures. Forgings--especially plain and alloy high-carbon steel forgings--are isothermally annealed to produce a pearlitic microstructure that is preferred for a subsequent process. In steels that are to be induction hardened, for example, the carbide distribution of a fine pearlitic structure offers excellent preparation for optimum control in selective hardening while producing a reasonably machinable core structure. Isothermal annealing to obtain line pearlite can be performed in batch or continuous furnaces; however, temperature control and uniformity are more critical than in conventional slow cooling cycles because a particular microstructure and a particular hardness level usually are desired. In one plant, a continuous belt-type furnace is used for isothermal annealing of 1070 steel forgings. The forgings are uniformly heated for 30 min at 845 °C (1550 °F), cooled to 675 °C (1250 °F), and held for 20 min, then rapidly cooled. The microstructure produced is essentially fine lamellar pearlite with a hardness of 219 to 228 HB. The hardness and the structure can be modified by adjusting the transformation temperature.
Annealing of Bar, Rod, and Wire
Significant tonnages of bar, rod, and wire are subjected to thermal treatments that decrease hardness and prepare the material for subsequent cold working and/or machining. For low-carbon steels (up to 0.20% C), short-time subcritical annealing often is sufficient for preparing the material for further cold working. Steels with higher carbon and alloy contents require spheroidizing to impart maximum ductility.
Most carbon and alloy steel coiled products can be successfully spheroidized. In batch annealing, it is helpful to use higher-than-normal temperatures (for example, 650 °C, or 1200 °F) during initial heating for purging because the higher initial temperature promotes a lower temperature gradient in the charge during subsequent heating into the temperature range between A1 and A3. Use of a higher purge temperature also promotes agglomeration of the carbides in the steel, which makes them more resistant to dissolution in the austenite when the charge temperature is finally elevated. These undissolved carbides will be conducive to the formation of a spheroidal rather than a lamellar structure when transformation is complete.
A knowledge of the temperature distribution in the furnace and in the load can be a major factor in achieving a good, consistent response to spheroidization. Temperature distribution and control are much more critical in batch and vacuum furnaces, which may handle loads of up to 27 Mg (30 tons), than in continuous furnaces, in which loads of only 900 to 1800 kg (2000 to 4000 lb) may be transferred from zone to zone. Test thermocouples should be placed strategically at the top, middle, and bottom (inside and outside) of the charge during development of cycles. In spheroidizing, to minimize formation of pearlite on cooling, it is important to ensure that no part of the charge be allowed to approach A3. Conversely, if temperatures only slightly above A1 are used and temperature controls are inaccurate because of poor placement of thermocouples, it is probable that the A1 temperature will not be attained and that no austenitization will occur.
Table 6 gives typical mechanical properties that can be obtained in hypoeutectoid plain carbon steels by spheroidizing. Recommended temperatures and times for lamellar and spheroidize annealing of hypoeutectoid alloy steels are presented in Table 4.
Prior cold working increases the degree of spheroidization and provides even greater ductility. For example, 4037 steel in the as-rolled condition normally can be spheroidized to a tensile strength of about 515 MPa (75 ksi). If, however, the material is drawn 20% and then spheroidized (referred to as spheroidize annealed in-process), the resulting tensile strength will be around 470 MPa (68 ksi).
Although prior cold work can enhance response to annealing, caution must be observed in spheroidizing cold-worked plain carbon steels with 0.20% C or less. Unless a reduction of at least 20% is applied, severe grain coarsening may be observed after spheroidizing. Such grain coarsening is the result of a unique critical combination of strain and annealing temperature for the particular steel and may severely impair subsequent performance.
In the wire industry, a wide variety of in-process annealing operations have been evolved for rendering coiled material suitable for further processing that may require formability, drawability, machinability, or a combination of these characteristics. One large wire mill reports current use of 42 separate and distinct annealing cycles, the majority of which represent compromises between practical considerations and optimum properties. For example, annealing temperatures below those that might yield optimum softness sometimes must be used in order to preclude scaling of wire coils, which often can occur even in controlled-atmosphere furnaces. Even slight scaling may cause the coil wraps to stick together, which can impede coil payoff in subsequent operations.
Some of the terms used to describe various in-process annealing treatments are in common usage throughout the wire industry, whereas others have been developed within specific plants or mills. No attempt will be made here to list or define all the names that refer to specific treatments.
"Patenting" is a special form of annealing that is unique to the rod and wire industry. In this process, which usually is applied to medium- and higher-carbon grades of steel, rod or wire products are uncoiled, and the strands are delivered to an austenitizing station. The strands are then cooled rapidly from above A3 in a molten medium-- usually lead at about 540 °C (1000 °F)--for a period of time sufficient to allow complete transformation to a fine pearlitic structure. Both salt baths and fluidized beds have also been used for this purpose. This treatment increases substantially the amount of subsequent wiredrawing reduction that the product can withstand and permits production of high-strength wire. Successive drawing and patenting steps may be employed if necessary, in order to obtain the desired size and strength level.
Austenitizing for patenting can be accomplished in oil, gas, or electric furnaces; in high-temperature lead or salt baths; or by induction or direct resistance heating. As an alternative to quenching in molten lead, continuous air cooling often is employed. Such air patenting is less expensive than lead patenting but results in coarser pearlite and often more proeutectoid ferrite, a microstructure that is less desirable from the standpoint of drawing high-strength wire.
Plate products are occasionally annealed to facilitate forming or machining operations. Annealing of plate usually is done at subcritical temperatures, and long annealing times generally are avoided. Maintaining adequate flatness can be a significant problem in annealing of large plates.
Annealing of Tubular Products
Tubular products known as mechanical tubing are used in a variety of applications that can involve machining or forming. For these products, which are made from various grades of steel, annealing is a common treatment. In most annealing cycles, subcritical temperatures and short annealing times are used to reduce hardness to the desired level. High-carbon grades, such as 52100, generally are spheroidized to facilitate machining. Tubular products manufactured in pipe mills are rarely annealed. These products normally are used in the as-rolled, the normalized, or the quenched and tempered condition.
ANNEALING OF STEEL SHEET
products, a process often (but not solely) used to produce a recrystallized ferrite microstructure after cold rolling, is performed on a commercial scale by either batch annealing or continuous annealing. In batch annealing, multiple coils of sheet are placed under a cover with a reducing atmosphere (Fig. 1a) and heated for a time period that may involve days (see Fig. 1b). In contrast, continuous annealing of sheet involves the rapid passage of uncoiled sheet through heating and cooling equipment (Fig. 1a).
In addition to the obvious differences in equipment, batch and continuous annealing have important differences in heating and cooling profiles (Fig. 1b). The very large mass of steel heats and cools very slowly during batch annealing, and the process requires several days for completion. Annealed grain sizes are coarse, and the slow cooling rates ensure that all carbon dissolved during annealing precipitates upon cooling. Thus excellent ductility results, although some nonuniformity develops because the inside and outside parts of a coil experience different thermal histories. During continuous annealing, uncoiled steel sheet is passed though a two-stage furnace for times on the order of a few minutes. The first stage heats the steel and accomplishes recrystallization, while the second stage heats at a lower temperature to overage the steel and remove carbon from the solution effectively. Without this step, the thin sheet would cool too rapidly and retain carbon in solution. This carbon would eventually cause strain or quench aging and reduce sheet formability. There are several processing approaches to overaging, some of which are discussed in this article. For several decades, continuous-annealing lines have been widely used for the production of such sheet steel products as hot-dip galvanized steels, tinplate, nonoriented electrical steels, and stainless steels. The thermal profile on these lines generally involves short-time annealing followed by relatively slow cooling (~10 °C/s, or 20 °F/s) to ambient temperature with no inline overaging. Since the late 1970s, however, continuous-annealing technology, in conjunction with modern steelmaking and upstream processing facilities, has used rapid cooling and in-line overaging to enable the production of sheet steels for very demanding automotive and appliance applications.
The metallurgical advantages of continuous annealing over conventional batch annealing include improved product uniformity, surface cleanliness and shape, and the versatility to produce a wide range of steel grades.
The modern continuous-annealing lines combine several processes. At the entry end, the uncoiled sheet is chemically and/or electrolytically cleaned and rapidly heated to an annealing temperature between 675 and 850 °C (1250 and 1550 °F). The cold-rolled sheet is "soaked" for an annealing time on the order of about 1 min and is then subjected to cooling and overaging (tempering) schedules such as those shown in Fig. 2. These stages in the heat treatment are discussed below. In most cases, a continuous-annealing line also includes a stage for tension leveling or temper rolling.
The heating and soaking/annealing stage provides recrystallization of the cold-rolled structure and achieves some degree of grain growth. The soaking temperature, which can range from 675 to 850 °C (1250 to 1560 °F), is generally above the A1 temperature. The low end of the annealing temperature range (675 °C, or 1250 °F) is used for commercial-quality (CQ) product | <urn:uuid:49081ad8-b869-4b0e-b1a8-9683b2a80c88> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://coldrolling.blogspot.com/2007/09/annealing-of-steel-part-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549425766.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20170726042247-20170726062247-00457.warc.gz | en | 0.921316 | 13,708 | 3.390625 | 3 | The extract provided is a detailed technical discussion on the annealing of steel, focusing on the metallurgical principles, processes, and applications. It does not address soft skills development directly. The content is rich in technical information, including diagrams, temperatures, and material properties, but lacks any mention of communication, teamwork, leadership, or other soft skills. Therefore, the score would be 1, as it shows superficial coverage of basic concepts without meaningful depth or practical application related to soft skills development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 481,235 | 0 |
Really Hard Would You Rather Questions – Would You Rather Questions – “Would You Rather” is an activity that requires participants to pick between two options and then explain their decision. The Really Hard Would You Rather Questions are designed to be engaging, interesting, challenging and even uncomfortable. Players are not encouraged to choosing neither or both options, as the goal of the game is to have players choose which leads to a lively or humorous discussion over what the purpose behind it is.
The initial concept of this game was estimated to first appear as a method in psychology research on motivation during the 1960s when respondents were required to choose between two set possibilities. Also, there is evidence of the game being played for studies on children’s behavior in the 1970s. “Would You Rather” was popularly played at parties or as a way to warm up conversations.
Various Types of “Would You Rather” Questions
There are many kinds of Really Hard Would You Rather Questions to make use of, such as:
1. Questions That Are Amusing And Lighthearted
For a situation that you think everyone could be benefited from letting loose for a while, engage in this game by asking entertaining and funny questions. Would You Rather be a game that’s originally designed to spark funny conversation? So amusing questions could make participants crack some smiles?
2. Deep And Hard Questions
You may be surprised at how a seemingly casual game such as Would You Rather can reveal unimaginable things about players. A well-crafted question can reveal or trigger thoughts about the most important things to them.
3. Questions Geared Toward Children
A couple of funny and funny questions can make a long road trip, a gathering night or even a simple dinner more fun. Would You Rather be a game that can be played by players of any age including grandparents to toddlers? The interesting questions can help in keeping the mind entertained as well as prevent kids from becoming bored.
How to Make Interesting “Would You Rather” Questions and Game Playing
Here are some tips to help you enhance the enjoyment of this game:
Explore ideas for Really Hard Would You Rather Questions on the internet. There are plenty of helpful online resources that offer numerous questions. It is possible to modify the questions to fit a specific age group, kind of event, or other specific preferences.
Create a time limit to participants to respond to the question. The time limit stimulates quicker decisions and speeds up the game. The players will feel more stressed the longer time you limit the game. If you’d prefer, it’s enjoyable to decide on a penalty for those who do not respond within the time limit.
Take part in a game of Would You Rather board game. In the version for board games players read cards with questions that they have prepared and then proceed to move across the board. A participant is deemed to be the winner if they manage to crossing the finish line on this board the fastest.
“Would You Rather” is an interesting game that can be played anywhere and played by anyone as an ice-breaker. It’s all it takes is a brilliant brain and two players. There are practically endless interesting Really Hard Would You Rather Questions that can encourage collaboration, team building, engagement, and tension-depression among participants or group members. | <urn:uuid:bd2ecf0b-d5ce-4c7d-a19b-a524814b3a2c> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://wouldyourather-questions.net/really-hard-would-you-rather-questions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654012.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607175304-20230607205304-00611.warc.gz | en | 0.956414 | 675 | 3 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of the "Would You Rather" game, its history, and its variations, showcasing its potential for team building, engagement, and collaboration. It offers practical tips for creating interesting questions and game-playing scenarios, which can help develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. The game's ability to spark discussions and reveal thoughts and preferences also promotes emotional intelligence and empathy.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 516,110 | 1 |
Eco, plastic-free and sustainability are all buzzwords we’re hearing, especially since this month is #PlasticFree July. Yep, eco-consciousness has hit the mainstream as we all begin to realise what these materials can do to our planet. Thanks Sir Attenborough! We know that life gets in the way, and that’s why we’re here with a couple of tips to give you a helping hand when it comes to going plastic-free and being sustainable too. Just call us Captain Planet…
Even if you’re too busy to do anything else, taking on the reusable challenge is a must and, if you take our advice, a cinch! We’re talking swapping those plastic bags for cloth shoppers and switching plastic bottles for a stainless steel one. With so many refilling stations in shopping centres and cafes, there’s really no excuse. Think of it this way, not only do both these initiatives help the environment, they’ll also save you money. No more 5p bags and no more £1 bottles of water either! #justsaying
Raving over recycled
We’re all pretty savvy when it comes to putting our stuff in the blue bins, at home, and in the range of split bins in shopping centres too. However, there are other ways to get involved in this! Did you know, that a range of places now offer clothing that’s made of recyclable materials? From tops made of old bags to backpacks made of plastic milk bottles, there’s something for everyone. And here’s a little FYI. From 2024, Adidas will also be making ALL its trainers from recycled goods. Sprint to it guys!
A standard plastic toothbrush takes around 1,000 years to decompose, while a plastic soap bottle takes 450. That’s a lot of Grandchildren’s, grandchildren, grandchildren to think about! That’s why we’re so pleased to be seeing cool biodegradable kit coming into play. From bamboo or wood toothbrushes, which decompose naturally, to biodegradable wipes. Great for wiping babies’ bottoms and using on your face too. Not at the same time, obviously!
Check out the charity shops
If we’ve said it once, we’ll say it again. Charity shops are pretty awesome for a whole range of things. First up, recycling the stuff you don’t want and reducing landfill, and secondly, for finding stuff. Buying clothing from here means you’re not fuelling the demand for new clothes, thus saving water and waste that goes into making new fashion! And let’s not forget those books, DVDs and household goods too… As they say, ‘one man’s waste, is another man’s treasure!’
So, there it is folks! Quick and easy ways to make sure you’re doing your bit to be sustainable and plastic-free… Sir David would be proud!
Shopping insider at St George’s
Rex Pace Kid – £44.00
Etch Spark Kid – £42.00
Marvel Avengers 6L Backpack – £14.99 | <urn:uuid:7b7c9cda-4db8-4745-a601-0bd293a8c54f> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.stgeorgescentre.co.uk/plastic-free/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251694908.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20200127051112-20200127081112-00328.warc.gz | en | 0.921976 | 675 | 2.5625 | 3 | The extract provides superficial coverage of basic environmental concepts and promotes simple actions for sustainability, but lacks depth and meaningful discussion of soft skills. It includes some practical tips, but the tone is informal and focused on consumerism rather than professional development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 158,389 | 0 |
Who knew weaving was pure poetry of the soul?
Monica Malo Piedra did. And soon, the rest of us at IdiomArt’s weekly Art Salon understood as well.
The renowned Ecuadorian artist and CIDAP award winner recently took a group of weaving newbies on a spellbinding anthropological and history journey. It’s safe to say; those in attendance will never look at a square of fabric or brilliant tapestry the same again.
The native Cuencana has been creating fabric masterpieces for more than 30 years. She learned first, from her mother, who taught herself to shear sheep and researched designs from magazines to incorporate into weavings.
But Monica wanted to create her own designs. She began to teach herself, experimenting with materials and observing others. Eventually she moved into the jungle where she spent five years embracing the history and talent of the Schuar people.
“It was like my soul connected with their weaving,” she said, through translator and host Berenice Cárdenas, a local art historian and curator.
In the jungle, Monica had a woodworker create her first loom of four simple sticks. She learned new ways to weave and began experimenting with colors. A Uruguayan
professor later taught her loom weaving techniques and she began to “play,” she said.
Monica read constantly. She absorbed all she could about techniques, fabrics and dyes, and found herself drawn to history and anthropology. She deeply believed that to understand and create textiles, she had to understand the indigenous people’s history, and their way of living and thinking first.
For the next 15 years, she lived a simple life in Susadel. She began to work with the women of the community, many of whom had given up the skill of weaving to men. While the women gathered and prepared the materials from animals and plants, it was primarily the men who were using the threads to create woven textiles.
“I needed to recover the ancient memories,” she said, by reminding the women of their pre-Colombian roots.
Still, the collective self-esteem of the women of the village was so low; it took time to convince them to experiment with the threads they created. Soon, the older women were recounting history, remembering their grandparents, recalling childhood incidents and sharing their histories with each other. Young women joined the group and even men participated.
“It was very interesting to see what the women did in their weaving. Houses, flowers, domestic things, encrypted in ancient symbols, began to emerge through their memories,” she said. “The men created condors, large animals, donkeys, all images they worked with in daily life.”
The project blossomed as Monica and a friend raised money for looms and hosted workshops to share techniques.
“It was an empowering process for the women,” she recalled.
Monica continued her mission when she left Susadel and moved to Riobamba. There she created weaving groups of all ages of women who were “recovering their essence” through their work.
For the next hour, Monica taught us about plants and insects that produce vibrant dyes. She educated us about how lunar phases and water affect plants to such a degree that the same hue is rarely replicated. We learned the differences between threads woven of the hair of llama, alpaca, vicuña, and even bats. We found that, with keen observation, we could identify the heritage of any indigenous group simply by the woven clothing they wore.
Ultimately, she said, textiles are not just a piece of cloth.
“When you see a tactile piece, look beyond the image, colors and fabric,” she said. “Think about the raising of the animals or plants that produced the thread.”
Consider the relationship of the work to what surrounded the artist, she said. For instance, an evening star to a Navajo weaving friend was the North Star, but that same celestial sight is Venus to Ecuadorian artists who do not have the same night sky.
As a young girl, a wise man told her: “Those who know how to weave know the art of life.” She never fully understood that sentiment, Monica said, until she spent years among indigenous populations absorbing their craft.
“The yarn – the warp – is like a house without structure. The weaving creates the strength of the structure. And, like life, you can change it, take it apart, and rebuild it,” she said.
Part historian, part anthropologist, and all artist, Monica ended her presentation with a poetic philosophy. Clearly, for Monica, weaving is a metaphor for life.
“Words are threads wove between human beings,” she said. “Society is an immense fabric made from the need for communication, equal reception and solidarity among individuals.”
Monica’s new gallery is expected to open mid-month in the San Sebastian neighborhood. IdiomArt’s weekly Art Salon features a wide range of art-related talks and presentations each Friday at 10:30 a.m. IdiomArt is in El Centro, at Presidente Cordova 1-77 between Manuel Vega and Miguel Angel Estrella. Art Salons are $10 and reservations are not required. Contact [email protected] for more information.
I loved the article! I used plants to make natural dyes for a Science Fair once. It was a great experience. Also like the metaphor of words are like threads between us! Sounds like a fun field trip
LikeLiked by 1 person | <urn:uuid:17898ff5-59d9-4573-a4d9-ce49ac645325> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://lauriepaternoster.com/2019/04/08/the-art-of-life/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948609.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20230327060940-20230327090940-00589.warc.gz | en | 0.972683 | 1,185 | 2.609375 | 3 | The extract scores 3 points as it includes discussion of soft skills such as emotional intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking through Monica's journey and experiences. The article features realistic scenarios that integrate cultural awareness, history, and anthropology, providing meaningful context for professional development. However, it lacks complex problem-solving opportunities and sophisticated communication scenarios, limiting its score.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 21,349 | 0 |
A career coach may be a colleague who agrees to mentor a co-worker or subordinate, helping her learn more about the industry and assist her in making career choices. A career coach also can be a professional hired to direct an individual in making strategic career decisions. Each of these coaches approaches the task using the same underlying tool: motivation.
Assessing Your Student
Every professional is motivated by different things, so a career coach must evaluate his subject’s personality, discuss ambitions and aspirations and develop a plan that is uniquely tailored to work for that person and the industry. Some students may have a difficult time motivating themselves; others may be high performers looking to take their career to the next level; still others may fall somewhere in between, wanting to be successful and advance in their career but unsure of the path to take.
Creating a Plan
A career trajectory plan reflects what your student wants to accomplish. Much like writing a business plan, a career coaching plan evaluates strengths and weaknesses while identifying long- and short-term opportunities for growth and development. Your proposed plan may include continuing education, professional development and enrichment or confidence-builders, such as participating in a speaker’s bureau or professional organization. Your plan should include precise direction on the steps the student must take to reach her goal. For example, if the student ultimately wants to become a vice president with her company, you may determine that the first step needs to be returning to school to get an MBA. With this in mind, the short-term career coaching goals revolve around exploring schools, requesting program information, submitting applications and developing a plan for balancing school, work and personal life.
Goals and Measurements
A career coach’s job does not end by creating a career plan for his student. Regular interaction and follow-up is required to motivate, assess and encourage along the way. A career coach regularly checks in with his student to ensure she is following the steps outlined in the career plan. If the student falls behind or loses motivation, it is the career coach’s job to get the student re-energized and excited about the plans she has made and remind her why she set high aspirations in the first place.
Developing Motivational Ideas
Knowing what motivates your client helps you develop a motivational system just for her. If your student is inspired by others in her industry, send her to a professional conference where high achievers discuss their personal success stories. If your student is motivated by material things, create visuals for her to reference, such as pictures of her dream home or a vacation destination. If your student’s motivator is having a professional position that allows her flexibility to spend more time with her family or to retire young, help her look ahead. Plan family outings and trips and talk about hobbies she’ll look forward to taking up when she retires.
Career development is something that takes place over many years. A good career coach serves as a sounding board for clients, helping clients identify and evaluate professional opportunities, troubleshoot problems and issues and make prudent career decisions. A career coach understands that professional motivators change as a person grows and develops, and he alters his recommendations accordingly.
- Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:752b2eac-b41e-462a-a981-57353612b2b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://work.chron.com/career-coaching-motivational-ideas-3991.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163052216/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131732-00036-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969317 | 662 | 2.65625 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of career coaching, including motivation, goal-setting, and professional development. It discusses the importance of understanding individual motivations and creating tailored plans, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of emotional intelligence and leadership challenges. The text also highlights the need for regular interaction, follow-up, and adaptability in career coaching, showcasing practical application and cultural awareness.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 499,618 | 1 |
July 8, 2022
July 8, 2022
Contributor: Jackie Wiles
Scenario planning is a must-use tool for functional leaders to drive immediate actions, decisions and longer-term plans. Know what it is, what it does and how to use it.
Planning for possible future scenarios has become more complex and more critical. Yet many functional leaders lack experience in this area.
First, gain an understanding of what scenarios are and what they achieve, as well as how to cascade enterprise planning down to a functional level.
Done right, scenario planning bolsters resilience by helping you specify which actions should take place in a wide range of different situations.
Scenarios are compelling descriptions of possible futures — not necessarily the most probable ones, but plausible, coherent and substantially different ones. The pandemic showed how critical it is to prepare for even the most unlikely scenarios, but functional leaders don’t always have first-hand experience with the scenario-planning process. Yet we all need it.
“Three-quarters of corporate strategy leaders say significant pivots to strategic plans now happen more frequently,” says Marc Kelly, Vice President of research at Gartner. “Functional leaders who understand how disruption affects enterprise strategic and operational decisions can make small but powerful changes to prepare their teams to act on the risk and opportunities that come from volatility.”
Download now: A Guide to Scenario Planning for Functional Leaders
Geopolitical risks, broken supply chains, inflation and the threat of recession are just a few of the newer disruptions prompting organizations to redefine how they will play and win. Functional leaders need to envisage and plan how to dynamically respond to a range of potential outcomes.
Many functional leaders already serve as strategic advisors in corporate-level scenario-planning exercises, but far fewer have experience in scenario planning for their own function. Even those who work regularly with their CFOs on financial scenario planning — tied more directly to the operating plan — may need to expand their capabilities to apply the discipline of scenario planning to identify and develop their own strategic assumptions.
It’s important to understand what scenarios are and aren’t. Scenarios:
Are compelling descriptions of possible futures.
Are not intended to forecast the future.
Are neither predictions nor contingency plans.
Are not the same as strategic options.
Are external. They fall outside of the organization’s control (unlike the strategic plan itself).
Ultimately, the objectives of scenario planning for a given function are the same as at the corporate level:
Maintain focus on critical growth and transformation initiatives during disruption.
Identify “surefire” strategic decisions to pursue, regardless of which future unfolds.
Perform due diligence on critical short-term decisions, and make strategic course corrections as needed.
Prepare the team to mitigate potential risks, and provide timely risk-aligned guidance for different scenarios.
Functional leaders can’t, however, just apply the outputs of enterprisewide planning to departments like finance or assurance, primarily because the high altitude of organizations’ plans fails to consider the implications for function-specific strategies, risk exposure, demand and supply needs.
For example, at the corporate level, responding to a market turn might translate into efforts to attract new customers. But for a function, it might mean renegotiating with suppliers or increasing support for ad hoc workload surges.
For each scenario cascaded down from the enterprise level, functional leaders need to diagnose and articulate the implications on two fronts:
Supply-demand. Review scenarios and understand how each might impact the organization’s demand for the function’s services. Consider how your function may need to increase or decrease its available resources in response.
Strategy-risk exposure. Determine the risks and opportunities a specific scenario creates. Consider whether those risks and opportunities significantly change the work that your function will do to support the enterprise strategy.
Once the implications, risks and opportunities are clear, adjust your function’s strategy, goals and projects or initiatives for a given scenario. Translate these into action plans by deciding which levers (e.g., people, processes, systems, budget) you should pull to meet business needs, manage risks and capitalize on opportunities.
Action plans should match the severity of the implications and tie back to your function’s core strategy.
Scenario planning can often come across as a “blue-sky exercise”; make it pragmatic by:
Leading functional teams to define actions they must either start or stop doing right now to prepare for the future scenario.
Assigning action items (e.g., running a cost optimization pilot project) to specific staff members.
Participant diversity is critical. Typically, managers’ perspectives are based on their experience, and they can provide input on resourcing. Frontline staff can contribute from operational and workload impact perspectives. The variety of viewpoints helps reveal interdependencies and uncovers a complete set of potential implications.
The outcome is a playbook of scenario-independent strategic actions (i.e., surefire moves) and a set of actions that are contingent on each scenario’s emergence (i.e., scenario-specific moves). This approach can make the execution of strategy more resilient because, in the event of scenario changes, it allows functional leaders to simply substitute the original actions with scenario-specific ones without the need for a full-blown strategy review.
Focusing on action items that will help your functional team get ahead of uncertainties is more motivating than leaving them to react to negative effects — and it is less stressful for those who must execute the action plan.
This article has been updated annually since it was originally published in 2020 to reflect new events, conditions and research.
Join your peers for the unveiling of the latest insights at Gartner conferences.
Recommended resources for Gartner clients*:
Scenario Planning Playbook
Gartner Global Scenarios: Scenario Planning Resource Center
*Note that some documents may not be available to all Gartner clients. | <urn:uuid:981c0ebd-9d53-4673-95ee-90caec2b792b> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/what-functional-leaders-should-know-about-scenario-planning | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948976.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230329120545-20230329150545-00198.warc.gz | en | 0.901909 | 1,251 | 2.96875 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive guide to scenario planning for functional leaders, covering its importance, objectives, and practical application. It discusses complex scenarios, strategic thinking, and problem-solving, with a focus on resilience, risk management, and opportunity capitalization. The article also emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives, action planning, and pragmatic implementation.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 161,612 | 1 |
A twentieth century philosophy, A.N. Whitehead, once said; "All philosophy is but a footnote to Plato." That may be an exaggeration, but he is right that in the 3rd century BCE Plato anticipated most of the topics that philosophers would go on to grapple with for the next two millennia. A remarkable feature of Plato's writing is that it comes across as so contemporary. The language may be antiquated and some of the cultural assumptions are different, but for the most part the motivations and problems of the characters in Plato's dialogues are immediately recognizable to the contemporary reader.
The Apology is Plato's account of the trial of Socrates. Socrates was a real person, he was Plato's teacher, he really did have a trial, he really was put to death, Plato was present at the trial and execution. The Apology is likley a fairly accurate account of the trial of Socrates. Other writers of the time confirm the basic facts. But this work is also a philosophical masterpiece in which Plato's unique thought and writing ability shows through. It is not merely a transcript that Plato copied from the trial.
In his defense speech, Socrates explains his reasons for following his philosophical path (which is what got him in trouble with the tyrants of Athens). This work is the first in a three-part series of works by Plato about Socrates' last days. In The Apology Socrates argues his case before the court of Athens and is sentence to death. In the second work, The Crito, Socrates is offered the chance to escape jail and live a comfortable life in exile rather than be put to death. Socrates declines this offer and provides his philosophical reasoning for doing so (i.e. it would involve breaking the law, which he refuses to do). In the third work, The Phaedo, Socrates is executed (by drinking poison) and shares these last moments of life in cheerful philosophical discussion about the immorality of the soul.
Most of Plato’s writings are dialogues in which the discussions between people are presented. We are used to narrative forms of writing in which lots of description takes place with dialogue punctuating the action. Plato gives very little description, and when he does it is usually through someone else’s words. This can be disconcerting to modern readers who are used to the author providing a God’s eye view of the scene. An effective method is to figure out who the characters are and to follow the discussion as if you were actually present.
Most of his dialogues have Socrates as a central figure. Socrates was a real person and was Plato’s teacher, but he never wrote anything. Most of what we think that we know about Socrates comes to us from Plato. Even though the Republic is written as a dialogue with Socrates as the main character, it is plainly not an actual discussion that Plato copied. In this work Plato is presenting his own ideas, using Socrates as his mouthpiece.
So why doesn’t Plato just say what he thinks and write his own opinions? Well, both Socrates and Plato agreed on a key idea that reasoning and truth can only be gained through dialogue. They saw the search for truth as a process of assertions and testing those assertions. Just stating opinions is not enough. We need to put our claims and beliefs to the test of reason and analysis. The process of a dialogue (as Socrates conducts it, anyway) puts claims to the test. This is why Thrasymachus is so angry with Socrates from the start. As a successful Sophist Thrasymachus wants to rely on speeches and statements of opinion. His view is that the ability to speak forcefully and beautifully is all that it takes to establish truth. Thrasymachus is certain that he can give more skillful speeches than Socrates, but when the method of inquiry becomes a dialogue with questions and answers (called Socratic Method) then all of his rhetorical skill becomes useless.
The Apology is written as if it were a transcript of the trial. Read it as what people are saying at this event and it will be easier to follow. As with all great literature, our understanding grows with reflection and re-reading. This is not dime-store pulp-fiction where you find out "who done it" and that's the end of it (actually, even some pulp-fiction benefits from re-reading.) I cannot stress enough, and will say it time and again; a major theme of the issues and works that we consider philosophical is that there is more to the world and to life than that which occurs to us immediately and obviously. To see the deeper aspects of something, you must look carefully, think carefully, look again, make analysis of what you find, compare the parts, contrast the difference, draw inferences, make and test hypotheses, and be willing to return to the source with a fresh eye. Many modern readers expect to be served by the author, to be given the meaning and value with little effort on their parts. This is an attitude to be transcended. One cannot merely consume the meaning and value of deep works (be they in literature, art, or the world). We must be willing to participate in the struggle of the issues and ideas along with the work. Philosophical works are invitations to inquiry: producers of questions, more than ready sources of answers. This can be disquieting for folks who are used to getting what they pay for, especially in the context of a class where one is expected to produce the correct answers in exchange for a grade.
Consider part of a key passage in the Apology;
In this passage is one of the statements of Socratic Ignorance. Socrates frequently proclaimed himself to be profoundly ignorant and lacking in knowledge. In this passage he regards that as an advantage of a sort and a sort of wisdom. Now how can that be? Are wisdom and knowledge different? How do they differ and how are they related? If Socrates is ignorant, how can he tell that another person is not wise? These are puzzles raised by the text and having such puzzlement should be regarded as a stimulus to thought; that the text is having a successful effect. I do not mean that there is a trick here, just that when we read a text such as The Apology appropriately, we end up with more questions than answers. Take that as a sign that the text is deep, not that it is too obscure and unclear to understand.
In addition to reading The Apology, get some background from the resources above, and consider the study questions for the Apology in the next section | <urn:uuid:88d3ab47-9efd-4718-ae35-b8334a67a510> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/Socrates/socrates_apology_comment.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394021542591/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305121222-00027-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974777 | 1,338 | 3.828125 | 4 | The extract provides a comprehensive introduction to Plato's philosophy, specifically his work "The Apology", and encourages critical thinking and analysis. It discusses the importance of dialogue in seeking truth and the Socratic Method, which promotes questioning and testing assertions. The text also emphasizes the value of re-reading and reflection in deepening understanding. However, it lacks direct discussion of soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication, and its focus is more on philosophical inquiry and critical thinking.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 900,342 | 0 |
Most independent study programs require a lot of
reading. Since you won't be sitting through a lecture or will only be
watching it on video instructors like to supplement instruction with large
reading assignments. You must be able to comprehend and retain what you
read. To develop reading skills concentrate on what you read by taking
frequent pauses. Summarize what each paragraph said after you've read it.
Most of your assignments will be written
assignments. These assignments will be the main form of interaction between
you and your instructor. Writing skills show your instructor how well you
can collect and synthesize what you've learned into cohesive thoughts and
statements. Before beginning any writing assignment make sure you pay
careful attention to all instructions so you can make sure you're writing
about what is being asked. Take the extra effort to make your answer
thorough and well organized. Go over your assignment after you've
completed it and look at it's organization, writing style and grammar. If
you find that the assignment lacks finesse in any of these areas draft
another copy. Its worth the extra work to get a better grade.
Scheduling is often a difficult issue for independent
learning students. Set aside time regularly for study. Schedule your
time to devote at least an hour to your independent learning class. Think of
this hour as "untouchable", it cannot be done away with, it may be
moved but not eliminated. | <urn:uuid:63e9c2ec-76c4-4651-934a-0e9d03616425> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://library.thinkquest.org/C005172/study_skills.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394678701804/warc/CC-MAIN-20140313024501-00061-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946685 | 303 | 3 | 3 | The extract provides basic guidance on developing reading, writing, and time management skills for independent study programs. It offers practical tips, such as summarizing paragraphs and reviewing assignments for organization and grammar. However, it lacks depth and nuanced discussion of soft skills, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving scenarios. The content is straightforward and focused on fundamental skills with limited practical application.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 807,714 | 0 |
In my last post I looked at the four domains of learning within PE and asked if they were both necessary and sufficient to achieve one of PE’s ultimate aims, that of empowering lifelong physical activity.
Mel Hamada asked via a comment on the post “Great points raised – would you say these four are equal or that they are all important but you have a hierarchy?” A good question to reflect on.
When initially looking at the four learning domains as legitimate outcomes of a holistic approach to Physical Education I was influenced by the thinking on Physical Literacy. Margaret Whitehead describes Physical Literacy as “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life.” As set out in the definition the three essential elements of PL are the affective (motivation, confidence and commitment), the physical (physical competence) and the cognitive (knowledge and understanding). These elements are interdependent and of equal importance. Each is essential to realise progress on an individual physical literacy journey. This combined with the educational benefits claimed for PE and school sport led to the intial development of our current framework for our PE Curriculum.
Do I have a hierarchy or are all the learning domains of equal importance? I certainly personally value the physical domain most highly. For if we don’t improve physical aspects beyond what is natural growth, development and maturation then can we legitimately call ourselves teachers of physical education? It is the one domain I hold myself to account for and influences the choices of curriculum, content and pedagogy. Why? The best thing we can do to make a student feel confident in our subject is to make them competent and feel competent. It is believed that motor skill competence drives physical activity levels, although that is currently being contested, so a focus on improving motor competence is central for me as a key learning outcome to curriculum PE. I also see that social dynamics have a huge influence over whether children seek out opportunities for movement and physical activity or not. As an adult I have found it is those dynamics that influence me on where and how I am active. I’m beginning to see that teaching social skills which are needed within a movement context are an essential element to life long movement.
Whatever learning domain I may or may not prioritise within PE, the emphasis is always on experience at the centre of learning and of knowledge in action. So how does this practically work? When teaching I have a primary and a secondary focus over the unit of work. From Year 7 to 11 each of the learning domains will be a priority multiple times, so pupils always come back to reapply and refine what they have learnt previously in those domains. For example I’m currently teaching Dance to Year 7 and the primary focus is to develop their social skills within a movement context (in the hope they might transfer to other physical activities) and the secondary focus is developing their physical skills with the movements of the dance itself. Over the next few years the social domain will be the priority in a number of activities such as wrestling, games making and athletics. It is the primary focus that is the main objective over the course of the unit of work and the key area for student reflection and assessment.
A 2 by 2 matrix perhaps isn’t the best way of visualising the four domains. It makes them seem separate and isolated when in reality they are fluid and impact on each other. Even if I have a priority for learning within a scheme of work, a focus on a another domain might be the key for progress and learning. For example the focus in last term’s rugby unit for Year 7 was the physical. However one young man got very emotional when decisions went against him when in games. This prevented him from making the physical progress he wanted. So for him I focused on the affective side and worked on implementing a IF, THEN protocol. It was a partial success which requires refinement in the future, but it was sufficient to help the student overcome his emotions enough when playing and therefore help him to make the desired physical progress he had wanted.
Using the four domains as overarching themes for learning in PE needs to be as flexible as say teaching styles. You may be focusing on learning and progress on one area, but it maybe that a focus on another that is key to supporting and developing the learning. Therefore It becomes a moment of professional judgement and decision making. We need to ask what will help help with the focus of learning and sometimes more of the same is not the answer. I’m hoping with experience, attention and reflection that I will become better at spotting those moments and have a bank of tools to call upon to help the children in my care learn. | <urn:uuid:0dac33a2-3911-4a37-8fa7-47c754ed6b11> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://drowningintheshallow.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/hierarchy-of-learning-domains/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370506870.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20200402080824-20200402110824-00156.warc.gz | en | 0.963698 | 960 | 2.78125 | 3 | The extract demonstrates a thoughtful and reflective approach to teaching physical education, highlighting the importance of various learning domains and their interdependence. It showcases the author's consideration of student confidence, motivation, and social dynamics, as well as their own professional development and judgment. However, the discussion of soft skills is mostly implicit and focused on the context of physical education, lacking explicit exploration of advanced communication, leadership, or problem-solving scenarios.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 890,425 | 0 |
“Lesson 7: Honesty,” The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 51
The purpose of this lesson is to help us be honest.
We Believe in Being Honest
• Write on the chalkboard: We believe in being honest (Articles of Faith 1:13).
• What does it mean to be honest? (Write responses on the chalkboard.)
The following story illustrates the meaning of honesty.
President Ruben Dario Pacheo of the Caracas Venezuela Third Branch and his family strongly desired to go to the temple. “After much sacrifice and spiritual preparation, his family raised enough money to go to the temple. President Pacheo sent his daughter to the bank to get 500 U.S. dollars. [He said,] ‘My wife took the envelope [containing the U.S. dollars] and put it away without counting the money. The night before leaving, I asked for the money and noticed that the envelope was unusually heavy. We counted the money. They had given us $4,065. I was astonished. … The bank receipts indicated a purchase of only $500—that meant that the bank had erred some $3,500 in our favor!
“ ‘Some nonmember friends at our home that night tried to persuade us to use the money to enjoy our trip to the United States. … I myself had never seen so much money in my life. However, I energetically said, “We cannot keep this money because it is not ours. The purpose of our trip to the temple is to make covenants with the Lord. What good will they do if we are dishonest?”
“ ‘We returned the money to the bank; they had noticed that they had lost the funds but had no records indicating to whom it had been paid. Some bank clerks asked me that day, “Why did you do it? Nobody knew that you had that money.” My only answer was: “Because I am a Mormon” ’ ” (quoted by Mario G. Echeverri, “Venezuela,” Ensign, Feb. 1977, 30).
• How did President Pacheo demonstrate his honesty by what he said about making covenants with the Lord? How did he demonstrate his honesty by what he did? How did President Pacheo’s words and actions show that he was honest in his thoughts and in his relationship with the Lord?
Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“How rare a gem, how precious a jewel is the man or woman in whom there is neither guile nor deception nor falsehood! …
“… Where there is honesty, other virtues will follow” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 93; or Ensign, May 1976, 62).
The Lord has commanded us to be honest in our personal lives and in our dealings with others: “And let every man deal honestly” (D&C 51:9).
Dishonesty Is One of Satan’s Tools
For every commandment our Heavenly Father gives us, Satan tempts us to disobey it. The scriptures tell us that “Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, [seeks] to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will” (Moses 4:4). President Kimball named many ways of being dishonest:
“There are those who rob homes and banks and businesses; employers untrue to their trusts and employees who … misappropriate money. … There are the purse snatchers, the meter robbers, the tax evaders, and those who mislabel and misrepresent the products they are selling. …
“Some borrow beyond their ability to pay. … Some make promises and solemn covenants and disregard and ignore them. There are those who have taken towels from motels and those who have kept overpayment of change. Some succeed in business by sharp practices and close dealing. Then there is the downright pilfering and stealing. …
“People boast of traffic violations and outsmarting the police and of crossing international borders with concealed merchandise without paying duty. …
“And there are those who overcharge and overweigh and underpay” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, 234–35).
• What are other common dishonest practices?
• Why does Satan want us to be dishonest?
• What other sins can dishonesty lead to?
Dishonesty Starts with Little Things
An honest person does not become dishonest all at once. Dishonesty starts with little things that can gradually invade all areas of our lives. Dishonest thoughts, fear, envy, selfishness, deceiving others, even remaining silent when we should speak the truth are forms of dishonesty that lead us away from our Heavenly Father.
In the early days of the Church, the wife of Thomas B. Marsh performed a dishonest act that led to the Marshes’ apostasy and excommunication. Elder Marsh was at that time serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
“When the Saints were living in Far West, the wife of [Elder] Marsh and Sister Harris agreed to exchange milk, in order to enable each of them to make a larger cheese than they could do separately. Each was to take the other the ‘strippings’ as well as the rest of the milk. Mrs. Harris performed her part of the agreement, but Mrs. Marsh kept a pint of ‘strippings’ from each cow. When this became known the matter was brought before the Teachers, and these decided against Mrs. Marsh.”
Brother Marsh upheld his wife’s actions, however, and the Marshes became bitter, eventually turning against the Church. They soon lost their membership over bitter feelings growing out of an act of dishonesty. (See Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. , 167).
We Can Learn to Be Honest
When we were born, we had no knowledge of good or evil. To help us make right choices and to guide us in our lives, each of us has been given the Light of Christ. When we allow the Lord to guide us to the truth, we will learn to be honest.
Our Church leaders call attention to dishonest practices to help us identify dishonesty and to ask us not to participate. They encourage us to be honest and to teach our children to be honest. President N. Eldon Tanner said:
“This training in honesty begins in the home. Each of us has personal possessions which are ours alone. We can and should share such things as toys and games and our services to one another; but we have money, or jewelry, or clothing that is the personal property of each and should not be taken without the consent of the owner. A child who respects such honesty in the home is not apt to violate the principle outside the home. … Lack of such training fosters disrespect for the rights and property of others. …
“As a child matures and starts working for money, … [he should be taught to] deal honestly and give honest labor for the returns he gets” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1978, 64; or Ensign, May 1978, 44).
• Why is honesty in our work so important?
• How can teaching our children not to take or use another’s property without permission help them become more honest?
President Kimball, in speaking of his desire to have his grandchildren learn honesty, said:
“I hope you will teach my dear ones to be honest. There is so much cheating and stealing and dishonesty. Integrity is laughed at and dishonesty is taught by the family and the community. Little dishonest pranks are laughed at. The little child is often clever enough to deceive and take advantage of its cuteness. The child is often permitted to get by with little thefts. A parent who understates the age of the child to avoid adult prices in shows and planes and trains and buses is forcefully teaching the child to be dishonest. He will not forget these lessons. Some parents permit the child to break the law as to fire crackers, the use of guns, fishing and hunting without license. The children are permitted to drive without a license or to falsify their ages. Those who take little things without accounting for [them] such as fruit from the neighbor’s yard, a pen from a desk, a package of gum from the … shelf, all are being taught silently that little thefts and dishonesties are not so bad. Cheating in school examinations has reached an alarming state, say the school officials.
“We may be bucking a strong tide, but we must teach our children that sin is sin. …
“I express my concern over the increasing need of fortifying our youth” (“What I Hope You Will Teach My Grandchildren and All Others of the Youth of Zion,” [address to seminary and institute personnel at Brigham Young University, 11 July 1966], 2).
It is important to recognize that we cannot ignore little thefts, lies, or deceptions. We must not treat lightly or laugh at cheating or breaking the law.
• What can you do in your own family to teach and encourage honest behavior? Why should you teach honesty through your example?
We Are Blessed by Being Honest
We may not always be rewarded immediately for being honest. It may test our character, cause us to lose friends, or bring us ridicule. But honesty brings peace of mind, a clear conscience, and joy.
In a letter to a friend, a young woman described how she felt after she was tempted to be dishonest:
“I’m sorry that you got upset yesterday. Your friendship has been very important to me. But I had to do what I did. I hope you can understand. When you dared me to take that bracelet from the jewelry counter, you told me it would be easy. No one was watching—or even working near the area. Your argument that you have never been caught made it seem less frightening. But I knew if I took that bracelet, whether I was caught or not, I would never be able to forget that I had been dishonest. I would never be able to wear the bracelet. It would always be a sad reminder of a poor decision.
“When you walked away from me and said you didn’t want to waste your time with someone who wasn’t any fun, I was hurt. I still am. But I guess I will just have to live with that hurt. It will be easier to live with that feeling than to live with the feeling of never being free to walk into the department store without guilt feelings, or not being able to face my parents and bishop, or just knowing within myself what I had done” (Look unto Me in Every Thought: Mia Maid Course B, Young Women , 58).
• What did the young woman sacrifice for being honest? What great benefits did the young woman gain by being honest?
• Why is it important that we recognize the long-range benefits of being honest?
Elder Howard W. Hunter told of other benefits of being honest:
“There is a joy that comes to one from being honest. … You can have the companionship of the Master and you can have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. …
“We must be honest with ourselves, honest with God, and with our fellowmen” (“Basic Concepts of Honesty,” New Era, Feb. 1978, 5).
• What are the benefits of being honest that Elder Hunter outlines?
• How can the Holy Ghost help you be honest?
• What does it mean to be honest with God?
Honesty is a basic principle of the gospel and a commandment of God. To keep this commandment, it is important that we recognize dishonesty and shun it, and that we practice being honest in our thoughts, conversations, and actions. By demonstrating honest principles in our homes, with other Church members, and with our neighbors, we teach our children to be honest. When we are honest, we are blessed with a clear conscience, peace of mind, a feeling of self-worth, and the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
During the coming week, analyze your thoughts, words, and actions to determine your obedience to the commandment to be honest. Seek the Lord’s help to eliminate dishonesty in your personal life. Find ways to teach the children in your family this righteous principle. Be an example of honesty in both words and deeds. (See Philippians 4:8–9.)
• Romans 13:12–13 (walk honestly)
• Hebrews 13:18 (willing to live honestly)
• Doctrine and Covenants 97:8 (those whose hearts are honest are acceptable to the Lord)
• Doctrine and Covenants 136:25–26 (restore that which is borrowed; find and return that which is lost)
• Articles of Faith 1:13 (we believe in being honest)
Before presenting this lesson:
1. Read Gospel Principles chapter 31, “Honesty.”
2. Assign class members to present any stories, scriptures, or quotations you wish. | <urn:uuid:015d9eb1-31dd-4b2c-94c8-af92d8c006f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&nav=0%0A%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%09&sourceId=4a39767978c20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=5158f4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00083-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966433 | 2,784 | 3.28125 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive discussion on honesty, including its importance, consequences of dishonesty, and ways to practice honesty. It features realistic scenarios and quotes from church leaders, promoting critical thinking and emotional intelligence. However, it lacks nuanced interaction and complex problem-solving opportunities, focusing primarily on fundamental skills with limited practical application.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 28,696 | 0 |
It’s not hard to see how President Donald Trump differs from previous presidents. He has never held political office or served as a military general, he’s a former reality TV star, and he’s declared bankruptcy six times. When the 2016 election began, his seemingly different speaking style, confident and simple, also stood out. Psychologists point out, however, that beneath the racist and sexist rhetoric, President Trump is not so unlike the presidents who came before him.
Instead, the paper published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explains, Trump is the culmination of a long-brewing trend in presidential communication style. Analysis of communication styles used by American presidents from 1789 to 2018 revealed a consistent decline in “analytical thinking” and a concurrent rise in confidence. In speech, analytical thinking refers to the use of more articles and prepositions to convey relationship between concepts. The paper’s authors write that their results “strongly suggest that the recipe that likely helped President Trump to become a successful presidential candidate was set in motion almost 100 years before he took office.”
Kayla Jordan, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin and the study’s first author, began analyzing presidential linguistic trends during the 2016 debates. As she did so with co-author James Pennebaker, Ph.D., a psychology professor, they questioned whether Trump’s unique communication style made him an outlier among political leaders. But when they began to analyze past presidents and politicians from around the world, they found strong linear trends.
“All political leaders, not just Trump, have been increasingly communicating in more informal, confident ways,” Jordan tells Inverse. “The only exception was in the election debates, where he was even lower on analytic thinking than what would have been predicted.”
Example #1: Announcing ‘Space Force’
To examine this trend, they analyzed all presidential States of the Union and inaugural addresses from the past 229 years and US, Australian, British, and Canadian legislative texts from 1994 to 2016. They also analyzed speeches and interviews of Australian, British, and Canadian political leaders from 1895 to 2017.
They specifically examined all these texts for instances of analytic thinking and clout. Clout refers essentially to confidence: Previous studies showed that “higher-status” people use words like “you” and “we” at higher rates. When someone uses a lot of personal pronouns, they are demonstrating clout.
Jordan and her colleagues determined that analytic thinking was very high and stable throughout the 18th and 19th centuries in the US, then began a general decline in 1900. Around the same time, presidential linguistics began to have more examples of clout. A more consistent decline in analytic communication styles began around 1980 — a decline that includes leaders of other large English-speaking democracies. The researchers note that these trends are especially strong for Canadian and Australian leaders.
Example #2: Talking about Trump’s “big brain”
When the team extended the analysis to speeches made by American legislators in general, they saw the same trend. There were also no systematic differences between Republicans and Democrats.
“Also, it may be of interest that Obama is the president most similar to Trump,” Jordan says. “While Trump is generally lowest on analytic and highest in confidence, Obama is generally second lowest in analytic and second highest in confidence.”
Sweeping changes in communication technologies and cultural shifts could explain why this trend has taken root. The team notes that voters increasingly shun seemingly elitist or aristocratic politicians, a shift that may have inspired success-seeking politicians to speak more informally. The rise of radio, and then television, also prompted presidents to take on a new role: Someone who can speak directly to their constituents.
Early presidents typically communicated through in-person speeches to small audiences or by writing in the newspaper. There’s a reason that the televised debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon is said to have changed the presidential game: The way candidates said something and how they looked while saying it became powerful tools. Before the debate, Nixon led by six percentage points. But afterward — when Nixon appeared ill and Kennedy wore stage makeup — Kennedy won the election.
But Does It Affect the Voters?
It’s difficult to say how these changes in communication style impact the presidency, says Jordan, who plans to investigate how voters react to these linguistic trends and which rhetoric techniques they find most likable. It’s possible that social media platforms — with their emphasis on short, informal messages — may have their own influence on how future presidents communicate.
But it’s also possible that because President Trump’s speaking style is the lowest in analytic thinking and highest in confidence in American history, other politicians may actively try to sever this long-term linear trend.
“While I think it is likely that these trends will continue,” Jordan explains, “it is also possible that Trump may represent an inflection point whereby future leaders try to distinguish their style from his and go back to a more traditional communication style.”
From many perspectives, the election of Donald Trump was seen as a departure from long-standing political norms. An analysis of Trump’s word use in the presidential debates and speeches indicated that he was exceptionally informal but at the same time, spoke with a sense of certainty. Indeed, he is lower in analytic thinking and higher in confidence than almost any previous American president. Closer analyses of linguistic trends of presidential language indicate that Trump’s language is consistent with long-term linear trends, demonstrating that he is not as much an outlier as he initially seems. Across multiple corpora from the American presidents, non-US leaders, and legislative bodies spanning decades, there has been a general decline in analytic thinking and a rise in confidence in most political contexts, with the largest and most consistent changes found in the American presidency. The results suggest that certain aspects of the language style of Donald Trump and other recent leaders reflect long-evolving political trends. Implications of the changing nature of popular elections and the role of media are discussed. | <urn:uuid:c0bb6eca-3b5b-4e5d-8010-42dc8ffa6994> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.inverse.com/article/53195-donald-trump-president-communication-trends | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370505550.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20200401065031-20200401095031-00314.warc.gz | en | 0.961475 | 1,278 | 3.015625 | 3 | The extract scores 2 points as it provides straightforward discussion of communication styles, including confidence and analytical thinking, with some practical examples from political leaders. However, it lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving opportunities, and comprehensive professional development, limiting its depth and application.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 745,351 | 0 |
In today's world a woman can be so many things. You can be a friend, be a mother, be a teacher, or even be the president for example. Delta Phi Epsilon encourages each sister to above all else, be true to who you are.
The mission of Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority is to cultivate a sisterhood dedicated to the personal development of women.
The vision is by mobilizing dynamic women to influence and impact communities.
Delta Phi Epsilon was formed...
"for the purpose of promoting good fellowship among sorority women... to help... in acquiring knowledge, appreciation, discriminating judgment, and a true feeling of sisterly love through the interaction of sympathetic and friendly natures."
- From the notes of our Founders, 1917
Delta Phi Epsilon History
On March 17, 1917, five women at New York University Law School took a pledge of sisterhood and loyalty and so founded the Alpha Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, one of the first non-sectarian, social sororities and the only one founded at a professional school. Five years later on March 17, 1922, Delta Phi Epsilon was formally incorporated under laws of the State of New York.
Beta Chi Chapter- St. Norbert College
Delta Phi Epsilon is an organization built on the bonds of sisterhood, pride in sorority, and support for one another. We are the oldest international sorority at St. Norbert. It's an incredible feeling to be involved in something that is worldwide! Plus, our mascot is a unicorn...it doesn't get much better than that! Sisterhood in Delta Phi Epsilon is based on five ideals, or pearls, that each sister works toward each semester.
The five women that started Delta Phi Epsilon's Alpha Chapter are known as the DIMES.
Dorothy Cohen Schwartzmean
Ida Bienstock Landau
Minna Goldsmith Mahler
Eva Effron Robin
Sylvia Steierman Cohn | <urn:uuid:34aa1cd0-b52a-4c18-ae28-a1a2e5a9fafd> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://dphiebetachi.weebly.com/about.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886106754.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20170820131332-20170820151332-00623.warc.gz | en | 0.935288 | 405 | 2.515625 | 3 | The extract provides a brief history and mission of Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, emphasizing sisterhood, personal development, and community impact. It touches on basic communication and teamwork concepts, such as fellowship and support, but lacks depth and practical application. The content is mostly informational and lacks nuanced interaction or complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 932,740 | 0 |
|Delivery Type||Delivery length / details|
|Seminars / Tutorials||20 Hours. 1 x 2 hour seminar per week|
|Assessment Type||Assessment length / details||Proportion|
|Semester Assessment||essay 3,000 words||40%|
|Semester Exam||3 Hours||60%|
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of force in international society over the last six decades.
2. Compare different conflicts between states and non-state actors.
3. Discuss the limits of military intervention in the nuclear age.
4. Illustrate and evaluate the influence of alterations in the structure of international society on perceptions about military power.
5. Explain the impact of modern technological developments for protagonists in international relations.
6. Demonstrate through written work and in seminars an ability to explain the strategic parameters of a specific conflict.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of theories and contemporary doctrines within military organizations concerning the application of force.
8. Discuss and evaluate the justifications for using military force over the last six decades.
This module is designed to add to the departmental provision in the area of Strategic Studies. It offers students the opportunity to analyse recent examples of conflict in international society that will complement their theoretical knowledge of strategy gained from other modules.
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the application of military force in international relations over the last five decades. As such it will consider different type of conflict that accommodates alterations in the structure of international society and changing perceptions about the role of military forces.
Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of transferable skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas. Throughout the module, students should practice and develop their reading, comprehension and thinking skills, as well as self-management. In seminars students enhance and develop their analytical skills and practice listening, explaining and debating skills. Through writing and researching their essays and preparing for examinations, students will develop their library and IT skills, practice good writing techniques, and develop their analytical skills.
2. The unacceptability of colonial military actions after the Second World War (Suez).
3. Threats, armageddon and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
4. The limits of western military force and the Vietnam War.
5. Fighting for limited military objectives in the Middle East (The Yom Kippur War).
6. Campaigning for communism in the foothills of Afghanistan.
7. Special Forces: a novel use of force to resolve political difficulties.
8. Gambling with the force option: Britain, Argentina and the Falklands Conflict.
9. Saddam, Scuds and Sand: The Persian Gulf War of 1991.
10. New era, new name, old strategies? Russia and the experience in Chechnya.
Reading ListRecommended Text
Baylis, John & Wirtz, James & Cohen, Eliot & Gray, Colin S (2002) Strategy in the Contemporary World: An Introduction to Strategic Studies Oxford, Oxford University press Primo search Gray, Colin S (1999) Modern Strategy Oxford, Oxford University Press Primo search
This module is at CQFW Level 7 | <urn:uuid:d3b1f064-5765-489e-ae1f-bbdca5c595af> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.aber.ac.uk/cy/modules/2011/IPM7030/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250597230.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20200120023523-20200120051523-00057.warc.gz | en | 0.832806 | 671 | 2.65625 | 3 | The extract provides a module outline with learning objectives, assessment details, and a reading list, focusing on strategic studies and international relations. While it touches on critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication through seminars and written work, it lacks explicit discussion of soft skills like emotional intelligence, leadership, and intercultural fluency. The module's emphasis is on theoretical knowledge and historical analysis, with limited practical application and digital literacy integration.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 65,592 | 0 |
Bringing Internet voices into trade
When we think about trade, we're likely to picture container ships navigating the Panama Canal and large multinational companies with warehouses around the world.
However, trade today also looks like this: millions of small businesses reaching global markets with the touch of a button. Likewise, millions of artists, authors, developers, and publishers are creating apps, movies, music, books, and more for global audiences, on a growing number of platforms and digital outlets. Almost everyone with a smartphone, tablet or laptop is taking part in Internet-driven trade.
At the same time, large companies in sectors from advanced manufacturing to agriculture are using the Internet to transform how they do business.
Together, these changes are having a remarkable impact on trade. Data flows enabled by the Internet — practically non-existent just 15 years ago — now contribute to global economic growth more than the flow of goods.
Governments are rightly taking note of this transformation. In agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, negotiators have started to address Internet issues. They are starting to recognize that restrictive Internet policies can damage trade just as much as high tariffs and quotas.
Trade agreements can be a force for good for the global free and open Internet. They can counter the balkanization or fragmentation of the Internet into disconnected local networks. They can promote access to information. And they can make it easier for a small startup to get off the ground, reach new markets, and challenge competitors anywhere across the globe.
For trade and Internet policy to work together, trade negotiators need to have input from the full range of Internet stakeholders. At the same time, Internet stakeholders need to start engaging in the trade policy process. Small businesses, startups, civil society groups, the Internet technical community, and everyday users all have a stake.
The bad news: the traditionally closed and complex nature of trade negotiations makes engagement by this broader range of stakeholders difficult.
The good news: key players increasingly see the need to increase participation and transparency.
- Former trade negotiators are urging governments to "solicit public comments on contentious proposals" rather than relying on input only from a small group of cleared advisors. They worry that excessive secrecy is feeding into negative public perceptions of trade.
- Former White House staffers are putting forward ideas to build more open debate into trade policy development
- Groups representing Internet users, consumers, and scholars are brainstorming how to modernize trade policy and build public trust.
- Trade negotiators in the European Union and US are beginning to explore new approaches.
Increasing transparency is a win-win proposition. If we've learned anything from the Internet's history, it's that bringing more voices to the table can produce better outcomes for all. We look forward to continuing the conversation and working with the Internet and trade communities to build out these ideas. | <urn:uuid:a2b437c8-1a27-4537-8d9e-07951c07dd83> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/bringing-internet-voices-into-trade/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945282.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20230324113500-20230324143500-00042.warc.gz | en | 0.926547 | 570 | 2.5625 | 3 | The extract scores high for its discussion of complex scenarios requiring strategic thinking and advanced problem-solving across multiple contexts, such as international trade and internet policy. It highlights the need for intercultural fluency, technological adaptation, and comprehensive professional development opportunities. The text also promotes nuanced interaction, emotional intelligence, and leadership challenges, making it a valuable resource for soft skills development.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 422,753 | 1 |
The Boeing Model 75 two-seat biplane was introduced by Stearman Aircraft Division of Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, in 1934 and became an unexpected success during World War II. Despite its almost obsolete design, its simple, rugged construction made it ideal as a trainer for novice pilots for the U.S. Army Air Corps under the designations PT-13 and PT-17 and the U.S. Navy which designated it the NS and N2S. The Navy N2S was nicknamed the “Yellow Peril” due to it’s overall yellow paint scheme and the number of new pilots who crashed it.
The PT-17 is a conventional biplane with fabric covered wooden wings, an over-built welded-steel fuselage with large, fixed tailwheel type landing gear. Accommodations for the student and instructor is in open cockpits in tandem. It is powered by a 220 horsepower, 7 cylinder, radial engine. From 1936 to 1944, Boeing built 8,584 Kaydets, in all versions, plus the equivalent of 2,000 more in spares.
Kaydets were widely used airplanes. In addition to sales to the Navy and the Army Air Corps, the trainers were sold to Canada, China, the Philippines, Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil for both military and civilian uses. Many were still in service in the early 1990s. Their slow, low-level flying capabilities made them particularly suitable for crop dusting and spraying.
The aircraft on display, PT-27 Boeing serial number 75-3876, was delivered on April 16, 1942. It was one of 300 PT-27’s that were ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) via the Lend-Lease Program. The RCAF aircraft where supposed to be delivered equipped with navigation lights, canopy enclosed & heated cockpits (for the cold Canadian climate) and blind-flying hoods for instrument training, thus the PT-27 designation. However when the 300 aircraft arrived in Canada, only one of them was equipped with the enclosed cockpit and other modifications! The RCAF sent all 300 aircraft back to the U.S. and replaced them with PT-26’s which where made by Boeing’s competitor Fairchild Aircraft.
Operational History of this Aircraft:
- April 16, 1942: Received from Boeing – cost $5,930.00
- April 18, 1942: Delivered to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Winnipeg, Canada
- January 10, 1943: Returned to U.S. via Jackson, Tennessee
- 1943: Assigned to 5th Flying Training Detachment Hemet Field, California
- October 1944: Assigned to Reconstruction Finance Company Gary Field, California salvage
- November 1945: Sold to Edgar Meyer, Los Angeles, CA for $547.89 and was sold several times to various private owners in the LA area until 1951.
- July 1951: Sold to Glenn Parker of Port Arthur, TX. Converted to crop duster.
- 1951 – 1978: Worked as a crop duster for several companies in Houston area
- 1978 – 1982: Sold to private owners in Houston, TX
- June 1982: Sold to private owners in Monahans, TX
- Sept 1984: 42-15687 arrives in Fort Worth, TX
- Engine: Continental R-670-5 seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine,
- Horsepower: 220 hp
- Weight: Empty 1,931 lb
- Max Takeoff 2,635 lb
- Wing Span: 32 ft. 2 in.
- Length: 24 ft. 9 in.
- Height: 9 ft. 8 in
- Maximum Speed: 124 mph
- Cruise Speed: 106 mph
- Ceiling: 11,200 ft.
- Range: 505 miles
- Crew: Two; student and instructor
- Armament: None | <urn:uuid:0b5ca02c-e345-4cc8-b87f-6442e8c6db36> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org/on-display/boeing-pt-17-kaydet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875144498.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20200220005045-20200220035045-00127.warc.gz | en | 0.946369 | 807 | 2.90625 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on historical and technical information about the Boeing Model 75 aircraft. There is no coverage of communication, teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving concepts. The content is informative but does not provide opportunities for professional development or cultural awareness.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 582,074 | 0 |
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Parenting Styles Essay Parenting Styles and their Effects on Children This essay is about the three different styles of parenting, including definitions. Development styles are mostly focused on nature or nurturing one into well behaved and good character individual as they grow. Teaching and parenting are good. Read this full essay on The Three Primary Parenting Styles. There are three primary parenting styles, the authoritarian, authoritative and the permissive. S. The Implications of Parenting Styles and Self-Esteem. These three parenting styles proved to have vastly different implications on a child. Best Essay Help. Essay on Parenting Styles and its. Unlike the first three, neglectful parenting is neither responsive. Essay on Parenting Styles and its Effects; Essay on Teen. Free parenting style. This essay investigates the parenting styles from which emerge. Baumrind first published her three prototypes of parenting styles. Parenting Styles Essays:. Baumrind had segregated parenting style into three basic categories:. Order plagiarism free custom written essay. | <urn:uuid:588a0d50-51a8-46e6-8e27-cefa3f4062c9> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://cucourseworkvrah.clinchrivertitle.com/three-parenting-styles-essay.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320270.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624170517-20170624190517-00066.warc.gz | en | 0.9242 | 1,056 | 2.640625 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of parenting styles, their impact on child development, and their classification into different categories. It discusses various research papers, essays, and studies on the topic, highlighting the work of Diana Baumrind and her three parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive. However, the extract lacks depth and practical application, focusing primarily on theoretical knowledge and basic concepts.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 127,543 | 0 |
by Joel Barkan
Last week, The New York Times, among other media outlets, reported on the discovery of seven new species of deep-sea worms. While the discovery is important for our understanding of the evolutionary history of annelids, the real draw is the worms’ unique defense mechanism. Some of these worms possess an appendage that, when released into the water, emits a bright green flash of bioluminescence—a “green bomb.” Like an octopus retreating behind a cloud of ink, the worm can flee while its predator ponders this green distraction.
The media coverage of this study made me think about how slowly scientific research is disseminated to the public. One of the scientists who participated in this study is Dr. Greg Rouse, a marine invertebrate biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Dr. Rouse lectured to my class back in June and casually mentioned these “green bombers” he had helped discover. Two months later, the study was picked up and publicized by the national media.
Contrast this to yesterday, when Senator Ted Kennedy’s death was immediately Twittered by thousands. Or the past few weeks, when congressional debates and presidential town hall meetings on health care played out every day on the internet and on television. We’re living in an age with virtually no delay between when news happens and when news is reported. Yet science lags behind.
Is this a bad thing? I’m not quite sure. We call it “the scientific method” for a reason: it’s methodological. Science is supposed to be slow, to make sure you don’t mess up. But is there a speedier way to broadcast scientific information than wading through the muck of the publishing process?
Would you follow Dr. Greg Rouse on Twitter? | <urn:uuid:d3982ae1-9f18-4131-bb3b-c9dbda16b615> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/08/28/green-bombers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704234586/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113714-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943711 | 381 | 2.734375 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on scientific discovery and media dissemination. It touches on basic communication concepts, such as the speed of information sharing, but lacks depth and practical application.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 241,536 | 0 |
Presentation on theme: "Social Implications of a Computerized Society Computer Errors Instructor: Oliver Schulte Simon Fraser University."— Presentation transcript:
Social Implications of a Computerized Society Computer Errors Instructor: Oliver Schulte Simon Fraser University
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems Most computer applications are so complex it is virtually impossible to produce programs with no errors The cause of failure is often more than one factor Computer professionals must study failures to learn how to avoid them Computer professionals must study failures to understand the impacts of poor work
Discussion Question Have you personally suffered from computer system errors? What should change to prevent these errors?
Computer Errors Data Entry Errors –Along with privacy, another concern about large databases. –Recommended principle: give people option to view and correct information. Crashes and Safety-Critical Applications Performance Failures: One estimate (Charette): from 5-15% of IT projects are abandoned soon before or after delivery as “hopelessly adequate” (out of about $1 Trill. world-wide).
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems (cont.) Individual Problems: Billing errors, no-fly lists Inaccurate and misinterpreted data in databases –Large population where people may share names –Automated processing may not be able to recognize special cases –Overconfidence in the accuracy of data –Errors in data entry –Lack of accountability for errors
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems (cont.) System Failures: AT&T, Amtrak, NASDAQ Businesses have gone bankrupt after spending huge amounts on computer systems that failed Voting system in 2000 presidential election Denver Airport Ariana 5 Rocket
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems (cont.) Denver Airport: Baggage system failed due to real world problems, problems in other systems and software errors Main causes: –Time allowed for development was insufficient –Denver made significant changes in specifications after the project began
Crashes Many crashes occur, some in safety-critical applications (hospitals, air planes). ACM maintains a RISK updateRISK update Main remedies: testing and redundancy. Both are expensive (half of A T&T computing is to check the other half). Often skipped or scaled back in a business setting. Have you ever used redundant coding? Community participation: –beta testing. –Is reliability another reason for open source? (e.g., voting machines.)
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems (cont.) Safety-Critical Applications: A-320: "fly-by-the-wire" airplanes (many systems are controlled by computers and not directly by the pilots) –Between 1988-1992 four planes crashed Air traffic control is extremely complex, and includes computers on the ground at airports, devices in thousands of airplanes, radar, databases, communications, and so on - all of which must work in real time, tracking airplanes that move very fast In spite of problems, computers and other technologies have made air travel safer
Case Study: The Therac-25 Therac-25 Radiation Overdoses: Massive overdoses of radiation were given; the machine said no dose had been administered at all Caused severe and painful injuries and the death of three patients Important to study to avoid repeating errors Manufacturer, computer programmer, and hospitals/clinics all have some responsibility
Case Study: The Therac-25 (cont.) Software and Design problems: Re-used software from older systems, unaware of bugs in previous software Weaknesses in design of operator interface Inadequate test plan Bugs in software –Allowed beam to deploy when table not in proper position –Ignored changes and corrections operators made at console
Case Study: The Therac-25 (cont.) Why So Many Incidents? Hospitals had never seen such massive overdoses before, were unsure of the cause Manufacturer said the machine could not have caused the overdoses and no other incidents had been reported (which was untrue) The manufacturer made changes to the turntable and claimed they had improved safety after the second accident. The changes did not correct any of the causes identified later
Case Study: The Therac-25 (cont.) Why So Many Incidents? (cont.) Recommendations were made for further changes to enhance safety; the manufacturer did not implement them The FDA declared the machine defective after the fifth accident The sixth accident occurred while the FDA was negotiating with the manufacturer on what changes were needed
Discussion Questions Have we become too dependent on computers? Should we use them less?
Sources of Complexity Computer is doing a difficult job. “Non-linearity” (discontinuity): –In physical device, small error usually makes small difference in performance. –In computer program, small typo can make big difference.
High-level Causes of Computer- System Failures Lack of clear, well thought out goals and specifications Poor management and poor communication among customers, designers, programmers, etc. Pressures that encourage unrealistically low bids, low budget requests, and underestimates of time requirements Use of very new technology, with unknown reliability and problems Refusal to recognize or admit a project is in trouble
Common Mistakes Developers Rely on legacy code (old language, little documentation, can be millions of lines). Scale up system, fail to test in new environment. Fail to think of users 30 years later Users Overconfidence in computer recommendations, data, machinery.
Increasing Reliability and Safety Professional techniques: Importance of good software engineering and professional responsibility User interfaces and human factors –Feedback –Should behave as an experienced user expects –Workload that is too low can lead to mistakes Redundancy and self-checking Testing –Include real world testing with real users
Increasing Reliability and Safety (cont.) Law, Regulation and Markets: Criminal and civil penalties –Provide incentives to produce good systems, but shouldn't inhibit innovation Warranties for consumer software –Most are sold ‘as-is’ Regulation for safety-critical applications Professional licensing –Arguments for and against Taking responsibility
Discussion Question 1.Should there be mandatory professional licensing for IT professionals (as with engineers?) 2.Should there be more warranty for software (e.g., can sue manufacturer if software causes damage)? For certain kinds of software?
Theme for the Future? Are we reaching limits in computer use/scope? –Moore’s “law” on processor performance is no longer valid. –Complex systems (cell phones have several million lines of code), hard to test, expand, integrate. –Unsolved tasks are complex?! | <urn:uuid:4ee068da-0fd4-4167-be7b-4cce1f9740b9> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://slideplayer.com/slide/3935642/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105108.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818194744-20170818214744-00156.warc.gz | en | 0.912024 | 1,322 | 2.84375 | 3 | The extract discusses the social implications of a computerized society, focusing on computer errors and their consequences. It provides realistic scenarios, integrates emotional intelligence, and critical thinking opportunities, awarding 3 points. However, it lacks sophisticated communication, strategic thinking, and advanced problem-solving across multiple contexts, preventing a higher score.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 813,325 | 0 |
Year 1 and Year 2
Welcome to Year 1 and 2
We are Mr Shrubb who is the teacher of Woodpeckers, Mrs Messenger who is the teacher of Robins and Miss McMillan who is the teacher of Goldfinches. Mr Shrubb is the English lead, Mrs Messenger leads Maths and Miss McMillan is our PSHCE coordinator.
Click below to watch the latest videos from our Lego friends…
Reading– We expect children to read or share a book every day if possible. Children will bring home a Big Cat book on a Monday which they will keep for a week. This is to help them build their reading fluency and confidence. They should also bring home one other book of their choice which they may change more regularly.
Spelling- Throughout the year children will come home with a list of spellings that they are working on. Current writing expectations have a large emphasis on use of accurate spellings. We find short, regular practise really helps children to improve.
Maths- Regular practise at counting forwards and backwards from any number in ones and tens. Once children are fluent with these try counting in different steps, e.g. 2’s, 5’s, 3’s. Any extra practise with addition and subtraction calculations can only benefit your child!
Our regular Year 1/2 information letters will give more ideas on how to support our current learning at home. If you have any questions or concerns please make an appointment to see your child’s class teacher.
Please ensure that your child has the correct school PE kit. Children must come to school without earrings or be able to remove them themselves. Hair should be tied up if necessary.
Woodpeckers- Mondays and Tuesdays
Robins- Mondays and Tuesdays
Goldfinches- Tuesdays and Fridays
However, the children need to be prepared everyday for PE in case the timetable changes. | <urn:uuid:a826a848-8402-4709-8e4a-7ba5163064cf> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.littlehaven.w-sussex.sch.uk/year-1-and-year-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370505366.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20200401034127-20200401064127-00000.warc.gz | en | 0.944786 | 398 | 2.8125 | 3 | The extract provides basic information about classroom expectations, reading, spelling, and math practices, but lacks discussion of soft skills, emotional intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking. It focuses on fundamental skills with limited practical application and lacks cultural awareness and digital literacy elements.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 796,430 | 0 |
As I've been touting the virtues of the whole "unschooling" method lately the nagging little voice in the back of my mind pops up now and then. The standard question it asks is, "but how will you KNOW that he's learning or even INTERESTED in learning?" Or, "He'll NEVER learn anything if you don't MAKE him, if you don't sit him down and TEACH him stuff." On Tuesday night, out of the blue, LD asked a question which was a PERFECT way for us to learn something.
We were watching something on Netflix... and now I can't even recall what it was because I got so excited over his spontaneous question!! The question was most definitely NOT related to what we were watching and it was an example that was hard for me to ignore. It showed me in no uncertain terms that no matter how small or seemingly trivial a comment in passing might be, he tucks it away and his brain works on it and suddenly at another time, more often unrelated than not, he'll ask a question that makes us think.
He asked me three things Tuesday and one of them became this science experiment. Though, the other two are definitely worth sharing!! First was why do we have toes? Well..... I know they have something to do with balance and walking... but, it made me wonder, why DO we have individual toes - it's not like we use them to hold a pen and write with like we do our fingers.... This question took us to the internet to search out WHY we have toes. During our looking we talked about why HE thinks we have toes, and what they remind him of - his hands and monkeys! But it also made me think that we could just have easily developed flipper like appendages - not as floppy as those of a sea lion - but you could easily have a solid extension of your foot encased in flesh with the individual toe bones inside it.
The second question was "does carpet begin with car?" We've been talking about the beginning letters of words lately - I get about 10 questions a day like this - if not more. Normally he'll ask if a word begins with a certain letter or sound. This time though he took it a step further. My initial reaction was to say no, it begins with "C" but then I realized... why yes, carpet DOES start with car!! Which made me giggle because I then immediately wondered why, if airport starts with air, but we park airplanes there.....that we don't put carpet under our cars... and then I thought carport .... a carport should be carpeted..... sorry, just the way my mind works.
At any rate, on to the science experiment....He was eating some mini marshmallows (a favorite snack) and asked, "Mom, what happens if you put this in water?" The old me would have told him. "It will dissolve." Which initially was my response. But that prompted him to ask what dissolve means. So I tried to explain it. And then I realized - here's a learning opportunity!!! Instead of just telling him, I had an opportunity to SHOW him - to let him see the process first hand and to be an active part of it.
So we got up from the couch, and went to the kitchen. In addition to water we also tried vegetable oil and white vinegar. We talked about what we thought MIGHT happen to the marshmallows over time. Even Dad got in on the discussion - taking it a step further to wonder what would happen specifically to the one in oil and if it were placed in the freezer - would the oil "eat" the marshmallow faster? LD's ideas were that the marshmallows would essentially become invisible but he'd still be able to feel them if he tried.
Here he is pouring the assorted liquids into the different cups:
At about 8:30 pm, here's what the samples looked like. From left to right - oil, vinegar, water.
By 9:15 pm there was an OBVIOUS change in the marshmallow that was in the vinegar (center), but none for the others:
By 10pm still more noticeable change in the vinegar dish, and NONE in the others...
By 10pm I'm sleepy so the next observation would have to wait till the morning.
More pictures: 6:44am
And Finally 9:30pm (after LD had gotten his fingers on them!)
Ok, we're a little lax about consistency here - my traditional schooled brain was saying ok, don't forget to check the marshmallows at regular, SET, time intervals so you get predictable results. But, I then relaxed. I reminded myself that we are letting LD guide us. Ocassionally I'd remind him about the marshmallows - asking if he wanted to look at them. Sometimes he said yes, sometimes no.
In the end, these are the "results" we got:
Vinegar - you notice an immediate reaction between the vinegar and marshmallow - as in there is white stuff pooling up under the marshmallow within a few minutes. This process continues until the whole marshmallow is reduced to this powdery stuff, which is a touch gritty, at the bottom and some frothy looking bubbles on top.
Oil - the marshmallow retained it's original shape, size and lost little of it's squishiness. In fact, it actually seemed to become a little hard. Dad speculated that this was because the oil might be drawing out some of the marshmallow's moisture. He went on to say that it should be smaller than when it started its journey. Unfortunately, we didn't measure them first or we'd be able to say if this was the case. When comparing it to a "fresh" one though there wasn't much difference in size than I could see.
Water - this one surprised us. We all figured the water would dissolve the marshmallow within a 24 hour period. However, the only obvious change we noticed (until we touched it) was that it seemed to initially be covered in bubbles and then it started looking a little more translucent and there seemed to be an ever so slight puffing up of the whole marshmallow. However, when LD squished it between his fingers it sort of fell apart - like a VERY fragile sponge.
Of course he got so excited to feel them that I wasn't able to get the final pictures BEFORE he got his fingers on them...
The oil result was probably the most unexpected of all.
Overall, a really fun thing to watch happen, and it never would have taken place if I had given him my statement of "it'll dissolve" and left it at that. From now on my answers to things like this will be followed with, "should we find out?" | <urn:uuid:ec512de0-46c2-4c55-ab13-7f080b4c60b5> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://mommajadesworld.blogspot.com/2010/11/for-skeptics-child-led-learning-does.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320003.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20170623045423-20170623065423-00585.warc.gz | en | 0.984488 | 1,394 | 2.59375 | 3 | The extract demonstrates a child-led learning experience, showcasing curiosity, critical thinking, and hands-on experimentation. It highlights the importance of embracing spontaneous questions and exploring them together, rather than simply providing answers. The scenario promotes emotional intelligence, leadership, and problem-solving skills, with the parent taking a supportive role and encouraging the child to guide the learning process.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 272,082 | 1 |
"All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
No one knows the Son but the Father; and no one knows the Father but the Son. The word knowing is related to the human mind. If it is not ready to comprehend the meaning of the great idea "of knowing" the mind cannot understand the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. Here we have two values: Father and Son. They can be examined as the numbers 1:3. What do we understand by the number 1? This number is a symbol, that for some people has meaning and for others does not — all depends on their mind. When you say "one" you may understand a man, a woman, or a child, but you can think also of a horse, a cow, or a calf, etc. When you say the word "man" you think that you know what man is, but if you are asked to give a more precise definition, you will find yourselves in a difficult situation. It is easy to say "my son" or "my daughter" but even these words are not very clear to you. You have an idea about the daughter or the son as far as you understand the relationship that exists between you. Yet the true relationship depends upon the ties that exist between your soul and the soul of him whom you call your son or your daughter. The number "one" is the father, and the number "three" — the child, the son or the daughter. As mathematical ratio, the numbers 1:3 represent the relation of the diameter of the circle to its length: D:P. The number P=3.14. This means that the diameter is contained in the circle 3.14 times; we are using only the whole number - three. This will say that the father indicates the measure of the human path, and the son — the circumference of this path.
And so when we say that no one knows the Son, we imply all the possible combinations through which he passes. When the diameter rotates around itself it forms a sphere or a ball, which indicates the possibilities and conditions which the Son brings. Do not think that it is easy to come to know the Son, to turn him like a wheel one time and to say that you have understood its movement. And when you say "diameter", again you have not understood the deep meaning of the unit. In relation to the number three, i.e. the length of the circle, the unit is diameter, but it is the unit in respect to innumerable more numbers. In mathematics all numbers begin with the unit. We pronounce the numbers one, two, three, etc. They represent the diameters drawn in a circle. The number seven represents the diameter of the universe. These are abstract, mystical ideas, that man will understand when he will be able to penetrate into the deep meaning of life. In this sense every one must understand the place and position which he occupies in nature. A man can be in the position of a mineral, a plant, an animal and lastly in the position of true man. Until he comes to this position he learns to distinguish and understand things. He passes through the minerals, studies them, and when he learns their properties, he separates the precious stones from the ordinary ones and begins to adorn himself with them. When he passes through the plants and animals, again he studies them: he cultivates them, he feeds them, he enjoys them, until one day he starts to pick and to kill them, using them for food. The husband comes home from work dissatisfied and angry, but when he sees that his wife has cooked a chicken or lamb, that she has set the table and has placed some fruit on it, he becomes well disposed and cheerful and starts eating with pleasure. He thinks that he has understood his wife, but this is true only for a few hours. The stomach is emptied and a new uproaring, a new discontent rises until the hunger is satisfied. In the same position are the wife and the children. All complain that they do not know and understand each other.
What is understanding? To know things will say to master them, it means that they have become part of you - your flesh and blood. To know the horse, does not mean to harness him and lead him after yourselves; to know the elements does not mean to put them in flasks and keep them sealed. Knowledge implies conscious, inner relation between things. Such relationship can exist only in love. This will say that if you have love you will know things, if you lack love you will know nothing. Some one says that he is dying of love. He may die without understanding love. With dying one cannot find love. When a young maid cannot attain her ideal, i.e. she cannot marry the man of her heart, she says that she will die. This indicates that she wants to attain love but love cannot be found through death. When we speak about the home, about the mother, the father, the children, we imply certain relationships of souls that are tied together through love. When we speak about the church, again we understand the relationship of souls to something, that represents God's presence, or the presence of love. Some people say that outside the church there is no salvation, I interpret this statement thus: Outside of love there is no salvation. Without love things are dead, unconscious, mechanical.
Christ says: "No one knows the Father but the Son." This will say that he who has no love cannot know the Father; he who has love can come to know him. It has been said: "God is love". Therefore only love can know itself. You can come to know an object if you have its properties; you can come to know your friend who is a well-known philosopher only if you have a philosophical mind, and are able to understand his ideas. Two people, one of which has a heart and soul, and the other has not yet manifested them, cannot understand each other. - Why? - Because they do not have the same properties. Some woman complains that her husband cannot understand her. - He has not yet come to know God and she wants that he may understand her. As long as man has not come yet to know God he cannot come to know anybody. He who does not know the Son cannot come to know the thinking beings, he cannot come to know also God. Accept this idea in your mind and in your heart and apply it in your lives.
Christ says: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Christ appeals to all who are burdened to come to him and he will teach them how to wear their burden easier. "No one can come to me if the Father did not reveal Himself." The Son is the object to which each soul aspires, and the Father is the power that attracts the souls to this object. When a young man is attracted by a young maid, she is the object of attraction and the power that attracts him is love, i.e. the Father of whom Christ is speaking. Man must study love, God. How will he attain it? — Through the Son. This means that the Son, or the inner intelligence in man must teach him to recognize his Father, in order to be able to understand his relationship to himself as well as to his neighbor.
Modern men occupy themselves with many questions, but 99 percent of these questions are unimportant and inessential. Only one of all 100 questions is essential. All other questions move around this essential and central question and for this reason they represent its food. When you explore the egg carefully you will find in it one important and essential cell — the embryo, around which are gathered all other cells. These represent the conditions and the medium for its development. Out of this essential cell will emerge the new life. In this sense I say: many things are necessary for the knowledge of the Son but one is essential — you must take his yoke. The yoke implies the relationship toward the external and internal conditions of life. Therefore you can come to know God only when you take His yoke and are ready to serve Him. To serve God will say to be ready to study with love all subjects. The external or objective world with all its manifestations represents object lessons for him who is ready to serve God. Is it not the same also in the earthly schools? In whatever school you may enrole - elementary, high school or college, the teachers or professors give lessons and problems which you must solve. These are object-lessons for you. He who is ready to serve his teachers with love will study everything as he is taught. God has created the world for us and not for himself. All animate and inanimate objects that surround us have their purpose. That this is so we can see from our organs. We have two eyes, two ears, a nose, mouth, chin, hands, and feet with five fingers on each of them — all this has its magnificent purpose. You may say that the ears are given man to hear and receive sounds, the eyes — to see and distinguish things. Besides this external purpose, the eyes and the ears have an inner, psychic significance. Truly, we meet people that can see and hear but who do not understand that which they hear nor that which they see.
"No one knows the Son but the Father." By the word "son" we understand the rational beginning in man. Few fathers today can understand their sons. Some father is glad that a son is born to him because he expects that the son will work for him. This indicates that he looks upon his son as a servant. Many fathers have a wrong understanding about their sons. They think that the sons are obliged to tolerate everything that the fathers are doing. Even if they make loans and waste their properties they say that the sons will remain to pay off. Such fathers do not have a proper relationship to their sons but the sons, too, do not have a proper relationship to their fathers. Right relationships are those based on love. The son should not count on the wealth of his father, but the father, too should not misuse the love of his son, to expect of him. Both should be ready to sacrifice for each other. When love is present between them it is natural that the two will work together and will help each other. These are correct relations between father and son.
I wish that in the future, when a young man and a maid marry they do not ask if they love each other. These are questions that love does not tolerate. Often the young man and the maid marry without to love each other but they say that they love each other. This is not permitted. Love excludes every falsehood. Do not ask if you love each other but rather ask the other partner if he is ready to sacrifice for you. If he tells you that he wants to enjoy life, he is not the right one for her. The inner meaning of life is in sacrifice, in self-sacrifice. Therefore the inner knowledge of the Son implies the law of sacrifice. Only he can sacrifice himself who knows the Son. When a man sacrifices himself he becomes strong. When you put water in a boiler and start heating it, it turns into steam and becomes stronger than it was before when it was in its natural state as water. Self-sacrifice implies a law through which one state can be changed into another, a negative thought can be changed into a positive one, and a negative feeling — into positive. If a solid body changes into liquid and the liquid — into gaseous, one can say that the law of sacrifice is at work. If you can change a negative thought or a negative feeling into positive here again operates the same law. If you do not sacrifice yourself how could you transform hatred into love? You say that you hate someone. Since you hate him you are in the state of being hard like ice. Nothing remains but that, you self-sacrifice, i.e. you expose yourself to fire that will change the ice into water, and the water into vapor. As long as there is water on earth there will be life also. All plants, animals, and people will use it.
"No one knows the Son but the Father." What have you understood by the word "no one?" - No one is everyone who is not ready for self-sacrifice. This means that he who cannot self-sacrifice does not know the Son. The Son is the law of self-sacrifice. In respect to this law the chicken is in a higher position than the man who is not ready for self-sacrifice. Such a man is dead. The chicken that sacrifices itself for the good of man has a higher value in the face of God. In the Scripture it is said that no bird falls to the ground without the will of God. God participates in the life of all creatures - from the smallest to the largest. If in the eyes of God you are a bird that is ready to sacrifice itself for the others do you need to fear life? God takes care of you. To think of God means to live for the highest ideal in the world. To think of yourself will say to live in confinement. There is nothing harder for man than to live in a prison, in confinement. In self-sacrifice is hidden the knowledge of The Son. He who knows the Son is free. Christ has spoken of the sacrifice as a great process that takes place in the consciousness of man. As long as this process does not take place in man one cannot speak of knowing Christ. What knowledge is this if one does not understand the deep meaning of Christ's words? Christ said "I am the true wine". Who knows the story of the wine? Each year the wine sacrifices but few people realize its sacrifice. Christ also said "I am the living bread that came from heaven." How many people understand the meaning of this bread?
The question about the bread is a social one. All societies and nations are trying to solve it. All people value the bread and realize that without it there is no life. One young man was telling his experience, by which he understood the true value of the bread. It came to pass that he had to suffer hunger for three days. He was so hungry that he looked for a way to find from somewhere a bite of bread to satisfy his hunger that was torturing him so much. As he was walking on the street he saw a dog carrying a piece of bread in his mouth. Without thinking too much he took a stone and threw it at the dog who, running, away, let the piece of bread fall to the ground. Without hesitating he picked up the bread and started eating it. Concluding, he said that he had to suffer hunger a few days in order to learn the value of bread.
Christ says, "I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the son of man, I am a teacher and adviser". These are relations of the Son to his neighbor, of the divine to the human soul. When I speak of God I do not have in mind an abstract, far off idea, but I have in mind Him Who has created the intelligent life and whom we can always try out. It is enough to pray sincerely to God for the health of some sick person and our prayer will be heard and answered. Help comes very soon when we obey the law of sacrifice. Pray to God without trying to tempt Him. When does man tempt God? - When his thoughts are in discord with God's thoughts, when he leads a sinful life. He who does not think about the future does not care to know if he leads a good life or a bad one. As long as he is on earth he does not care, but one day he will appear in front of his Creator to give account of his life. What will His answer be? God's light is so great that all his thoughts, desires and deeds will be lit up, will become objective and will start walking behind this man like a little child walks behind his mother.
How will you cope with this situation? Then you will understand that there is nothing hidden. As long as you have been on earth you could hide many things even from yourselves, but in front of the great light nothing can be hidden, then you will understand that it is not indifferent if you have lived well or bad.
No one knows the Son but the Father. Who is this no one? - He who lives for himself and does not know the law of sacrifice. First God has sacrificed Himself. He gave His Son for sacrifice so that no one who believes in Him shall parish. Through His Son He manifested His love for humanity, and the Son sacrificed himself in order to reveal His Father. These are mutual relationships of love and sacrifice that must be well understood. When we understand the relationship of God to us as our Father, and our relationship to God as His sons only then will our lives gain full meaning. Yet we cannot be sons of God as long as we do not self-sacrifice.
Implant into your mind the thought that outside of love there exists no life; outside of love there exists no church, outside of love no families, societies or nations can exist. The only church that can unite humanity is God's love, the love of self-sacrifice. In it are included all idealistic people, all people who are selfless.
What are these two states — self-seeking and selflessness? They can be illustrated with the rich and the poor who appeared in front of God to express their desires. First appeared the rich who started to demand: God, I want a big house, a palace, well furnished and trim, about ten servants to work for me, to serve the table with tastefull food, fruits and the best wines, so that I may eat and drink and have nothing to worry about. - Let it be according to Thy will, answered God. After that appeared the poor and said: I have only one desire — always to see Thy face! Let it be according to thy will!
Both of them satisfied with that which was promised to them returned to earth and each one lived in his own style. The rich lived in a palace surrounded by his servants; he ate and drank, enjoyed himself and felt happy and satisfied. In this manner, days and years passed, until one day he felt that he was beginning to suffocate. It came to his mind to pray to God: God, I started to suffocate, I am sick of this condition. Teach me what to do. Immediately came an angel, opened a little window in his palace and told him: Look out! The rich man looked out and saw a tall ladder and on the highest point was the poor man looking out somewhere into the sky. - What is this man doing there? - asked the rich man. - He wanted always to look at God's face -answered the angel. For long years in a row he looks at God's face, he breathes freely, enjoys God's world and is not tired of it yet.
Two states are presented to man: to be in the condition of the rich and to get suffocated by his wealth, or to be in the position of the poor, always to contemplate upon the face of God and never to have enough of it. To stand on the top of a high ladder and to look at the face of God from these without repletion means to know God. It is time to come to know Christ of whom has been preached already for two thousand years. Many people are considered to be Christian but they have not yet come to know Christ. What kind of Christianity is this when a brother coerces, robs and exorts his brother? Can this be called love? In love there is no violence, fear, bitterness. He who fears does not know love. Someone fears death. What can be terrifying about death? He who loves does not fear death, nor evil. There exists only one God in the world from whom everything emerges. What will we fear then? He who fears knows not God, knows not love. God is love. If this is true do not fear death nor the evil. God is life. If you live in God, death does not exist. Thank for the evil because God has put it to work to stimulate man to be active and to work out the inert matter in him. The evil creates in man contradictions, doubts, in order to produce in him friction which generates fire. Fire melts the solid substances, brings in them activity. When two solid bodies come in contact friction occurs between them that generates heat. Be glad when you collide with the solid, inert matter in you so that light and flames can be produced.
What does the fire and light represent in man? The fire is a result of his passions and desires, and light — of his thoughts. Without fire and light no life can exist. All hard fusible metals in the fire melt; the fire burns all impurities and turns them into ashes. The fruit ripens in the light; in the light one gains knowledge. He who understands things in this manner gives meaning to his life. Be glad and thankful for everything that love brings. As long as love is with you, you are blessed. When it leaves you, with it you lose joy also. In order that love may not abandon you think about your relation to God with your heart and spirit. Christ says: "Only those with pure hearts will see God." Seeing implies knowledge; knowledge implies inner contact with love.
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Christ is showing how a heavy-laden man can be given rest. Many years ago an American missionary was traveling in America in order to raise funds for charity. When he had raised a considerable amount he decided to return and deliver the money to its destination. In order to shorten his way he saddled a horse and passed through a mountainous area. When a well-known robber heard about the considerable sum of money that the missionary was carrying with him he hid in the woods where the missionary had to pass with the intention of killing him and taking the money. The missionary approached the place where the highwayman was hiding and felt a heaviness in his chest, as if something was choking him. He interpreted this feeling as warning, descended from the horse, prayed to God and relieved, he continued his journey. Hardly did he pass a few yards and he could see a well armed man standing in the woods but without fear he passed him. A few years later the same missionary was asked to confess someone who was dying. At his arrival the man looked at the missionary and asked him if he can recognize him. The missionary answered: I do not know you. - But I know you and will tell you under which circumstances I have met you. This happened several years ago. I had decided to wait for you in a woody place when you were carrying a large sum of money. I wanted to kill you and rob the money, but I could not decide to do this because with you was riding a well armed man in white clothes seated on a white horse. I was filled with fear and could not attempt your life. In this case the highwayman was a clairvoyant. He could see that which even the missionary could not see. The man who was riding the white horse was sent from the invisible world to protect the missionary.
Modern man refuse to believe in spirits. Nevertheless they read the bible where it is said: "And the angels of the Lord were ascending and descending." As the angels ascend and descend so the devils also descend and ascend. This indicates that the ones as the others obey the will of God and the divine laws. There is no power in the world nor a being that does not obey God. The wise man makes use of the good and the evil spirits. He knows the law of transformation and applies it.
Christ says: "Take my yoke upon yourselves and learn from me, because I am gentle and meek in my heart and you will find peace for your souls." Many think that they have conquered the world, that they have great power, but when they are tried they realize how far they have reached, what power they possess and what they can accomplish with it. Modern man is not yet completely formed; he should not deceive himself by temporary success. One day when his eyes will open he will see that everything that surrounds him is living; then he will understand why is there hatred and love, evil and good, lie and truth. This indicates knowledge of God, and of Christ. Christ says: "If my words remain with you and you in me, whatever you ask in my name shall be given to you." This would mean that if you understand the rational Word, if you realize what your relationship to God ought to be, your lives will be a blessing to you as well as to your neighbors.
Father and Son these are the numbers one and three. When you substract one from three you have the number two — divine love, mother of all things. This is called in Christianity the Holy Spirit, i.e. the inner power of man that purifies his mind and heart. One thing is expected of people to make contact with Christ. If once you come in touch with him, he will be with you in eternity, with all your joys and sorrows, in life and death. He is the gate that brings man from the transitory into the eternal, from the visible into the invisible, from hatred into love. Christ is the living bread, bearer of life. Christ is the master who teaches us the divine laws. When man understands correctly the Christian teaching he feels powerful to fulfill his obligations toward The Primary Reason, toward his neighbor and toward himself.
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Only he who is connected with Christ can come to God. The tie is based on love and judiciousness. There can exist no connection between two people if they do not like each other; there can be no connection between those who do not understand each other. Only he can come to Christ who knows the law of self-sacrifice. In general a connection can exist where there is something in common. For example on the exterior the diamond and the coal do not resemble; the diamond is solid and crystal, the coal is black and is not crystal. From within they have something in common: they both are of one and the same substance - carbon. Coal can be turned into a diamond. On the same basis can the human soul change from coal to a diamond, i.e. to pass into the highest position - into superconscious life. When two people raise to this state, to their superconscious, they will always recognize each other, they will always understand each other. When they meet they will not ask, do you know me, what do you think of me, etc. These are questions that exist only among people on the ordinary level of consciousness. When they do not know each other people are ready to doubt one another. Everyone seeks to find in his neighbor some ulterior purpose. How can we distinguish between someone who has turned his face to God, and one who is far from Him? Make the examination first with yourself to know if you are facing God or you are far from Him. This you can find out from your shadow. When your shadow falls behind you, you are close to God, you face God. When your shadow falls in front of you, you are far from God. It is not the question of not having a shadow, but it has to fall behind you. Everyone must check where the shadows of his mind, and of his heart fall - in front of him or behind him and give himself an account of his position in which he finds himself. In general your shadow must fall always behind you so that your face may be well seen. When a man errs his shadow falls in front of him. When he corrects his mistake the shadow immediately falls behind him. He who loves, who speaks the truth, his shadow falls always behind him. He who hates and does not speak the truth, his shadow falls in front of him.
In the Scripture it is said: "Their deeds walk in front of them." From this one can conclude that the deeds of some people walk behind them. How do you distinguish when your shadow is in front of you, and when behind you? When in your mind enters a bad thought, or in your heart a bad feeling and immediately change into kind, then your shadow is behind you. The opposite is also true, if the illumined thought and kind feeling change into unkind, then your shadow is in front of you. I wish that you may love and know each other. This will say that your shadows may be behind and not in front of your faces. Apply love in your lives as a great basic law of Creation. This is what God wants of all people and all nations on earth.
"No one knows the Son but the Father." - Why? - Because the Son has sacrificed himself for his Father. And the Son, too, knows for whore he has sacrificed himself. He who knows the law of sacrifice knows his Father. He who is ready to sacrifice himself will find the way. In other words: Without self-sacrifice the gate to knowledge is closed. Wherever he may knock - on the door to science, art, music, everywhere he will find himself in front of a locked door. Without inner knowledge of the Father and the Son, everything changes into dust and ashes; everything crumbles and parishes, as the roots of trees rot. What tree can thrive without roots? Apply the law of self-sacrifice so that you may find divine life.
When one hears spoken of sacrifice immediately comes the fear that one may loose his wealth, become poor. Is he who has millions in the banks happy? He bears a heavy load in his mind. His back is loaded above his powers, and any minute can give in. It is preferable to carry a pound in one's stomach than two hundred pounds on one's back. It is preferable for one to be poor but happy and satisfied with his position, than to be rich and constantly to carry around the thought that he may be robbed or killed. Inner peace is preferable than the greatest external wealth. Yet when you meet rich, learned, or beautiful people be glad that they exist. When you meet evil people again be glad. What would be the world like if there were no good and evil, learned and ignorant, beautiful and ugly people? Since God tolerates the evil, and ugly, the ignorant, we too, must tolerate them. When you apply the law of self-sacrifice you will understand why some people are evil.
Years ago in one canton in America, a buffalo began to romp so much that the whole vicinity around was scared, nobody could go and tame him. At last a boy came along who could read the thoughts of the animals and speak to them. He put his hand on the forehead of the buffalo, patted it a few times and started to speak to him: What is wrong with you that you have become wild? - In my rear foot something is bothering me terribly. The boy bent over immediately, took the rear foot of the buffalo that seemed to have bothered him and found that a big fat thorn got stuck in it. The boy took out the thorn, cleaned his foot, wrapped it in a bandage and left him alone. The buffalo stopped raging.
You hear a rumor that a woman or a man have become insane. They have not become mad but a thorn got stuck into their mind or heart. Come close to them place your hand on their head and quickly pull out the thorn. As soon as you pull out the thorn they will go back to their normal state. What are most people doing today? They carry with them a hammer and nails and whomever they meet they thrust a nail into him. Why do you have to hurt your neighbor? You may answer that you want to check how much they can take? They drove four nails into Christ and he died. He was a great and mighty spirit but could not endure the human nails. Do you think that the ordinary people can take more? Do not hammer nails into your neighbors, do not create for yourself greater sufferings. It is not an easy thing to put a man on the cross to nail his mind, his heart, his soul, and his spirit and after that to expect him to live. This is impossible! Instead to thrust nails into your neighbor take out the ones that someone else has thrust. When you see that your neighbor is sick in bed help him. - But he is a great sinner. - This is not your responsibility, you are obliged to help him, to give him at least a cup of water. To help your neighbor this is the meaning of the teaching of Christ, who has come to earth and has sacrificed for the whole of humanity.
Times of great and heavy trials are coning. Of them it is said in the Scripture: "The anger of God is coming to the world." All will hear the voice of God and will understand if there is justice in this world or not; if there exists good or not; if there exists love or not. This should not scare you but you must know that God's wheel turns constantly, that it follows its way and will never stop to turn. You all must be ready in time to mount it. For this reason you have come to earth as to a great school. When you finish the school you will return to God to take your exams. There it will be checked if you have learned the law of the good and the evil, of love and hatred, of truth and lie. He who has studied his lessons well will remain there to continue to learn and work; he who has not learned them will return to earth to finish his school and become perfect. This is like having final examinations. Who passes all the exams with honor will resurrect and will be appointed to a high service. To pass your final with honor will say to have learned, understood, and applied the five great virtues.
For thousands of years it has been spoken and preached about resurrection, I wish that you may pass your final examination, that you may resurrect because the world needs resurrected people. If the Bulgarian nation passes its exams it will resurrect and take a high position; if it does not pass, it will have no profit. This will affect every man, every society, every nation. God has said, "Call me on the day of sorrow and I will help you." Pray for yourselves, for your neighbor, and love your enemies. This Christ said. Why to love our enemies? - So that you may not become like them, and not descend to their level. Treat all with love and not with hatred. He who repays for evil with evil will follow the path of the fallen spirits. Who hates is in accord with those that follow the broad way. The loving person climbs up on the narrow path, and the one that hates descends on the broad way.
"All has been passed onto me by my Father; and no one knows the Son but the Father." The son is the divine embryo that every one must water and cultivate so that it may grow and bear fruit. Out from the divine embryo raises the new man ready for a new work and a new life. This embryo lives in every soul but needs the conditions and space for its development. The more you trust your inner powers and possibilities, the sooner it will develop. Whatever difficulties and obstacles you may encounter on your way always say to yourselves: I can be just, loving, meek, humble, good, industrious - I can overcome and accomplish everything with the help of the divine in me. When the people begin to conjugate the verb "can" in the present tense the world will become better. Do not occupy yourselves with your nor with other people's mistakes. The mistakes fertilize the field of God. If your brother has made some mistake do not judge nor estrange him from yourself but help him to clean himself and change into new, clean clothes. If a brother rejects his brother, or the husband his wife, or the wife her husband, then they are acting contrary to the teaching of Christ. Love each other for God's sake. Someone said that he would want to love but he cannot. Why can he not love? Because he has not given place to God in himself. Only God loves and for this reason it is said that God is love. A husband and a wife who in the name of God have lived for each other die with joy as do the martyrs in the name of God. Their name is never forgotten. It is enough if only one person keeps in his mind the memory of you as a living monument worthy of following your example.
Christ is already coming to the world sitting on a white horse to preach the Word of God. His voice will be heard everywhere. Like a sword of fire it will penetrate into the minds and the hearts of the people. Whoever cannot stand his light will become blind. Even the evil cannot endure this light — it will melt and disappear. The end of the evil on earth is coming. The divine light will produce reverse results: great darkness will descend on earth and in the souls of the people it will bring great light. Does not the same occur with the earth. When half of it is bathing in light the other half is in darkness.
This should not distress you but remember: when you encounter with contradictions on your way this is to indicate that the divine sun has risen already. There are days of shadow that temporarily obstruct his light. Be prepared to make use of the blessings which God is bringing for his chosen ones. Who are the chosen ones? - Those that have illumined thoughts and noble feelings and desires.
Today I am preaching of the living Christ, who will speak up through thousand mouths. Many preachers, priests, learned men, philosophers, musicians will appeal to people for work that will bring them inner deliberation. All together we will sing the hymn of God's love. Only this way we will understand what the love that will bring us to God and to the Son is. Only love can rejuvenate man. You may say one should not imagine things that can not be fulfilled. It is important to know what one imagines. There exists imagination that lifts man up toward God. There is imagination that pulls him down and away from God. The astronomer can see with his telescope the most distant stars and an ordinary man even with a telescope can see nothing. He wonders how it is possible that the astronomer can see so many things and at the end he says: everything is imagination. Point your telescope also to the sky, so that you may see God in His glory by which he is surrounded. Try to see Him and to recognize Him so that you may become citizens of the Kingdom of God. Try to find your place as a limb in the divine organism. As soon as you find your place do not fight for the first place. He who filfills his obligations properly is in the first place. Where will be this place? As Bulgarians you will be placed in the hole which the Jews made in the ribs of Christ. It is until today still open. All people, all nations have the same assignment: to fill up the hole in the ribs of Christ which is open already for two thousand years.
Christ is already close to the earth. He brings his teaching with which he has decided to turn the earth upside down. He carries a new sign on which it is written: "The Kingdom of God is coming to earth." Whatever may happen with the world the Kingdom of God will be established. This is the decision of God, of the angels, and of all superior beings. Whoever does not believe let him pray to live to see the Kingdom of God realized on the earth. When he will see it then he will believe my words. He that can see with his eyes does not need a proof; he trusts in his eyes.
How will the religious people act with Christ when he comes in flesh to earth? As soon as they will see Him they will want to check his preaching so that they may know what he will speak. Christ's preaching stands no revision. It stands no human judgment nor evaluation. This is true not only for Christ but for every one who follows His path. Whoever speaks in the name of Christ his words are accepted without any reservation. Whoever speaks in His name but abuses it is a liar and deceiver. Lie can reign at the most for a hundred years. After that it is caught and nothing will remain of it. The words that I speak to you are truthful and are true not only for today but also for the centuries to come.
Today I am giving you seeds that you must plant in your gardens. The seeds do not belong to me but to Him who has created you and has sent you to the earth to study. Christ is coming to earth to bring God's love to all people. When they will join hands for mutual love, for brotherhood and equality, Christ will enter his church that is not built by human hands to teach people the law of sacrifice out of love and not by force. God will raise every soul and will put it in the right place. This means for man to learn the inner meaning of life.
I wish you to recognize the Son and the Father not as people are teaching you, but from your inner experience. Can you say that the bread is good if you have not tasted it? Try it yourselves and after that give your opinion. Even in the Scripture it is said: "Try everything but keep the good."
In conclusion I will give you the following rule: If you want to know if you are close to God or far away from Him see where your shadow points. If it is behind your back you are close to God; if it is in front of your face this will indicate that you are far from Him.
Aspire to come to know Christ as the Wine, as the Living Bread, as the Gate, as the Shepherd, as the Son of man, as the Teacher and Guild.
Sermon by Beinsa Douno, February 18, 1917, Sofia.
(From the v. "All that has been written", p.23)
1 St. Matthew 11:27-30 | <urn:uuid:91751e5f-f00a-4dad-b29c-e74d85228d6e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://powerandlife.com/txt_en/1917.02.18.nb.en.bb.1_vsichko_mi_e_predadeno.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654012.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607175304-20230607205304-00142.warc.gz | en | 0.980152 | 8,827 | 2.53125 | 3 | The extract provides a deep and nuanced exploration of spiritual and philosophical concepts, emphasizing the importance of love, self-sacrifice, and inner knowledge. It encourages readers to cultivate a personal relationship with the divine and to strive for spiritual growth. The text touches on various soft skills, such as empathy, self-awareness, and critical thinking, but its primary focus is on spiritual development and personal transformation.
The extract does not provide straightforward communication scenarios or simple team dynamics, but rather presents complex and abstract ideas that require careful consideration and reflection. The text assumes a high level of emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and spiritual awareness, making it more suitable for advanced learners or those with a strong background in spiritual or philosophical studies.
The extract scores 4 points because it presents complex scenarios requiring sophisticated communication, strategic thinking, and advanced problem-solving across multiple contexts. However, it may not seamlessly integrate advanced communication, leadership, and problem-solving scenarios that mirror real-world complexity, as it is more focused on spiritual and philosophical concepts.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 893,631 | 1 |
The start to school is a major transition. Not just for the kids returning to school, but also for their families. This transition brings about a change in routine, or maybe the re-emergence of routine after the carefree schedule-less days of summer. Change can often be a good thing, but it’s also often a source of stress. Even kids who love school experience this stress. And for some, this stress can be a quite severe form of anxiety. The anxiety may come from separation from parents or not wanting to be around so many people at school. The anxiety may come from needing to complete assignments, deadlines, or wanting to get good grades. The anxiety may come from bullying or wanting to fit in. Whatever the source, there are some strategies to help prepare your child, and your family, to be at their best and ready to take on the stress and navigate the change.
Here are a few of those strategies:
- Remember that back-to-school worries are common and normal. Normalize this for your child, and for yourself. Allow space for your child to share their worries with you and validate that it’s ok to be anxious. Help them verbalize their concerns and also identify individuals that they can talk to when they have problems or get upset.
- Do not allow your child to skip school due to anxiety as this will only reinforce the anxious feelings. Instead problem-solve ways to cope with the anxiety or handle potentially difficult situations that they may be worrying about.
- Plan and prepare. Have your child help pick out their clothes and supplies ahead of time. Go visit the school or classroom prior to the first day of school. Discuss what the new schedule will be (and stick with it!). Enforce bedtimes that allow for plenty of sleep and waking times that allow for plenty of time to get ready without rushing.
Allow time for your family to settle into a new rhythm and routine. If anxiety persists or you feel you need extra support to manage the change, please reach out to a mental health professional for further help.
Supervisor of Child and Adolescent Clinical Services | <urn:uuid:199c5ae8-cd93-4da1-9c15-fd7dd7c10211> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.hrcsb.org/back-to-school-stress/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948765.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20230328042424-20230328072424-00614.warc.gz | en | 0.959564 | 438 | 2.84375 | 3 | The extract scores high for its discussion of emotional intelligence, anxiety management, and communication strategies. It provides realistic scenarios and practical applications for families to navigate back-to-school stress, promoting empathy and problem-solving. The content also touches on the importance of routine, validation, and seeking help when needed, demonstrating a strong focus on soft skills development.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 398,626 | 1 |
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|Operating system - Interview Questions and Answers for 'Ciena' - 1 question(s) found - Order By Newest|
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|Ans. 1. when an OS wants to start running program it creates new process means a process is a program that is currently executing and every process has at least one thread running within it.|
2). A thread is a path of code execution in the program, which has its own local variables, program counter(pointer to current execution being executed) and lifetime.
3. When the JavaVirtual Machine (JavaVM, or just VM) is started by the operating system, a new process is created. Within that process, many threads can be created.
4. Consider an example : when you open Microsoft word in your OS and you check your task manger then you can see this running program as a process. now when you write something in opened word document, then it performs more than one work at same time like it checks for the correct spelling, it formats the word you enter , so within that process ( word) , due to different path execution(thread) all different works are done at same time.
5. Within a process , every thread has independent path of execution but there may be situation where two threads can interfere with each other then concurrency and deadlock come is picture.
6. like two process can communicate ( ex:u open an word document and file explorer and on word document you drag and drop another another file from file explorer), same way two threads can also communicate with each other and communication with two threads is relatively low.
7. Every thread in java is created and controlled by unique object of java.lang.Thread class.
8. prior to jdk 1.5, there were lack in support of asynchronous programming in java, so in that case it was considered that thread makes the runtime environment asynchronous and allow different task to perform concurrently.
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|What is race condition ?| | <urn:uuid:308cca73-26f1-4f19-a1c2-68ad3bebfebd> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://javasearch.buggybread.com/InterviewQuestions/questionSearch.php?searchOption=label&keyword=Ciena&keyword2=Operating%20system | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370492125.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20200328164156-20200328194156-00517.warc.gz | en | 0.933815 | 628 | 2.96875 | 3 | The extract provides a repository of interview questions and answers related to operating systems, threads, and processes, with a focus on Java. It offers straightforward explanations and examples, but lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving opportunities, and emotional intelligence discussions. The content is more theoretical and lacks practical application, cultural awareness, and digital literacy elements.
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Below, you'll find a list of all the courses we teach, along with a brief description of the content of the course.
- General Education Courses *
- Writing Intensive Courses WR
- Speaking Intensive Courses SP
Sociology 101 – Principles of Sociology
Principles of Sociology seeks to impart an analytical framework with which the student can better understand the relationship between individual and social structure. Theories of functionalism, conflict, symbolic interactionism, and socialization will be discussed. The concepts of normative culture, technology, demography, ethnocentrism, values, norms, institutions, status, role, bureaucracy, and stratification will be developed and applied to social institutions. These institutions will include: the formal organization, courtship, marriage and family, religion, health care service delivery, media, politics, military, and criminal justice. 3 credits. * Fulfills General Education Goal 8 for non Sociology majors.
Sociology 102 – Contemporary Social Problems
Contemporary Social Problems examines problems confronted by humans as both creators and objects of society. Problems of family instability, health and disease, war, distribution of resources, substance abuse, gender role definition, prejudice, discrimination and institutional response to deviance will be addressed. Particular emphasis is given to how groups define, experience, and attempt to solve these social problems. Attention will also be given to a global perspective and how the concepts of fact, truth, right and wrong are socially constructed. 3 credits. * Fulfills General Education Goal 8 for non Sociology majors.
Sociology 205 – Deviance
This course is an in-depth examination of deviant behavior, its social forms and functions. Societal response to deviance is examined to highlight norms, values and control mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on sociological theories that explain deviant behavior. 3 credits. WR
Sociology 220 – Self in Society
The interplay of societal forces and self are examined in this course. Attention is given to such topics as: self in society and society in self; collective behavior; mass movements, public opinion, propaganda and the mass media; group processes; socialization and social psychological aspects of social structure. 3 credits.
Sociology 222 – Socialization: Sociology of Child Development
This course is designed to give students an understanding of the foundations and functions of the socialization process. Socialization is examined from infancy through adolescence. Topics that will be explored include socialization theory, language acquisition, identity formation, agencies of socialization, and how socialization experiences differ by gender, race, and socioeconomic status. 3 credits.
Sociology 233 - Race, Class, and Gender.
This course focuses on the causes, consequences and justifications of the inequalities associated with race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender in the United States and in other societies. Current social policies are critically examined and alternative routes to social change are explored. Race, class and gender are significant variables by which human societies make distinctions among their members. Such distinctions often lead to an inequitable distribution of political power, social well-being, and the resources available to individual members of the society. In this course we seek to increase students' awareness and understanding of the inequities in society and the consequences of those inequities for different communities and individuals within society.
Sociology 241 – Marriage and the Family
The history of American families and contemporary family issues are analyzed using sociological theory and research. Topics that are covered include marriage, cohabitation, divorce, single parent families, blended families, the impact of race and gender norms, and socioeconomic status on family structure. 3 credits. WR
Sociology 295 – Special Topics
Selected topics in Sociology. The topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. 3 credits.
Sociology 301 – Sociology of Religion
This course will acquaint students with the broad range of concepts, theories, and issues that have shaped the sociological study of religion. The course begins with a consideration of the sociological perspective on religion. Students will examine various sociological definitions of religion and be introduced to the methods used in the sociological analysis of religion. Finally, religious diversity, elements of religion, religious experiences, and the functions and dysfunctions of religion will be addressed. While the course will focus on religion in the contemporary United States, students will also consider religion as a key element in all human societies. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102. or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 302 – Sociology of Popular Culture
This course will present a variety of sociological perspectives on popular culture. During the course students will examine the nature and forms of popular culture, its role in our lives, and its broad effects on American society and culture. More specifically, students will critically examine how popular culture is produced, disseminated, consumed, interpreted, and experienced in the United States. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 305 – Society and Technology: Identity, Community, and Ethics
This course provides an analysis of the relationship between science, technology, and society. The focus is on information-based technology that is rapidly restructuring the nature of human interaction and contemporary reality personally, ethically, and institutionally. Topics will include identity, social interaction, community, work, family, inequality, deviance, and social control. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 306 – Stress and Crisis in Families
Normative and traumatic stresses and crises that families and their members experience, including birth of a child, divorce, violence, death, natural disasters, and war time family separations are examined. Family stress theory, protective factors, coping strategies, prevention and intervention are addressed as well. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 310 – Complex Organizations
In this course students engage in a study of complex organizations such as private enterprises, voluntary associations, and governmental bureaucracies in terms of political-economic environment, formal and informal structure, technology, management ideologies, control and commitment of personnel, and impact on lives of individuals. Classical and recent theory and research are examined. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits. WR
Sociology311,312 – Studies Abroad
These courses are primarily intended for transfer of credit earned abroad in courses on sociology. 1-18 credits.
Sociology 320 – Sociology of Education
Sociology of Education examines the structure and process of education in contemporary society. The primary focus is on U.S. public education. Topics include the contribution of sociology to understanding education and teaching; the relationship of education to other institutions such as the family, government, religion, and the economy; demographic changes that effect education; the effect of social class on student achievement and teaching; formal and informal positions, roles and processes in schools; and consideration of current issues such as school funding, compensatory and special education programs, race and gender issues, and educational reform movements. Open to Juniors and Seniors only. 3 credits.
Sociology 321 – Supernatural Belief Systems
This course provides an investigation of the social aspects of religion, its forms of organization, and its relationships to other institutions. 3 credits.
Sociology 322 – Sustainability: Prehistoric, Colonial and Contemporary Peoples on the Northern Neck of Virginia
Students will study the natural and cultural ecology of the Northern Neck focusing on variables such as prehistoric and contemporary climate, soil composition, water, and floral and faunal communities. A key concern running throughout the course will be the cultural patterns utilized by prehistoric, colonial and contemporary human populations in this region. 3 credits.
Sociology 325 – Gender and Society
This course provides an examination of the social construction of gender and the social organization of gender inequality, as well as an analysis of gender identity in socialization, interpersonal behavior, the family, the media, and the economy. 3 credits.
Sociology 331– Social Gerontology
This course provides a comprehensive examination of social gerontology, with particular emphasis on the historical changes in the role of the elderly in society, future social and demographic trends, the contribution of sociological theories to understanding this group, and public policy implications. Also addressed are specific social problems associated with aging (poverty, loneliness, suicide). Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 332 – Sociology of Dying and Death
The course explores social processes attendant to dying and death, including those that define the role processes of dying and the status of being dead. The effects of disruption in dyads, families, and larger social organizations will be studied. The thesis that emotions are socially and culturally mediated will be examined. Other topics include cross-cultural causes of death, demography of death, care systems which attend dying, the concept and treatment of pain, funeral and body dispositions, and medical and legal ethics. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 345 – Social Research and Program Evaluation
In this course students learn the logical basis for conceptualization and research in sociology and criminology. Research design, concept formation, data collection, data reduction, data analysis, and data interpretation are studied. Students learn how to design and conduct both basic research and applied research. Methods of conducting program evaluation are emphasized. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. Offered fall semester. Open to Juniors and Seniors only. 3 credits. WR
Sociology 346 – Basic Statistics
SOCL 346. Basic Statistics. Computer application of quantitative and statistical techniques to sociological data. Emphasis on questionnaire construction, coding, sampling, building and maintaining data sets, probability, statistical distributions, hypothesis testing, and theoretical modeling. Students are required to become proficient in the use of a statistical software package. Offered spring semester. Open to Juniors and Seniors only. Prerequisite: SOCL 345. 3 credits. WR
Sociology 350 – Power and Privilege: Social Stratification
This course is a study of how power, wealth, and prestige are built into the structure of society. The consequences of social ranking, class identification, and opportunities for social mobility are also explored. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 351 – Sociology of Family Violence
This course is designed to familiarize students with the sociological literature on family violence. Topics which will be explored include the social causes and consequences of spouse abuse, marital rape, child maltreatment (physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse) and parent abuse, as well as the response of the criminal justice system to and the societal perceptions of such violence. Emphasis will be on synthesizing and critiquing family violence theories and research. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 355 – The Community
Students review theories of community and analyze representative community studies. 3 credits.
Sociology 360 – Urban Sociology
This course provides an examination of city life, its problems and prospects. The nature of organization, bureaucratization, and massification including social, economic, and political features of metropolitan areas are studied. Urban lifestyles and dilemmas are also discussed. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 370 – Medical Sociology
Students study sociocultural factors that influence health, health care and illness in addition to an analysis of health care services, hospital organization, roles and role relationships in the health care setting and the processes of socialization of health care personnel and patients. Prerequisite: SOCL 101or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 376 – Sociology of Law
In this course students learn the relationship between law and social structure. They further study the processes of law creation, interpretation, enforcement and modification, and examine police, judicial and jury behavior as well as analyze the legal profession itself. 3 credits.
Sociology 377 – Sociology of Sport
This course provides an analysis of sport as a changing social institution. Emphasis will be placed on the organization of sport, the interaction of sport with other social institutions, sex, race, and ethnic status, collegiate sport, professionalization, law and shifting social values. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 381,382 – Topical Seminars
These courses are advanced seminars for sociology majors and non-majors interested in sociology. These seminars are designed to permit small groups of qualified students to pursue specialized topics in sociology, as listed below. Prerequisite: SOCL 101, SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
- Collective Behavior and Social Movements. In this course, students study social behavior that is guided by nontraditional norms and is less structured than more traditional behaviors. The topics of crowds, cults, riots, rebellions, social change movements, and revolutions are explored.
- Small Groups. In this course, students gain a sociological appreciation of units consisting of two or more members engaged in meaningful contact such as families, work groups, therapeutic associations, athletic teams, and peer groupings.
- Sociology of Mass Communication. This course is an exploration of the structure of media industries (press, radio, television, and advertising), their impact on audiences, mass culture, and specific public issues such as violence and politics.
Sociology 389 – Sociological Theory
This course is an examination of the major theoretical positions in classical and current sociology. Offered fall semester. Open to Juniors and Seniors only. 3 credits.
Sociology 455 – Social Change
In this course students study significant alterations in the organization of society and in patterns of values, norms, and behavior over time. The social and economic development associated with modernization and industrialization and various sources of change found in technology, social structure, population, the environment, and cultural innovation are explored. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or ANTH 101 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
Sociology 461 – Senior Seminar in Sociology
This course is a seminar for the senior sociology major, designed to integrate knowledge of specific subfields into a comprehensive view of sociology and its role in relation to other sciences. Open only to senior sociology majors. 3 credits. * WR and SP
Sociology 490 – Directed Independent Study
Individualized study. Must be approved by the head of the department. 1-18 credits. Fulfills General Education Goal 15.
Sociology 492 – Internship in Sociology
This course provides direct student learning in applied settings that permits a practiced supervised experience. Students learn through performance in meaningful tasks in a variety of social environments. Prerequisite: 18 hours of sociology at Longwood. Students' cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or above to be eligible for internship. Must be arranged at least one semester in advance with chair of department. May be repeated in subsequent semesters. Variable credit; no more than 15 total credits may be earned. Only six credit hours of Internship will earn quality points (A, B, C, and D grades); all credits earned beyond six credits will be assigned Pass/Fail grades. 1-15 credits. SP Fulfills General Education Goal 15.
Sociology 495 – Special Topics
These courses are recommended when the student desires to pursue a specialized topic in depth. Students must have permission of department chair and instructor directing the course. Students' cumulative GPA must be 2.00 or higher to be eligible. 3 credits.
Sociology 498 – Honors Research in Sociology
Students conduct research in sociology under the direction of a faculty member and the Senior Honors Research Committee. May be repeated as 499. 3 credits. Fulfills General Education Goal 15.
2011 and subsequent catalogs:
- Sociology B.A. or B.S.(pdf)
- Sociology with Family Studies Concentration (pdf)
- Gen Ed checklist for majors (PDF)
Catalogs prior to 2011:
- Sociology B.A. or B.S.(pdf)
- Sociology with Family Studies Concentration(pdf)
- Sociology with Pre-Law Concentration(pdf)
- Gen Ed checklist for majors (pdf) | <urn:uuid:7b0786a1-4435-46aa-97ff-ee90e7182928> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://longwood.edu/sacjs/23744.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163051476/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131731-00011-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908323 | 3,419 | 2.609375 | 3 | The provided extract is a course catalog for a sociology department, listing various courses with their descriptions. While it does not directly teach soft skills, some courses implicitly cover aspects of communication, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. However, the coverage is mostly theoretical and lacks practical application, nuanced interaction, or complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 335,213 | 0 |
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Bentley, A. F. Kennetic inquiry.Science, 1950,152, 775–783.
Bickman, L., Teger, A., Gabriele, T., McLaughlin, C., Berger, M., & Sunaday, E. Dormitory density and helping behavior.Environment and Behavior, 1973,5, 465–490.
Chickering, A. W.Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1972.
Feldman, K., & Newcomb, T. M.The impact of college on students (Vols. 1 & 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1969.
Heilweil, M. The influence of dormitory architecture on resident behavior.Environment and Behavior, 1973,5, 377–412.
Helmreich, R., Stapp, J., & Ervin, C. The Texas social behavior inventory (TSBI): an objective measure of self-esteem or social competence.JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1974,4, 79, ms. #681.
Iscoe, I. National training conference in community psychology.American Psychologist, 1975,30, 1193–1194.
Kelly, J. G. Naturalistic observations in contrasting social environments. In E. P. Willems & H. L. Raush (Eds.),Naturalistic viewpoints in psychological research. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.
Moos, R. H., & Gerst, M. S.University residence environment scale manual. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1974.
Newcomb, T. M. Student peer-group influence and intellectual outcomes of college experience. In R. Sutherland, W. Holtzman, E. Koile, & B. Smith (Eds.),Personality factors on the college campus. Austin, Texas: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1962.
Newcomb, T. M. Research on student characteristics: current approaches. In L. Dennis & J. Kaffman (Eds.),The college and the student. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 1966.
Price, R. H., & Cherniss, C.Training for a new profession: Research as social action. Pre-Conference materials, National Training Conference in Community Psychology, Austin, Texas, April 27–May 1, 1975.
Reiff, R. The need for a body of knowledge in community psychology. In I. Iscoe & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.),Community psychology: Perspectives in training and research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970.
Sanford, N. Whatever happened to action research?Journal of Social Issues, 1970,26, 3–23.
Stern, G. G.People in context. New York: Wiley, 1970.
Van Der Ryn, S., & Silverstein, M.Dorms at Berkeley. New York: Educational Facilities Laboratories, 1968.
Wheeler, L.Behavioral research for architectural planning and design. Terre Haute, Ind.: Ewing Miller Associates, 1968.
Wilcox, B. L., & Holahan, C. J. Social ecology of the megadorm in university student housing.Journal of Educational Psychology, 1976,68, 453–458.
This research was supported by a grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Austin, Texas. The authors are indebted to Celia Veselka, Regina Hilbertz, and Sheryl Kelly for their assistance with data collection.
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Holahan, C.J., Wilcox, B.L. Ecological strategies in community psychology: A case study. Am J Commun Psychol 5, 423–433 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877945
- Social Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Community Psychology
- Ecological Strategy | <urn:uuid:b0f80976-c176-497c-8026-d08fff0e725b> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00877945 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875146643.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200227002351-20200227032351-00057.warc.gz | en | 0.748569 | 867 | 2.65625 | 3 | The extract appears to be a reference list and abstract from a research article in community psychology, lacking direct discussion of soft skills or practical applications. It provides a list of sources and a brief overview of a case study, but does not offer scenarios, communication strategies, or leadership challenges that would promote soft skills development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 647,980 | 0 |
“The Great Adventurers of the modern world”: with these words Charles Péguy, the great French Catholic poet of the early twentieth century, honored the fathers of families. Péguy was killed in the first of the modern world’s global wars, but if he were alive today, he would probably feel the need to underscore his statement.
What soldier of fortune faces a greater challenge than that confronted by the father, in partnership with his wife, navigating the ship of the family through the currents of modern life?
Erupting from the depths of life’s sea, raging storms — seen only as warnings on the barometer in Péguy’s day—now crash full against the seams of the family ark, tearing at its white sails of holiness, pounding against its bulwarks that are the unity and indissolubility of marriage. If at any given time the parents underestimate the danger or fail to respond adequately to the challenge, the ship may founder.
“The Great Adventurers of the modern world,” indeed. And called to an adventure of no little importance: the pitting of ourselves against all the enemies of fatherhood; the warding off of all the daily advances of a multibillion-dollar advertising industry devoted to making us and our children avaricious, lustful, and proud — all of this, yes, but more. Ours is not only a defensive action; we must at the same time take the offensive. We fight against storms, but for the sake of arriving at our destination. The enemy without must be held off while each day sees new attacks of the enemy within.
And yet, for all this, the call to sanctity remains and is one conditioned to each person’s state in life: for fathers of families, it is in and through our fatherhood that we are to achieve our fullest holiness. Not in spite of marriage and our family will we become holy, but because of them. Our parental work, when performed in Christ, is our holy work, as holy a work as that of any celibate religious who works full-time in a parish ministry, cares for the poor, houses the homeless, or prays unceasingly in a cloister.
There is particular relevance for us, as fathers, in that incident which occurs in the Gospel of Mark: “And He sat down and called the Twelve; and He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’ ”
It is in and through the experiences of marriage, and in the labors of rearing a family, of welcoming God in the children we are given, that we are to advance in the spiritual life. We were called to the vocation of Christian marriage. We are laypeople, and our care for our families, our domestic churches, is at the very heart of the life of the Church as a whole. Our daily work, whatever it may be, our bill-paying and our bedtime reading, is holy already; there is no need for us to think up ways to make it holy. It remains for us only to remember the holiness of all that we are about, to recognize and appreciate this fact and celebrate it in ways natural to family life.
This is the glorious adventure upon which we are embarked. Yet, how often we fail! Our resolutions seem so quickly shattered under one or another of the day’s poundings. We are human beings, not angels; we are the sons and daughters of the fallen Adam and Eve, and we ache with the bruises of all our own falls. “Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord . . .” and cry we must, but we must not become discouraged, for our major conquest is intended to be ourselves.
All of the pounding to which we are submitted on the anvil of our daily lives is intended to form us in the image of Christ. Like iron that, to be shaped, must be heated and pounded, heated and pounded, so we are heated with the flames of daily life and shaped by the life of God in us.
“It is for discipline that you have to endure,” the letter to the Hebrews says. “God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? . . . He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; yet it yields peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
In Christ, even our failures become a source of grace when we accept them in imitation of His humility and courage; even our anxieties become a path to holiness when we ally them with His sufferings. All that we do and say, if it is done and said in Christ, is done and said well, for true wellness is life in Christ.
In light of this, the father’s recognition of the way in which his family impinges upon him, far from being the source of any malice toward those who are a drain upon his resources and time, is seen as the way in which he is being transformed in Christ. Such a man takes joy in receiving the living souls entrusted to him with patience and kindness, remembering the words of Jesus: “I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Our homes become schools of love for all who live there, a love that of its nature radiates outward, first to the receiving of all guests as Christ and then to the meeting with equal love those who lack sympathy with our beliefs and our way of life. We can will the good of all our enemies. All those who are dedicated to ideals destructive of all we hold dear have a call upon our prayers.
Perhaps through the love we hold for such people, the example we set for them in Christ, we will one day be privileged to hear the words that St. Augustine addressed to St. Ambrose: “I was not convinced by your arguments, but by the great love you showed me.”
Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a chapter in The Father of the Family, which is available from Sophia Institute Press. The image depicts actor Dan Blocker, playing with his children and is via Wikimedia Commons. | <urn:uuid:41ba25f1-8f6c-49ce-8e34-0434647b699a> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://catholicexchange.com/fathers-great-adventurers-modern-world-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128323970.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20170629121355-20170629141355-00538.warc.gz | en | 0.974604 | 1,386 | 2.5625 | 3 | The extract scores high for its thoughtful discussion of leadership, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking in the context of family and fatherhood. It presents complex scenarios requiring sophisticated communication and problem-solving, with a strong emphasis on intercultural fluency and spiritual awareness. The text seamlessly integrates advanced communication, leadership, and problem-solving scenarios, mirroring real-world complexity.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 8,188 | 1 |
Presentation on theme: "Online safety for parents and carers How to support your children to stay safe online."— Presentation transcript:
Online safety for parents and carers How to support your children to stay safe online
What we will cover Benefits and risks of children using technology Understand risk, including cyberbullying, inappropriate content and grooming How parent/carers can support their children to keep safe online 2
What site it is doesn’t matter! What matters is what that site is used for: – Talking with friends and socializing – Meeting new people and building their adult social group – Sharing creative output and receiving feedback – Learning and building skills – Asking questions and testing boundaries – Playing games and having fun – Consuming products and downloading
Over to you… What do YOU think are the risks to children online? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IOOn2wR8bU Where’s Klaus?
Types of risk CommerceContent ConductContact Cyberbullying
Commerce Spam – not all Spam ends up in the Spam bin – does your child know how to recognise Spam? In-App and Online purchases Spyware and Malware – shouldiremoveit.comshouldiremoveit.com Pop ups and scam websites Identify Theft www.saferinternet.org.uk/parent-tech
Content Adult content Hurtful and harmful content Reliable information Illegal downloading Know what illegal content is accidentaloutlaw.knowthenet.org.uk accidentaloutlaw.knowthenet.org.uk www.gov.uk/report-terrorism
Conduct – digital footprint http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JJfw3xt4emY Orange – Digital Dirt Respect and manners Who can view their content? Keep their personal information safe Reporting – tell someone you trust!
Contact – Don’t take risks Online friends Grooming Sexting Has someone acted inappropriately towards your child online? It may be sexual chat, being asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable or someone being insistent on meeting up
Cyberbullying Survey 2014 765 young people from 14 primary schools 24% smart phone/70% computer use alone 16% Facebook page 6% message from a stranger suggesting you meet up 28% unpleasant message on computer/ 19% on phone 17% said they had been cyberbullied Try to get round blocks? Never 48% 8% sometimes, 5% often.
Cyberbullying: It’s different 13 24 hours a day Anonymous and therefore more threatening Easier to join in Evidence
Cyberbullying can break the law An 18 year old girl from Worcestershire was sentenced to 3 months in a young offender institution for posting death threats on Facebooko Sending sexual photos on your phone or computer is a criminal offence However police will always try to avoid prosecution of young people
Supporting your child with cyberbullying Listening and not judging in case they are partly to blame Involve them in solutions Don’t join in or retaliate (you and them) Don’t respond and keep evidence as appropriate (you and your child) Talk to the school or setting Report to the provider, remove, block etc. Consider whether to report further
How to be a better on line parent http://youtu.be/0nZzIhCsJpg http://youtu.be/0nZzIhCsJpg Being a parent on line involves exactly the same skills you just need a bit of technical know how
www.thinkuknow.co.uk Getting the technical know how
www.saferinternet.org.uk/parents Getting the technical know how
www.knowthenet.org.uk Getting the technical know how
And finally……… Talking about e-safety and cyberbullying in schools is great, talking about it in the home is even better Don’t forget the benefits!
Parent/carer E-safety session This activity was created by Jeremy Day and Jo Brown of Oxfordshire County Council Youth Engagement and Opportunities for Safer Internet Day 2015 with the support of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and may be freely used and reproduced with attribution | <urn:uuid:00ef69f5-6296-4ca0-9a43-5cbfbf26cc4e> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://slideplayer.com/slide/3530890/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320323.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624184733-20170624204733-00408.warc.gz | en | 0.899281 | 862 | 3.046875 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive presentation on online safety for parents and carers, covering various risks and offering practical advice. It discusses soft skills such as communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving in the context of online safety. The presentation includes realistic scenarios, emotional intelligence, and leadership challenges, earning it a higher score. However, it lacks advanced communication and strategic thinking scenarios, limiting its score.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 151,500 | 1 |
Module 1: Lesson 2
Body, Mind, and Spirit
The study of martial arts is a path of personal growth, encompassing body, mind and spirit. The Lessons in Mindfulness program is designed to support and supplement your physical practice, to motivate you and inspire you on ever deeper levels.
Reading and talking
Achieving Mastery is not enough. You must do the work. The only person who can change you is you.
A strong body plus a strong mind equals a strong future. The ability to focus and harness willpower is the real key to great success and happiness. Choosing to join this program of introspection and discipline makes you a unique and special person. Few people make the effort to reach their highest potential.
In this lesson, you will learn the seven principles necessary to become a great martial artist. Some of the principles might seem basic, while others might be new concepts. These seven principles are universal truths. They will guide your practice, and by learning to apply them to other areas of life, you will be much happier and more successful.
- Find a good teacher
The first step to take after deciding to pursue the study of any subject should be to find a person who has already accomplished greatness in that field. Do not waste time trying to, “reinvent the wheel.” You can learn many topics from books, videos, the internet, etc. To effectively study martial arts, though, you must be face to face with a teacher. The other resources can supplement the process, but real learning happens on the floor, through trial and error and personal experience.
A strong body plus a strong mind equals a strong future.
If you are not living the way that you want to live, what must you change to make your life exactly as you want it to be?
Because this is such a logical first step, why don’t most of us first consult those who have walked the path ahead of us before starting a new endeavor? The biggest reason is we are excited to be starting something new. We can’t wait to begin. Another reason is that we fear that by consulting others, our creative juices will be stifled. Lastly, we just don’t want to share the credit for the accomplishment. We want to feel like we did everything on our own. Our ego makes us believe that climbing a mountain with a guide cannot possibly be as satisfying as climbing solo.
A great teacher enhances learning, helping you to get the skills you need as fast as possible. With enough practice, you will reach a point where you no longer struggle with the basic techniques. When you have mastered technique, you have the freedom to become an artist. Remember, you must be a great technician before you can be an artist.
After you have found a great teacher, the next requirement is to be patient. Our society demands immediate gratification. The quicker the better! We have blazing fast internet connections and powerful microwaves to cook our food faster. We can even buy peanut butter and jelly in the same jar, to optimize our sandwich-making experience! Impatience is an epidemic in our culture.
We despise slow beginnings, but the true study of martial arts takes time. You must be patient; you are not going to master your techniques quickly. You won’t get into shape overnight. Impatience is the number one reason why people quit their practice. We are a society with short attention spans. People quit activities at the drop of a hat. In any field, find the person who is at the top. The master of any discipline has immense staying power. They could not have reached the heights of greatness without patience.
When practice becomes inconsistent, making excuses for staying away becomes easier.
There once was a farmer who purchased a very expensive seed with the hope that it would grow into a beautiful fruit tree. He found the perfect place in his garden where the soil was fertile and the sun and shade would be just perfect. He took care to water his seed regularly. Every day, the farmer dreamed of picking delicious juicy fruit from his strong and beautiful tree. Shortly after planting, he became curious about the progress of his seed as he had seen no sprout break through the earth. Just to make sure that everything was going well, he dug up the seed and carefully inspected it for growth. Slightly disappointed but still hopeful, he replanted his precious seed. He continued to water the spot each day, making plans for the future of his harvest. A few more days passed, and again his impatience got the best of him. He decided to dig up the seed and take another look. This cycle continued for several more days. As you have probably guessed, the seed, which held such enormous potential for growth and greatness withered away and died.
Do not let your practice die under the weight of over examination. Learn to be patient.
A serious martial artist cultivates mindfulness in all phases of his life.
At first glance, perseverance might seem the same as patience, but they are different principles. Perseverance means that you practice regularly. You come to class two to three times a week consistently.
A student was coming to class only 2 or 3 times a month. His teacher asked him about his inconsistent attendance, and he responded with a smile, “Sir, I am patient. I plan to practice for the rest of my life, so I am not in a hurry.” His teacher explained that patience is a great quality, but skipping classes slows progress. When practice becomes inconsistent, making excuses for staying away becomes easier. The most successful long-term students are those who stick to a consistent weekly routine from the very beginning-no excuses!
- Practice Hard
Prepare to push yourself-body and mind. During class, you will sweat, and push your body to its limits. Mentally focus on your techniques with such intensity, that you have no room for any of the day-to-day problems and frustrations you might have brought with you.
With effort, you will begin to break through physical limitations. You will begin to feel more confident, and your new assurance will carry over into other areas of your life. When you train your body and mind together, you are preparing to take on life and its challenges. Cultivate an attitude of discipline and concentration in class. Don’t allow yourself to focus on anything else but your practice. Drop the outside world at the door. With a break from your regular life, a clearer, more objective perspective will come into view. You’ll be able to see solutions to your problems with fresh eyes.
- Practice exactly what you want to perform
In class and in daily life, frequently ask yourself, “Am I practicing exactly what I want to perform?”
As human beings, our nature is to like what comes easy to us, and to shy away from things that are hard. Success makes us feel good. The same is true in martial arts. After several months of practice, you might begin to gravitate toward your favorite moves. You do them fairly well, and you feel successful. Other techniques will still be difficult and this is normal. Excelling in some areas and finding others more challenging is to be expected. But to become a well-rounded martial artist, you will need to execute all of the techniques in the curriculum. Keep challenging yourself.
Use this principle as a compass to guide you to your highest performance in the rest of your life. Frequently ask yourself, “Am I practicing exactly what I want to perform?” Maybe you need to manage your time better, so that you are more productive at work. Look at your relationships with others. Which are fulfilling and which are frustrating? Are you doing everything that you can to make your life work in the best way possible? Your life is not a dress rehearsal-this is the real thing. If you are not living the way that you want to live, what must you change to make your life exactly as you want it to be?
Remember, if the highest goal is a joyful satisfying life, practice what you want to perform. Smile often. Laugh and have fun. Find solutions, rather than focusing on problems. Practice being happy and you will find happiness.
A serious martial artist sees his practice as a path leading to greater awareness, concentration and patience—with himself and others.
You need something to live for and something to die for. You are very fortunate if they are one and the same.
So you’ve found a good teacher, you’ve been patient and perseverant, and you’ve worked out hard, and you are trying to practice what you want to perform. By diligently following these first five steps, you can learn to defend yourself well, and you will get in great shape. But these accomplishments do not make you a true martial artist.
The primary difference is that a serious martial artist sees his practice as a path leading to greater awareness, concentration and patience with himself and others. He believes that his practice is more than just physical movements, and he cultivates mindfulness in all phases of his life.
Introspection and self-analysis are important techniques to the martial artist. In other words, reading about philosophy, and discussing the subject is not enough. You must do the work. The only person who can change you is you. Change does not happen overnight, but incrementally on a day-to-day basis. In the activity and the technique sections of this lesson, you will be given the real work. Complete the assignments and practice the techniques. In doing so, you are choosing to take your practice and your life to the next level.
The final principle in becoming great at anything is passion. You must love what you are doing. Martial arts develops discipline, but no one can reach greatness through pure discipline alone. You must love your practice so much that you embrace it with great passion. Many masters in different styles began with feeble bodies and difficult physical challenges. Their passion for their practice kept them coming to the dojo. Unfortunately in our busy society, few people set up their lives, to consistently include an activity that brings them immense pleasure and joy.
To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.
A great master said, “You need two things in life, something to live for and something that you will die for. You are very fortunate if they are one and the same.” Passion plays an immense role in the quality of your life and your happiness. You simply must find something, which feeds you and completes you each day. Maybe the beginners are thinking, “Whoa, slow down, I just came in for some classes. I don’t know that I love this yet.” To become a great martial artist, or for that matter, great at anything, you must learn to love what you are doing! If you are new to the practice, just concentrate on having fun. Enjoy your time in class and be enthusiastic. Slowly the passion will develop.
Read the book, Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams. This book is a terrific introduction to martial arts. Within its pages are many universal truths to help you see your practice from a different perspective. Some of the key chapters will be “Do Not Disturb.” “Lengthen Your Line,” and “Mushin.”
Choose your favorite chapter, and write a paragraph to a page explaining what you liked about it.
When you have completed the activity, keep a copy of your work for future reference and make a copy to turn in to your instructor.
To become a great martial artist, or for that matter, great at anything, you must learn to love what you are doing.
Now that you have practiced diaphragm breathing, you may recognize that your inhalations and exhalations are not the same length. This is normal. Triangular breathing helps to equalize the breath.
- Start by kneeling in seiza, or sitting on the floor with your back straight and your chin parallel to the floor. You may also sit with crossed legs, or in a full lotus or a half lotus, or in a straight back chair with your feet on the floor. Pick a comfortable posture, which allows the spine to stay straight and relaxed.
- Begin to inhale slowly and consistently without breaks or pauses. Fill the lungs completely from the bottom up to the top and then hold the breath. End with a slow exhale from the top of your chest down.
- In triangular breathing, the goal is make the durations of the inhalation of the breath, the holding of the breath, and the exhalation of the breath, exactly the same. Breathe as slowly as possible, concentrating on balancing the three parts of the technique.
“Control your emotion or it will control you.”
- Do not practice breathing techniques on a full stomach. Wait one hour after eating to practice.
- Always inhale through the nose—never the mouth. This might irritate your throat. Exhalation can be through the nose or the mouth.
- The inhalation, hold, and exhalation is counted as one cycle. Practice triangular breathing 6-12 times, before practicing diaphragmatic breathing. Practice 6-12 times daily. If you find that your breath during diaphragmatic breathing is equal, you might still choose to practice triangular breathing.
The benefits are better control of the breath, a calmer, less stressful attitude, and greater mental clarity and focus.
“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind. “
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kneeling posture traditionally used in Japan for showing respect. Sitting in seiza while meditating allows the practitioner to keep the spine straight.
Sitting posture widely used in India. The right foot is turned up on the left thigh and the left foot is turned up on the right thigh. This is a very stable posture that allows the spine to be straight, but it demands a certain amount of flexibility to sit comfortably.
Sitting posture with the right foot turned up on the left thigh and the left leg is tucked under the body. This posture is easier than a full lotus and the practitioner can switch legs to reduce discomfort.
Introspection is self-examination-taking the time to truly look at yourself. Notice your motivations, actions and thoughts. Be honest about yourself and your life.
This term has been translated in many different ways. On the simplest level, a dojo can be a training hall, studio or gym. This is a very basic translation that can only be excused if used by beginners. A deeper and more accurate translation would be “place of the way.” On the most profound level, the word dojo means, “place of enlightenment, place where one is transformed (where the ego is transformed).” A dojo is a place of realization and inspiration.
A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action.
* Kodo Ancient Ways – Kensho Furuya
The Karate Dojo – Peter Urban | <urn:uuid:fb56b4a3-c53c-489f-bad4-4416811fc7fa> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://traditional-karate.com/lessons-mindfulness-1-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370497171.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20200330150913-20200330180913-00326.warc.gz | en | 0.96124 | 3,142 | 2.53125 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive guide to martial arts practice, emphasizing the importance of finding a good teacher, patience, perseverance, hard work, and passion. It also touches on mindfulness, self-awareness, and introspection, promoting a holistic approach to personal growth. The material encourages readers to apply these principles to other areas of life, fostering transferable skills such as discipline, concentration, and emotional control. The inclusion of breathing techniques, meditation, and philosophical quotes adds depth to the discussion. Overall, the extract demonstrates a strong focus on soft skills development, particularly in areas like self-awareness, discipline, and perseverance.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 869,134 | 1 |
Transformational Leadership: The 4 Key Characteristics of a Transformational Leader
In a dynamic, fast-changing world today, it is important for leaders to adapt to styles of leading that work better. Transformational leadership refers to a method of leadership that helps organizations achieve their goals.
Many know what leadership is but may not have heard of transformational leadership. This article will explain what it is, how you can achieve it, as well as provide other useful information.
What is transformational leadership?
Transformational leadership is a style of leadership that emphasizes the need to motivate employees and prioritize their needs. It emphasizes creativity and innovation, as opposed to transactional leadership which is a leadership style that focuses on achieving short-term goals through the use of rewards and punishments.
What are the four key characteristics of a transformational leader?
The four key characteristics of transformational leadership are: the ability to stimulate the intellect, an understanding of what needs to change, the ability to inspire and motivate others, and the ability to communicate effectively.
1. The ability to stimulate the intellect
A transformational leader stimulates the intellect by challenging assumptions, taking risks, and soliciting followers' ideas. By doing so, they encourage their followers to think things out on their own and develop creative solutions. This type of leadership leads to better retention of information and helps people challenge their own preconceived notions.
2. An understanding of what needs to change
A transformational leader understands that in order to achieve success, they must be agile and have a clear understanding of the changing dynamics within their organization and industry. Having situational awareness allows them to identify potential issues and adapt their plans accordingly. Transformational leaders also recognize the importance of maximizing the capabilities of their team. By doing so, they are able to solve problems more effectively and efficiently while still meeting larger goals. Lastly, transformational leaders are able to prioritize and adapt quickly as needed. This helps them stay focused on what is most important while still being responsive to changes.
3. The ability to inspire and motivate others
Transformational leaders can inspire and motivate their employees by communicating a clear vision and motivation. They tend to have high standards and expectations for their teams, and are optimistic about the team's ability to meet goals. They also provide meaning to their colleagues through showing the importance of all duties and responsibilities. By doing this, transformational leaders encourage others to have a strong sense of purpose, so they can invest more effort in their tasks and achieve great things.
4. The ability to communicate effectively
In order to be transformational, leaders must be excellent communicators. They need to be able to balance short-term vision with long-term goals. Leaders must also be able to build strong coalitions and establish mutual trust. Furthermore, they need high emotional intelligence in order to communicate effectively and compassionately with others. Transformational leaders are mindful of how they communicate with their colleagues; the frequency and nature of their communication is important.
How can you become a transformational leader?
Becoming a transformational leader requires experience and time, but you can begin by practising these seven steps: understanding what needs to change, being proactive, open-minded, communicative, encouraging, tolerable of intelligent risk, and an active listener.
Step 1: Understand what needs to change
In order to become a transformational leader, it is important to first understand what needs to change. Resistance to change can be difficult for leaders, employees, and others involved. It is crucial for leaders to have a clear understanding of the reasons for change in order to make it successful. Leaders need to be able to communicate clearly and convincingly about the reasoning behind changes and decisions. Those changes must be beneficial not only to the organization but also improve individual employees' experiences. Lastly, focus on developing relationships with employees and adapting your leadership styles as needed.
Step 2: Be proactive
Being proactive means being able to predict what might go wrong and taking steps to avoid it. This can help transformational leaders avoid problems and manage risks. Being responsive is also important, so leaders can make changes as necessary. Evaluating each step taken is crucial in order to take corrective action if needed.
Being proactive requires understanding how to manage risks and make well-thought-out decisions. It's also helpful to research and gather multiple insights before making any decisions. By being proactive, transformational leaders can turn obstacles into opportunities.
Step 3: Be open-minded
Leaders at Apple are open-minded and willing to listen to feedback and ideas from a range of sources before making decisions. This willingness to listen makes leaders at Apple more effective as they can take into account a variety of perspectives before making decisions. They also have a commitment to the company's vision: Vision is key for leaders, it inspires followers by touting the opportunities technology unlocks in the creative, educational, and medical communities. This commitment to vision allows leaders at Apple to inspire their followers and create a shared sense of purpose. Open-mindedness and the ability to view the world from different perspectives is key to being able to lead effectively.
Step 4: Be communicative
Being communicative is important for transformational leaders in order to build trust and strong relationships with employees. By being transparent and keeping employees informed, you can create a mutual understanding and respect. In turn, this type of communication creates a positive work environment where employees feel valued and motivated. To practise being communicative, try the following tips:
- Be clear when communicating expectations to employees.
- Encourage employees to ask questions and voice concerns.
- Make yourself available to employees.
- Be open and honest when sharing information.
Step 5: Be encouraging
Leaders who are encouraging can help to create a more positive work environment where employees feel encouraged to be creative. This can help to foster innovation and new ideas. Additionally, by allowing mistakes and encouraging upward and bottom-up feedback, it shows that you are supportive of the team's creativity and development, instead of creating a culture that fears mistakes and shuns new ideas. Lastly, by encouraging your team to come up with ideas ahead of time, you can help them generate valuable conversation and ideas, rather than rushing into new conversations or topics which may not be as productive.
Step 6: Be tolerant of intelligent risk
A large part of leadership is making decisions. Some decisions are easy, but others are more difficult and require more thought. When it comes to making decisions, leaders need to be able to take risks.
There are two types of risks that leaders can take: regular risks and intelligent risks. Regular risks are those that are taken without much thought or planning. These types of risks can often lead to negative consequences. Intelligent risks, on the other hand, are well-thought-out and planned in advance. These types of risks often lead to positive outcomes.
When taking an intelligent risk, leaders consider all potential outcomes before making a decision. They weigh the pros and cons of each option and make a decision based on what they believe will lead to the best result. Leaders also have a plan in place in case things don't go as expected. This way, they can quickly adapt and make changes as needed. Regular risk-taking, on the other hand, is often impulsive and done without much thought or planning. This can often lead to negative consequences because there wasn't a plan in place if things went wrong.
Step 7: Be an active listener
Active listening has a wide range of benefits for leaders. By listening attentively, you can better understand your team, avoid misunderstandings, and encourage employee engagement and commitment. Active listening is also an important skill, as it allows leaders to understand what employees are saying and how they are feeling.
Leaders refine their active listening skills to avoid misunderstandings. When people feel like their concerns, feelings, and ideas are being genuinely heard and taken into consideration, they are more likely to be engaged and committed in their work. When you listen actively, you'll be able to better communicate with your employees and get more out of conversations,
What are the benefits of transformational leadership?
Transformational leadership has numerous benefits for both employers and employees. For employers,transformational leadership can lead to increased staff satisfaction and safety performance. Additionally, a transformational leader can help motivate employees and influence the structure of an organization. For employees, working for a transformational leader can mean that they feel their work is valuable and important. This usually results in greater commitment to the organization.
- Leadership leads to increased staff satisfaction: Managers using transformational leadership principles achieve higher levels of staff satisfaction, which may lead to reduced rates of patient care errors.
- Employees feel their work is valuable: Employees are more likely to stay with a company when working for a transformational leader, as they feel their work is valued and important.
- A transformational leader can influence the structure of an organization: This type of leader can motivate current employees and help lead the way towards achieving organizational aspirations.
What are the risks of transformational leadership?
Transformational leadership can be very disruptive and may not always be well received by an organization's members. It is important for a transformational leader to have a team in place that is willing to support them with research and strategy. Additionally, transformational leaders need to be proactive and able to adapt their plans in light of new information. They also need to handle difficult decisions confidently, and be able to react appropriately when things don't go as planned.
What are the different leadership styles?
There are many different types of leadership, and each one can be successful in a certain situation. Leaders should combine different approaches to achieve the best results for their organization. Transactional leadership is based on exchanges between leaders and employees, while transformative leadership is based on transforming an organization from the inside out.
The six different leadership styles are autocratic, delegative, visionary, participative, consultative, and transformational. Each style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Leaders need to know how to use each style effectively in order to lead a team to success.
Autocratic leaders make all the decisions themselves and do not involve others in the decision-making process. This style can be effective when quick decisions need to be made and there is no time for discussion. However, this style can also lead to employees feeling disengaged and uninvolved in the work they are doing.
Delegative leaders give employees a lot of freedom to make decisions and do not offer much guidance or direction. This style can be effective when employees are highly skilled and motivated and do not need much supervision. However, this style can also lead to confusion and chaos if employees are not clear on what their objectives are.
Visionary leaders have a clear vision for the future and are able to inspire and motivate others to work towards that vision. This style can be effective when employees are looking for direction and need to be inspired to achieve high levels of performance. However, this style can also lead to frustration if the vision is not achievable or if employees do not buy into the vision.
Participative leaders involve employees in the decision-making process and value their input. This style can be effective when employees are experts in their field and need to be consulted in order to make the best decisions. However, this style can also lead to decision-making being slow and difficult if there are many different opinions involved.
Consultative leaders seek out expert advice from outside sources before making decisions. This style can be effective when complex decisions need to be made and it is important to get a variety of opinions before moving forward. However, this style can also lead to delays in decision-making if the leader is too reliant on others for guidance.
Transformational leaders work to transform an organization from the inside out, focusing on changing employees’ attitudes and beliefs about their work. This style can be effective when an organization is in need of major change, but it can also lead to conflict if employees resist the change.
Become a transformational leader with Coaching Go Where today.
At Coaching Go Where, we pride ourselves on our world-class leadership transformation coaching and training. No matter who you are or which industry you belong to, we are committed to your success. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you in your leadership development journey! | <urn:uuid:bd51a7aa-fcdc-483f-a148-e4f34ec1d307> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.coachinggowhere.com/blogs/characteristics-of-transformational-leadership | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296950247.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401191131-20230401221131-00007.warc.gz | en | 0.958273 | 2,511 | 2.609375 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of transformational leadership, including its characteristics, benefits, and risks. It offers practical steps for becoming a transformational leader and discusses various leadership styles. The content demonstrates a strong emphasis on emotional intelligence, communication, and adaptability, showcasing nuanced interaction and complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 42,495 | 1 |
The last thing NCC would expect April 3rd were two men who preached homophobic, racist, and sexist speeches.
They did not explain their reason as to why they were at NCC but someone had passed around flyers to students encouraging students to not approach or argue with these men because they were being paid to stand and rile up students in hopes to sue the school. The paper could not be lead back to a specific person as a faculty member had not passed around these papers.
Faculty and securities were at the protest to ensure the safety of the students as well as control the situation. They tried to assure that students did not get too close to the demonstrators and had barricaded the demonstrators in. They would try to calm any students down that may have gotten too heated. They had also passed around papers with the title, ‘How can I respond to demonstrators conveying offensive content?’
The list includes what hate speech is when hate speech becomes a crime and the rights we have and do not have. Below is a shorter content of what was on the paper.
Your rights include:
- Feeling offended and even angry (we all have a right to our feelings).
- Making your voice heard through peaceful protest.
- Educating others who use hate speech
- Ignoring the person(s) expressing the offensive views, to help limit the audience.
Your rights do not include:
- Making threats of violence towards others.
- Acting violently towards others.
- Crossing barriers set up by campus security or police, or otherwise disobeying them.
- Drowning out the demonstrators’ speech with music or created noise.
Students were yelling, arguing, recording, or excessively asking what’s an ankle biter. A veteran student, a professor, and another student tried to lead students to sit down with their backs against the demonstrators or to leave as to not encourage the demonstrators. Some students had sat and ignored the protestors. Faculty had offered free ice cream and food in hopes to have more students leave the premises and to not continue arguing with the demonstrators. There was a small dance party within students to help lead the focus away from demonstrators and towards the dancing before students disperse.
Stefanie Jaramillo, the first year in NCC majoring in Special Education Paraeducator, said, “Everyone can agree to disagree. Doesn’t mean to cuss or yell when something affects you emotionally. You have a right to your emotion but you can not flip a lid. People have their own opinion.”
The demonstrators at NCC preached messages that were sexist, homophobic, and filled with offensive slurs towards students who spoke up or approached them. Students were filling the arc where the demonstrators were barricaded.
When asking the question if it was possible to agree to disagree, the demonstrator said, “Yeah we can agree to disagree but I’d still be right and you’ll still be wrong. I want you all to agree with me and be right with me.”
When also asked if this was a social experiment, he had answered, “Not really. Kind of.”
The demonstrators were recording throughout their speech. They would not disclose what church they are from and continued to explain that he, himself was once a sinner but has turned his life around. When asked to read from the bible, he would only say, “Don’t be a hoe.”
Campuses have experienced these kinds of demonstration, although it isn’t mentioned if other local campuses were also targeted. Many articles have covered the rise of these kinds of group, as well as how the students deal with them. Many students have tried to drown these demonstrators out.
The First Amendment is a right and a privilege to have in the United States, even if the speech is hurtful, it is not dangerous.
Articles have spoken about how students can’t accept free speech if it is not something they do not like. The Washington Post’s article, ‘College students support free speech- unless it offends them’ by Jeffrey J. Selingo had stated, “The poll of 3,000 U.S. college students found that they generally endorse the ideals of free speech and campuses that encourage the discussion of a variety of ideas. But once that speech begins to infringe on their values, they’re likely to support policies that place limits on speech. Those include free-speech zones, speech codes and prohibitions on hate speech.”
Although his article was more focused that students can not accept others’ ideas, whether it is hateful or not, it is clear that college students to take their values and beliefs to heart. Whether it be the fault of social media or the anti-bullying campaign that has caused students to become against these kinds of free speech. Selingo believes students should protest with just as much passion for ideas that directly affect them. This article was posted on March 12, 2018. | <urn:uuid:975704b1-9d1b-4c85-a60e-28114c137030> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://ncccommuter.org/when-hate-speech-came-to-ncc/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650409.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604225057-20230605015057-00660.warc.gz | en | 0.983791 | 1,033 | 2.65625 | 3 | The extract discusses a real-world scenario involving hate speech, free speech, and student responses, promoting critical thinking and emotional intelligence. It highlights the importance of respecting differing opinions and understanding one's rights and limitations. The inclusion of student and faculty reactions, as well as references to relevant articles, adds depth to the discussion.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 542,591 | 1 |
On the surface, the observations that Eliot and Larkin make about women in their poems suggests that they are predominantly disinterested towards them, shown in their cynicism, cruel language and the objectification of women personas. But this is only the view if you are looking at the women as literal representations of themselves. In many of the poems the women are used symbolically as a way of communicating larger messages more easily, and allowing them to be portrayed in a way which is understandable and relatable to the reader, such as directly using the voice and thoughts of a persona, or the setting in which they stand.
Eliot and Larkin both explore the theme of the degradation of sex and the corruption of relationships that exist between human beings. In doing this, both poets portray women as objects that are victims of society’s exploitation, used purely for lustful and seedy encounters. Eliot’s Wasteland is amongst other things a critique on sexuality, exploring this corruption of sex, introduced first in A Game of Chess, and extending to The Fire Sermon. In A Game of Chess, Eliot parodies Cleopatra in the opening, to use as a contrast between the erotic, natural and regal Cleopatra and the “synthetic” and oppressive nature of the woman persona, illustrating the corruption of sex and romance. This is reflected in Eliot’s vivid descriptions; the nightingales “inviolable” voice falls on “dirty ears” whilst the “world pursues” showing the attempt to corrupt something that was once pure; real love and relationships. “Withered stumps” suggests a transformation from vitality to stasis, reflecting the change of sex from meaningful to meaningless.
Cleopatra is a symbol of true love; she committed suicide after her love died, but Eliot’s female persona is surrounded by the corruption of sex, with a picture on the wall depicting the rape of Philomel, and her loveless relationship with the man, who centres on indifference. In this The Wasteland reflects Eliot’s relationship with his first wife Vivienne Haigh-Wood, for whom it appeared Eliot had no real love for; “Under Pounds influence, Eliot was persuaded that the marriage would help him burn his boats and commit himself to poetry by staying in England.” This suggests that the marriage was not built on love, as relationships should have been, but rather for a practical reason, corrupting the traditional, meaningful marriage, to something worth very little, paralleling the degradation of relationships explored in The Wasteland.
It was a very difficult marriage for them both; Vivienne’s health was poor; she suffered from extremely heavy and irregular menstruations which affected her mental health also, leaving them unable to sustain an intimate and sexual relationship, culminating in their separation in 1932. In the Fire sermon, the omniscient Tiresius witnesses a sexual encounter between a lecherous young man and a “bored and tired” typist. The young man leaves immediately following their entanglement, leaving the women alone and unsatisfied; “Well now that’s done: and I’m glad it’s over.” There is no romance between the couple, it is described in rape-like terms, with the use of violent language; “he assaults at once,” and “gropes”, and finally “bestows one final patronising kiss,”. Another example of Eliot’s observation on sexual degradation is in the first stanza of Prufrock. “Restless nights” “one-night cheap hotels” suggests unsatisfactory encounters; a corrupted view of sex and women, to whom Eliot shows his contempt through all of these poems.
Larkin, like Eliot, uses the theme of degradation and the objectification of women in his poetry, in a way that does clearly suggest his dismissal and disregard of women. This can be seen clearly in Sunny Prestatyn. The poster focuses on the woman’s sexuality; “breast-lifting arms” “thighs” and “tautened white satin” using the woman very obviously as an object of perfection to attract tourists, and therefore are exploiting the woman for their own means. The poem then becomes quite sinister in the language used. The woman has been completely defaced and violated with “snaggle-toothed” and “boss-eyed” face having been drawn on. The description of the poster has turned violent, again reflecting the effective rape of the woman, with a “knife” having been used to “stab right through”, although this is said in a almost humorous tone “tuberous cock and balls” as if this is fun to do, and not humiliating to the woman. This could be seen as to show a complete disregard and exploitation of women, such as that which could be suggested in Eliot’s poetry.
Many of Eliot’s observations of women are shrouded in pictures of violence, in which the women are often portrayed innocently as victims. In The Wasteland, A Game of Chess, Eliot illustrates this with a reference from Ovid’s Metamorphoses; a painting depicting “The change of Philomel” stands on the “antique mantel” a picture of violence, rape and mutilation. Violence is emphasised throughout this section, starting with blank verse, the meter becomes increasingly irregular towards the latter part of this section, as does the line length, highlighting the woman’s lack of control in certain situations. “My nerves are bad tonight. Yes, Bad. Stay with me….I think we are in rat’s alley/Where the dead men lost their bones.” The room itself seems claustrophobic and “enclosed”, with the perfumes having “drowned the senses”. There is an obvious lack of caesura in the opening section of the poem and this, combined with the enjambment in the poem, “these ascended/In fattening the prolonged candle-flames” lulls the reader into a dangerous, trance-like state, drawing attention again to the complete deterioration of control, reflecting the mental state of the woman who cannot tell what her guest is thinking, and can neither force his feelings or actions towards her; ‘“Why do you never speak?
Speak./What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?”’ These violent images to which the women has no control over are repeated in the latter half of this section, in which a woman has no power regarding contraception, having to resort to an abortion, which takes its toll on her body; “I’ve never been the same.” directly referring to gender inequality of the time, and the lack of empowerment which women held, being unable to control certain aspects of their lives, be it contraception or abortions. These images show a very accurate and detailed observation of women but are portrayed by Eliot in a sympathetic light, unlike that of Larkin’s poetry, which seems much more dismissive of women.
One interpretation of women in Larkin and Eliot’s poetry, which does not reflect the view that women are insignificant to the poets, is that the women are not literal, but a symbolic representation; a vessel used to communicate other ideas. This would mean that it is not women being ridiculed and dismissed in their poetry, but the idea’s they represent. In Eliot’s poetry the women seem to represent society, with the male personas such as Prufrock, estrangement from society, not a woman, with the difference in mental state between himself and those in the society immediately surrounding him. This is shown in the triviality and tediousness of the language used when describing his surroundings, and the repetitiveness of the very simple rhyme scheme; “In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo.”
It is also shown is his fear of being judged by society, because of his differences; “and when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, when I am pinned and wriggling on a wall” and “Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter” In Larkin’s poetry however the women could be interpreted as a symbol for himself; This is suggested in Faith Healing with the sudden volta in the last stanza. The tone of the poem switches from a mocking observation to a more general, emotional view which Larkin also feels; “In everyone…” He realises that wanting comfort and love to transform lives is part of the human nature, although it is an unrealistic view, as only a small minority have truly felt love, and the majority in which he includes himself lead tragic and meaningless lives; “As all they might have done had they been loved.”
Eliot and Larkin both use women as a symbol of the superficiality and the obscene consumerist nature of society. This is first shown obviously in The Whitsun weddings, where Larkin mocks the synthetic nature of women in The Whitsun Weddings, in his description of the girls on the platform. This is shown in the mocking tone of the little details which show the artificiality and cheapness; “nylon gloves” and “jewellery substitutes,” This could first be interpreted as an unfair attack on women, and their desire to be something other than what they truly are, with all these details merely facades. This could again be seen in the poem, The Large Cool Store. The women’s clothes are “machine embroidered” and “thin as blouses” poor imitations of the more fashionable clothing, ill-fated to fall apart because the quality of the material; what they truly are, not the fashionable items which they first appear to be, much like how the women were represented with their shiny veneer in The Whitsun Weddings.
Although another interpretation is that the women do not represent women, but rather they society as a whole, and its falseness. In The Large Cool Store, the excess “heaps” of clothing is emphasised in the obvious listing of items of clothing and the colours; “lemon, sapphire, moss-green, rose…” showing a gross and unnecessary surplus of materialistic items. If you looked at this poem as a representation of society rather than of women, Larkin is not mocking or ridiculing women, but rather that of the general public. Eliot also comments on the false nature and excesses of people, though not to the same extent as Larkin. In A Game of Chess, it is a woman’s overindulgence being portrayed. The description of the woman’s room is loaded heavily with artificial objects; her perfume is overwhelmingly “synthetic” and strange. The room itself is bursting with objects of wealth to the point of excess, but they are portrayed depreciatingly, with the dolphin cast in a “sad light” and the paintings having “withered”, showing Eliot’s view on the gross excesses of the wealthy.
One view of Dockery and Son is that Larkin is being extremely dismissive of women; “One notices how patrilineal the poem is: the issue of reproduction is discussed in terms of father and son, with the role of wife and mother entirely elided!” This is a comment upon the complete displacement of women in the poem, in a poem about sons. It could also be suggested that this is a disruption of the typical family units. The persona in the poem thinks that Dockery has just followed the “innate assumptions” of society that one should marry and bring children into the world. The persona questions this, saying how he feels that a son, would mean “dilution” thereby stifling a person’s creativity and freedom.
This could reflect Larkin’s own view of family life, the reason that Larkin never married. Although, in Dockery and Son, there is also a growing sense of regret, and doubt that the persona did the right thing, for he will leave behind “nothing” as his legacy, emphasised with the repetition of the word. The ending is ambiguous as to whom, himself or Dockery, was better off. This shows that although the poem would seem on the surface to completely ignore women, when it is a subject in which women should be central, the poem is about identity, fulfilment and the legacy which we as individuals leave behind, rather than children and families, so it is unfair to say Larkin is being dismissive of women in this poem. “Larkins fury against women is not so much a declared state of siege against them personally as it is an internal battle raging within himself.” This reflects the contrasting views that although Larkin did have various long-lasting and fulfilling relationships with women in his life, suggesting his dependency on women, he never fully committed to one of them; at one point in his life he was emotionally attached to 3 of them simultaneously.
On the surface, the view that suggests Larkin and Eliot’s contempt for women is apparent in many of their poems. Women are seen to be portrayed as the inferior sex, concerned mainly with keeping up facades, and easily be used for exploitation. Although another view is that both poets use women symbolically, rather than literally, as a way to represent a larger idea, such as the consumerist nature of society, or in fact themselves, allowing them so explore ideas with more depth and effectiveness. Taking this view into consideration, it would be unfair to say they dismiss women as insignificant, because it is not the nature of women being explored.
Philip Larkin The Whitsun Weddings, Faber and Faber
T.s Eliot Selected Poems, Faber and Faber
Philip Larkin Contemporary Critical Essays edited by Steve Regan, New Case Books
T.S Eliot: The Modernist in History edited by Ronald Bush, Cambridge University Press, February 22 1991
Philip Larkin: A Writer’s Life by Andrew Motion, Faber and Faber
Eliot and Women, Lyndall Gordon critical essay in T.S Eliot: The Modernist in History edited by Ronald Bush, Cambridge University Press , February 22 1991
“Get out as early as you can”: Larkin’s sexual politics by Steve Clerk, critical essay.
Difficulties with Girls, Janice Rossen, critical essay in Philip Larkin Contemporary Critical Essays edited by Stephen Regan , New Case Books. | <urn:uuid:58eef64f-627f-4380-aa5c-f79f6c431212> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://blablawriting.com/women-are-dismissed-as-insignificant-in-both-the-poetry-of-larkin-and-eliot-essay | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886118195.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170823094122-20170823114122-00627.warc.gz | en | 0.967632 | 3,084 | 3 | 3 | The extract provides an in-depth analysis of the representation of women in the poetry of T.S. Eliot and Philip Larkin, exploring the themes of objectification, degradation, and symbolism. While the poets' works may appear to dismiss women on the surface, the extract argues that they use women as symbols to represent larger ideas, such as societal superficiality and consumerism. The analysis demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the poets' intentions and techniques, showcasing critical thinking and analytical skills. However, the extract lacks practical applications, real-world context, and explicit discussion of soft skills, limiting its score.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 907,637 | 0 |
Before I did the research that forms the basis of this article, I used to wonder why India and Bangladesh aren’t the closest of friends. Consider this: India was responsible for the creation of Bangladesh. If Indian troops hadn’t invaded East Pakistan in defence of the Mukti Bahini, it is very unlikely that Pakistan would have allowed its eastern wing to break free. India lost around 2500 soldiers in the course of the 1971 war. Around 2 million Bengalis were killed and a couple of hundred thousand Bengali women raped by Pakistani soldiers in the events leading to Bangladeshi independence. Despite all this, Bangladesh seems to be at least as much friendly with Pakistan as it is with India!
One of the reasons for this frosty state of affairs on India’s eastern borders used to be the dispute over sharing of the waters of the Ganges. This dispute has now been resolved with the signing of a treaty in 1996. At present Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League is in power in Bangladesh and traditionally, the Awami League has been much closer to India than the other major political party, Begum Khalida Zia’s Bangladesh National Party. However, despite a friendly government being in power in Dhaka, there has been no change in popular perception in each country of the other. The average Bangladeshi doesn’t seem to like India all that much and the common man on Indian streets doesn’t give two hoots about Bangladesh. Why is this so?
In my opinion, there are various reasons for this state of affairs.
To start with, Indians tend to (wrongly) assume that because East Pakistan revolted against West Pakistani domination, it has given up its aspiration to be an Islamic country. Bangladesh is doubtless proud of its Bengali culture, but it never gave up its Islamic character either. Consider these facts: Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman, the father of the Bangladeshi nation, was a member of the All India Muslim Students Federation since 1940. Mujib-ur Rahman was very close to Huseyn Suhrawardy, a leading member of the Bengal Muslim League, who worked actively for the cause of Pakistan. Mujib-ur Rahman was based in Kolkata in 1946, working under Suhrawardy’s guidance, when the Muslim League organised Direct Action Day, leading to large scale communal violence and deaths.
The East Pakistani fight against West Pakistani and especially Punjabi domination commenced soon after Pakistan’s independence when Jinnah announced that Urdu would be the national language for the whole of Pakistan. Mujib-ur Rahman led the Muslim Students League as it launched an East Pakistan wide agitation. Ever since then, Mujib-ur Rahman and other East Pakistani politicians were at loggerheads with politicians from West Pakistan. Their quarrel over the language issue was accentuated manifold when West Pakistani politicians tried every ruse in the book to prevent Bengali leaders from holding positions of power at the national level, not an easy task since East Pakistan had a larger population than West Pakistan.
In order to offset East Pakistan’s electoral strength, all four provinces in West Pakistan, namely Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier Province, were sought to be treated as a single political unit. When East Pakistani politicians such as Khawaja Nazimuddin, Muhammad Ali Bogra and Huseyn Suhrawardy become Prime Ministers of Pakistan, they did not stay in power for long before they were deposed by the President, backed by Pakistan’s powerful Punjabi-Pakhtun dominated military.
In the 1970 elections, when Mujib-ur Rahman and his Awami League (originally founded by Huseyn Suhrawardy) won a majority of the parliamentary seats, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto proposed that Pakistan should have two Prime Ministers, one for each wing! When Mujib-ur Rahman refused, he was imprisoned and marital law was declared. The Pakistani army launched Operation Searchlight with the intention of teaching Bengalis a harsh lesson they wouldn’t forget easily. Politicians don’t like to lose power, especially just after they have legitimately won an election. Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman’s declaration of independence was smuggled out to Chittagong and read over the radio by Major Zia-ur Rahman. The rest is history. The day Mujib-ur Rahman made the declaration of independence (26 March 1971) is treated as Bangladesh’s independence day, though it was not until 16 December 1971 that Bangladesh was actually liberated from Pakistani troops.
Would East Pakistan have revolted against West Pakistan if Bengalis were allowed to hold office after wining elections? I don’t think so. Mere imposition of Urdu as the national language would not have made East Pakistanis break off from their co-religionists in the West. Even in 1965 when India and Pakistan went to war, East Pakistan stood fast with West Pakistan though they complained that the Pakistani army was not present in strength in East Pakistan to defend it in case of an attack by India.
It must not be forgotten that even when the Pakistani army was systematically murdering hundreds of thousands of civilians, many thousands of Bengalis collaborated with the Pakistani army. Doubtless such people were fired by their Islamic zeal, which made them want Pakistan to remain unified as a single Islamic nation.
Bangladesh’s Islamic nature started to reassert itself soon after independence. After a brief ban for suspected collaboration with Pakistani forces, the Islamic Academy was revived. Bangladesh sought membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank. In 1974, less than 3 years after independence, Mujib-ur Rahman made a trip to Lahore to attend an OIC conference and patch up ties with Pakistan. After Zia-ur Rahman came to power, Bangladesh moved much further into the Islamic camp.
Even now, Bangladesh has an Islamic fundamentalist base which fights for stronger ties with Pakistan and other Islamic states, rather than with India. In my opinion, it is wrong to assume that this core group of Islamic fundamentalists is something new. Bangladesh always had this hardcore chunk, for without them, East Bengal would not have voted to break off from West Bengal and the rest of India.
A fact which is easily forgotten when discussing the deaths of around 2 million Bengalis as a result of the Pakistani army pogrom is that a disproportionate number of the victims were Hindus. Most surviving family members of the victims fled to India as refugees. Currently Hindus account for around 10% of Bangladesh’s population, as opposed to around 28% in 1941 and approximately 15% before the Pakistani army pogrom. I am not for a moment suggesting that Bengali Muslims did not suffer under the Pakistani army. They did and most of the rebels who formed the Mukti Bahini were Muslims. However the present day population of Bangladesh doesn’t have among them as many victims and families of victims as such a large-scale genocide would otherwise have warranted. This is one reason why Bangladesh has been able to largely forgive Pakistan and not press for reparations or compensation.
Indians assume that Bangladeshis will be eternally grateful to India for its intervention in Bangladesh, which led to Bangladeshi independence. I feel that it ought to be the other way around. India ought to be grateful to Bangladesh for giving India a chance to split its arch rival Pakistan into two pieces! As a result of Indians assuming that Bangladesh has chosen to be just a Bengali nation that will intrinsically be friendly towards India, rather than an Islamic-Bengali state (which is what Bangladesh is), Indians expect a lot from Bangladesh without putting in the necessary effort. For example, Indians are disappointed when Bangladesh doesn’t crackdown on insurgents from India’s north-east sheltering there, even though India hasn’t exactly been ladling out favours to Bangladesh after its creation.
I feel it is very important that Indians realise they should not take Bangladesh for granted. Instead, for every favour India seeks from Bangladesh, India must be willing to pay back in double measure. India needs to fill Bangladeshi media with sound bytes about how deeply India cares for friendship with Bangladesh. India could provide scholarships for Bangladeshi students to study in India. It could be made easy for Bangladeshi commodities (like jute) and goods (like garments) to be sold in India. Leaders from Bangladesh, irrespective of the party they belong to, should be invited to India and treated with honour and respect.
Instead of treating all Bangladeshi leaders impartially and well, India has been taking sides in what’s called the ‘Battle of the Begums’. For those unfamiliar with the rivalry between Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khalida Zia, let me briefly summarise the reasons for the animosity between these two great leaders.
Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh. Post independence, after a brief honeymoon period, Mujib-ur Rahman became more and more autocratic. In January 1975 he declared himself to be the absolute ruler of Bangladesh and President for Life. In August 1975, a few army officers staged a coup and took over power. They killed Mujib-ur Rahman and all his family members who were present in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina was in Germany at that time and so, she escaped death. She stayed in exile for 6 years and returned to Bangladesh in 1981 as head of the Awami League, when Bangladesh was under General Ershad. Democracy was reinstated in Bangladesh only in 1991 and in 1996, Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League came to power.
Begun Khalida Zia (who heads the Bangladesh National Party) is the widow of Zia-ur Rahman, the army officer who had read Mujib-ur Rahman’s call for independence over the radio. Though a Bengali, Zia-ur Rahman grew up in West Pakistan and joined the Pakistani army, winning various awards and decorations for gallantry during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani army had very few Bengalis, especially in the non-administrative officer class, and Zia-ur Rahman was in a small minority. When Mujib-ur Rahman gave the call for Bengalis to rise up against oppression by West Pakistan, Zia-ur Rahman was one of the Bengali army officers who answered his call. Zia-ur Rahman distinguished himself during the Bangladeshi war of independence.
After Mujib-ur Rahman was deposed in a coup, there was a series of counter coups and Zia-ur Rahman became the Chief Martial Law administrator of Bangladesh and later its 6th President. Zia-ur Rahman founded the Bangladesh National Party. One of the things Zia-ur Rahman did after coming to power was to pardon many of those involved in the coup that overthrew and killed Mujib-ur Rahman. It has never been proved if Zia-ur Rahman himself was involved in that coup. Zia-ur Rahman reversed many of Mujib-ur Rahman’s policies. Whilst Mujib-ur Rahman was a socialist, Zia-ur Rahman promoted the private sector. Zia-ur Rahman moved Bangladesh away from the Soviet Union and started to develop close ties with the USA and later China. Bangladeshi demands for reparations and compensation from Pakistan were dropped. Many individuals accused of collaborating with Pakistan during the war of independence were rehabilitated. Close ties were forged with Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states. The constitution was amended to give it an Islamic slant. Zia-ur Rahman talked of a Bangladeshi identity rather than a Bengali one, seeking to integrate various minorities such as the Chakmas and Urdu speaking Biharis. He ruthlessly crushed all political opposition and in 1981, he was murdered by a group of army officers.
Unlike Mujib-ur Rahman who was dogged by allegations of nepotism and corruption, Zia-ur Rahman was known as Mr. Clean, even among his enemies. All his actions seem to have been motivated by a love for Bangladesh and ideology, rather than any personal vested interest.
As it would be obvious to anyone, the Indian establishment considers Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League to be much more India friendly than Khaleda Zia and the Bangladesh National Party. Most Bangladeshis believe that India does its best to keep the Awami League in power. The net result is that even when the Awami League is in power, there is not much warmth towards India from the average Bangladeshi.
In my opinion, India should not take sides in the Battle of the Begums. Even though it is unlikely that Begum Khaleda Zia and the BNP will ever be as friendly towards India as Sheikh Hasina and the BNP, India ought to treat both the ladies and their respective parties the same. Even more importantly, the average Bangladeshi on the street should not get the impression that India is partial towards one party. Not only should India be impartial, India must also be seen to be impartial. Currently, an Awami League victory in the elections is treated as a victory for India and a victory for the BNP is treated as a victory for Pakistan. Islamic fundamentalists inimical to India have an incentive in undermining the Awami League. It is even possible that the recent mutiny by soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles was instigated by Islamic fundamentalists who feel that by making Bangladesh unstable when the Awami League is in power, they are sending a message to India.
Another reason for the average Bangladeshi on the street to hate India is India’s treatment of Bangladeshi immigrants. As we all know, immigrant inflows and outflows are dictated largely by supply and demand. Poverty stricken Bangladesh has a large number of people willing to work very hard just to make enough to eat two square meals a day. India, despite its poverty and other problems, has many areas where an individual willing to work hard can make an honest living. And so a large number of Bangladeshis cross the border illegally to live and work in India.
India doesn’t have a system of giving work permits to unskilled workers from anywhere in the world, except to people from Nepal (who don’t need a work permit). However, India’s borders, especially its eastern borders are porous and India doesn’t have the sophisticated technology needed to prevent the inflow from Bangladesh. To be honest, not a single country in the world has been able to put a total stop to immigration.
Once the Bangladeshis are inside India, having run the gauntlet of corrupt border security forces and cops, they are at risk of deportation at any time if they are caught. One assumes that these illegal immigrants develop no love for India during their stay in this country. In various parts of India’s north-east, immigration from Bangladesh has taken place over many decades, even prior to independence. It is common for many landlords in Assam and Tripura to lease out their lands to hardworking Bangladeshi immigrants and take from them a part of the crop as rent. Many such immigrants have Indian ID cards and therefore have voting rights.
Since (as mentioned earlier) Bangladesh has always had a component of fundamentalist Muslims, it is only fair to assume that some of the illegal immigrants to India are fundamentalist Muslims. Not all fundamentalist Muslims are terrorists, or even supporters of terrorism, but some of the Bangladeshi immigrants in India are capable of causing trouble. I have no idea what percentage such people comprise. I assume it is not very large.
To be very honest, there is no clear-cut answer to the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. In my opinion (and this is only an opinion), rather than having an outright ban on illegal immigrants, India should permit a fixed number of workers from Bangladesh to work in India on fixed-term, renewable, work permits. Work permits should be issued through employers or labour contractors who must shoulder some of the responsibility for the migrants once they are in India. Those given work permits will have their finger-prints and DNA on file and I assume it will be relatively easy to keep a tab on their whereabouts.
Legal immigrants have an incentive to be law abiding, irrespective of their personal ideology. Also, they will not be able to obtain fake Indian ID and vote in Indian elections. Regulating Bangladeshi immigration, rather than banning it outright, will also generate some goodwill towards India. It is very possible that some of those who come to India on work permits may indulge in acts that are harmful towards India. However, such individuals will not be stopped from entering India even if there is no work permit scheme in place.
As long as religion plays a major role in the life of the average Bangladeshi and the common Indian on the street, I don’t think Indo-Bangla ties will get warmer beyond a point. One could say the same for Indo-Pakistani relations, but that’s for another post. | <urn:uuid:7bed5880-fa7b-443d-9a4b-a931cfc2f123> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://winnowed.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-arent-indo-bangla-ties-warmer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320270.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624170517-20170624190517-00304.warc.gz | en | 0.972296 | 3,519 | 3.03125 | 3 | The extract provides a detailed analysis of the complex historical and cultural context of India-Bangladesh relations, discussing the role of Islamic identity, political dynamics, and immigration. It offers nuanced insights into the challenges of building strong ties between the two nations. However, the text primarily focuses on historical and political analysis, with limited direct discussion of soft skills development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 221,614 | 0 |
Topic: General history: Art of AI and Automation
Author: Andrew Liew weida
Hi my name is Andrew. What we want to do in the next half an hour is to explain the technology shift happening in the world and especially in Singapore. Singapore has been investing in some of the initiatives in becoming an AI Tech Hub in recent times.
So in that short time, Mobile and Cloud have become the 2 dominant platform shifts that creates tons of opportunities for the global society and other countries. Now as we speak, AI is dominating the agenda of all the tech giant companies. And they are the most important companies in Silicon Valley and outside Silicon Valley. Look at Sundar Pichai from Google and Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook These CEOs are saying that artificial intelligence are the hearts of what we are doing. AI is guiding our R&D agenda.
Is this something so new that we haven’t even heard of?
So it turns out that human have been dreaming about making machines that behaves like humans or exhibits human intelligence. The ancient Chinese civilizations have been trying to create mechanics that behave like automatons or autonomous tools. In science fiction, we have the Frankenstein movie and the recent Star Wars movies and so on. All these feeds the human impulse that maybe we can create something that behaves like humans.
That’s because the public don’t understand what is AI. How did AI get started?
Ok So what is AI? Artificial Intelligence is basically a subject that is exhibited when machines or applications exhibit or mimic human behavior or human intelligence.
So if AI behaves like the human being mind, then how should we think about AI?
Like a servant, our human mind can serve to help us and help each other. OR, our human mind can also destroy us when we give into the evil thoughts and the careless decisions that we did not think deeply and slowly about it.
This is also resonated by Christian Lous Lange who was a Norwegian historian and political scientist. Lange shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Hjalmar Branting in 1921. He believe that technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.
The famous Ghanaian proverb mentioned a slave does not choose his Master. And because of that, we need to learn how to master AI. so how can we Master AI? If we don’t collective have the responsibility to share this knowledge and discuss about it, what would happen?
Henry Wilson Allen, the author of over 50 novels, a five-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and a recipient of the Levi Strauss Award for lifetime achievement, believe that knowledge should be shared so that humanity can better controlled its destiny. That’s why he say this: Keep it a secret and it’s your slave. Tell it and it’s your Master. In the same fashion, I’m here to explain the history of AI and what is AI in as simple as I can so that we hopefully can be its Master.
We think artificial intelligence have a profound impact to our daily lives in recent time and into the near future. Yet at the same time, a lot of my friends and the public is clueless about what is artificial intelligence and what is the history of artificial intelligence.
By understanding the history of artificial intelligence, we appreciate the implications of artificial intelligence and most importantly not worried about the effects of artificial intelligence because we understand the limitation of artificial intelligence through understanding the history of artificial intelligence.
7 Key Schools of thought
There are 7 key schools of thoughts. Let me quickly describe the overview about these schools of thoughts and then we dive deep into them with the stories and histories.
The most current one that we often hear about is machine learning and that is a class of study that use data to analyze, to decipher patterns, to learn, to predict and to automate tasks. Within machine learning, we have others but the main driving forces are deep learning and predictive analytics.
Before you can learn to predict or learn to automate complex tasks, you probably need to talk to the machine and the machine needs to understands you. That’s what Natural Language processing is about. Or NLP in short.
So how do you translate the verbal communication to digital bits ? That’s speech to text translation. What about the other way? That’s text to speech translation.
Suppose you get an expert. You codify their thinking processes and workflow using machine learning, speech recognition and NLP, you might get an expert system that can solve a problem like an expert.
So is driverless car an expert system? That’s if you add planning, navigation and optimization. Planning, navigation and optimization is a category of AI that figure out the possibilities of different paths and options under a set of constraints to reach a particular goal.
Now if you put these into a moving machine with smart sensors, you get robots. If you want moving drones or robots that can see, you give them vision. So these are the basic key schools of thoughts.
Have this picture at the back of your mind as I share with you the stories of these disciplines over time.
To understand the history we have to go back in time. There are currently 3 different stories that are commonly shared as the key historical chapters of AI. The history of planning and scheduling, the history of predictive analytics and the modern history of AI.
History of Optimization
Let’s begin with the history of planning, scheduling and optimization.
In 1754, Joseph-Louis Lagrange who was a mathematician discovered a method of maximising and minimising functionals. Lagrange wrote several letters to Leonhard Euler to describe his results. As such,Lagrange created the Lagrange optimization technique. Because of that creation, we are able to find the maximum or minimum value of a function by changing different parameters subject to various constraints.
Although Lagrange created Lagrange optimization, Isaac Newton developed the iterative approach to enable us to compute a value on an unit by unit approach to reach that answer.
Newton's method was first published in 1685 in A Treatise of Algebra both Historical and Practical by John Wallis. In 1690, Joseph Raphson published a simplified description in Analysis aquationum universalis. In 1740, Thomas Simpson described Newton's method as an iterative method for solving general nonlinear equations using calculus and notes that Newton's method can be used for solving optimization problems by setting the gradient to zero.
Yet, we know that it is important to be able to computationally program these methods. The breakthrough of putting these into programmable algorithm come from George Bernard Dantzig was an American scientist. He created this method as he was finding the best assignment of 70 people to 70 jobs. The computing power required to test all the permutations to select the best assignment is enormous; the number of possible configurations exceeds the number of particles in the universe. Dantzig created the simplex algorithm and laid the foundations for linear programming. The theory behind linear programming drastically reduces the number of possible optimal solutions that must be checked.
So to recap, the idea of computing incrementally to reach a goal originates in 1685 with the help of Newton, along the way the mathematical solution of optimization was conceived by Lagrange in 1754. It’s only in 1947, that Dantzig develop the simplex algorithm and laid the foundation of linear programming before we can apply optimization as an AI tool.
Now let’s turn to the history of predictive analytics.
History of Predictive Analytics
When you want to predict something, you need to first draw some inference from your past and then evaluate an outcome based on your inference. For example, if you notice that Singapore has been raining for the past 200 days out of 365 days, you will most likely predict that the chances for a rainy tomorrow is more than 50%. In order to reach that prediction, you associate Singapore with the historical probability of getting a rain. So how do we make the computer infer such a pattern and then make a prediction out of that pattern?
Turns out back in 1859, Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species and that first chapter was about "Variation under Domestication". Charles’ cousin was then [Francis Gold-ton] Francis Galton that Galton devoted much of the rest of his life to exploring variation in human populations. As such, he established a research program which embraced multiple aspects of human variation, from mental characteristics to height; from facial images to fingerprint patterns. This required inventing novel measures of traits, devising large-scale collection of data using those measures, and in the end, the discovery of new statistical techniques for describing and understanding the data. After examining forearm and height measurements, Galton independently rediscovered the concept of correlation in 1888 and demonstrated its application in the study of heredity, anthropology, and psychology. Galton's statistical study of the probability of extinction of surnames led to the concept of Galton–Watson stochastic processes. All of these laid the foundations for modern statistics and regression. So who put them into large scale applications especially business and economics applications?
Turns out that, Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen started using these methods to apply onto economic problems. They won the first Nobel Prize for economics in 1969 for creating econometrics , a class of study that use statistics and regressions to solve business and economic problems.
So these inventors created the techniques and the application of techniques. but, What about those that created the first statistical computing machines? Turns out that one of the early statistical computing hardware was developed by John Atanasoff.
John Atanasoff is a Mathematics and Physics professor at the Iowa State College. Atanasoff built his machine between 1940 and 1942.His machine was inspired by the Iowa State Statistical Lab, which is the first statistical lab in the United States and that was setup by the University of Michigan by James Glover, a professor of mathematics back in 1910. Atanasoff saw his machine within the context of a computing lab, much like the Statistics Lab, and that it would solve linear systems “at low cost for technical and research purposes.”
Modern History of AI
Now let’s turn to the modern history of AI and that can be traced back to the year, 1956. Coming back to the origins of AI, A group of scientists kicked off a series of research projects and the explicit goals of these projects is to program computers to behave like humans. So we have Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Claude Shannon and Nathaniel Rochester. All of them came together at Dartmouth and say let’s do research. And the aim of research is to create artificial intelligence that behave like human beings. So from the point of view of the academic discipline that later became the sub-discipline of computer science This marks the birthdate of AI
So what did they set out to do?
Their research agenda basically said that “ computer are sophisticated. Human beings are sophisticated too. Let's try to program computers to do the sophisticated tasks just like human beings.
So let's first try to see whether we can teach the computers to reason like a human being. In other words to see whether a computer can play chess. Or solve algebra word problems. Or proof geometry theorem. Or diagnose diseases. The computer is presented with a problem and we see whether it will reason its way to the answer. So here you see AlphaGo playing go. And this was the prototypical reasoning system that the computer scientist tries to design.
Another thing that we try to teach computers to do is to represent the knowledge in the real world. In order for the computer to understand and interact with people, that computer has to understand and interact with the real world. What are objects? what are people? What are language? All of these have to be programmed into the computer and to do that using specific languages like [list] lisp, which is a language that got invented for this purpose. If you recall one of the computer scientist, John McCarty, he is the inventor of [list] lisp. He was trying to teach computers about the real things in the world.
[Planning and Navigation]
The next thing that we need in our daily lives is planning and navigating. We want to teach computers to know how to plan and navigate around a wall. Something like this. How do we get from City Hall to SGinnovate? How do we understand where is the bus? Where are the traffic lights? How do we stop and what path should we take to get there? Where is the safest path to reach the destination if there are many ways to get there? So in the mid 1960s, there is a group of scientist that made SRI robots invented at Menlo Park with cameras to plan and navigate a short path.
[Natural Language Processing]
Another thing that we want to teach computers how to do is to speak language. How to understand a language? How to understand the context of a sentences? You and I use languages to express feelings and ideas around the world in very subtle and yet powerful ways.The goal is to teach computers to understand these in as much as we can. One of the first natural language programming system was built by IBM in Georgetown. It tried to translate English to Russian and Russian to English during the Cold War.
So another thing that we need to teach computers to do is to perceive things in the world. How do we see things in the world? How do we hear things in the world? How do we feel things in the world? The team at Dartmouth taught the computer to perceive the five senses of human beings. The most tractable problem that the scientists thought they should solve is sight. So Marvin Minsky from MIT created a project to focus on how computers perceive objects in the real world. So that experiment is basically getting a robot to figure out how to pick an object and put it on top of another object. And so the computer has to use a camera to recognize that object in order to pick that up and to recognize the position of the other object and then placing the first object onto the second one.
And the hope is that if we can teach the computer to perceive with the five senses, to understand languages in context, to plan, navigate and apply logical reasonings, then perhaps we are able to get the computer to exhibits general intelligence. So what is general intelligence? It is a set of intelligence that we human being have. It’s like having emotional intelligence, the ability to read , understand and response to another human being in a specific situation on a specific society using a specific set of moral values. It’s like having the intuition that is drawn from the data and being able to explain the intuition in a common sense knowledge to the counterparty or being able to act with ‘common sense’. We also hope that computer can apply creativity which is like the ability to see new patterns and to be able to be creative and apply that creativity to practical use. Eventually we will be able to create a robot that really think, behave and reason like a human being. It’s like the character, David from the prometheus movie, an android learning to drive a spaceship. Or the other character, an Android bartender, Arthur in the movie, the Passenger 2016. And that we can no longer tell the difference between a human being and a smart robot. This is the hope that we can teach the robot the basic knowledge of a specific subject that they would be able to learn, apply and think like a human on the same specific subject.
And that was the goal of a very huge ambitious undertaking that we are seeing in the world right now.
So let’s now begin to talk about the general history of AI winters. The period before each AI winter is a period of time where there is a lot of investment and a lot of resources, dedicated by the government and by the private sector.
Yet when you think about it in the 1960s the computers at that time was mainframes. And so the computer scientists at the time were very visionary. So what happened was a series of business cycles which is what we called it as AI winters. So people would produce some super compelling demos and a lot of research and resources started pouring into this space. And then these startups and research run the course using these resources and they go bust on each cycle.
And so during each winter, people are starting to ponder and feel delusional about the implications of AI research. And as we know is that these AI winter cycles happened more than just one time but happened for a couple of times.
I'm here to basically explain to you about the key AI winters. So in each cycle, I am going just to show you why people get so excited and why people suddenly get so this disillusion.
Bear in mind that the first AI Winter begins between the 1950s and the 1960s and there is this analogy to the nuclear Winters. If a nuclear explosion caught up in that area, no one would want to go there anymore and so this effect is the same as that we are seeing for each AI winter. The burst was so bad that people wonder if we should ever put resources into AI research. It was during each AI Winter that the fundings dries up for years and years and years.
So let me take you to the stories of these Cycles now .
[1st AI winter]
So the first cycle begins with the interest in translating between English to Russia and that is basically natural language processing. At that time, the Americans were getting out of the Korean War and enters into the Cold war where the missiles imported into Cuba from Russia and the Americans were scared. And so the first experimental NLP begins in 1954 . It seemed like a simple success of translating the first sixty sentences that companies and government dedicated a lot of resources. They were hoping that they would come with a generalized translational system. It turns out that it is an incredibly hard to do.
So to put that into context, so here’s a simple example, if you take out a Bible and you look at the following sentence is called The “Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” and it's a metaphor. It is basically saying that we have the motivation to do it but we just don't have the discipline to do so.
And yet when we put that English words into the Russian translation and put it back . This is what we get when we put the Russian translation back to English, it says that the whiskey is strong but the meat is rotten. And if you think about it for a second, this is mistranslation and this is so obvious. That’s because we as human beings, understand contextual intelligence.
So back in the 1960s, NLP doesn't capture the contextual meaning of sentences. It just literally translates word for word. And a linguist would call this a semantic translation error but a computer scientist will call this a synthetic word translation. And the word for word translation at that time is not bad. And yet when you have a lot of errors and a lot of these errors in these sentences, you would get a very horrible body of text that doesn't capture the essence of the meaning that the original writer wished to express.
And this is what lead to the first AI winter. So the disillusion is about actually capturing the essence of the contextual meaning from a body of text, instead of a word-by-word translation.
It was the first beginning of the realization that computer scientists realized that there is a need to capture contexts, to capture idioms and the nuances of a specific language within the body of text. And during that time the automated processing language community said that the progress made on developing smart NLP capabilities was so slow that it makes no sense to inject further investment anymore. This begins the first AI winter.
[2nd AI winter]
Now let’s look at the second AI winter. So after the first AI winter attempt to translate languages, computer scientists decided to go for another approach. So they say “perhaps we should constrain the language translation into a specific domain.” And so the kind of projects that they begin moving and researching along this direction it's called microworld.
So the computer science community think in like this: let’s see by further constraining AI to a specific domain knowledge, perhaps we can make further progress in the AI space.
During that time, Marvel Minsky started some of these projects. He focused on developing the perceived capabilities of the robots. That’s like the robot looking at objects to the camera and having a specific context in that sense. So in that Microworld, the specific focus was to say to the computer: ‘pick up a block and put that block on top of another block.’ So the system has to figure out this possibility. So in that project, the second block is a pyramid and it is not possible to put a cube onto a pyramid and the system will reply that it is not possible.
At the same time, Joseph weizenbaum started a project called Eliza and Eliza is a common referenced project commonly taught in the current AI classes in the computer science faculty today. And the Eliza project is about talk therapy. Imagine you go and see a talk therapist. And you want to talk about a set of problems. And so this system is mimicking the behavior of a professional talk therapist or a counselor. So let me give you a simple example of how this talk therapist actually work.
So this is how the conversation would go and I'm going to do my best to do it slowly so you can keep up and so the typical order is the user would say something and then the computer will say something else in response. So imagine now you are sitting in front of the computer and you type this input.
You: Men are all alike.
Computer: in what way
You:They are always bugging us something or other
Computer: Can you think of a specific example
You: well my boyfriend makes me come here
Computer: Your boyfriend makes you come here
You: He say i’m depressed much of the time
Computer: I’m sorry to hear that you are depressed
You: It’s true. I’m very unhappy.
Computer: Do you think coming here will make you be unhappy?
You: I need some help and that might seem like a solution
Computer: what would it mean to you if you get some help?
You:well maybe i could get along well with my mother.
Computer: Tell me more about your family
You: My mother takes good care of me
Computer: who else in your family takes good care of you
So you see through this example that it’s incredibly life-like. You can imagine the exact same Real Talk therapist saying in the exact same conversation that the computer say to you!
People are very sophisticated and yet the computer can parsing that language. And you can see the above example is super compelling. But here’s the problem. The problem is that as soon as you start talking to that computer about anything else other than what the talk therapist talks about, then the illusion completely broke down. The responses become nonsensical.
Let me give you another example:
You: I wish to know about you
Computer: why would you say that i want to know me?
You: so I can write my report
Computer: what makes you believe that you can write your report?
You:I don’t understand your question, please clarify?
Computer: earlier like you said that you would like to know me
Computer: Can you elaborate on that?
You: I wish to know Eliza
Computer: how does it feel to want?
You: Want what?
Computer: maybe your plan has got something to do with this?
You: Errr, what plans?
Computer: Is it because you say about your life ? errr, what plans?
You: It’s because of you , I said that? Huh?
So you see that in any other context other than what Eliza was programmed to think, the system responses become incorrect , not relevant. It’s almost as if you are playing with the syntax of the English sentences and trying to trick somebody into misunderstanding the sentences. As soon as you try to say anything out of the programmed script, then the illusion that Eliza is a real talk therapist break down. In fact, there was a report published by the British government which states that AI has totally failed to achieve any of its grandiose objectives. And so this begins the second AI winter. No more funding. No more startups.
[3rd AI winter]
And then now we got the 3rd AI winter which might be the last winter.
This winter begins in the early 1980s. Yet, the activities of deep expert system actually begins in the 1960s and startups started coming in the 1970s and companies started dabbling in it in the 1980s.
So we suck at general machine translation as in we cannot turn any English text into meaningful Russian sentences and vice versa. We also can’t seem to be effective at the microworlds be it placing blocks of object or talking like a talk therapist. Maybe we should go the opposite way.
Why don’t we model on something sophisticated and incredibly complex behavior like diagnosing diseases or acting as a chemist? Let's see whether we can get into this sophisticated domain and program them so call Expert systems .
The intuition was that we find an expert and we interview them. By doing so, we try to understand their world and codified their knowledge into an expert system. And the computer tries to mimic this expert behavior.
Here’s a good example of this. In 1965 at [Edward Find-gen-bum and Carl Ja-sa-ri]] Edward Feigenbaum and Carl Djasorri wrote a system which would take the output from a Mass spectrometer to identify the molecules that are chemical compounds.
That inspired Edward schlife at Stanford in 1972 to write a program called Mycin to diagnose infectious blood diseases.So you feed a bunch of data that represents the symptoms and the computer diagnosed what kind of infectious blood disease it is. And it was about 50 to 60% accuracy. That level of accuracy is pretty comparable to doctors doing the same diagnosis so they got people excited again.
And so they think like that. Hey we can take this highly expert behavior and turn it into a set of rules that can make the computer to become an expert. And presumably the next expert system will be easier to build. If we just keep on iterating this, then we might write a thousands of these kind of systems and eventually we will get a full artificial intelligence system. And so having this excitement, IBM came out with this integrated reasoning system called the Shell and Reid Hoffman, the founder of Linkedin was interning on this system. The other thought was that if we can churn out these systems out very quickly, we can solve a lot of problems in fields where experts are in short supply .That thought might also get humans to the promised land of AI . And during this time there was a lot of startups that tries to build 1 AI deep expert system at 1 time. One of the most famous start up at that time was called the symbolic system . It was a lisp machine running on a programming language, invented by John McCarthy. The community was super excited that this was the path forward. Unfortunately what happened was building one expert system didn't give you a leg up in building other expert systems. At that time data storage was very expensive. Data Computing was expensive and everything was in silo. Obviously you have to build each system by itself and they cannot talk to each other and this means that such a path forward was almost unscalable. Furthermore, most of the startups were not founded by founders with Deep domain expertises. So the startup has to find the expert, talk to them decode the knowledge code it into the system and this entire process was very long tedious in terms of time and resources. And this led to the collapse of the expert system and the start of the third AI winter .
So we have this 3 boom and bust Cycles, 3 AI Winters. If you read the Wikipedia and do a bit of research you'll find that that's a lot more AI winters. Nonetheless, these are the three major dominant AI winter business cycles.
[Deep learning: beginning of AI spring?]
In very recent times, we hit a breakthrough. OR maybe we are getting out of future AI winters. And I want to describe this breakthrough to you.
So what is the this breakthrough? So this breakthrough is deep learning and it's one of the class of machine-learning algorithm.
Let’s recap the previous techniques that I talk about where attempts to talk experts and learn about how does expert behave, and then going ahead to codifying these rules and then putting them into the computer.
Unlike the previous techniques that I talk about, these deep learning techniques models upon the human brain and then help the computers to learn like babies via a set of data.
This is the opposite approach to the previous mentioned techniques in the previous AI winters. The idea originated in the 1940s with 2 researchers Mcculler and Pits who proposed this idea of modeling data structures and algorithms on human brains what we call neural network today.
Many researchers elaborate on those ideas to make the algorithms faster, more accurate and make better predictions since I'm not trying to do a comprehensive history on Deep learning or Neural Network. Let me give a couple of key stories along the way to give you the gist of the most recent times.
Ian Laocoon who runs the Facebook AI Labs use the neural networks to recognise the handwriting of postal codes. His method can take a handwritten address of a postal code and automatically digitizing them. This is done in the 1980s.
Picking up from that, Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua bengio works on Deep belief network. Geoffrey Hinton is part of now Google AI team and Yoshua bengio is in University of Montreal. Their research leads to Google search voice. So the speech to text translation is a direct descendants of the deep belief neural networks.
Another important significant contributing researcher from Germany is Jürgen Schmidhuber and his work is about Recurrent long short term memory with deep feedforward neural networks. The basic is that your brains has many neurons connected to many other neurons. So why don't we write an algorithm to mimic the neural networks in the brain that interact with each other in the nodes.
So continuing the path on the history of neural networks, Google decided to run an experiment. And as you have might expect that Google can contribute by using its economics of scale to run seemingly unfundable projects.
And there are 2 dimensions of scale here.
The first dimension of the scale is around data . Google has a lot of emails, a lot of videos and a lot of Search results. Andrew Ng use Youtube videos for his experiment. At that time he was a Stanford Professor so he got 10 million videos for his training set.
The second dimension of the scale is computing power. Google love distributed computing. He apply neural networks on the 16,000 cores computers on the 10 million videos for 1 week. Guess what ? Guess what they found? So the first thing you find is Cats. people love uploading cats videos. On a 20,000 objects in the videos, the NN recognise 16% of these objects. Thousands of objects got recognized by this neural networks.
So here's the fascinating thing. We did not have an expert to teach you to identify a cat. We basically feed a bunch of data into the model and the model learn to categorize the inputs and so in this case to recognize the cats and other similar objects. This is done without any guidance from an expert and without any rules. And so this forms the heart of the revolution. This is the big breakthrough of artificial intelligence. Just fit a bunch of data and the computer will learn to classify by itself.
So if you ask the question why are people so excited about neural networks or deep learning at this very juncture of time when we have been working on this since the 1940s?
Here’s the answer. The answer is scale. Comparing to Ian Lancoon experiment, Andrew’s experiment has 1 million more computing cycles, 33,000 more pixel of data. So you can see that as computing power gets cheaper and cheaper and as storage cost gets cheaper and cheaper, the resources required to train computers to learn using deep learning becomes cheaper and cheaper. Therefore we start to see a lot of startups and projects using Deep Learning.
So let me give you a sense of what is deep learning. I'll be using tensorflow which is a Google deep learning tool to show you. So the objective here is to learn to figure out whether we can classify or distinguish a set of patterns from a bunch of data. You can sort of see the portion of blue and orange using the neural network. So let’s get started.
On the right hand side we see orange dots and blue dots. So the orange dots and blue dots are data. Think of the orange dots as spam and the blue dots as non spam. Or the orange dots are offensive forum posts and the blue dots are non offensive forum posts. Or orange dots are the cats in the youtube videos and the blue dots are the dogs in the youtube videos. All of these categories are represented by these dots. The job of the neural network is to draw a boundary around these dots.
On the left side, you can see that we select different types of data. The data can be email messages, forum posts or pictures that we are trying to categories.
Now let’s start to build the Neural network. So you can see that I’m adding layers and each layer represents a layer of neural network. This is why we call deep learning and deep represents the additional multiple layers that we are adding to the network. Then I am going to add a number of neurons to each layer. As I am adding an extra neuron to that specific layer, the neurons are being connected. What is going to happen is that the neural network is going to train itself given the input of the existing data that we have feed to it and that is going to set connection strengths between each of the node.
So you see that as I feed data that blue and orange line connecting to each of the node will become darker or lighter depending on the connection strengths between each of the node. Now let’s see what these neurons are fundamentally doing.
So I am going hit the play button here to start feeding the model data and what you will see is the connection strengths between all of the nodes are going to be adjusted and then the output that’s result will appear as shaded portions and the goal for the network is to draw a boundary around the blue dot in the middle and the orange dots separately.
Notice that I only need to get a few iteration to draw that boundary. So that gives you an intuition of what these tools are doing. And that is I haven’t told the system what I am trying to accomplish. All i have done is fed a bunch of data to the system into the specific data structure and the computer has itself learn to set the connection weights between all of these nodes in the network so it can mathematically draw the boundaries between the blue dots and the orange dots.
I hope you can sense how the data structure and algorithm are doing in a Deep learning system and what can they do. To give you a sense of the scale, we have a couple of hundreds connections up on the screen between the nodes of the network. If you are to buy a Nvidia Drive computer Card and run this, it most probably have about 27 million connections. If you recall the Andrew Ng Youtube Cat project, it has 10s of millions of connections. If you are feeling a bit intimidated , you will know that your brain visual cortex has 10 to the power of 6 times more neurons than that! It will take awhile before we can build a deep learning system to be as complicated as our human brain.
Did I hear someone say Phew! What a relief! That’s one perspective. The other perspective is oh! this is exciting to think about that we are on that path to building more sophisticated systems through bigger data and bigger neuron networks!
So how useful is Deep learning in everyday life? If you have a smartphone, you will have Siri or google voice uses machine learning. If you are buying something from Amazon, the next recommendation comes from a recommendation engine that use machine learning. If you take Grab or Uber, the pricing mechanism is powered using machine learning. Because deep learning has become so productive at making applications better, companies are seeking to apply deep learning and machine learning in every business unit, every department, every country.
So where is Deep learning going to take us to?
Let me give you an example of deep learning in navigation search in autonomous driving. George is the CEO of Comma.AI. He build a self driving car all by himself. Let me put this in context.
In 2004, Dartmouth sponsor the first grand challenge of building a self driving solution to navigate the mahari dessert. They got 20 entries from leading universities and startups at that time. The leading entry was from Carnegie mellon and the self driving car call Sandstorm go for a 7.5 miles out of the 100 miles in the dessert.
In 2007, Dartmouth sponsor a 60 miles city course challenge. CMU took the top spot and finish the course. So you can see the progress of autonomous driving with deep learning. Previously only 7.5 miles in 2004 , now 60 miles in 2007.
This set off an arms race for autonomous driving program. Now every huge major manufacturer has a huge autonomous driving programs with thousands of engineers. You can recall Tesla, Grab, Uber, Google and they have thousands of engineers working on this.
NOW George has build a self driving cars ALL by himself using deep learning techniques. So you can see how advanced these techniques and data can enable 1 man to achieve this feat when there are thousands of engineers working on the same staff in some of the best labs in the world!
George is able to do this thanks to open source. By the way, George solution works! So that shows the promise of deep learning that one guy can build a self driving car all by himself.
And there are many other great examples of deep learning in NLP, perception. So moving from here all the corporate and venture capital companies are looking at startups and their products to see whether they have incorporate some deep learning techniques or machine learning techniques as part of their solutions. So it seems that we are in the AI spring and that deep learning has make a fundamental breakthrough on all of the AI sub-disciplines
Hold onto your horses! Hold on. YET I want to let everybody know that as much as this is still exciting, we need to have some cautious about the limitation of neural networks or the limitation of deep learning. If a pure deep learning application really works as if a child is learning stuff by observing all the data and making sense of it without any experts guiding it then it will behave like this story .
So I was reading to my baby nephew about a story of a car that gets stuck and the car receive help from another helper. And the baby recognize that if he gets stuck he will ask for help and any loving person will come and help him.
So one day he went cycling down the void deck. He was cycling very fast that his head hit the edge of the wall and his head was bleeding profusely. Fortunately his mom and his dad are medical professionals and they decided to stitch his head up. That leaves a small scar in his head and he cries a lot. And so I saw his head and I asked him what happened to your head .
So instead of telling me that he hit his head against the wall because he cycle very fast and ramp to the edge of the wall. Guess what he said? This is what he said. He the point to his head and say Papa Mama make me pain. And so what does this example illustrate? It illustrates the importance of really understanding how the child learn and how the child tell the story. If I have not asked his mom and dad what has happened, I would not have any idea that the driving force behind his head injury is his fast cycling and his need for his parents’ attention. Because the child is so young, he learn to tell from his recent memory instead of reveal the mechanics of his fall.
And so let’s come back to learn about the cautionary message behind the let’s just nail every problem using deep learning. So like the above example, suppose you just purely apply the current deep learning approach on its own without having a deep understanding of what you are doing. While you might know the algorithm, there might come a day that you fit deep learning on the data and something happen and you don't really know how and what causes the system to response in ways you don’t understand. So deep learning sometimes does not allow you to interpret the mechanics of your results. This is the part that is lacking or what we call interpretability. And it is very important to learn to interpret the model, to know what triggers the outcome so in certain use cases we might be able to really get a better sense of how do we apply deep learning to solve problems. And in this case that is very different from the expert system or the supervised machine learning where you basically understand and able to interpret the results because you know what is in the system and the Deep learning model is what we called the black box model while by contrast , the other model is the white box model.
Having said that deep learning is still one great tool to the other tools of AI to solve problems. Like the old management saying, if you only have 1 hammer in your toolbox , everything looks like nail. As such, it is important to understand the business problem, make sense of it , use various computer science techniques , use skills like critical thinking, design thinking, econometric thinking to really build a deep solution to that problem.
Thank you very much and we have come to the end of the podcast.
I hope you enjoy this podcast, please share it so we can build a better world.
This is Andrew Liew speaking and have a day ahead.
We just sent you an email. Please click the link in the email to confirm your subscription! | <urn:uuid:39425303-5b44-4e49-8964-9c646a36770b> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.andrewliewweida.com/blog/the-art-of-ai-and-automation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250611127.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20200123160903-20200123185903-00008.warc.gz | en | 0.960054 | 8,780 | 2.984375 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of the history and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), covering key concepts, schools of thought, and breakthroughs in the field. While it touches on the importance of understanding AI and its potential impact on society, the content primarily focuses on the technical and historical aspects of AI, with limited discussion of soft skills such as communication, teamwork, or leadership. The presentation is informative and engaging, but it does not explicitly address complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, or intercultural fluency. Therefore, the score is 2 out of 5, as the extract provides a solid foundation in AI but lacks depth in soft skills development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 158,385 | 0 |
Here is the introductory page for Galatians chapter two and week two of our congregational conversation about Paul's Letter to the Galatians ...
In preparation for our time together read Galatians, chapter two. Note your own questions and insights. Bring them with you to our conversation. Consider these questions:
In Galatians 2:1-10 Paul describes a meeting in Jerusalem (traditionally called “The Jerusalem Council”). He follows this in Galatians 2:11-14 with the description of an incident in the Antioch church. After reading Paul’s description of these events read the version that is told in Acts 15:1-29. Notice the similarities and differences in these two accounts.
What do you think occurred? What may have led to these differing versions of the events?
In Galatians 2:16 Paul writes words that have become central in Christian teaching: “yet we know that a person is justified not by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” (New Revised Standard Version)
Of the word often translated “justified” J. Louis Martyn in his commentary on Galatians writes: “What is known about the human being Paul now indicates by using in the present tense the verb dikaioô, a word that - with its noun dikaiosyne - has occasioned a veritable library of books and articles from the earliest interpreters of Paul to those of the present day. The thrust of the verb and of the noun is exceedingly difficult to grasp, and equally difficult to render in a modern language. The first problem arises from the fact that, whereas in Greek the verb dikaioô and the noun dikaiosyne are linguistically cognate, most of the verbs and nouns by which these terms have been translated are not. To render the verb with the English expression “to justify” while translating the noun as “righteousness” - the most common way of proceeding - is to lose the linguistic connection that was both obvious and important to Paul ... The second problem is substantive. All of the translation options listed above have one weighty liability: they are at home either in the language of the law - where “to justify” implies the existence of a definable legal norm - or in the language of religion and morality - where “righteousness” implies a definable religious or moral norm. As we shall see, Paul intends his term to be taken into neither of these linguistic realms. Hence, we will find some advantage in using the verb “to rectify” and the noun “rectification.” For these are words that belong to a single linguistic family, and they are words that are not commonly employed either in our courtrooms or in our religious and moral institutions. The subject Paul addresses is that of God’s making right what has gone wrong.” (pp. 249-250)
English translations translate the word dikaioô with “justification” (NRSV; NIV; Phillips; MEB; Moffatt); “put right” (Good News); “declared ‘righteous’” (NT Wright); “to be made right” (Cotton Patch); “reckoned as upright” (NJB) “set right” (Peterson).
Of the phrase translated “through faith in Jesus Christ” (NRSV with translator’s note “or ‘the faith of Jesus Christ’”) J. Louis Martyn writes: “Paul writes pistis Christou Iêsou, an expression which can mean either the faith that Christ had and enacted or the faith that human beings have in Christ, both readings being grammatically possible. Recent decades have seen extensive discussion of the matter, sometimes even heated debate; and the debate has demonstrated that the two readings do in fact lead to two very different pictures of the theology of the entire letter. Is the faith that God has chosen as the means of setting things right that of Christ himself or that of human beings? Attention to a number of factors, especially to the nature of Paul’s antinomies and to the similarities between 2:16 and 2:21, leads to the conclusion that Paul speaks of the faith of Christ, meaning his faithful death on our behalf.” (p. 251)
J. Louis Martyn’s translation of Galatians 2:16 is: “Even we ourselves know, however, that a person is not rectified by observance of the Law, but rather by the faith of Jesus Christ. Thus, even we have placed our trust in Christ Jesus, in order that the source of our rectification might be the faith of Christ and not observance of the Law; for not a single person will be rectified by observance of the Law.”
What do you think that Paul is trying to say? How would describe “justification”? What difference does it make if Paul is referring to faith in Jesus Christ or to the faithfulness of Jesus Christ? | <urn:uuid:21eeff01-77ff-457a-9ee5-88944f40c9b6> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://holyscribbler.blogspot.com/2013/02/galatians-week-two.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423222.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20170720141821-20170720161821-00406.warc.gz | en | 0.950352 | 1,065 | 2.546875 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive analysis of Galatians chapter two, encouraging readers to engage with the text, consider different perspectives, and think critically about complex theological concepts. It promotes discussion, reflection, and exploration of nuanced ideas, demonstrating a high level of sophistication in communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 365,227 | 1 |
ESL (early school leaving) is a complex political issue with a layered framework – before applying any solutions, the problem needs to be properly assessed and understood. Numerous studies have been done on the subject, so viable policies might be put in place, and today Portugal can say that they are efficiently battling the ESL issue. Bear in mind, that an official statistic shows that 25% of young adults between the age of 18 and 24, leave school. Let’s take a look at how the government decides to combat this problem.
Setting Early Projections
The 2020 strategy for Portugal has set a 10% rate reduction in the ESL statistic. Making this happen is by no means an easy task, and a number of new policies are implemented in order to make it happen. One of the things that are slowly changing, is the increase of the quality of teaching. Retaining the interest of young people towards any subject is no small task, and it needs to be done very carefully.
The Process to Reducing ESL
As it is a complicated issue, it will require complex solutions. ESL is a multi-layered social process, that reflects personal, social, economic, educational, and family-related factors. Previous experiences show us that some ESL measures have proven to be inefficient or have failed from the start, which only resulted in the loss of valuable resources. Today, different education and training policies have been taken to establish successful learning.
Some of the topics in this category include the creation of: a relevant and engaging curriculum, flexible educational pathways, smooth transition between educational levels, and strong guidance systems. In addition, high-quality VET involvement of pupils in decision-making and teacher education are imperative in making sure that young people won’t be turned away from the education system.
Intervention is Key
Usually, student behavioral patterns are giving an early indication of their decision to leave school for good. This gives the need for effective and evidence-based early warning systems. Intervention protocols focus on individual needs and also provide systematic support frameworks. Out of school activities and the empowerment of families and parents will also give a valuable sense of belonging to students that feel like they are wasting their time at school.
Compensation as an Achievement
Young people feel like they don’t deserve redemption once they made the bad decision to leave school. Accessibility and relevance of second-chance education are important in such cases. Teacher involvement and support is imperative in such moments and flexibility of curriculum will help students who are feeling like they’ve fallen behind too much. Luckily, links to mainstream education will help many to catch up quickly, without having to lose large amounts of time.
A Unified Sense of Accomplishment
Young people usually get upset when they are deemed “worthless” by society and can easily fall into a downward spiral of regret, leading them to a toxic way of life. A better educational system will not only help them stay in school but develop their own sense of accomplishment – this will turn them into qualified specialists who will have a lot more job opportunities available for them. Minimizing ESL is one of Portugal’s current main objectives, and currently things are going well! | <urn:uuid:5369a323-692a-4fa8-a922-42d3e30c1728> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.pt-2020.pt/early-school-leaving-in-portugal-how-it-is-prevented/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644683.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529042138-20230529072138-00138.warc.gz | en | 0.965825 | 652 | 3.265625 | 3 | The extract discusses a complex social issue, early school leaving, and presents various strategies to combat it. It touches on teamwork and communication through collaborative policy-making and teacher-student interactions. However, it lacks depth in emotional intelligence, leadership challenges, and nuanced problem-solving opportunities. The discussion is more focused on policy and educational system improvements rather than individual soft skills development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 750,766 | 0 |
Science and religion have had a long and interesting relationship and many scholars have proposed various strategies for relating them to each other. When I was the editor of Science & Theology News I regularly received elaborate proposals from unknown scholars, often accompanied by diagrams, for the proper way to relate science and religion. None of them ever made it into print, either because they were nonsense or because they did not engage the conversation as it has developed over the past few decades.
All such conversations take the seminal work of Ian Barbour as the starting point. Barbour—arguably the first true scholar of science-and-religion—identified four ways that science and religion could relate. His analysis first appeared in 1988 and was expanded in 1990 with his influential Gifford lectures. A discussion for a wider audience appeared in 2000. His 4 interaction modes are:
- Conflict: Barbour pits the scientific materialism of, say, Richard Dawkins or Jerry Coyne against the biblical literalism of Ken Ham or Al Mohler.
- Independence: The emphasis here is on the non-overlapping and even contrasting methods of religion and science. The philosopher Ludwigs Wittegenstein’s concept of language games is relevant here, with science and religion said to have differing languages that serve different purposes that would prevent them ever coming in conflict.
- Dialogue: There are boundary questions at the edge of both disciplines that engage the others. Why is there something rather than nothing? Is Design detectable? What is the nature of randomness? What is time? Such questions bring religion and science into dialogue, but usually not in a way that threatens either by entailing adjustments of key ideas. There are also methodological parallels that can be compared. Is there such a thing as “testable religious hypotheses” in religion as there is in science? Scholars from the liberal protestant Phil Hefner (in The Human Factor) to the conservative apologist Hugh Ross (in More than a Theory) have argued that there can indeed be testable religious claims. Similarly, Nancey Murphy (in Theology in an Age of Scientific Reasoning, and elsewhere) has developed some provocative and, I think, deeply insightful models suggesting that science and theology share a common epistemology.
- Integration: The final model that Barbour outlines involves major conversation in which science and religion—particularly theology—interact in ways that demand metaphysical speculation about meaning. The most familiar is natural theology, defined as the search for evidence of God—his existence, attributes, and actions—in nature. The Intelligent Design Movement, which claims that the Designer’s handiwork can be seen in phenomena such as the flagellum of the bacteria, is the best known example of natural theology today. Closely related is theology of nature, which starts with God, rather than nature, and asks what interpretations we might put on nature, given that it was created by God. For example, from the fact that the universe is fine-tuned for all forms of life, from bugs to people, we might project that the fine-tuning is actually “for” human life, since that life-form has a special relationship to God.
The first and second models above are the ones that have engaged the secularists the most. In The Language of Science and Faith we note the interesting contrast between the Independence model of Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA), which the late Stephen Jay Gould articulated first in Natural History magazine in 1997 and later in Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life, and the Conflict model:
[Each] subject has a legitimate magisterium, or domain of teaching authority—and these magisteria do not overlap (the principle that I would like to designate as NOMA, or “non-overlapping magisteria”). The net of science covers the empirical universe: what is it made of (fact), and why does it work this way (theory). The net of religion extends over questions of moral meaning and value. These two magisteria do not overlap, nor do they encompass all inquiry (consider, for starters, the magisterium of art and the meaning of beauty).
NOMA has been strongly criticized recently by Jerry Coyne but we argue that it is, nevertheless, very useful:
“NOMA maps much of the relevant terrain, as we have seen, and has to be the starting point for any discussion of science and religion. We must start by understanding that we are not obliged to seek out religious meaning in the esoteric nooks and crannies of contemporary science, as if every fact about the natural world is like a fortune cookie with a little religious message inside.”
We suggest that NOMA in fact is a useful balance to the conflict model.
NOMA confronts the enduring but discredited myth that science and religion have forever been in conflict. This view, known as the “warfare metaphor,” originated in a pair of influential and widely read books in the 19th century: Andrew Dickson White’s A History of Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom and William Draper’sHistory of the Conflict Between Religion and Science. Prior to the appearance of these books, science and religion, except for the occasional skirmish like the Galileo Affair, got along fine and were actually supportive of one another, as recent scholarship has clearly shown. And even the infamous Galileo Affair was nothing like its urban legend would have us believe. Galileo was not tortured and his so-called “imprisonment” was confinement to his house. There was indeed a tragic conflict, but not in the sense that polemicists like White and Draper portrayed.
Given the current highly publicized controversy over evolution, the warfare metaphor can seem all too obvious, if we forget about all the activity taking place off the media radar. In the big picture, warfare is but a minor facet of the interaction between science and religion. Unfortunately, this facet is the most interesting and, far and away, the one likely to appear in a newspaper. When creation and evolution clash in a courtroom, to take the most familiar example, the daily news fills up with stories reminding us of the supposed conflict between science and religion. There is a “Here comes the Galileo Affair” template being dusted off and trotted out to make sense of the issue.
The NOMA aspect, of course, does not make the news for, alas, it is not news. Who can imagine an evening news science report beginning with, “Scientists at Yale University today announced that they have discovered the origins of dark matter. Yale theologians report that this discovery has no relevance to religion.” On the other hand, we often hear stories like “Religious leaders in Kansas City have demanded a meeting with local school board officials to protest the teaching of evolution in local high schools.”
Just as the majority of scientists work on topics that do not come into contact with religion, so theologians and biblical scholars pursue topics in fields unrelated to science—topics like the origins and development of scriptures, philosophical solutions to the problem of evil and the promise of eternal life. These topics do not connect in any natural way to science. NOMA helps by highlighting the extended non-overlapping nature of science and religion.
NOMA, however, over-compartmentalizes by equating science simplistically with factual knowledge and religion with value or opinion. In that case, there would clearly be no overlap between the two pursuits, but only if we accept those overly narrow and restrictive definitions.
Science is not the only source of factual statements and there are important statements made by science that are not purely factual in any simple sense. Cosmologists, for example, speak in meaningful ways about the existence of other universes but these statements cannot be considered factual in the same sense as statements about other planets. In the same way, religion reaches beyond the realm of values and morals. If statements like “God exists” or “child abuse is wrong” are considered factual claims about reality then, according to NOMA, they could not be religious statements. On the other hand, few scientists would consider statements like these to be “scientific.” So what kind of statements are they? The inability of NOMA to handle claims like these about reality highlights its limitations as a universally applicable model.
Gould acknowledged that science was limited to making factual claims about the world’s physical behavior, and therefore provides only a limited picture of reality. Many, however, are seduced by the success of science into assuming that science is capable of discovering all possible facts about the world. The great astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington developed a winsome analogy for this assumption, describing a “man who set out to study deep-sea life using a net that had a mesh-size of three inches. After catching many wild and wonderful creatures from the depths, the man concluded that there are no deep-sea fish that are smaller than three inches in length!”
NOMA, while certainly helpful and broadly applicable, is too limiting. Its definition of science breaks down at those murky theoretical boundaries where observation becomes impossible, like the claims about other universes. Likewise, religion in almost all of its manifestations is more than just a collection of value judgments and moral directives. Religion often makes claims about “the way things are.”
The previous blog is adapted from The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions by Karl Giberson and Francis Collins. The book, which will appear in February 2011, is the first in a series of books that BioLogos will be producing in concert with InterVarsity Press. (Collins’s contributions to this volume ended when he became head of the NIH). | <urn:uuid:8b6636d7-3fdb-45f1-b1dc-8bb4b815a8b9> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://biologos.org/articles/the-relationship-between-science-and-religion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875143963.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20200219000604-20200219030604-00202.warc.gz | en | 0.958791 | 2,025 | 2.9375 | 3 | The extract discusses the relationship between science and religion, presenting various models of interaction, including conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. While it provides a comprehensive overview of the topic, it lacks practical applications, nuanced interaction, and complex problem-solving opportunities, limiting its potential for soft skills development. The text primarily focuses on theoretical knowledge, making it more suitable for foundational understanding rather than advanced professional development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 442,663 | 0 |
This week, Jews around the world are marking Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning for all that is broken in ourselves and in our world. Judaism generally places tremendous emphasis on maintaining a deeply joyful attitude and perspective, no matter what. But this is the one day in our calendar when we focus intently on how far we have to go until ourselves and our world are at peace and whole. However, even on this day our mourning is profoundly optimistic by nature, for our tradition also teaches that this is the very day on which redemption comes to the world - that is, by facing the full devastation of the brokenness, we merit to see its healing.
We might think well of redemption merely as an unlikely fantasy, but it need not be so. My dear friend and teacher, Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny, once shared a piece of Torah with me about this that literally changed my life. She pointed out to me that when we Jews say the Amidah - one of our most important and frequently recited prayers - we bless the Creator for being our Redeemer, not in the past or future, but in the present tense: Blessed are You, Adonai, who redeems those who struggle with the Infinite. Redemption is not an event, but a process, and it is happening now.
We Jews are used to talking about past redemptions from Egypt and Persia, which we celebrate at Pesach (Passover) and Purim, and of course there is plenty of talk in our tradition about the future redemption, which is hoped will lead to a messianic era of peace for all mankind. But how often do we apply the words of the Amidah's blessing to our own lives, and consider that what is happening right now might in fact be the process of redemption?
If we take this on as a thought experiment for a few minutes, we might find ourselves looking at each concentric sphere of our lives a little differently, and perhaps more healthily. For example, in my inner life, let's say I'm challenged one day by feelings of anger, fear, or resentment. I might very well do what many of us do when this happens, and make things worse for myself by telling myself some kind of judgemental story about why I'm feeling the way I do. For example, I might tell myself that I deserve to be this way for some reason or another, and that I'm stuck being the kind of person who feels this way. This judgement heaps further suffering upon the original unpleasantness of how I was feeling, and often prolongs it unnecessarily.
However, if I suggest to myself that maybe what is happening is part of a redemptive process, I have replaced the damaging secondary story with one that allows me to look for and benefit from a positive side of this experience - a silver lining to my angry cloud. This is what the Ba'al Shem Tov meant when he spoke of seeing that even our yetser hara (evil inclination) is in fact doing the work of the Creator, who is infinitely good. When we feel a challenging emotion such as anger, there is often a powerful lesson behind it, which we will not hear until we stop resisting our experience, and start paying closer attention to it. As the Besht's student, the Maggid of Mezhirech, wrote: "all that a person sees and hears and all the occurrences which happen to him, they all come to awaken him."
One more example, on a bigger scale. Let's imagine two peoples don't like each other very much. There are angry words, and perhaps even acts of violence which cause trauma and deeply embedded fear and suspicion. A helpless onlooker might well tear their hair out, or despair of humanity's chances of survival, if they see only the pain and suffering before them. But what if we try to consider that what is happening may be a part of a process of redemption, in some way that is not possible to currently discern? It might not make reality any less ugly, but it might open some new questions about the situation: Is life evolving, somehow, through this painful struggle? What will this struggle look like to a historian looking back, millennia from now? Where are the possible lessons and blessings - the silver linings - even amidst the most wretched chapters of human suffering?
I realize that writing this at a time of intense conflict in the middle east could be misconstrued as trying to diminish the suffering occurring there. That is not my intention, nor am I espousing that we should care any less deeply about that suffering. In fact, I am proposing we experiment with looking at things a little differently, not to deny or escape from how much suffering is happening in the world, but because this change in perspective may help us to make a real contribution to fixing it.
Judaism does not claim to offer one definitive narrative of the world's redemption. Our prophets and sages offer many different visions, many of which seem contradictory. One thing they have in common is they describe a paradigm shift to something that would be difficult to understand from our current standpoint. In other words, we can't predict the future, but the good news is that we don't need to. The Amidah is suggesting we let go of our stories about what the end or goal of redemption is, and start living the process, inviting it into our lives. In doing so, we will relate to ourselves and the world around us differently, and become a channel for that process. This is an essential step in or preparation for the next sacred day in our calendar, Tu B'Av - the festival of love. | <urn:uuid:7bcfd9dc-4fd5-48ad-aaa4-65734f8bac25> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-raphael-silverstein/redemption-in-the-present_b_5648136.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886102891.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20170817032523-20170817052523-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.967532 | 1,155 | 2.53125 | 3 | The extract scores high due to its thought-provoking discussion on redemption, emotional intelligence, and personal growth, integrating complex scenarios and nuanced interactions. It encourages readers to reframe challenges as opportunities for growth, promoting critical thinking, empathy, and self-awareness. The text also touches on cultural awareness, digital literacy, and intercultural fluency, albeit indirectly.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 738,835 | 1 |
The sustainability crisis has provoked an unexpected and dramatic response from academia. Until now, higher education institutions have tended to focus on sustainability within their own borders. This has predominantly been via sustainability education, research and designing green or carbon neutral campuses.
Yet borders between society and academia are dissolving. Many high-profile universities across the world are reaching out past campus boundaries to form ambitious partnerships with industry, government and civil society organisations. In this role of ‘co-creation’, a university attempts to materialise sustainable development by working with society, to create society. That is, it collaborates with diverse social actors to trigger and then drive the sustainable transformation of a specific region, city or community.
To cite but a few examples of many, the University of Strathclyde is partnering with Glasgow City to make the region “one of Europe’s most sustainable cities within 10 years”. Another is how Novatlantis — the sustainability initiative of the Swiss federal institutes of technology and research — is teaming up with public and private partners to utilise the cities of Basel, Zurich and Geneva as test beds for innovative sustainability experiments.
Across the Atlantic, Cornell University and Oberlin College are engaged in separate but ambitious alliances to revive and transform the stagnating economies of two former industrial boom towns into exportable models of green, post-fossil fuel prosperity.
A rocky history
The university, as an institution, should know a thing or two about sustainability. After all, it boasts more than 1,000 years of history, having endured wars, revolutions and dramatic transitions at the core of Western society. Today it stands at the pinnacle of its evolution as a highly complex, dynamic institution at the heart of the knowledge economy. The cutting edge knowledge originating from this institution — now operating across national borders and linking vast areas of science, industry, government and civil society — is responsible for everything from Gatorade to Google, and from superconductors to stem cell research.
Despite this, the university has not often sought to spur great social transformations. Instead, it has typically been a conservative, monastery-like institution, aloof to the problems of the world and committed to maintaining ideals of the past. As argued by Mark Taylor of Columbia University, the university of today still stubbornly clings to an out-dated ‘separation of labour’ model, in which incompatible, separate academic disciplines, inhibit a holistic response to the problems of the world. Competition between departments reigns at the price of cooperation and cross-disciplinary research.
Further, as an institution striving for universal truth, irrespective of time and place, the university has harboured a nonchalance towards place-based problem solving and research attempting to provide concrete solutions to local community issues.
Co-creation: a new trend in academia?
To label the academic function of co-creation as completely new is not entirely accurate. After all, historical examples of universities collaborating with external partners to tackle real-world problems and utilise the local environs as a ‘living laboratory’ can be traced back to the land-grant institutions established since 1862 in the United States. More recently, a similar role to co-creation may be observed in university-city efforts, such as those by the University of Pennsylvania, to address neighbourhood deterioration and economic decay. Yet none of these prior functions seem to capture the ambition, scale and objectives of the cross-sector partnerships for advancing urban sustainability collated into Table 1 below.
Table 1. Various cross-sector collaborations for sustainability transitions
In assuming this unprecedented role of sustainability fomenter, the university is deviating from the dominant model of an ‘entrepreneurial university’ where the notion of contributing to society has become synonymous with contributing to the economy via technology transfer and commercialisation of research results. Instead, it is adopting a grander and far more concrete function — that of responding to the sustainability crisis and driving the transition to more resilient and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
The 2000 Watt Society
Novatlantis and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) are the veterans of co-creation for fostering sustainable urban transformation. Guided by the vision of a 2000 Watt Society, a blue-print for a low-carbon Switzerland conceived by ETH in 1998, numerous public-private alliances have been formed in the fields of mobility, construction and urban planning.
After an initial focus on the Basel-Stadt region, the Novatlantis-triggered race to de-carbonisation has spread to Geneva and Zurich. These three cities are now all competing to showcase and diffuse the various elements required to accelerate the sustainable transformation of urban Switzerland.
Ten years of co-creation is at last bearing fruit. Basel has established itself as a centre of innovation in the field of individual, sustainable mobility. Since 2002, the
Experience Space Mobility project has engaged automobile manufacturers, transport operators and key stakeholders to develop and demonstrate solutions for the short-term (natural gas), mid-term (biogas) and long-term (hydrogen fuel cells). A recent outcome here are trials of
hydrogen powered municipal street sweepers.
The “hy.muve” (which stands for “hydrogen-driven municipal vehicle”) will keep Basel’s streets clean in more ways than one. Photo © Empa – Materials and Science Technology.
To promote sustainable construction, Novatlantis organises and supervises large-scale urban development projects that are required to integrate MINERGIE energy performance standards and adhere to principles outlined for the 2000 Watt Society. Again in Basel, projects of interest include the recently completed Gundeldinger Feld, where a former industrial site was converted into a fashionable commercial and cultural district, and the ongoing re-development of Erlenmatt, a former railway freight yard, into a mixed-use district containing commercial and residential buildings, shopping facilities, restaurants, schools and parklands.
Rust to sustainability: The Oberlin Project
Another collaboration worth watching is the Oberlin Project, unfolding in the tiny ‘rust town’ of Oberlin, Ohio. Scattered across the northwestern states of the US, many towns such as Oberlin have lost their former economic glory and are struggling for survival with the decline of localised, heavy industries.
Against this backdrop, Oberlin College and David Orr (one of the forefathers of the academic sustainability movement) are leading an ambitious partnership with the municipality, private enterprises, investors and local citizens to leap from ‘rust’ and despair to a model of post-fossil fuel prosperity, resiliency and sustainability.
The project aims to make the City of Oberlin and its college carbon positive (i.e., not only carbon neutral, but actually absorb more carbon than it emits) and a self-generator of resources by 2050. Conceived as a “full-spectrum sustainability” response to the looming dual crises of climate change and peak oil, the project is cutting emissions through radical improvements in energy efficiency, converting the city’s entire energy supply to renewables (bio-gas and solar), transforming run-down city blocks to green building zones for the arts and sustainable business, and creating a 20,000 acre forestry and agriculture belt for food, timber and carbon-sequestration.
Resiliency will be boosted by kick-starting local consumption and a green economy, and directing sustainable farm produce to local restaurants and hotels in the city. Residents and students will be engaged in this real-world sustainability experiment via educational alliances between the local schools and colleges, and lastly, a national network will be set up to export this transformational model to other regions. To achieve this, initial design and construction estimates have been put at US$140 million, with US$55 million just for the first phase — colossal figures for lean times in a small rust town.
Even still, things are moving fast. The project has been nominated as one of 16 cities for the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Positive Development Program, and is attracting the interest of various military, national security experts and think-tanks such as the New America Foundation.
Oberlin College’s focus for 2012 is on the construction of a 13-acre ‘Green Arts Block’ featuring platinum level
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings such an auditorium, theatre, student housing, hotel, restaurants and a business district. As for other project areas and the ultimate objective of becoming a prosperous, self-sufficient and carbon positive town, this will occur in a decentralised fashion over many long years, and possibly even decades.
The power of partnerships
The chronic ailments of modernity are ‘wicked’, or ‘messy’, to borrow sustainability jargon. The unsustainability of our energy, transport, agricultural and economic systems all have their roots in multiple areas of the complex social, economic, technological, political and cultural fabric surrounding us. In forming partnerships such as those above, universities are now recognising that the only viable pathway to sustainability is one simultaneously addressing all these causes and mobilising all the required institutions, knowledge and resources into one comprehensive framework. That is where the true significance of co-creation for sustainability lies.
This is precisely why innovation-driven, cross-sector partnerships for sustainability transitions are also a topic of high relevance to the related cross-cutting work at the United Nations University, such as the Sustainable Urban Futures initiative of the Institute for Advanced Studies. With an interactive network of academic institutions, local and national government partners and international organizations, UNU aims to serve as a platform for global and local dialogue and creative new sustainability ideas, while also contributing to capacity development efforts, particularly in developing countries.
However, if more universities and faculty are to be encouraged to engage in alliances for urban sustainability transitions, several barriers need to be overcome. These include difficulties accessing funding, faculty time restraints, internal communication challenges amongst vast networks of partners and stakeholders, as well as institutional resistance from within academia. The reality is that most universities are yet to provide genuine incentives for the promotion of inter and multi-disciplinary collaboration and place-based action research for advancing urban sustainability.
Yet the alliances formed by the Novatlantis 2000 Watt Society and Oberlin Project are demonstrating that these barriers are not insurmountable. With scores of other university-driven collaborations for sustainable urban transformations simultaneously unfolding across the globe, and many long years required for their completion, it appears that the emergence of the academic function of co-creation for sustainability has only just begun.
Being a new development also means that there are very few, if any, successfully completed past examples from which to learn. Although it will be exciting to keep an eye on the progress made by the ambitious collaborations presented in this article, it remains to be seen whether they can actually realise their ultimate objectives.
Nevertheless, our prediction is a hopeful one — that the university’s role of co-creation will continue to evolve and eventually become a key component of the urban shift to sustainability across the globe. | <urn:uuid:24b9b926-f87d-429e-9479-9e8261748464> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/universities-co-creating-urban-sustainability/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932818 | 2,271 | 2.546875 | 3 | The extract discusses the evolving role of universities in driving sustainable development through partnerships with industry, government, and civil society. It highlights examples of universities collaborating with external partners to address real-world problems, such as the University of Strathclyde and Novatlantis. The extract showcases complex scenarios requiring strategic thinking, advanced problem-solving, and intercultural fluency, demonstrating a high level of sophistication in discussing soft skills.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 3,539 | 1 |
According to research, elementary-age children spend an average of four and a half hours a day in front of a television screen, computer monitor, or video game. But schools may not be helping young viewers handle what they're seeing and hearing.
“How do we prepare kids for living in a society where almost all their information and entertainment comes to them through a screen?” asks Renee Hobbs, Ed.D., director of the Media Education Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia.
The answer: We teach media literacy, which trains children to think critically about both the overt and subtle media messages that wash over them every day. Media literacy — the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce communication in a variety of forms — is growing in importance in schools across the country.
“Children take all media messages as truth — and I think that's a big problem. It's not going to help us as a society,” says Lorenza Yarnes, a third-grade teacher at Leo Politi Elementary School in Los Angeles.
Policymakers agree. Today, all 50 states mandate some form of media literacy as part of their educational framework. Seven states, including Texas and Maryland, have made it a separate strand in their standards. But in many states, teachers are finding little guidance for helping their kids become media-savvy. Teaching to statewide testing standards often leaves little time to create independent media literacy units. In recent years, the growing trend is to teach media literacy not as a subject in itself, but as a way to approach the entire curriculum.
“Teachers say to me, 'I can't teach media literacy because I have too much already on my plate,'” says Elizabeth Thoman, founder of the Center for Media Literacy, an information clearinghouse. “But what you're really doing with media literacy is using examples from the media as the raw material to teach critical-thinking skills.”
“Many teachers are doing media literacy already. They just aren't calling it that,” says Faith Rogow, Ph.D., founding president of the Alliance for a Media Literate America, an umbrella organization for educators.
Media literacy is “a process, not a content area,” explains Cyndy Scheibe, executive director of Project Look Sharp, a media literacy training program at the Center for Teacher Education at Ithaca College in New York. It is “an approach to teaching, a different way of teaching, rather than more 'stuff' to teach,” she says.
The five basic questions of media literacy (see box, above), suggests Thoman, can be applied “to any message, in any format, in a structured, consistent way.” Students can use these five questions to examine everything from Saturday morning commercials to newspaper articles to young adult novels.
That's because Wilhelm's students placed large paper cutouts of the FDA Food Pyramid on the floor, sorted their favorite foods into the categories, and learned what “100%” on the ingredients panel really looks like.
The children “were totally amazed that Tang wasn't a fruit or a juice and belonged more to the sugar group,” recalls Wilhelm.
To her, this activity is a media literacy lesson. The students were “accessing, analyzing, and evaluating” the messages available to them on the cereal box. As she guided the class through a lesson on fantasy versus reality, Wilhelm showed a taped video of the products' television ads. The children quickly concluded that fruit or boats can't dance merrily on their own in real life. “I have students look for the 'tricks' being used,” she says. “The word 'trick' is very important because it becomes a fun challenge for the students and empowers them, as opposed to saying, 'Someone's lying to you so you'd better be suspicious.' Empowerment is the key.” Wilhelm wants her students to see themselves as active participants, rather than passive observers of media. “They have the power to create media themselves, not just to be the receivers of it,” she says.
When Wilhelm's students made Earth Day posters, they asked themselves media-literate questions like, “What is my message?” and “What techniques can I use to get attention?” One girl wrote, “Please don't litter on my sidewalk or I'll get mad at you.” A boy wrote, “Use fluorescent bulbs to save energy.” The posters were displayed where visitors could see them and then ask the children questions. The children “learned they have the power to get people talking, which was quite wonderful for them,” says Wilhelm. Her school district has collaborated with Ithaca College and Project Look Sharp in training teachers from the region how to integrate media literacy throughout the curriculum.
A third-grade teacher introduced a unit on Africa by showing slides and asking which images were shot in Africa. The children said “yes” to the mud huts and giraffes and “no” to the sidewalk cafes and gleaming office buildings. Told the images were all shot in Africa, the children “fell off their chairs,” recalls Cyndy Scheibe. The teacher also learned something useful: The children's knowledge about Africa came from two movies, The Lion King and Tarzan.
When the students compared those results with Spanish and Korean newspapers, “they made a lot of new connections,” Yarnes says. “They realized that someone was making decisions about who gets to be in pictures. I want them to not only understand the media, but to deconstruct it. We tend to believe everything we hear, but there's always a person, values, and purposes behind a message, and once you understand that, you can decide whether or not that message is true for you.”
Her school received a three-year, $500,000 federal grant to help teachers integrate media literacy into arts education. Although her district uses the scripted Open Court curriculum, she still works critical thinking into English, reading, and social studies. Media literacy is the subject that most excites her students. By the end of the year, they no longer come to school frightened about the scary TV show they watched the night before. “Even adults don't always realize what's real or not,” she says, “but my students are beginning to distinguish between the two.”
The Arts of Entertaining, Simpson explains, instructs young women how to be good wives by properly setting tables and hand writing party invitations. The boys laugh and the girls scowl when Simpson introduces the text. Then she leads a spirited discussion on how information changes over time. “It catches their attention really quickly. They realize that it's critical to check the date — whether they're gathering information from a textbook or the Internet,” she says.
That's just one of the ways Simpson weaves media literacy into her teaching. “Just as we teach students to analyze and think critically about texts, we should do the same thing with media,” she says. She doesn't urge children to cut back watching TV or surfing the Net. “To me, that's the equivalent of burning books.”
“Some of my kids don't like reading but love staring at a computer,” says Simpson, “so I might start teaching literature on E-books to give students the alternative of reading online. When we work with media, their engagement level shoots up.”
Simpson is just one of many teachers to conclude that media — despite its challenges — can present enormous opportunities for learning. | <urn:uuid:88d7610e-957a-4d3c-bae1-352bdebb5b84> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/media-savvy-kids/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320049.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20170623100455-20170623120455-00339.warc.gz | en | 0.966439 | 1,602 | 3.515625 | 4 | The extract discusses the importance of media literacy in schools, providing examples of teachers integrating critical thinking and analysis of media messages into their curriculum. It highlights the need for students to think critically about the information they consume and to be aware of the potential biases and intentions behind media messages. The extract also showcases various teaching methods and approaches to media literacy, demonstrating its practical application in different contexts.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 246,441 | 1 |
Multiculturalism/Diversity Curriculum Guidelines
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has created the following Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education which are summarized below:
- Ethnic and cultural diversity should permeate the total school environment.
- School policies and procedures should foster positive multicultural interactions and understandings among students, teachers, and the support staff.
- A school?s staff should reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity within the United States.
- Schools should have systematic, comprehensive mandatory, and continuing staff development programs.
- The curriculum should reflect the cultural learning styles and characteristics of the students within the school community.
- The multicultural curriculum should provide students with continuous opportunities to develop a better sense of self.
- The curriculum should help students understand the totality of the experiences of ethnic and cultural groups in the United States.
- The multicultural curriculum should help students understand that a conflict between ideals and realities always exists in human societies.
- The multicultural curriculum should explore and clarify ethnic and cultural alternatives and options in the United States.
- The multicultural curriculum should promote values, attitudes, and behaviors that support ethnic pluralism and cultural diversity as well as build and support the nation-state and the nation's shared national culture. E pluribus unum should be the goal of the schools and the nation.
- The multicultural curriculum should help students develop their decision-making abilities, social participation skills, and sense of political efficacy as necessary bases for effective citizenship in a pluralistic democratic nation.
- The multicultural curriculum should help students develop the skills necessary for effective interpersonal, interethnic, and intercultural group interactions.
- The multicultural curriculum should be comprehensive in scope and sequence, should present holistic views of ethnic and cultural groups, and should be an integral part of the total school curriculum.
- The multicultural curriculum should include the continuous study of the cultures, historical experiences, social realities, and existential conditions of ethnic and cultural groups, including a variety of racial compositions.
- Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches should be used in designing and implementing the multicultural curriculum.
- The multicultural curriculum should use comparative approaches in the study of ethnic and cultural groups.
- The multicultural curriculum should help students to view and interpret events, situations, and conflict from diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives and points of view.
- The multicultural curriculum should conceptualize and describe the development of the United States as a multidirectional society.
- Schools should provide opportunities for students to participate in the aesthetic experiences of various ethnic and cultural groups.
- The multicultural curriculum should provide opportunities for students to study ethnic group languages as legitimate communication systems and help them develop full literacy in at least two languages.
- The multicultural curriculum should make maximum use of experiential learning, especially local community resources.
- The assessment procedures used with students should reflect their ethnic and cultural experiences.
- Schools should conduct ongoing, systematic evaluations of the goals, methods, and instructional materials used in teaching about ethnic and cultural diversity.
Click Here to download the Multicultural Program Evaluation Checklist | <urn:uuid:942eb80e-72ca-4b46-9345-6fe5aa84a493> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.muskegonisd.org/academicservices/for-community/multicultural/curriculum/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250606975.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200122101729-20200122130729-00003.warc.gz | en | 0.885025 | 624 | 3.84375 | 4 | The extract provides comprehensive guidelines for multicultural education, emphasizing diversity, inclusivity, and cultural awareness. It covers various aspects of multicultural curriculum development, including staff diversity, student learning styles, and community involvement. The guidelines promote critical thinking, decision-making, and interpersonal skills, earning points for discussing soft skills and featuring realistic scenarios. However, the extract lacks specific examples and practical applications, limiting its score.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 324,273 | 1 |
onsdag 5 september 2012
Syria - When do we have the responsibility to protect?
I'm sure most of you who have been following the daily news have seen the situation in Syria. A situation which really is a civil war. Syria obviously can't protect their people. So, with that noted the responsibility to protect becomes important. The norm is formulated as following: " - The State carries the primary responsibility for the protection of populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. - The international community has a responsibility to assist States in fulfilling this responsibility. - The international community should use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to protect populations from these crimes. If a State fails to protect its populations or is in fact the perpetrator of crimes, the international community must be prepared to take stronger measures, including the collective use of force through the UN Security Council." All kinds of violations of human rights are allowed to take place here but where's the international community? Why is there hesitation when the Syrian government obviously can not protect their people? Especially the children. Many children have lost their homes, parents and families. They're forced to live in the middle of the civil war where they really don't have any security at all. Practically always one step away from beeing hit by a bullet, bomb or experiencing other types of human rights violations. I know it also has got to do with China using their right to put in veto. But don't they deserve the same rights, both positive and negative rights, as every other child? I think everbody can agree with me when I say they do. So, the norm on the responsibility to protect needs to be strengthened and used more effectively, because really? How long is it going to take? I mean it's one thing to talk about the situation and have meetings and conventions regarding this, but the situation in Syria has been stated several times. It is now known. Yes, the situation is critical and now, it's time to let words become action. Now. | <urn:uuid:3aba3eeb-ebc3-44ad-b66d-8280673ad60d> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://humanrightsandglobalissues.blogspot.com/2012/09/syria-when-do-we-have-responsibility-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423269.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20170720161644-20170720181644-00686.warc.gz | en | 0.975675 | 412 | 2.640625 | 3 | The extract discusses a complex global issue, encouraging critical thinking and empathy. It touches on leadership and responsibility, highlighting the need for international cooperation. However, it lacks nuanced interaction, practical application, and comprehensive professional development opportunities.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 365,237 | 0 |
By Judith Sherman, Chief of HIV/AIDS, UNICEF Malawi
At 9 am on 8 November 2017, the Deputy Director of Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Dyce Nkhoma, received a phone call from Salima District saying that “heavy rainfall has occurred in the Maganga area, roads are impassable and there is a strong likelihood that individuals are stranded.”
He alerted the Vice President, and activated a communication procedure to inform the Malawi Defense Forces, Ministries of Defense, Civil Aviation and Health, Meteorological Services, Police Commission, United Nations and various NGOs.
The call was part of a simulation exercise. The Deputy Director requested that drones be deployed immediately to survey the area so that search and rescue teams could be sent for survivors and to assess the extent of the damage. Two drone companies were sent to the affected area, accompanied by data analysts. In Salima district, an Emergency Operations Center was established and District Cluster groups, with representatives from UN and other humanitarian organizations, began preparing for an influx of displaced people and the post-flood response. Journalists from national media arrived to report on the situation.
The drones were sent off from a primary school, where local police had secured a takeoff and landing zone. School children jumped and cheered as quadcopter and fixed wing drones took to the skies. Twenty minutes later the drones returned with data that was quickly analyzed by Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists.
Working with the Community Civil Protection Committee, stranded survivors were identified, along with damaged infrastructure and affected crops. Two search and rescue teams, armed with the coordinates and Global Positioning System (GPS), were speedily deployed. However, the teams were not bringing back real people, but wooden planks spray painted yellow, green, blue and red, each color symbolizing either a survivor, affected crops, damaged infrastructure or a flood zone. Within an hour, all the planks had been retrieved.
The simulation exercise was part of a three-day training with the Government of Malawi, supported by UNICEF, to integrate drones into the national disaster risk preparedness and response framework. Facilitated by the Swiss-American NGO WeRobotics, the workshop provided information on best practice in using drones as part of an emergency response, including roles and responsibilities and codes of conduct.
Participants gained practical skills and hands-on experience through the simulation. Of particular importance, ten District Disaster Response Management Officers gained a solid understanding of how drones could complement their risk preparedness and response activities at the district level.
UNICEF Malawi’s work on drones in emergencies began in 2016, as the organization prepared for the upcoming rainy season. Malawi experiences floods every year; sometimes these are massive, as in 2015 when over 200,000 people were displaced. Usually, they are restricted to specific flood-prone areas.
In February 2017, floods occurred in Salima District. Following a request by DoDMA, UNICEF deployed drones to assess the flooded areas. Two months later, Karonga District experienced floods and, again, UNICEF activated an assessment by drone. The information obtained by the drone was particularly valuable given the impassable roads and collapsed bridges that occurred in these districts.
Following the flood response, in order to assist the government’s preparedness, UNICEF began working with districts to map areas of potential flooding and identify at-risk villages. As part of the humanitarian information management working group, NGOs and UN agencies began discussing the best ways to analyze and share drone-obtained imagery and data.
As Malawi heads into its 2017–2018 rainy season, UNICEF and the Government’s aim is to be prepared with better knowledge of flood prone areas, in order to enhance early warning systems, and to have systems in place to utilize drones in an emergency response. Given the results of the simulation exercise, it looks like Malawi is on the right flight path. | <urn:uuid:80f833b8-83b9-4334-a78c-d4cc1348a1c4> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://unicefmalawi.blog/2017/11/16/testing-the-use-of-drones-for-emergency-flood-response/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875143635.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20200218055414-20200218085414-00332.warc.gz | en | 0.958784 | 816 | 2.71875 | 3 | The extract demonstrates a comprehensive approach to disaster response and management, incorporating advanced technologies like drones and GIS. It showcases realistic scenarios, practical applications, and intercultural collaboration, highlighting the importance of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in emergency situations. The simulation exercise provides a nuanced example of strategic thinking and leadership.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 351,049 | 1 |
Category: Society & Social Sciences|
The author of the book: Michael J. Furlong
Format files: PDF, EPUB, TXT, DOCX
The size of the: 957 KB
Date of issue: 21 February 2014
Description of the book "Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools":Understanding the factors that encourage young people to become active agents in their own learning is critical. Positive psychology is one lens that can be used to investigate the factors that facilitate a student's sense of agency and active school engagement. In the second edition of this groundbreaking handbook, the editors draw together the latest work on the field, identifying major issues and providing a wealth of descriptive knowledge from renowned contributors. Major topics include: the ways that positive emotions, traits, and institutions promote school achievement and healthy social and emotional development; how specific positive-psychological constructs relate to PDF students and schools and support the delivery of school-based services; and the application of positive psychology to educational policy making. With thirteen new chapters, this edition provides a long-needed centerpiece around which the field can continue to grow, incorporating a new focus on international applications of the field.
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Download EBOOK Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools for free | <urn:uuid:fe50ac84-80a0-4794-a817-5c88bc2e63cd> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://clearwalksoft.com/society-social-sciences/86655-handbook-of-positive-psychology-in-schools.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423769.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20170721102310-20170721122310-00682.warc.gz | en | 0.913223 | 515 | 2.875 | 3 | The extract provides superficial coverage of basic communication and teamwork concepts, with limited depth or practical application. It lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving opportunities, and meaningful cultural awareness. The focus is on promoting a book about positive psychology in schools, without directly addressing soft skills development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 550,156 | 0 |
I spend a lot of my professional life identifying fishes. Most of this work has been in the Great Lakes basin but some work beyond this watershed into the Atlantic and Mississippi drainages. I’m regularly sent images from colleagues, friends and random anglers seeking help with fish identification. In recent weeks I’ve been bombarded with requests to identify Salmonid species. The Salmonids, or Salmonidae Family, is a diverse family of various sub-families including Salmoninae (Salmon, Trout, Char), Coregoninae (Whitefishes) and Thymalline (Grayling).
Depending on what group you ‘swim with’ each sub-family has their challenges. For anglers most of the identification issues come from the sub-family Salmoninae which consists of various genera including: Salvelinus (Char species), Oncorhynchus (Pacific Salmon species), and Salmo (Freshwater Trouts).
In the Great Lakes Basin there can be enough variation in Salmonids that identification can be challenging at times. I’ve always encouraged anglers and fisheries professionals to use a systematic approach to fish species identification. How can anglers use this approach? Know you’re study species is the key.
In the Great Lakes basin these are the Salmoninae species anglers may encounter:
- Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
- Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
- Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
- Rainbow Trout aka ‘Steelhead’ (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)
- Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)
- Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
- Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
Below is my simple three step approach to collecting great fish images.
Step 1: Know your camera
What do anglers need to know for them to accurately differentiate between the each species? The criterial first step is documenting the fish in question. For most anglers their best piece of equipment is a camera. With most smart phones having high quality cameras this is simple. Know how to use it. Cameras with a macro feature can be very helpful. Practice your picture taking beforehand. This will help wih reducing handling time of your subject.
Step 2: Know your fish anatomy
Knowing some basic fish anatomy will give any angler an edge in determining the identification of a most Great Lakes Salmonid species. One document I highly recommend was produced by the New York Sea Grant folks called: Salmon and Trout of Lake Ontario – A Visual Identifcation Guide. This guide explains much of the variation that exists in Great Lakes Salmonids in a format that easily compares the species in a side by side format. You can download the guide here: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/glsportfish/pdfs/SalmonTrout-LakeOntario2012.pdf
Step 3: Take care of your fish
This is the final and maybe most important step. When you catch a fish and you are questioning the identification be sure to photograph the important features quickly and carefully. Anglers should take appropriate measures to protect their catch. Keep the fish in water as much as possible.
Some additional tips:
- Use a net to reduce fish handling and help to keep a fish wet.
- Keep the flash off on the camera unless you’re in the dark.
- Avoid laying fish on the ground for pictures. This can be very harmful to fishes as they could flop on the ground. Again, use a net.
- Ask a friend to help with collecting fish images including holding fins out/extended, etc.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy your time on the water this season!
2 thoughts on “Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Identification – what anglers need to know”
Great article. Well done, Jason!
Thanks Erling. With all of the requests some of us receive on this topic I just wanted to put it to paper.
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:6215141e-769d-4c45-92bc-109903155c20> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://thereelangle.com/2017/11/01/great-lakes-trout-and-salmon-identification-what-anglers-need-to-know/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224651325.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605053432-20230605083432-00617.warc.gz | en | 0.891299 | 876 | 2.984375 | 3 | The extract provides superficial coverage of basic communication and teamwork concepts, with limited depth or practical application. It focuses on fish identification and photography, with some basic tips and guidelines. While it includes some discussion of professional development, such as using a systematic approach to identification, it lacks nuanced interaction or complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 941,883 | 0 |
What Is The Difference Between Oil And Natural Gas?
The biggest separation between raw Oil and intrinsic Gas is their molecular makeup. raw Oil is comprised of a ramble and diverse choice of intricate hydrocarbons. … intrinsic Gas is also wetting up of a mixture of particularize hydrocarbons such as gasses resembling ethane propane butane and pentane.Nov 1 2017
What is natural gas and oil?
Oil and intrinsic gas are naturally occurring chemicals that are wetting up of exact two elements — carbon and hydrogen. The pure of chemicals based on carbon and hydrogen are named hydrocarbons. The simplest hydrocarbon methane is wetting up of one carbon dissection and four hydrogen atoms.
What is natural gas and how does it compare to oil?
1. raw oil and intrinsic gas are fossil fuels that are abashed for heating. 2. raw oil or petroleum consists of hydrocarbons and fuse inanimate compounds briefly intrinsic gas consists mainly of methane and hydrocarbons or ethane.
Do cars use oil or natural gas?
Jet fuel is abashed in jet airplanes and ant: gay types of helicopters. Residual fuel oil is abashed in ships. Biofuels are added to gasoline and diesel fuel. intrinsic gas as compressed intrinsic gas and liquefied intrinsic gas is abashed in cars buses trucks and ships.
Why is it called natural gas?
The total train as you can see is fully intrinsic and results in the shape of a colorless odorless gas which is greatly flammable. So the above-mentioned ‘natural gas’ is perfectly self-descriptive in a sense. … The reach of methane confuse in biogenic gas however is almost 20% – 30% pure sooner_than what is confuse in intrinsic gas.
What is difference between oil and gas?
Oil vs Gas. The separation between oil and gas is that the commensurate oil refers to hydrocarbon mixtures that are fluid at space temperature since gas is a mixture of gas formed engage the fossil remains buried profound in the Earth. … numerous types of oil are confuse naturally and ant: gay are processed.
Is oil better than natural gas?
On a global plane gas is also safer sooner_than heating oil for the planet owing intrinsic gas sends 25 percent pure carbon dioxide inter the atmosphere sooner_than oil.
Which is more expensive oil or natural gas?
Compared to oil intrinsic gas is pure expensive. The mean intrinsic gas account in winter 2014 to 2015 was $642 and intrinsic gas tends to be one of the smallest costly fuel options overall. The efficiency of intrinsic gas systems varies. The convenience disparity systems are good-natured sooner_than 90 percent efficient.
Does natural gas come from petroleum?
Natural gas is sometimes exact named gas See also since does accost storms mainly occur
Is CNG a gas?
CNG also mysterious as compressed intrinsic gas is an eco-friendly choice to gasoline. wetting by compressing intrinsic gas (methane) below to pure sooner_than 1% of its size CNG fuel is safer sooner_than gasoline and diesel owing it is non-toxic and does not defile strained water.
Is natural gas renewable?
As we traditionally colloquy it intrinsic gas is not renewable but its sustainability plane depends on since it comes from. accordingly are three types of intrinsic gas: Abiogenic methane is a agree of oil and gas that does not commence engage fossil deposits.
Does natural gas damage the engine?
Natural gas tends to prolong the advantageous vitality of the engine’s lubricating oil owing it produces pure carbon when burned. In conventionally fueled vehicles engine oil degrades as a ant: fail of soften and fuse impurities engage the combustion train that are genuine absorbed by the oil.
How is oil gas made?
The leading aloof of refining raw oil is to overreach it until it boils. The boiling fluid is separated inter particularize liquids and gases in a distillation column. These liquids are abashed to exult petrol paraffin diesel fuel etc. … The boiling oil turns inter a mixture of gases in the column.
What’s wrong with natural gas?
While carbon dioxide emission is not that elevated burning intrinsic gas also releases methane which is a powerful greenhouse gas that leaks to the atmosphere in a big amount. Burning intrinsic gas also emits carbon monoxide nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Is natural gas liquid or air?
Natural gas is an odourless colourless gas largely formed dispute millions of years underground. It’s wetting of a difference of compounds (see below) but methane is by far the interior significant.
Is it worth switching from oil to gas?
It is Cost-Effective See also what happens to air density as you go up in the layers of the atmosphere Although the initial address of switching to a gas furnace may be valuable the overall savings are commendable the upfront costs in the related run. Not single are you guaranteed elevated returns on investments but you antipathy also preserve good-natured money dispute early if you select to use intrinsic gas dispute oil heating systems.
What’s cheaper gas or oil?
Oil simply costs good-natured sooner_than gas but that doesn’t aid to expound why. During combustion it has been proven that intrinsic gas is far good-natured efficient at providing overreach energy. The worst order of heating a boiler is using electricity so we quiet commend oil or gas as preferable options.
What is better gas or oil?
Oil offers numerous open benefits. … Oil provides abundant good-natured overreach per aggregation sooner_than intrinsic gas. Biodiesel a ingredient of the Biofuel that Tragar ant: implicit delivers to its customers produces considerably good-natured overreach per aggregation (127 960 BTU) sooner_than intrinsic gas (22 453 BTU).
Is natural gas the best for heating?
Natural gas is one of the cleanest-burning fossil fuels available making it a relatively right option as a fuel material when comparing it to fuse fossil fuels resembling heating oil. If fossil fuels are your home’s single option intrinsic gas is probably the convenience one to use for heating.
Who is the largest natural gas producer in the US?
ExxonMobil ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil (XOM) produced 8.5 billion cubic feet of intrinsic gas per day in 2020 the lowest reach in the spent seven years and aloof of a continuing decline. 12It is the largest oil and gas follow in the United States based on revenue.
Is natural gas the same as propane?
Natural gas vs propane: conclusion twain are odourless colourless and clean-burning fossil fuels. Propane is good-natured energy-efficient and considered to be a green fuel briefly intrinsic gas is not. intrinsic gas is delivered to houses via gas pipelines. … Lastly propane is heavier sooner_than air but intrinsic gas is lighter.
What are advantages of natural gas?
Advantages of intrinsic Gas intrinsic gas is plentiful and a superiority material of energy. … Infrastructure already in place. … intrinsic gas can be easily transported. … intrinsic gas produces pure overall pollution. … intrinsic gas is a nonrenewable resource. … Storage. … intrinsic Gas Emits Carbon Dioxide. … intrinsic gas can be hard to harness.
What is LPG full form?
The acronym LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas and in ordinary parlance describes gases that stay fluid at space temperature separate relatively low resistance such as propane butane and their mixtures. … As a fossil fuel LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is frequently abashed for heating or cooking purposes.
What does LNG stand for?
Liquefied intrinsic gas (LNG) is intrinsic gas that has been cooled to a fluid lands (liquefied) at almost -260° Fahrenheit for shipping and storage.
What does LPG stand for?
liquefied petroleum gasAs we’ve exact learnt LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas which resources when you say LPG gas you’re saying… liquefied petroleum gas gas See also how to articulate spiral
How long will natural gas last?
Oil can blight up to 50 years intrinsic gas up to 53 years and harmonize up to 114 years. Yet renewable energy is not common sufficient so emptying our reserves can despatch up.
What creates natural gas?
Natural gas is created naturally dispute the assembly of hundreds of millions of years. It is formed when layers of decomposing plants and animals are subordinate to intense overreach engage the Earth and resistance engage rocks.
Is natural gas finite?
Fossil fuels (coal oil and gas) are clear — use topic for related sufficient and global material antipathy eventually run out.
What are the disadvantages of CNG?
Disadvantages Of Having CNG In Your Car Decreased useless Space. CNG Powered Maruti Suzuki WagonR. … Decreased enable Output. 1.2-litre engine. … many labor Intervals. Engine Oil repulse – Basic Car DIYs. … Decreased Resale Value. Buying engage a special seller. … related Wait For Refuelling. CNG refilling. … Hydrotesting. … bespatter of Knowledge.
Why CNG cars are not popular?
Another innate disadvantage of the CNG cars is its shorter order compared to the diesel and petrol vehicle. The perfection fuel order resources that you antipathy own to share the car to refilling plaster good-natured regularly. Additionally the fuel efficiency of CNG-powered vehicles is also perfection sooner_than fuse customary vehicles.
Can you convert a natural gas vehicle to gasoline?
When the CNG storage tank becomes low on resistance the engine antipathy automatically switch to gasoline. Normally the driver antipathy not observation a vary in engine agency when this takes place.
Where is natural gas found?
Natural gas is confuse in profound underground rock formations or associated immediately fuse hydrocarbon reservoirs in harmonize beds and as methane clathrates. Petroleum is another fossil fuel confuse narrow to and immediately intrinsic gas. interior intrinsic gas was created dispute early by two mechanisms: biogenic and thermogenic.
How is natural gas shipped?
Natural gas can be transported on soft via pipeline or on water via ship. interior of the world’s intrinsic gas is delivered by pipeline. amplify networks of pipelines quickly liberate intrinsic gas on soft to superiority processing facilities and end consumers 2.
Where is natural gas used?
Most U.S. intrinsic gas use is for heating and generating electricity but ant: gay consuming sectors own fuse uses for intrinsic gas. The electric enable sector uses intrinsic gas to deteriorate electricity and ant: slave advantageous thermal output. | <urn:uuid:d5692e6f-6795-4d7e-94e2-a85280011ae3> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://sahmy.com/what-is-the-difference-between-oil-and-natural-gas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.909011 | 2,214 | 2.984375 | 3 | The extract provides superficial coverage of basic concepts related to oil and natural gas, but lacks meaningful depth, practical application, and nuanced interaction. It does not specifically discuss soft skills, emotional intelligence, leadership challenges, or critical thinking opportunities. The content is primarily informative, focusing on the differences between oil and natural gas, their uses, and advantages.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 725,812 | 0 |
Next: Mode Line Prev: Point Up: Screen
The Echo Area
The line at the bottom of the screen (below the mode line) is the
"echo area". It is used to display small amounts of text for several
"Echoing" means printing out the characters that you type. Outside
Emacs, the operating system normally echoes all your input. Emacs
handles echoing differently.
Single-character commands do not echo in Emacs, and multi-character
commands echo only if you pause while typing them. As soon as you pause
for more than a second in the middle of a command, Emacs echoes all the
characters of the command so far. This is to "prompt" you for the rest
of the command. Once echoing has started, the rest of the command
echoes immediately as you type it. This behavior is designed to give
confident users fast response, while giving hesitant users maximum
feedback. You can change this behavior by setting a variable (*note
If a command cannot be executed, it may print an "error message" in
the echo area. Error messages are accompanied by a beep or by flashing
the screen. Also, any input you have typed ahead is thrown away when
an error happens.
Some commands print informative messages in the echo area. These
messages look much like error messages, but they are not announced with
a beep and do not throw away input. Sometimes the message tells you
what the command has done, when this is not obvious from looking at the
text being edited. Sometimes the sole purpose of a command is to print
a message giving you specific information--for example, `C-x =' prints
a message describing the character position of point in the text and
its current column in the window. Commands that take a long time often
display messages ending in `...' while they are working, and add `done'
at the end when they are finished.
The echo area is also used to display the "minibuffer", a window that
is used for reading arguments to commands, such as the name of a file
to be edited. When the minibuffer is in use, the echo area begins with
a prompt string that usually ends with a colon; also, the cursor
appears in that line because it is the selected window. You can always
get out of the minibuffer by typing `C-g'. Note: Minibuffer.
automatically generated by info2www | <urn:uuid:dfe2e11d-8bf1-4374-8468-594595a09f79> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/info2www?(emacs)Echo%20Area | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886123312.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20170823171414-20170823191414-00493.warc.gz | en | 0.882596 | 524 | 3.53125 | 4 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on technical aspects of Emacs. It provides superficial coverage of basic concepts without meaningful depth or practical application related to soft skills.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 810,778 | 0 |
Decision making refers to the process by which an individual comes to choose between two (or more) alternative courses of action. For career decisions, this process might lead to the choice of a major, a more general occupational direction, or a particular job. Decision making might also lead individuals to explore some career directions and not others or to abandon choices previously made. Regardless of the specific context, career decision making reflects the process through which individuals take in, weigh, and make judgments about themselves in relation to the world of work.
Decision making has been studied both as a process and as a source of individual variation. In turn, the process of decision making has been framed in both descriptive and prescriptive ways, and models of individual variation have been advanced that reflect both individual styles and the context of the decision-making environment. Each of these major perspectives is described here.
Tracing back to the earliest study of human cognition, theorists have sought to describe how it is that people arrive at a single course of action as well as how decisions should be made optimally.
Descriptive Models of Decision Making
Descriptive models of decision making are those that simply describe or detail the steps involved in the process of making a decision without advocating for how the process should proceed. In one of the first efforts to describe career decision making, David V. Tiedeman provided a comprehensive model that portrayed the process as a sequence of stages leading up to and following the point of choice. Prior to choice is a stage of anticipation in which individuals explore, crystallize alternatives, make a choice, and clarify how the choice will be put into action. Following this is a stage involving implementation in which the individual adjusts after the chosen alternative is enacted. Tiedeman also noted that the process was not necessarily linear and irreversible, arguing that one might recycle through these stages at any point. Such recycling might occur when, for instance, alternatives failed to crystallize (leading one back to exploration) or the selected alternative failed to lead to a satisfactorily implementation plan (leading one back to choice making or exploration). Vincent A. Harren further expanded this model to focus specifically on the decision making of college students and to include attention to elements of individual and contextual variability in the decision-making process. His model included four phases of awareness: needing to decide, planning, making a commitment to a particular course of action, and implementation of the chosen alternative.
Other descriptive models of decision making have focused on selected segments of the decision-making process. Seeking to understand what starts the decision-making process, one model suggested that discrepancy between one’s beliefs about the world and one’s plans for entering it leads to a dissonance that is reduced by initiating a decision-making process. Focusing on how individuals weigh and evaluate assembled information and alternatives, other theorists offered mathematical models in which alternatives are weighted by combinations of valence, expected outcome, and probability.
Prescriptive Models of Decision Making
In contrast to the models of decision making that simply detail how a decision is made, there has been considerable effort directed to understanding how decisions should be made. In one of the earliest prescriptive models in the vocational domain, Frank Parsons argued in 1909 that the central task of career decision making was one of assembling information about oneself and about the world of work and using true reasoning to arrive at a match between the two sets of information. This model of a scientific, methodical, rational approach to decision making has been echoed and elaborated in a variety of prescriptive models of decision making.
John D. Krumboltz and his colleagues also offered a prescriptive model to help youth make decisions in a rational, logical manner. Their model both describes the steps in the process and also advocates for a systematic progress through those steps. Known by the acronym DECIDES, this models includes defining the problem, establishing a plan of action, clarifying values, identifying alternatives, discovering probable outcomes, eliminating alternatives systematically, and starting action. This model has similarities to several more generic models of effective problem solving proposed by P. Paul Heppner and others.
Other advocates of the methodical, rational model of the decision-making process focused on classical expected utility approaches. These approaches describe the best decision on which the decider gathers comprehensive information about alternatives, assigns utility or desirability weightings to each alternative, considers the probability of the outcomes of each alternative in a systematic manner, and selects the course of action associated with the highest expected utility.
While many prescriptive models offer a view of the best decision making as undertaken by thoroughly methodical, highly efficient, information processors, others have argued that this does not match well the experiences of most deciders. Itamar Gati, for example, offered a modification of the expected utility approach that better reflected how people manage and process the voluminous information involved in the decision-making process. His sequential elimination model highlights how deciders can progress through a methodical, sequential process in which they identify the most critical elements of the decision situation, rank alternatives according to those elements, and use the results to narrow down the number of alternatives considered. Accompanying this model is a recommended strategy for helping individuals through the prescreening, exploration, and choice stages of the decision-making process.
Finally, it should be noted that although a variety of models have been offered about what the decision-making process should look like, much remains unknown about the process actually used by high-quality decision makers and about how the limitations of human information processing and judgment can be accurately represented in prescriptions about the decision-making process.
Variations in the Decision-Making Process
In its most basic form, the career decision-making process entails the identification of alternatives, the gathering of information, the weighing of options, and ultimately the choosing and implementing of one course of action. Although this process may appear fairly straightforward, it has been noted that there is considerable individual variation how and how effectively this process unfolds in a given decisional situation. Efforts to understand this variability has led to a number of taxonomies of decision-making strategies or styles.
Decision-making styles refer to the characteristic ways in which different people behave in decision-making situations. The earliest efforts to identify these differences proposed trait-like categories of deciders who appeared to be planners, agonizers, delayers, impulsives, intuitives, fatalists, or compliant. From this perspective, it is expected that a decider who showed, for instance, impulsivity in choosing the first available alternative would display that same decisional behavior across all decision-making situations. The most widely used taxonomy in this tradition is that of Harren, who argued that decision making varies in the extent to which the individual assumes personal responsibility (versus assigning responsibility to fate, peers, and authorities) as well as in the extent to which the decider is logical (versus emotional) in the decision-making process.
His model includes a rational style in which the decider takes individual responsibility; a systematic, logical approach (i.e., an intuitive style) in which the decider also takes individual responsibility, but primarily considers emotional factors often impulsively; and a dependent style in which responsibility is deferred to others and a passive posture is assumed.
Similar categorizations have been advanced that suggest that the noted differences in approaching and behaving in decision making were likely to emerge depending on particular situations. According to this perspective, a decider might be hesitant (procrastinates or postpones decision making) in one situation, while being intuitive (choices based on an inner feeling of rightness or inevitability) or logical (objective appraisal and selection) or compliant (passive; choice basis is expectations of others or self-imposed expectations) in another. Still other taxonomies have suggested that deciders vary in the way in which they gather information (systematically or spontaneously) and process information (internally or externally).
With these noted variations in individual decision making, there has also been a strong endorsement of a decision-making process that includes considerable autonomy and independence and that is approached in a rational, systematic manner. Research has provided some support for this endorsement: the rational decision-making style has been linked with better approaches to problem solving, to greater knowledge about self, to better progress in the overall decision-making process, and to greater progress in implementing selected alternatives. There is also some evidence to suggest that the systematic decider is more likely to have a solid sense of personal identity and less likely to experience career indecision.
Along with the endorsement of the rational style, the prevailing recommendation from the literature discourages use of a dependent or intuitive style. Indeed, the dependent or compliant decision-making strategy has been linked with less favorable or adaptive functioning: individuals with a dependent style have been shown more likely to commit to alternatives without adequate exploration, to show less progress in the decision-making process, to avoid problem solving, and to lack confidence in their problem-solving abilities.
Although the available knowledge indicates that a rational, nondependent decision-making style can be expected to be effective, there is also growing evidence that such a style is not the only adaptive decision-making strategy. For example, in studies of interventions designed to help deciders, it has been shown that other decision-making strategies can prove helpful.
In a related vein, recent efforts have been made to highlight the possible adaptiveness of styles other than rational. Exploring the research on decision making and human judgment beyond the vocational domain, it has been noted that the rational, autonomous approach to decision making that is advocated may be neither possible nor desirable. From the perspective of information processing, there is considerable evidence that ordinary people and even high-quality decision makers simply do not engage in a comprehensive, dispassionate, systematic, isolated decision-making process. In addition, where emotion or intuition is regarded in the vocational domain as something to be minimized, these qualities can also be viewed as highly relevant sources of information about available alternatives. Furthermore, where reliance on others is seen in the career decision-making literature as a dangerous departure from necessary autonomy, studies of expert judges suggest that making use of the expertise, wisdom, and perspective of others is highly valuable in the decision-making process. Taken together, there is growing evidence that decision-making styles that are different from the traditionally advocated rational style may also have distinct benefits in the decision-making process.
Variations from the Context of Decision Making
Although early study of variation in decision making focused on qualities of the individual decider, there is also a growing recognition that the context in which decision making occurs is likely to play a major role in how and how effectively an individual proceeds. This recognition has arisen from the growing evidence that cultural and interpersonal factors are as influential as individual differences in shaping behavior. From a cultural perspective, it has been suggested that in contexts where individualistic values prevail, the role and value of others in the decision-making process might be minimal. However, in cultures where collectivist values prevail, the role played by others may be quite pronounced and the value of the role of others emphasized, even within a traditionally rational process. These differences have been observed in studies in which the more confident deciders from individualistic cultures were those who did not use a dependent style, while the deciders from collectivist cultures were more confident only if they did use a rational style.
From the perspective of the interpersonal context of decision making, other emerging perspectives have focused on the role of others in the decisional situation. These perspectives portray the decider as embedded in a social context that shapes perceptions, defines behavioral options, and influences courses of action. Drawing from knowledge about the powerful relational contexts of human experience, it has been argued that it is too limiting to consider the role of others only from the perspective of dependency or compliance. Rather, a view of an individual’s decision-making process experience would be far more complete if it included all of the ways in which the relational context aided, supported, hindered, impinged, and/or ignored the decider’s task. Toward this goal, a number of scholars have begun to articulate the variety of ways in which perceptions, alternatives, and experiences in choice making situations are influenced by the decider’s relationships. For example, an initial taxonomy has been offered to detail two important dimensions: how deciders use others in decision-making situations in more or less self-directed ways and how others involve themselves in the decision-making process. Efforts such as these are providing increasing confidence that the role of others in decision making may be quite valuable in an individual’s decision making.
Theory and research on career decision making to date has yielded a clear view of the basic steps of the decision-making process and has identified some of the effective ways in which decisions can best be made. Although this knowledge has been advanced based on what may be an unrealistic view of human information processing, newer models are emerging that will capture the best decision-making processes within the capacity of everyday deciders. Similarly, although many extant models of decision-making styles or strategies have placed priority on autonomy and rationality, newer perspectives are incorporating the importance of culture and context, and there is a growing recognition that there may be multiple “good” ways to proceed in decision-making situations.
- Gati, I. (1986). Making career decisions: A sequential elimination approach. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 33, 408—117.
- Gati, I., & Asher, I. (2001). The PIC model for career decision making: Prescreening, in-depth exploration, and choice. In F. T. L. Leong & A. Barak (Eds.), Contemporary models in vocational psychology (pp. 7-54). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Heppner, P. P., Witty, T. E., & Dixon, W. A. (2004). Problem-solving appraisal and human adjustment: A review of 20 years of research using the Problem Solving Inventory. The Counseling Psychologist, 32(3), 344—428.
- Kahneman, D. (2003). A perspective on judgment and choice: Mapping bounded rationality. American Psychologist, 58(9), 697-720.
- Phillips, S. D. (1997). Toward an expanded definition of adaptive decision making. Career Development Quarterly, 45, 275-287.
- Phillips, S. D., Christopher-Sisk, E., & Gravino, K. L. (2001). Making career decisions in a relational context. The Counseling Psychologist, 29(2), 193-213.
- Phillips, S. D., & Pazienza, N. (1988). History and theory of the assessment of career development and decision making. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career decision making (pp. 1-32). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. | <urn:uuid:20896d9b-956f-4432-a7b3-50e444fb166a> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/counseling-psychology/career-counseling/decision-making-counseling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296943746.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20230321193811-20230321223811-00425.warc.gz | en | 0.944391 | 3,094 | 3.53125 | 4 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of decision-making processes, models, and styles, with a focus on career development and vocational psychology. It discusses various theoretical frameworks, research findings, and practical applications, demonstrating a high level of complexity and nuance. The text integrates emotional intelligence, leadership challenges, and critical thinking opportunities, and acknowledges the importance of cultural awareness, context, and interpersonal factors in decision-making. However, it primarily focuses on theoretical knowledge and research, with limited practical application and real-world scenarios.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 45,191 | 1 |
When learning words in a foreign language, the only way to get a full understanding is to gather data from as many sources as possible: dictionaries, media (fiction/nonfiction) and of course as many real-world situations as possible. I see this is as chiseling away the various subtleties of this word little by little until you have the whole picture, which can take a great amount of data. I like to use terminology borrowed from statistics call these “samples” of data.
I have a long history with the word “偉い” (erai). Some years ago, I had told someone a little older than me I was studying Japanese using various methods and she had described me as “偉い”, which I took to mean a complement. Then, years later, I had heard that word used to describe a small child who had done a good something with something, and eventually started using that word frequently with my son when he did a great job.
The other day I was talking with a Japanese guy who said he had started his own company, to which I responded “偉いですね”, making an attempt to compliment him. But he just made an awkward face said “偉いっていうのかな？” implying I might have said something that didn’t quite fit the situation. I eventually said ”憧れます” (akogaremasu) which was a better word for the situation.
After that, I did some research and learned this term is perfect for using with kids, but isn’t really appropriate for using against adults, unless the person speaking is clearly more experienced with respect to what is being discussed. This is because “erai” generally has the feel of looking down on someone (見下る). So unless I happened to be an experienced entrepreneur having started up a few of my own companies, it probably would be best for me avoid saying “erai” in the context of someone who opened their own business.
When I asked what would have been a better phrase to use in my situation, I was told simply “すごい” (sugoi) (:
Going back to the first time I heard this word, I guess maybe that person had been looking down on me, or just using the expression carelessly. Or maybe it was appropriate since she was a Japanese person, clearly skilled in the area of Japanese. While I couldn’t have known the intention she used the word with, in the years following that I should have picked up on where the word was *not* used, which was in the context to compliment an adult, especially when you’ve just met them and are clearly less experienced than them in the area in question.
This is a good example where the dictionary doesn’t help understand the subtleties of words because it doesn’t say anything about the nuance I described above. It has lists the definitions “great” (“すぐれた”) and “admirable” (“賞賛すべき), along with some other things. By the way, another usage of this word is to mean “to a large extent” , for example in the phrase “偉い違い” which means “big difference”. One other usage of this word is “偉そう(に)” [erasou (ni)] which is used to refer to someone who is acting like they are all high and mighty. | <urn:uuid:921596c8-795c-409c-93a5-0869fd391aa0> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://selftaughtjapanese.com/2016/06/26/the-trouble-of-insufficient-samples-the-japanese-word-%E5%81%89%E3%81%84-erai-and-it-proper-usage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423842.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20170722022441-20170722042441-00283.warc.gz | en | 0.987049 | 774 | 2.734375 | 3 | The extract scores high for its nuanced discussion of cultural awareness, specifically in the context of language learning and intercultural communication. It highlights the importance of understanding subtle differences in word usage and connotation, demonstrating a sophisticated level of emotional intelligence and critical thinking. The author's personal experience and reflection on their own mistakes and learning process also showcase a growth mindset and self-awareness.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 667,730 | 1 |
The needs of life and learning in the 21st century are changing rapidly. Technology project work can help us meet modern demands by providing students with opportunities to think critically, build creativity, write for a real audience, and manage time and effort.
While technology project work helps students acquire these important skills, the end product of project is merely a snapshot of each student’s content knowledge and communication skill. A single deliverable doesn’t necessarily indicate how effectively students build and use problem-solving, thinking, and management skills during the process.
Student-created digital portfolios can help us evaluate students’ growth with these skills. A portfolio showcases both student achievement and student learning over time. Rather than a basic collection of work students have completed in the classroom, an effective digital portfolio is a conscious selection of work along with student reflections and supporting materials that demonstrate progress, growth, and the learning that occurs during the project-building process.
The process of developing digital portfolios transfers responsibility for the demonstration of learning to your students, helping to engage them in the process of learning and making them active participants in their education.
Collecting and reflecting can be done without “going digital,” but technology makes this process easier than ever before. Unlike boxes of paper reports, dioramas, and audio tapes, a digital portfolio is easy to store, access, update, and distribute. It is a wonderfully rich way to share student ability with college recruiters, progress with teachers and administrators, and success with parents and community members.
Applications like Share include authoring tools that make it easy for students to include documents they have created, support those documents with photos, videos, and audio tracks of their performances, and reflect upon the process using text and recorded narration. Digital portfolios allow students to share their accomplishments as HTML for use online or easy-to-share ePub documents or interactive PDF files.
In creating a digital portfolio, students select from their body of work to demonstrate their progress toward academic goals as well as reflect on and explain their academic growth over time.
The work students choose to include in their portfolio should:
A portfolio should include a range of student work. A portfolio is a celebration of learning, not just achievement. To make it representative of the student’s development, the portfolio should include examples of their best performances as well as work that demonstrates progress toward a particular learning goal.
Without student reflections on their learning, digital portfolios are reduced to a simple collection of artifacts. The process of reflecting is what builds student metacognition, helping them learn about learning. After working on portfolios for even a short time, you begin to hear students include statements like, “I discovered that I learn best by ”, and “I thought but then I discovered ”
To help students better evaluate their own work and their own learning, each performance task in a portfolio should correlate to clear evaluation criteria for the performance. Students might choose to include a rubric for each artifact to more clearly show how the performance met learning goals as well as serve as provide a structure for student reflections.
Classroom work that is meaningful, tied to clear and demanding assessment, and constant dialogue between students and teachers fuels effective digital portfolios.
Like any complex change you undertake in your classroom, start out simple. Before creating portfolios, add a self-assessment component to existing student projects to get them ready for the reflections required for successful portfolio assessment.
You will also want to develop a structure for your portfolio to facilitate materials management and provide direction for the assessments you want students to include. You might develop a portfolio structure around Common Core State Standards or 21st century skills or a combination. You might also want to build assessment criteria and space for student reflection into the template.
As students become more comfortable with portfolio assessment and reflections, you will see them trend away from including only their best work and begin to incorporate work that demonstrates growth. You can facilitate this change by continually engaging in dialogue about learning artifacts students might include and why.
The process of choosing artifacts to include in a portfolio gets students to begin thinking about their learning. Including a voice reflection about why they chose a piece encourages them to move from the “what” of the project to the “how” of the learning process.
A digital portfolio is a great way to foster dialogue between student and teacher. As students develop expertise in selecting and reflecting, instructors benefit from a clearer picture of student learning and are better able to tailor instruction to meet specific student needs. The resulting awareness of their learning, and the discussions it generates between teachers and students, fosters an engaging and effective learning environment.
Digital portfolios require a significant time and training investment for both you and your students, but students’ improved engagement and metacognitive skills will continue paying dividends long into the future.
What can your students create?
Create custom rubrics for your classroom.
Graphic Organizer Maker
Create custom graphic organizers for your classroom.
A curated, copyright-friendly image library that is safe and free for education. | <urn:uuid:591c4b32-8c85-41bc-99de-5231bffe32c6> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://recipes.tech4learning.com/2014/articles/Portfolio-Assessment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370496330.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329232328-20200330022328-00196.warc.gz | en | 0.950009 | 1,031 | 3.515625 | 4 | The extract discusses the importance of digital portfolios in evaluating student growth and learning, particularly in developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. It provides practical guidance on creating and implementing digital portfolios, including student reflections and self-assessment. The extract also highlights the benefits of digital portfolios in fostering student engagement, metacognition, and dialogue between students and teachers.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 912,771 | 1 |
Why is the omiyage culture an essential work tradition in Japan?
As globalization sweeps the world, several Asian countries, including Japan, have carried out a more favorable policy for foreign workers. Japan is now welcoming more nationalities to work and augment its national workforce, a move necessary to support the world’s second-largest economy.
If seeking work opportunities in Japan is part of your priorities this year, make sure to find the time to learn its language and familiarize yourself with Japan’s unique work traditions, one of which is the omiyage culture.
Omiyage Culture in Japan
Anywhere in Japan, especially in destinations frequently visited by local and foreign tourists, there are several tourist shops that are filled with colorful, sleek, and kawaii boxes of local sweets that are perfect for gifts – these are omiyage.
You must have heard the term omiyage several times by now, you might have seen it in your favorite Jdrama or you might have received one from your Japanese friends as well.
Omiyage (お土産), based on its two kanji – 土 (earth / ground) and 産 (product) – literally means a local product and is used as a gift or souvenir.
For foreigners, omiyage is translated as ‘souvenir’ in English, however, in the Japanese culture, there is more to omiyage than being your typical souvenirs from a trip.
In western culture, a souvenir is any item you buy for yourself or for your friends and families back home to remember your recent trip. These items could be sweets or local delicacies of the place you visited or mostly non-food items like key chains, ref magnets, postcards, trinkets, etc. In Japan, however, omiyage are usually local sweets or other food items that are locally produced in the place of your recent trip and are intended to be given to your friends, especially to your co-workers.
When Japanese take leave from work and go on a vacation, they spend a little more time in thoughtfully buying omiyage that they can bring back to the office and give to their co-workers. It is a way of showing gratitude to those who were left behind to work, especially to those workmates who took care of some tasks while the others were away.
Bringing omiyage back to the office is also a thoughtful act of showing respect to your co-workers, and it also means that you are sharing your experience with them through your gifts.
Are they expecting to receive omiyage from you? Yes, they are but it doesn’t mean you are forced to buy omiyage for them. It’s a genuine and thoughtful act of gift-giving and the will itself must still come from the heart.
What Are Common Omiyage Gifts?
Remember that omiyage is related to the locality of the region or prefecture you are visiting, so whenever possible, buy omiyage that best represents the place of your recent trip, or opt to buy a unique product or sweets that can only be found in that area.
I’ll give you some examples; In Okinawa, you will find a lot of goya products; in Tokyo, you will most likely find the famous Tokyo Bananas; in Hokkaido, you will have melon and pineapple products; and in Kyoto, you can’t miss its unique uji-matcha and yatsuhashi flavors. Other omiyage you might want to consider are as follows:
This is a traditional sweet that is originally from the Hiroshima prefecture. It is a maple leaf-shaped cake, and its name comes from the Momiji (maple) valley in Hiroshima, where this a local delicacy. Next time you visit, make sure to grab a box or two of this omiyage that you can find all throughout Hiroshima.
Everytime I see the name dango, I am reminded of the Dango song popularized by the KyoAni produced anime, Clannad. Anyway, sasa dango is a type of rice cake or mochi made from mugwort herb, azuki paste, or kinpira root, and is wrapped in bamboo leaves. While it is a famous treat during the Boys Festival, this is now enjoyed year-round and a popular omiyage pick, too. Next time you visit the Niigata Prefecture, make sure to include sasa dango in your omiyage finds.
You can’t leave Sapporo without trying its well-known freshly-baked cheese tarts (trust me it tastes great).
If you happen to be in Nagoya, which is famous for its miso, you can also include hatcho miso in your omiyage options. It’s not your typical kind of omiyage, but it is something that you can give to your colleagues who loves to cook dishes. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning created from fermented soybeans.
Another popular omiyage from Hokkaido is Shiroi Koibito, a butter cookie and Royce chocolate that is famous even outside of Japan. Your co-workers who love rich and creamy choco will surely love to receive this from you.
A Yokohama favorite, this German cake was said to be brought to Japan by a German who opened a bakery in Yokohama in 1921. It comes in different flavors and is shareable among a group.
When in Kobe, you can grab some fugetsudo or wafer omiyage in addition to your castella cakes. These are the top Kobe favorites. Fugetsudo are often packaged in kawaii and decorative tins, which can be recycled, making it a good choice for omiyage if you are traveling overseas.
Aside from the tourist shops you can find in almost every corner of your destination, you will never run out of omiyage options in train stations and airports in Japan, too.
Who Should You Give Omiyage To?
The giving of omiyage is not only limited to co-workers, sometimes omiyage is also given to people whom you feel connected with, a friend you haven’t seen in a long while, someone who has done something good for you in the past whom you want to give something special in return, or someone you want to share the experience of your travel with.
Remember to buy an omiyage that is also shareable among your co-workers, friends, and family. The gift-giving culture is also meant to be a gift-sharing one, so consider how many boxes you will need to buy and for how many people you intend to share the omiyage with.
Ettiquette For Omiyage
Choosing the right omiyage is not the end of this journey, yet. There is also an omiyage etiquette, like how to present or give it the proper way. Once you give your omiyage to the person, you have to wait until they accept it. Sometimes, some people may decline, and all you have to do is simply offer your omiyage again until they accept it.
Also, do not expect people to open the omiyage right away. Don’t get offended, especially if they put your omiyage aside the moment they accepted it.
If you are a foreigner, they will not expect to receive an omiyage from you, but it is an important Japanese tradition, and eventually, they will still expect you to follow their tradition, especially if you have been living and working in their country for a long time.
I have received some omiyage myself from my Japanese friends who visited me and whom I visited in Japan too. They know that I love strawberry flavored sweets (although I don’t have a sweet-tooth), so I often get strawberry-flavored omiyage in colorful and cute boxes, wrapped thoughtfully and beautifully, too.
The omiyage culture is one way of understanding one another, a way of forging a more meaningful relationship with your co-workers and Japanese friends, it is also an act of spreading the joy of traveling and gift-giving.
In other countries, gift-giving is also valued, but it is not as traditionally practiced as it is in Japan. Mostly, when someone buys a souvenir, it is for himself or herself to take home, something that would remind her or him of the trip. Often, souvenirs we bring back home are not food and non-shareable.
I have been traveling for a long time now but I seldom bring souvenirs for my colleagues at work. Most of the time, I only bring home key chains or postcards for my family and closest friends. While the budget is a good excuse, I realized that it would have been more thoughtful and nicer if I also bring something my co-workers can share among themselves.
I learned from my Japanese friends that a bulk of their time on vacation is spent on carefully choosing the most genuine omiyage they can bring back home or to their workplaces.
How Did the Act of Omiyage Start?
Although there are no concrete records of its history, most of my Japanese friends whom I have asked said that the omiyage culture, like many of the Japanese traditions, must have a connection with the Shinto religion.
Looking into related literature about omiyage, I stumbled upon an interview done by Yahoo! Japan with the author of Omiyage and the Railway, Yuichiro Suzuki.
According to the article and interview, “the origin of omiyage is unclear, but it is thought that the custom began in association with sacred pilgrimages. Those who visited Shinto shrines were expected to bring back evidence of the pilgrimage to their families in the form of charms, rice wine cups, or other religiously significant items. It was thought that the protection granted to pilgrims would be transferred to whoever received the items brought back from the sacred trip. This is said to be the beginning of omiyage.”
Suzuki added that food preservation techniques were limited back then and people traveled by foot so they could only carry light items such as medicine, money, and ear picks. However, after the development of railways in Japan, omiyage in the form of food and sweets started to become an option.
Suzuki cited the Abekawa mochi of Shizuoka Prefecture as an example. He said the mochi originated in a small tea house next to Abekawa river. After the development of the railway station, the Abekawa mochi has evolved into a gyuuhi, a sugary confectionery, that lasts longer and can be taken for long trips. Since then, local sweets became a must-bring omiyage.
Other Work Traditions You Must Know
The omiyage tradition is just one of the many unique work culture that you must be familiar with. We have also included here other work traditions that might prove helpful to you now or in the future.
Group or team-focused
In many Japanese workplaces, the team or the company is placed above the individuals. In Western culture, teamwork is surely valued but so is individual freedom. In Japan, team leaders are seen as the sole decision-maker, and you cannot just exercise your individual freedom on important decisions that concerns the whole team.
After-hour get together and party
In Japan, workers are often expected to drink and party with colleagues after working hours. They have a term called nomikai – a drinking party – where workmates hang out, go for a drink or karaoke.
Formality at work
In other countries, colleagues call each other on a first-name basis, while in Japan this is a complete no-no. You have to address people using some appropriate honorific. The formality doesn’t end there because the scope of this includes your dress code, too. You will see them everywhere – in train stations, pedestrian lanes, and sidewalks – salarymen in black or gray suits with matching ties and glossy shoes; and professional women in a white button-down shirt, skirt, with a matching black blazer and high heels.
How Do You Feel About the Japanese Omiyage Culture?
We hope these insights about the Japanese traditions at work have helped you. It is up to you whether you think these traditions, especially the omiyage culture, should be adopted worldwide. What do you think? We will be delighted to hear your thoughts, too.
Nonetheless, next time you go on a trip, find time to bring back something, no matter how little or simple it may be, at least for your loved ones. It may not cost much but imagine the happiness that your fight can bring, knowing that you thought of them while you were traveling far away.
Always choose something that genuinely comes from the heart!
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5 Things You Need to Know about Omiyage Gift-Giving Culture in Japan
This article was originally posted on Nov 20, 2019 and has been edited and reposted on Nov 26, 2021. | <urn:uuid:f8f537cc-92e8-43cf-9a55-993e49c07ab0> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://guidable.co/work/work-traditions-in-japan-why-the-omiyage-tradition-should-be-worldwide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949387.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20230330194843-20230330224843-00391.warc.gz | en | 0.968237 | 2,809 | 2.78125 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of the omiyage culture in Japan, discussing its significance, history, and etiquette. It also touches on other Japanese work traditions, such as group-focused teamwork and formality at work. The article promotes cultural awareness, empathy, and understanding, encouraging readers to adopt thoughtful gift-giving practices. However, it lacks practical applications, nuanced interaction, and complex problem-solving opportunities, limiting its score.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 261,393 | 0 |
Spring has sprung on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, and that means rain showers. But not the kind of spring showers that bring flowers — on Titan it rains methane:
Instead of water, as on Earth, Titan’s cycles of precipitation, evaporation and cloud formation involve hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane, which at the extremes of cold on Titan pool as liquids in thousands of lakes around its north and south poles. Indeed, scientists estimate that Titan holds hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth.
Outer space may seem hostile to advanced life, but the solar system is rich in natural resources needed to survive. If we ever venture out into the solar system with long-term or permanent manned space missions, we should have little trouble availing ourselves of necessities like bulk building materials, hydrocarbon fuels, water, and oxygen.
Update: APOD has featured an artist’s conception of what it might look like from the surface of Titan (not very inviting). | <urn:uuid:f295d5c1-052e-4c7c-b473-23d4367c859c> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://sixdayscience.com/2011/03/18/methane-rain-on-titan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886104636.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818121545-20170818141545-00196.warc.gz | en | 0.935509 | 215 | 3.734375 | 4 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on scientific information about Titan and its resources. There are no communication, teamwork, or problem-solving scenarios, and no emphasis on cultural awareness, digital literacy, or professional development.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 882,811 | 0 |
A University organization is using a comic book to encourage young Aboriginal students to study engineering.
The comic book I’m a Chemical Engineer follows the narrative of a cartoon version of Siobhan Dooley, Sci ’12, and is aimed at a grade 4 to 8 reading level.
Dooley, who is Aboriginal, is listed as a “role model” with the Queen’s Aboriginal Access to Engineering. She currently works as a chemical engineer.
Queen’s Aboriginal Access to Engineering, which aims to support Aboriginal students currently enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs, created the comic.
They also provide an outreach program to young Aboriginal students and teachers.
Dooley’s caricature links Aboriginal history and tradition with chemical engineering. Current Aboriginal issues, such as pipeline spillages through communities, are also touched on in the comic.
The comic is narrated by a cartoon Dooley who explains why she pursued a career in engineering, what her job as an engineer entails and how chemical engineering can help her community.
Melanie Howard, director of Aboriginal Access to Engineering at Queen’s, led the creation of the comic.
She said its purpose is to show Aboriginal children why education is important.
“The message is: knowledge is power here, and you can make a difference, being educated in [engineering],” she said.
She said the comic was created in order to reach out to a younger demographic, which the organization hasn’t yet addressed.
“We had stuff for very young children, and for high school kids but there was really nothing for that grade 4 to 8 market,” she said.
Students younger than this demographic are provided with a colouring book that describes briefly the role of different engineers, she said.
She added that a curriculum will be developed to go along with the resources.
“[The comic] is out there to say ‘this is a little bit about chemical engineering’, and also takes a look at chemical engineering from a cultural perspective,” she said.
Howard said it was important that the comic touched on issues relevant to the Aboriginal community.
“A lot of the issues that perhaps a chemical engineer would work in are impacting Aboriginal communities,” she said. “Chemical engineers work in the oil and gas companies.”
She said the comic promotes the idea that with education, children will be able to aid their communities.
“Siobhan explains to the boy [in the comic] that if you were a chemical engineer, you’ll be able to help your community through the negotiations regarding oil companies,” she said.
Currently there are 22 Aboriginal students enrolled in applied sciences at Queen’s – a number she hopes will increase.
“The program’s pretty new and we have many more students on-campus than originally anticipated,” she said, adding that she hopes the book will encourage more students to pursue the field.
“Within the Aboriginal community there just aren’t enough people who are engineers. Your average native kid wouldn’t know an engineer,” she said.
She said Dooley’s example shows it’s possible for young Aboriginal students to become engineers.
“[The comic] was trying to make the role models relatable and young so they can actually visualize themselves in the role,” she said.
diversity, Education, Engineering
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:ce38917d-6eb8-4935-995c-b97004f22009> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.queensjournal.ca/comic-encourages-aboriginal-education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656833.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609201549-20230609231549-00631.warc.gz | en | 0.972785 | 782 | 3.109375 | 3 | The extract scores 3 points as it discusses soft skills such as role modeling, community engagement, and cultural awareness. It features a realistic scenario integrating emotional intelligence and critical thinking opportunities, with practical applications and meaningful context. However, it lacks complex problem-solving opportunities and sophisticated communication scenarios across multiple contexts.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 537,321 | 0 |
Broadband internet has evolved from a cutting-edge luxury to an essential utility for participation in daily life. Unfortunately, not everyone benefits from this vital tool. Because of barriers in affordability, accessibility or availability, and skills, an estimated 42 million residents in the United States do not have broadband at all, and 157.3 million live with slow or unreliable internet service.1 This must change. Cities can be proactive and bridge the digital divide. The Digital Equity Playbook helps city leaders determine causes of the digital divide in their communities, provides recommendations to address it, shares stories from local governments and suggests additional resources.
Broadband is high-speed, reliable internet access measured in download and upload speeds.
This section defines the digital divide and digital equity, describes the causes of the digital divide and whom it affects, and briefly outlines what cities can do to address it. Section 02, Getting Started with Digital Equity: Broadband Needs Assessment, offers detailed steps, including links to resources, for how cities can identify digital needs in their communities. Sections 03 and 04, Investing in Digital Equity Solutions (Infrastructure and Programs), describes current broadband technologies and programs, including rich case studies detailing how U.S. cities have used these solutions to bridge the digital divide. The report concludes with a list of federal resources that cities can use to fund digital equity.
What are the digital divide and digital equity?
The digital divide is the gap between individuals who have access to computers, high-speed internet and the skills to use them, and those who do not. This gap shows up in various ways in our communities: broadband access and connectivity can fuel economic, educational, health and social outcomes. Global research shows that countries in the top tier of broadband adoption have a two percent higher GDP growth than countries in the bottom tier.2 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that communities with lower access to broadband have a higher prevalence of disease, such as diabetes and obesity, when compared to the national average.3 Digital equity means the digital divide no longer holds people back. According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), digital equity is a “condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning and access to essential services.”4
Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning and access to essential services.5
Whom does the digital divide affect?
Access to the internet, connected devices and digital literacy remains unequal in the U.S. The digital divide is generally measured by examining availability (ability to access) and adoption (actual use) of the internet. Views differ on how many residents the digital divide affects. The FCC states that the number of residents living in areas without broadband internet of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps)* download speed and three Mbps upload speed dropped from 21.3 million in 2017, to 18.1 million in 2018, to fewer than 14.5 million in 2019.6 However, this data may be too optimistic, as the FCC considers an entire census block to be served by broadband if just one home or business within that block has broadband available. A BroadbandNow analysis shows that the 2017 FCC report significantly underestimated the number of Americans without access to wired or fixed wireless broadband,+ demonstrating that 42 million residents did not have access to broadband in 2017.7 A Microsoft analysis from November 2019 found that 157.3 million Americans are suffering from slow and unreliable internet connections with speeds below the FCC guidelines.8 All of these figures show that too many Americans are digitally disconnected.
The digital divide is both an urban and rural issue. Because more people live in urban than rural areas, most digitally disconnected households are in urban areas. Rural areas lag urban areas regarding broadband adoption (81 percent compared to 86 percent, respectively).9
Affordability is a primary cause of the digital divide. Low-income residents are less likely to have reliable access to high-quality, in-home connections and enabling technology. Households earning less than $20,000 per year have a broadband adoption rate of 62 percent, compared to households earning more than $75,000, which have an adoption rate of 81.8 percent.10
Certain racial, ethnic and age groups have lower rates of broadband access and adoption. Nearly half of the people who are digitally disconnected are Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). Even when studies control for income, education, employment and other demographic factors, a racial digital divide exists in internet access.11 Compared to 90 percent of White households and 86 percent of Latinx households, only 82 percent of Black households have internet at home.12 Older residents are also more likely to be digitally excluded, as 42 percent of American seniors, or 22 million, lack broadband at home. Black and Latinx seniors are more than 2.5 and 3.3 times more likely, respectively, than White seniors to experience negative effects of the digital divide.13
What is causing the digital divide?
Research shows that there are three main causes of the digital divide:
- Affordability: Cost of devices and broadband service is not within reach for some users.
- Accessibility or Availability: Broadband at speeds and quality needed to accomplish common tasks is not accessible or available to users because the service does not exist, the speeds or quality are inadequate, or devices to use the internet are not available.
- Skills: Users do not have the skills necessary to use technology (internet, devices, etc.) or to navigate successfully.
How can cities bridge the digital divide?
City leaders across the U.S. are prioritizing attempts to bridge the digital divide. Their actions and solutions must adapt to communities’ needs, depending on the causes of the digital divide. Cities are undertaking various digital inclusion efforts to ensure digital equity in their communities. Some are building wireless solutions focused on affordability to increase access, or using their power and legal rights to advocate for affordable internet plans. Other cities are working with community partners to distribute devices or partnering with their libraries to host digital literacy trainings. This report describes these efforts in detail in the sections below.
Digital inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of information and communication technologies.14
Check out the NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, an inventory of local government digital inclusion activities, to see how cities are bridging the digital divide.
This inventory tracks digital equity efforts along six indicators:
- The local government has or directly funds at least one full-time staff member dedicated to digital inclusion initiatives, policies and/or programs.
- The local government has a digital inclusion plan or is developing a plan.
- Representatives of the local government participate in an open-access digital inclusion coalition.
- The local government has conducted or plans to conduct and publish survey research on residents’ internet access and use.
- The local government directly funds community digital inclusion programming.
- The local government is taking steps to increase affordability of home broadband service.15
*Mbps, or megabits per second, is the measure of internet bandwidth. The greater the bandwidth, the faster a user can download data from or upload data to the internet.
+Fixed wireless networks connect homes to a wireless transmitter with a radio antenna. Wired networks are cabled to the home (e.g., cable, DWL, fiber).
Get the Overview and Driving Questions summary for the Digital Equity Playbook.
Learn how you can bridge the digital divide in your city. | <urn:uuid:b46b730a-0d1a-4875-b59c-e9193a78ef98> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.nlc.org/resource/digital-equity-playbook-how-city-leaders-can-bridge-the-digital-divide?id=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656737.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609132648-20230609162648-00610.warc.gz | en | 0.923353 | 1,593 | 3.625 | 4 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of the digital divide and digital equity, discussing the causes, effects, and potential solutions. It offers practical applications and resources for city leaders to address the issue, promoting digital literacy and inclusion. However, it lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving opportunities, and sophisticated communication scenarios, focusing primarily on informational content.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 799,096 | 0 |
Welcome to the Early Intervention
While all children grow and develop in unique ways, some children experience delays in their development. Children in Pennsylvania with developmental delays and disabilities benefit from a state supported collaboration among parents, service practitioners and others who work with young children needing special services. The Pennsylvania Early Intervention program provides support and services to families with children, from birth to age five, with developmental delays and disabilities. Early Intervention builds upon the natural learning opportunities that occur within the daily routines of a child and their family.
The Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit’s Early Intervention Program provides services for eligible children ages 3 through 5 and is available to any qualifying child residing in any of the 14 school districts served by the Intermediate Unit. Related Services are available in the areas of developmental instruction, speech therapy, hearing/audiology support, vision support, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
Supports services and resources for children that enhance daily opportunities for learning are provided in settings where a child would be if he/she did not have a developmental delay and disability.
Early Intervention supports and services are designed to meet the developmental needs of children with a disability as well as the needs of the family related to enhancing the child's development in one or more of the following areas:
- Physical development, including vision and hearing
- Cognitive development
- Communication development
- Social or emotional development
- Adaptive development
What Children Are Eligible?
Services are provided when the child meets the eligibility criteria of a diagnosed disability or a 25% delay in one or more of the five developmental areas and demonstrates a need for specially designed instruction. The primary goal of the program is to improve a child's developmental levels to enable him or her to access the general curriculum when they are school-aged. The staff works closely with school districts and parents to facilitate the transition-to-school process for eligible children. A language-based curriculum with developmentally appropriate activities provides a framework for learning.Children are encouraged to learn through active exploration of materials and settings. These explorations involve verbal and physical manipulations.The needs of the child determines the amount of support provided by the teacher.
What Services are Provided to Meet the Developmental Needs of a Child?
The services provided to children and their families differ based upon the individual needs and strengths of each child and the child's family. Services such as parent education, instruction, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy,hearing/audiological support, vision support, and other family-centered services that assist in child development and may be included in a family's Early Intervention program.
Early Intervention promotes collaboration among parents, service providers and other important people in the child's life to enhance the child's development and support the needs of the family.
Where do Children and Their Families Receive Services?
Services may be provided in the child’s home, day care center, pre-school, Pre-K Counts program, Head Start program, early childhood special education classroom or at a location where the child can be seen on an itinerant basis and the family would provide transportation (such as a neighborhood pre-school or New Horizon school).
Early Intervention provides supports and services in a variety of settings. Early Intervention supports and services are embedded in typical routines and activities, within the family, community and/or early care and education settings. This approach provides frequent,meaningful practice and skill building opportunities.
Early Intervention services are provided at no cost to families.
How do I receive information about Early Intervention Services or make a referral for an Early Intervention evaluation?
To request a developmental evaluation for your child click here. You may also contact Michelle Presutti, Secretary to the Supervisor of Special Classes at (724) 775-1050 x 21112.
If your child is younger than 2 years 9 months, call (724) 891-2827 to request an evaluation. | <urn:uuid:68f9100f-3fda-4391-b1a0-5af27ce7ddab> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.bviu.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1565868&type=d&pREC_ID=1693974 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949644.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20230331144941-20230331174941-00646.warc.gz | en | 0.945531 | 802 | 2.90625 | 3 | The extract provides information on the Pennsylvania Early Intervention program, its services, and eligibility criteria. While it touches on communication and teamwork concepts, such as collaboration among parents and service providers, it lacks depth and practical application of soft skills. The content focuses on theoretical knowledge and program details, with limited opportunities for problem-solving, critical thinking, or emotional intelligence.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 307,356 | 0 |
Nas: People, the Arabic word
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Age of Marriage
It is rumored that the Prophet Muhammad married Aisha when she was only nine years old. Child marriage of this type is unthinkable in most societies today, but it is true that this practice existed in pre-Islamic Arabic. The chronological relevance of child marriage, however, does not imply that it was also accepted and practiced by early Muslims. The Qur’an’s commentary on ages of maturity, as well as meticulously kept historical records, firmly preclude this possibility. As the Qur’an’s teachings on social issues largely contradict the local pre-Islamic cultural practices, and claim they were revealed to guide humanity out from darkness and towards the light, it is worth considering that the verses themselves deny the likelihood of Aisha being married at such an early age.
According to the Qur’an, there are different qualifications a young person must meet before being considered ready for marriage. First, the Qur’an distinguishes between the age of puberty and the age of marriage. The age of puberty (al-ḥulm) is mentioned in Chapter 24 (al-Nur), verse 59, when describing when children should begin to ask permission to enter their parents’ bedroom:
وَإِذَا بَلَغَ ٱلۡأَطۡفَـٰلُ مِنكُمُ ٱلۡحُلُمَ فَلۡيَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُواْ ڪَمَا ٱسۡتَـٔۡذَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَڪُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَڪِيمٌ۬ (٥٩)
59. When the children among you reach puberty, they must ask permission, as those before them asked permission. Allah thus clarifies Its revelations for you. Allah is Knowledgeable and Wise.
The age of marriage, in contrast, is mentioned in Chapter 4 (al-Nisa), verse 6, as “al-nikāḥ”:
وَٱبۡتَلُواْ ٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغُواْ ٱلنِّكَاحَ فَإِنۡ ءَانَسۡتُم مِّنۡہُمۡ رُشۡدً۬ا فَٱدۡفَعُوٓاْ إِلَيۡہِمۡ أَمۡوَٲلَهُمۡۖ وَلَا تَأۡكُلُوهَآ إِسۡرَافً۬ا وَبِدَارًا أَن يَكۡبَرُواْۚ وَمَن كَانَ غَنِيًّ۬ا فَلۡيَسۡتَعۡفِفۡۖ وَمَن كَانَ فَقِيرً۬ا فَلۡيَأۡكُلۡ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِۚ فَإِذَا دَفَعۡتُمۡ إِلَيۡہِمۡ أَمۡوَٲلَهُمۡ فَأَشۡہِدُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ حَسِيبً۬ا (٦)
6. Test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage. If you find them to be mature enough, hand over their properties to them. And do not consume it extravagantly or hastily before they grow up. The rich shall not charge any wage, but the poor may charge fairly. When you hand over their properties to them, have it witnessed for them. Allah suffices as a Reckoner.
Based on this verse, the age of marriage is connected with emotional/mental maturity and ability to manage wealth. Historically, puberty signals only physiological changes for both men and women; people have not been mature enough to manage their personal wealth at this point. Scientifically speaking, mental maturity occurs closer to the age of twenty-two for females and twenty-six for males, as the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for a lot of our judgment and decision-making, does not fully mature until we reach our twenties. Puberty, of course, occurs long before this point, and so could not be considered an appropriate sole signal for allowing a child to establish his or her own household. After all, if children at the age of puberty still need parental guidance for how to behave in society, such as learning a basic rule of not barging in on their parents who are behind a closed door, then they are still in a learning phase of life and are not yet ready to exert their independence.
Chapter 6 (al-An’am), verse 152 also discusses the age of maturity with regard to orphans:
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ ۥۖ وَأَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡڪَيۡلَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۖ وَإِذَا قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ ڪَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ وَبِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡفُواْۚ ذَٲلِڪُمۡ وَصَّٮٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ (١٥٢)
152. And do not come near the property of the orphan, except with the best intentions, until he reaches maturity. And give full weight and full measure, equitably. We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity. And when you speak, be fair, even if it concerns a close relative. And fulfill your covenant with Allah. All this It has enjoined upon you, so that you may take heed.
While this verse does not mention marriage explicitly, it is a reminder that a child should not be allowed to manage his or her own money until he reaches maturity in his life. If the child is not allowed to manage his or her own money yet, then considering verse 4:6 as described above, he cannot yet be ready for marriage. These two verses connect the readiness to accept the responsibility for managing wealth, income, and a household with the age of marriage, linking one with the other. So, if a child is not allowed to manage his or her own financial matters until he or she reaches a later stage of personal maturity, how could a young girl, barely pubescent, be entrusted with the responsibility of raising children and running her own household? So, there is no way that Muhammad would marry a girl who was unable to manage her wealth due to her extremely young age, when the Qur’an itself is teaching him that ability to manage her wealth is a condition for marriage.
With regards to Aisha, most scholars who claim she was married at age nine, base their opinions on weak hadith and in consideration of cultural ideologies that pre-existed the Qur’an’s revelation. After considering the relevant verses, we must only look at historical records to confirm that Aisha was in fact much older than nine years old when she married the Prophet. She was likely closer to the age of twenty. Aisha was born before revelation, and it was recorded that she accepted Islam, which means that at the time she became aware of Muhammad’s teachings, she would have likely been around the age of puberty, since an infant or a child would not have the full knowledge or social power to make such a huge personal decision about her faith. Aisha was married right after the hijra to Medina, and was also present in the Battle of Badr in 624 CE. It was recorded that no one under the age of 15 was allowed on the battlefield, so, even if she were only fifteen years old at the time, she would have had to have been married at around age thirteen, not nine. However, one more piece of historical evidence indicates she was, in fact, older than a child at the time of her marriage: Asma, Aisha’s older sister, was ten years older than her, and she died at the age of 100, in 692 CE. By simple mathematical reasoning, we can see that Aisha would have been ninety at the time of her sister’s death. If Asma died sixty-eight years after the Battle of Badr, then Aisha would have been twenty-two during the battle, or married around age twenty.
With these verses and historical facts in mind, the modern reader of the Qur’an must move past the common but inaccurate assumption that Aisha was married as a child. Putting this idea aside obliterates any “Islamic” tradition-based justification for child marriage in the present day, and brings society one step closer to the evolved state encouraged by the Qur’an.
© Power of Consciousness. All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:0cd8c5cd-efad-4f58-9dda-d7e100b000a8> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.naslearningcenter.com/consciousness-age-of-marriage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948932.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20230329023546-20230329053546-00162.warc.gz | en | 0.953079 | 2,583 | 3.015625 | 3 | The extract provides a detailed analysis of the age of marriage in Islamic context, discussing the distinction between puberty and marriage age, and the requirements for emotional and mental maturity. It promotes critical thinking, cultural awareness, and nuanced understanding of historical and religious texts. However, it lacks direct discussion of soft skills, teamwork, and practical application, limiting its score.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 491,712 | 0 |
Originally published: Jan 10, 2005
In a recent usability test, I once again witnessed something I've seen a hundred times before: a frustrated user claiming he knows exactly what is wrong with the interface he was fighting with. What was his suggestion? "These guys need to make this thing a lot more intuitive. The problem is that this program isn't intuitive enough. It needs to be more intuitive!"
I think he used the I-Word no less than 25 times during the session. His frustration was real and his desire was great. So, why wasn't the interface 'intuitive'? Well, it's probably because it's really, really hard to do.
To those who police the English language, interfaces can't be intuitive, since they are the behavior side of programs and programs can't intuit anything. When someone is asking for an intuitive interface, what they are really asking for is an interface that they, themselves, can intuit easily. They are really saying, "I want something I find intuitive."
But, I believe that English is an adaptable medium, so it's ok with me if we call a design intuitive. Yet, what does it mean, from a design standpoint, when someone desires a design to be intuitive?
To answer that question, we first have to look at how people understand the design in the first place. To do that, we need to look at the design's knowledge space.
Imagine a long wall where you'll line up all the users who will use your design. We're going to want to organize the wall, so against the left side, we'll put everyone who knows absolutely nothing about how to use the interface. (Maybe they don't even know how to use a mouse.)
On the right side, we'll put everyone who knows everything there is to know about the design. (That may only be the designers.) We'll organize all the people along the wall by how much they know. If they know only a little, they'll stand closer to the left. The more they know, the closer we put them to the right. (Here is a picture of what our wall might look like: )
If you're looking at the wall, the distance from the left represents how much any given user knows about the design. For each user, we call this the current knowledge point. That's the amount of knowledge they have when they approach the interface.
There's another point that's of interest to us: the target knowlege point. This point represents how much knowledge the user needs to know to accomplish their objective. Every time a specific user tries to complete a specific task, the current knowledge and target knowledge points become very important to us. (Here you'll see our wall with sample current and target knowledge points marked off: )
Now, every user will have a different current knowledge point and that point changes as they get more experience. Yet, we've found that, by plotting out different users, we often see very clear clusters–bunches of users that share extremely similar current knowledge.
Working with users in the middle of several of the most important clusters gives design teams a nice place to start. (Using these clusters can help design teams determine which personas to focus on.)
The distance between current knowledge and target knowledge has a technical name: "The Gap". (Subsequently, an entire chain of clothing stores was named after it!)
The Knowledge Gap is where design happens. We don't need to design to the left of current knowledge point, because it's all stuff the user already knows. And we don't need to design stuff to the right of the target knowledge point, since the user won't be needing that information (for this task, at least). We only need to design the interface for the space in between current knowledge and target knowledge. (See a picture of the Knowledge Gap here: )
Users can complete their objective when current knowledge equals target knowledge. There are two ways this can happen. You can train the user, thereby increasing their current knowledge, until they know everything they need to know. Or, you can reduce the knowledge necessary, by making the interface easier, until target knowledge only requires the information the user already has. In fact, most good design involves both: users are trained (through explanatory text and other devices) while the designer reduces complexity, reducing the gap distance from both directions.
In our research, we've discovered that there are two conditions where users will tell you an interface seems 'intuitive' to them. It only takes meeting one of the two conditions to get the user to tell you the design is intuitive. When neither condition is met, the same user will likely complain that the interface feels 'unintuitive'.
Both the current knowledge point and the target knowledge point are identical. When the user walks up to the design, they know everything they need to operate it and complete their objective.
The current knowledge point and the target knowledge point are separate, but the user is completely unaware the design is helping them bridge the gap. The user is being trained, but in a way that seems natural.
Recently, I stayed in a hotel while visiting an old friend. Wanting to call my friend to warn him of my imminent arrival, I approached the phone in my hotel room and lifted the receiver, ready to make my call. Can you guess what button I pressed first?
Chances are you guessed the '9' button. As adults, we learn at an early age that the '9' button will get us an outside line when using a business or hotel phone system. This becomes part of our current knowledge as we travel from phone system to phone system. '9' becomes intuitive, though it isn't innate&we had to learn it somewhere along the way.
Of course, for this hotel, you would've been wrong. The designers of this phone felt that the '8' button was a much better choice. How unintuitive could they be? Everybody knows '9' is far more intuitive!
Because other people had problems with this, there were little signs all over–on the phone, on the wall, on the receiver–that stated you needed to press '8' to get an outside line. I immediately saw these signs and, without really contemplating the design, pressed '8' and the rest of my friend's number.
The signs made '8' seem intuitive by training me without my even realizing it. They narrowed the gap quickly and without the distraction often associated with learning new things.
Had the phone used the '9' button, it would've met condition #1. However, since it had the signs for the '8' button and they worked unobtrusively, it met condition #2.
The biggest challenge in making a design seem intuitive to users is learning where the current and target knowledge points are. What do users already know and what do they need to know? To build intuitive interfaces, answering these two questions is critical.
For identifying the user's current knowledge, we favor field studies. Watching potential users, in their own environments, working with their normal set of tools, and facing their daily challenges, gives us tremendous insight in what knowledge they will have and where the upper bounds are. Teams receive a wealth of valuable information with every site visit.
For identifying necessary target knowledge for important tasks, usability testing is a favorite technique of ours. When we sit users in front of a design, the knowledge gap becomes instantly visible. (We've had great success, right after a test, listing out all the knowledge the user needed to acquire during the test. It can be quite revealing!)
Unfortunately, making an interface intuitive often increases development costs dramatically. Reducing target knowledge, particularly for large knowledge gaps, can be a very expensive process, particularly if you have to build complex tools, such as wizards and data auditors.
Anyone who has tried to build a tool that reduces target knowledge knows that they take tremendous work to get right. Is making an interface intuitive worth the investment? Not always.
For example, Amazon makes the process of returning a purchased product fairly intuitive. Once a user finds the (sometimes hidden) magic button on the order form, they have no trouble going through the return process–a multi-step wizard which asks intelligent questions and guides the user through the process of printing a shipping label, determining the shipping costs, and returning the product.
However, in our studies, users have much more difficulty finding a phone number to call Amazon's customer service center. Amazon doesn't want a lot of phone calls from users. They aren't set up to handle the volume of calls and building a complete customer service call center could render their entire operation unprofitable. While it's inconvenient to the user, they'd rather handle the problems through email, which is far more cost effective.
The designers at Amazon have deliberately made the process of calling them very unintuitive to encourage customers to find another way to resolve their problems. (We're not saying this is the right thing for Amazon to do, but their choice does have some sound logic behind it.)
Once you understand how 'intuitive' works–what makes someone perceive a design to be intuitive–it becomes easier to make the decision as to whether an intuitive design is worth the extra effort. The knowledge your users have when they arrive at the design (current knowledge), what knowledge they'll need to complete their tasks (target knowledge), and what the design needs to do to help them complete the task (the gap) are the key ingredients for making an interface that seems 'intuitive' to your users.
Read related articles: | <urn:uuid:d0bc5466-616f-41d5-b717-ab1660c4b528> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | https://www.uie.com/articles/design_intuitive/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999652586/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060732-00005-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968196 | 1,961 | 2.546875 | 3 | The extract provides a comprehensive discussion on designing intuitive interfaces, covering key concepts such as current knowledge, target knowledge, and the knowledge gap. It offers practical examples and scenarios, including a hotel phone system and Amazon's return process, to illustrate how intuitive design can be achieved. The text also acknowledges the challenges and costs associated with creating intuitive interfaces, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of the topic.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 709,122 | 1 |
THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT: THE BEGINNING
This was my question:
Would a self-guided approach to art-making work with my 6th grade class?
I always wanted to offer my students their own sketchbooks to bring to art class. They could be used for practice drawing, experimentation with paint-mixing and free choice. But when you have a small art program (15 weeks a year), there isn’t enough opportunity to justify the purchase of a product that would consume a third of your art budget.
But, what if the sketchbook was the only thing you offered the students? Then it began to make sense.
After discussing the idea with the 6th grade teachers, they agreed to partially fund the sketchbooks. This was huge. I could now proceed with the Sketchbook Project without compromising the art budget for the rest of the grade levels.
The idea was for each student to have his own sketchbook but they would leave the sketchbook in the art room. I cleared a few drawers to make room for the 75 books and dove into creating a few starter projects to engage the kids.
This is the brand of sketchbooks I used: Sketch for Schools
If a student owned his own sketchbook, my hope was this:
- Take more pride in their work
- Be able to see their efforts throughout the year
- Have a place to record art observations
- Work on past projects
Would students like a sketch book compared to a larger piece of art?
Turns out they did. At the end of the year, after we filled up the pages in the sketchbooks, most students reported that they enjoyed working on their own sketchbooks compared to the larger format papers that we typically used in art class.
Some students missed the larger pieces of art (I know I did) and some students were non-committal with their opinions. The classroom teachers were the ones who reported the biggest benefit: they claimed the students talked about their sketchbooks and art class more than in the previous year.
Over the course of 15 weeks of art (50-minute classes) these are the projects we did:
Lesson available: Inspired by images of our national parks, students practiced drawing landscapes and used value when coloring their art
Lesson available: A quick project that played with organic lines and black markers
Each week I will post the lessons above so that you have the opportunity to see how I approached the lesson, what the children experienced and how I might approach a lesson differently.
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The 6th grade teachers encouraged me to store the sketchbooks in the art room as they suspected that if the students were expected to bring them to art class every week, they might forget them. I agreed.
When the students entered class, I had the sketchbooks on a table in the back of the room. They would find their book and sit at their table. The art supplies that we would need for the particular lesson would be on each table with one exception. I would add the supplies needed for previous lessons on another table in case students finished the current project and wanted to work on an old project.
I soon got tired of this extra prep and trained the students to get their own supplies and put away the supplies. Most of the class LOVED this self-serve approach. I found that although many art projects weren’t the frame-worthy finished art piece, most children took a great deal of pride in their pieces and were thrilled to be able to use whichever art supplies they felt they needed.
The drawbacks to this approach is that there is no specific steps for each art project. I would outline a technique, drawing concept or guidelines, but the students needed to be self-guided and motivated to complete their own art subject. This didn’t happen for every lesson, but for the most part, I needed to be very active making sure that each child was progressing forward.
Often a child was stymied with having to choose what subject he wanted to use. If I noticed this happening, I would sit next to the student and work through a few solutions or starters just to get the ball rolling. I’ll talk more specifically as I work through the lessons each week.
Do you use sketchbooks in your art room or home art studio? Do you use them exclusively or for another purpose? I’d love to hear how you use them. Leave a comment in the section below and share your thoughts and ideas.
Next week: Project #1-Creating Value
Missed the last installments of the Sketchbook project?
Intro: The Sketchbook Project: The Beginning
Week #1: The Sketchbook Project: Creating Value + Free Worksheet
Week # 2 The Sketchbook Project: Atmospheric Perspective (Landscapes)
Week #3 The Sketchbook Project: Tree Line Drawings
Week #4 The Sketchbook Project: Sonia Delaunay Circles
Week #5 Expressive Self-Portraits
WEEK #6 Line Drawings
WEEK #7 Farm Animals
WEEK #8 Animal Eyes | <urn:uuid:24699c40-22fd-4340-b5e8-ba6a218c46f1> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.deepspacesparkle.com/the-sketchbook-project-the-beginning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875144637.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20200220035657-20200220065657-00085.warc.gz | en | 0.970353 | 1,067 | 3.0625 | 3 | The extract scores 2 points as it provides superficial coverage of basic communication and teamwork concepts, and includes discussion of soft skills such as self-guided learning and student motivation. However, it lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving opportunities, and comprehensive professional development.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 418,213 | 0 |
|Medicine: Changing a Nation's Diet|
Dorit Adler, Hadassah–Ein Kerem’s chief dietitian.
You are a week into your latest diet, which is based on sound nutritional principles. Or maybe you are following a fad diet that worked for a friend. You are doing it to fit into that new dress, or because your blood pressure has soared. No matter the specifics, everything seems to conspire against your success.
Rest assured, you may be overweight but you are not paranoid. It seems that way because it is that way.
“We live in an obesogenic environment,” says Dorit Adler, MPH, director of the Nutrition and Dietetic Department at the Hadassah–Hebrew University Medical Center at Ein Kerem. She cites the developed world’s prime culprits: calorie-dense processed foods eaten in portions three times bigger than 30 years ago; mass availability of fast foods; and sugary beverages low in essential nutrients—all aggressively marketed.
It’s this environment, she says, that has propelled Western societies into obesity—a condition rare in history that is now a global epidemic affecting an estimated 200 million men and 300 million women. This past June, it was upgraded by the American Medical Association from a “major public health problem” to a “disease requiring a range of medical interventions,” with all that implies for health insurance, research funding and public perception.
While many—including Adler and her team of 18 clinical dietitians at Hadassah Hospital—applaud the AMA move, it addresses effect, she says, rather than cause. “Obesity is the driver of much suffering...but it is a result of the environment we’ve created,” she says. And it is far from the only result: Over 60 percent of noncommunicable disease can be attributed to modern diet and lifestyle. They include not only type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, but several cancers have strong environmental links, and even brain functioning is shaped by what we eat. The problematic Western diet is related to brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and sugar (beyond that found naturally in foods) has a major role not only in overweight but also in poor memory formation, learning disorders and depression.
“Early man lived quite differently—continuously active and eating far less than we do,” says Rivki Harari, deputy director of the department. In the United States, people eat an average of 650 calories more a day than in 1970, and Israel is close behind. An excess 120 calories a day (a glass of Coke, for example) results in 11 extra pounds in a year, and approximately 110 in a decade. “Not only does a single portion of many foods meet our energy requirements for the entire day,” she adds, “but we live in a high-tech environment that gives us little reason to move.”
It is this view that has propelled Hadassah’s nutrition department, one of the largest and most developed of its kind in Israel, into the crafting of food policy—in Hadassah’s kitchens and at the national level.
The department became proactive two years ago when soaring food prices in Israel sparked public protests. “The cost of food was increasing at almost double the rate of that in other developed countries,” says Adler, “and it was clear to us that to preserve public health, the cost of nutritious foods had to be held to sane levels.”
Hadassah joined Rami Levy Shivuk HaShikma, one of Israel’s leading supermarket chains, to promote the sale of healthy foods by offering them at the supermarket at discounted prices, competitive with junk food. Adler adjusted the selection of healthy options every two weeks. She thought of it as a first step in bringing food manufacturers and chain stores on board and lobbying the government to stabilize the prices of nutritious basics (vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes, whole grains, nuts, canola and olive oils).
“Poor nutrition is linked not only to obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes,” she says, “but also to damage down the generations—poorly nourished women bear poorly nourished babies or babies with gestational diabetes who are at higher risk for a range of illnesses.”
Within two years, this initiative evolved into the National Lobby for Nutritional Security in Israel, headed by Knesset minister Isaac Herzog. The lobby was established in collaboration with Hadassah and the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism as well as major nongovernmental organizations such as Leket Israel, LATET, the Israel Center for Food Security, YEDID: the Association for Community Empowerment, SHATIL, Community Advocacy and the AJEEC-Negev Institute. At its first conference at the Knesset, in May, Israel’s Welfare and Social Services Minister Meir Cohen pledged over $50 million toward a “food security budget,” declaring it “a key for change.”
While lobby representatives describe the sum as a drop in the ocean, none doubt that changing eating habits is doable. The prime example is Finland, which, in 1975, was one of the world’s unhealthiest nations. “Diet was poor, people were inactive and heart disease raged at record levels,” says Adler. “Now it’s one of the fittest countries on earth.” A massive, government-led campaign motivated Finns to eat healthy, exercise and quit smoking, and Finland became one of only two countries to halt its downward health spiral. (The other is Canada.) Rates of lung cancer and heart disease plunged by 65 percent.
Initiatives like this, on a smaller scale, have been developed and led by Hadassah’s nutrition department for years. “We have developed a Hadassah Life Style program, whose path is not about calories or prohibitions but about healthy nutrition and weight that prevent development or recurrence of noncommunicable diseases,” says Adler. “It is based...on the proven Mediterranean Diet. Its weight loss results chiefly from restraining the food environment at home and at work—not from restraining the dieter.” The diet offers tools for daily eating habits, cooking workshops, healthy and sustainable food purchasing, support and motivation. The nutrition department has adapted the program for many forums—patients with colon cancer, women with breast cancer, hypertensives and diabetics. The department is beginning to teach the program over Skype for those who cannot get to regular sessions.
Six years ago, the department revised all menus for staff and patients at Hadassah–Ein Kerem. “Jello and sugary drinks were out, fresh fruit and water in,” says Adler. “Whole rice replaced white, and an option of whole grain or bulgur wheat is always served.... We set up a lecture program and demonstration counters showing, for example, ‘normal’ and healthy portion sizes. We went into the kitchens and found too much salt in use, and ran a 40-hour course—half theoretical, half practical—for Hadassah’s cooks. We want every dish served to staff and patients to have standard contents. We also got people walking the nature trail around the Ein Kerem campus.”
The health profile of Hadassah staff improved as people were given the opportunity and incentive to eat better and exercise more, but Harari and her team see this as only a step toward a holistic multidisciplinary vision. “Our aim is to make Hadassah–Ein Kerem, its schools and the surrounding community a place of healthy and sustainable nutrition and a national example,” she says.
Another outreach population for Hadassah is Israel’s children, of whom one in four has been reported as overweight or obese. Not only have cooking classes and agriculture disappeared from school curricula, but exercise and sports are very low priorities.
“We began three years ago in five junior high schools and have added five more each year since then,” says Adler. “We are aiming to make these youngsters into leaders who will help change the obese environment.” Part of the program is to produce a poster, performance or artwork. One group adapted the Snow White story, having her handsome prince bring her a healthy apple, while the wicked witch tried to palm off Nutella.
“No medicine in the world will counteract the damage caused by a combination of bad eating habits and insufficient exercise,” she sums up. “The good news is that obesity is a reaction to an abnormal environment, which makes type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension preventable conditions—and makes healthy eating cost effective, in every sense.
“We want to establish a Center for Sustainable Nutrition and Ethics at Hadassah as a voice in Israel,” she continues. “With Israeli NGOs and interest groups, diaspora communities, schools, the media, it would work toward changing a situation in which the abnormal has become normal.... It would work toward changing the health profile of our society and saving lives.” | <urn:uuid:b5a8c9c2-230a-42cc-b8ea-b5b34de602ed> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.hadassahmagazine.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=twI6LmN7IzF&b=6727195&ct=13367267¬oc=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394010547566/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305090907-00076-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960833 | 1,952 | 2.8125 | 3 | The extract lacks direct discussion of soft skills, focusing primarily on nutrition, health, and environmental factors contributing to obesity. However, it implies teamwork and leadership through the collaborative efforts of Hadassah's nutrition department with other organizations to promote healthy eating habits. The content is informative and raises awareness about critical health issues but does not explicitly address soft skills development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 853,536 | 0 |
In the run-up to the negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in its 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in December 2015, one of the most politically contentious issues was whether the limit of the long-term global temperature rise should be kept at 2 degrees centigrade or changed to 1.5 degrees.
Bangladesh, as part of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group of Negotiators under the leadership of Angola, and also the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) under the leadership of President Aquino of the Philippines, was very active in advocating for a change to 1.5 degrees. However, there was strong initial resistance from the developed countries as well as large developing countries such as China and India, and also the oil-exporting countries led by Saudi Arabia. The specific technical argument they used was the need for more scientific studies and wanted the topic passed on to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to produce a special report which would take several years.
However, by the end of COP21, we were able to convince all the countries to include 1.5 degrees as an aspirational goal with the main goal being "well below 2 degrees" in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This was a major victory for the vulnerable developing countries including Bangladesh.
In the meantime, the IPCC did indeed go ahead with the preparation of the Special Report on 1.5 degrees over the last few years, and a draft final report has been prepared which is expected to be finalised for dissemination in October at the IPCC Plenary.
However, the draft final report has been leaked and is already available, even though it is yet to be finalised and endorsed by the IPCC. Based on this leaked report, I am going to share some key messages which are unlikely to change in the final official version in October.
The first finding is the difference in global impacts for 2 degrees versus 1.5 degrees. They have shown that the additional cost of climate change impacts will be over USD 10 trillion globally over the next few decades, and that these adverse impacts will be worst in certain locations and groups. The greatest hotspots are West Africa and South Asia, and within the latter category, coastal Bangladesh will be a major hotspot that will lead to tens of millions of people being forced to migrate.
The second assessment made by the IPCC is how feasible the goal of staying below 1.5 degrees is. The answer is that it is still possible to do so but it will require the current efforts to reduce emissions to not just be doubled but redoubled. This particular result will be a key issue in COP24 to be held in December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, where the issue of raising ambition and measuring, verifying and measuring progress is expected to be agreed on.
The third and final topic which is addressed in the report is the emerging realisation globally that not only is zero emission going to be possible, but it may in fact be very profitable for companies engaged in providing sustainable energy solutions to replace fossil fuels-based energy.
Hence, more and more countries are planning to bring forward their respective goals of reaching zero emission which is what is needed to stay below 1.5 degrees.
In conclusion, the IPCC Special Report on 1.5 degrees, which we expect to be finalised and released in October, is likely to feed into COP24 in December in Poland. Hence, Bangladesh and other vulnerable countries have to ensure maximum pressure on all countries to raise their levels of ambition in order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees.
Saleemul Huq is Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). | <urn:uuid:e3453d9c-5df6-4f8c-a65b-92849a6ce379> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/politics-climate-change/limiting-global-temperature-rise-15-degrees-1606855 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145676.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20200222115524-20200222145524-00158.warc.gz | en | 0.963522 | 767 | 2.890625 | 3 | The extract discusses climate change negotiations and the importance of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. It showcases leadership, strategic thinking, and problem-solving in an international context. However, it lacks direct discussion of soft skills development and focuses more on the technical and political aspects of climate change.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 466,899 | 0 |
By Christopher J. Leonard, MSW, LCSW, M.ED.
Parents and educators have grown increasingly anxious about child suicide and they have good reason for concern. . Among school age youth, suicide is the second leading cause of death. In a survey of United States students in grades 9 through 12, 16% reported that they seriously considered suicide, and 8% stated that they tried to take their own lives in the past 12 months. These alarming numbers indicate that warning signs must always be taken very seriously.
There was a time when teachers were only responsible for educating children. Today, they must also be aware of each student’s mental well being and be able to recognize the signs that a student may be in danger.
Early Identification and Intervention
The first step to effective suicide prevention in schools is ensuring a safe and accepting environment that fosters trusting relationships with adults. From this starting point, successful suicide prevention educational programs, school-based suicide risk assessment, and effective in-school intervention plans may be implemented.
There are some common risk factors and warning signs that are associated with increased suicide risk that educators can watch for. These include:
- Severe depression, anxiety, or a psychotic episode
- Loss, e.g., death of loved one, breakup of a relationship
- Loss of social support, e.g., due to relocation
- A significant illness or medication that triggers a change in mood
- Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others, including peers or a celebrity
Use this acronym to help remember seven of the most common observable behaviors that point to potential suicide risk:
P osessions given away
A nxiety / agitation
D rug and/or alcohol use
I solates self, withdraws from activites
G oodbyes to friends, family
M ethod (researches ways to kill self)
S leep disturbance
If a teacher observes any one of these indicators, he or she should immediately inform a parent, an administrator, and a child study team professional or school counselor. If you can only speak with one person immediately, tell your direct supervisor who can ensure that the parent and child study or counseling professionals are informed.
One excellent tool is the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale C-SSRS. This is a great scale for teachers to learn because anyone can be trained to administer it. You do not have to be a mental health professional.
Another great feature of the C-SSRS is that it indicates steps to be taken based on the answers the student gives.
Since the majority of an adolescent’s time is spent in school, it falls upon teachers, coaches, counselors, and administrators to keep an eye out for suspicious or concerning behavior and alert the appropriate personnel as needed. Schools can help to prevent suicide by
- Training all staff to recognize the warning signs and to understand reporting protocols
- Training staff to administer the C-SSRS or similar, evidence-based assessment
- Ensure that students and staff have daily access to a trained mental health practitioner who can assess students, provide mental health counseling and make seamless referrals when a student needs a higher level of care
Have additional questions about student suicide or mental health issues? Feel free to reach out to us at any time.
Christopher J. Leonard, MSW, LCSW, M.ED.
Chris Leonard is Director of Operations for Sage Thrive and the Sage Day Schools. He is an experienced teacher, school administrator, social worker and psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Mr. Leonard is married with two daughters and enjoys distance running, mountain and road biking, hiking, and the outdoors. | <urn:uuid:ae99427c-dec2-415a-bad1-535e838f6ae7> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.sagethrivetoday.com/student-suicide-what-educators-should-watch-for/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250594391.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20200119093733-20200119121733-00385.warc.gz | en | 0.94592 | 753 | 3.234375 | 3 | The extract provides superficial coverage of communication and teamwork concepts, specifically in the context of suicide prevention in schools. It lacks nuanced interaction, complex problem-solving, and emotional intelligence discussions. However, it does include some practical applications and cultural awareness.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 61,780 | 0 |
Cymatics, the study of wave phenomena and vibration, is a scientific methodology that demonstrates the vibratory nature of matter and the transformational nature of sound. The term (Kymatiks in German), was adapted from the Greek word for wave, ta Kyma, in the 1960s by Swiss medical doctor and natural scientist, Hans Jenny (1904-1972).
Cymatics is the study of visible sound
Cymatics shows how vibrations interact to create the world we experience ‘out there’ and it brings to light hidden principles which underlie all natural processes.
Sound is an invisible force that permeates every aspect of our lives.
Yet if we could see sound our world would be even more beautiful than we could imagine. To see sound is to open a new window onto our world, one that has been veiled in mystery until recently.
The pioneering work of Ernst Chladni (1756–1829), showed that sound affects physical matter.
Chladni drew a violin bow across the edge of metal plates which were sprinkled with fine sand. Different frequencies produced certain geometrical patterns.
Chladni demonstrated once and for all that sound actually does affect physical matter and that it has the quality of creating geometric patterns.
Cymatics is the name coined by Hans Jenny (1904-1972),
a Swiss physician and natural scientist, to describe visible sound. Considered the father of cymatics, he laid important foundations for this emergent science.
Jenny also found that water could be shaped and exhibited an antigravity effect when vibrated by sound.
Since our bodies are mostly water, sounding will effectively restructure the cells of our bodies.
A Japanese author and entrepreneur known for his claims that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water.Initially Dr. Emoto claimed that high-quality water forms beautiful and intricate crystals, while low-quality water has difficulty forming crystals.
Emoto claims that positive changes to water crystals can be achieved through prayer, music/sound or by attaching written words to a container of water.
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for the theory of everything (TOE), a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system. The theory has yet to make novel experimental predictions at accessible energy scales, leading some scientists to claim that it cannot be considered a part of science.
what is the world made of? Ordinary matter is made of atoms, which are in turn made of just three basic components: electrons whirling around a nucleus composed of neutrons and protons. The electron is a truly fundamental particle (it is one of a family of particles known as leptons), but neutrons and protons are made of smaller particles, known as quarks. Quarks are, as far as we know, truly elementary.
According to string theory, if we could examine these particles with even greater precision a precision many orders of magnitude beyond our present technological capacity we would find that each is not point like but instead consists of a tiny, one-dimensional loop. Like an infinitely thin rubber band, each particle contains a vibrating, oscillating, dancing filament that physicists have named a string. | <urn:uuid:da8ed595-bd88-4496-be5b-aabe798347cf> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.wellnessvibe.com/cymantics-string-theory/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886108709.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20170821133645-20170821153645-00715.warc.gz | en | 0.943552 | 674 | 3.65625 | 4 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on scientific concepts and theories. It provides superficial coverage of basic concepts without meaningful depth or practical application related to soft skills development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 715,380 | 0 |
The class of 2028 will, no doubt, have a maze of postsecondary options to help them unlock their dreams and ambitions.
Yet while the connection between education and aspiration is intuitive to many, it’s not necessarily so for children — particularly for those who come from low-income households or families with no college education.
Students from low-income families enroll in college (immediately after high school) at a rate 30 percentage points lower than that for students from high-income families — and that gap has persisted since 1990. And it’s not for lack of aspirations. The Educational Policy Improvement Center notes that 93 percent of middle-school students aspire to attend college, and yet only 44 percent of those students actually enroll. There is a gap between what students aspire to achieve and what they accomplish.
From navigating a complicated college application process to figuring out how to pay for it, the idea of a college degree can be too unfamiliar and overwhelming for many families and students to grasp. Add to that the language and cultural barriers faced by some families. Is it any wonder that some students feel college isn’t for them?
Fortunately, parents, educators and community leaders dedicated to creating holistic environments for children can facilitate opportunities that foster the mindset that college is not only within reach, but achievable for any student with the desire to enroll after high school.
Ask children what they want to do when they grow up, and you’re sure to get responses — scientist, doctor, firefighter, teacher. But ask children how they will become these scientists, doctors, firefighters or teachers, and the answer may not be so immediate or clear.
Higher education is the key to becoming that doctor or teacher someday, and children can begin to understand that as early as elementary school, which is the time when they are most engaged in their schooling.
“What is college? Get that thought into their heads — even though they’re only 6 years old — and they can think about that until they’re in high school and the process becomes real,” says an elementary teacher in Cameron, North Carolina.
In the early years, children begin to explore what makes them unique — they claim likes and dislikes, learn right from wrong and look to adults for affirmation that they’re no longer “babies.” They start to connect with the idea that, one day, they’ll be “grownups,” and they begin to make sense of what that means by observing and even mimicking the adults around them. In cases where parents didn’t go to college or college seems like an expensive venture only afforded to wealthier classmates and friends, a college education may appear to be a lofty, only-if-you’re-lucky experience.
Here’s where, and why, educators fill a crucial void in the lives and trajectories of their students. Elementary teachers are well-positioned to facilitate the type of self-discovery that will allow children to begin to make the connection between their interests, learning and life ambitions. This isn’t about asking students to narrow their interests or to choose a specific career path; it’s about nurturing and building aspirations. “I want them to know you are not in this alone,” an elementary counselor in Columbus, Mississippi, says.
Take students on field trips to see what the real world is like, but follow these up with conversations and activities that show children what it takes to get to the real world. “The smallest link makes it all understandable,” says an elementary educator in Aurora, Colorado. Want to be a scientist? Practice your math, and plan to take a lot of those classes in college. Or help students identify their interests and connect them to jobs: Like computer games? What if you created one? Or sold one? You can learn how in college.
These connections not only help students to visualize the path from school to career, but also to harness their own interests and direction so they can define their future. “That’s what’s really powerful,” the Colorado educator added, “how they interpret it and make it their own, with their teacher’s guidance.”
Just as children might dream up ideas to be a doctor after reading Mercer Mayer’s When I Grow Up or to be a firefighter after a school field trip to a local firehouse, they should, too, envision themselves in college. Take children to campus — not so they can choose a university, but so that college becomes a familiar existence in their lives. Ask children about their goals, and talk about how college will help realize them. Through conversations, stories and activities, educators can make the idea of going to college as commonplace as the idea of going to grade school. And really, that’s how it ought to be.
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
Dr. Philip W.V. Hickman is superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District, Columbus, Mississippi.
Stephen M. Smith is co-founder of Naviance and chief product officer at Hobsons for Hobsons and serves on the board of directors for the National College Access Network and College Possible. | <urn:uuid:7c2486aa-18d8-4437-b994-a87365f93a59> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://hechingerreport.org/opinion-simple-steps-encourage-young-learners-break-equity-barriers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886126017.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20170824004740-20170824024740-00706.warc.gz | en | 0.966443 | 1,093 | 3.015625 | 3 | The extract earns a high score for its thoughtful discussion of soft skills, particularly in the context of education and aspiration. It highlights the importance of emotional intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking in helping students from low-income families overcome barriers to higher education. The extract also showcases realistic scenarios and practical applications, such as educators facilitating self-discovery and connecting students' interests to career paths.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 838,335 | 1 |
Sleep disorder in children is a persistent alteration in the quality or quantity of the child's sleep.
Sleep disorder in children can take the form of dyssomnia - that is to say, trouble falling asleep and early awakening - or parasomnia: nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, bruxism, paralysis of the child. sleep and somniloquy.
One in four children under 6 is affected by sleep difficulties. This is not surprising, since sleep learning goes hand in hand with separation management. However, the latter can involve a period, more or less long, of learning and adaptation. Therefore, when the difficulty of sleep is temporary or episodic, without associated mental disorder, the management is simply a sleep education.
On the other hand, if the difficulty persists and / or is associated with physical, school or mental difficulties, the care must be based on a complete and specialized evaluation.
The duration and quality of sleep required (per day) vary with age:
- Newborns: between 14 and 17 hours
- Infants under 1 year old: between 12 and 15 hours
- Infants under 2 years old: between 11 and 14 hours
- Child under 5: between 10 and 13 hours (with gradual disappearance of naps around 3 years)
- Children over 5: 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers: between 8 and 10 hours
These sleep needs vary from person to person. To evaluate the severity of the sleep disorder, it is important to observe the consequences of this disorder: fatigue of the day, concentration disorder, drowsiness, drop in school results, irritability, etc.
In the face of a sleep disorder, especially in the very small, the first evaluation must be done by a pediatrician or a general practitioner, in order to eliminate a physical pathology. Finally, without physical cause found, the care can be done by a pediatrician, a child psychiatrist and / or a child psychologist.You want to react, to give your testimony or to ask a question? Appointment in our FORUMS Children, Psychology or A doctor answers you !
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Lack of sleep: the effects on our health | <urn:uuid:625acbe5-f189-47a7-925b-542f48d0b28f> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://my-breath.com/mon-enfant-ne-dort-pas-bien | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875141653.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20200217030027-20200217060027-00460.warc.gz | en | 0.943874 | 465 | 3.203125 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing solely on providing information about sleep disorders in children. There is no coverage of communication, teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving scenarios, and no emphasis on cultural awareness, digital literacy, or professional development.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 394,587 | 0 |
RESPONDING TO A CHILD DISCLOSING ABUSE
When a child or young person tells you that he or she is being abused or neglected, the most important things you can do are:
- believe the child
- reassure the child that telling you was the right thing to do
- maintain a calm appearance
- find a quiet place to talk with the child
- be truthful
- listen to the child and let them take their time
- let the child use their own words to tell you what happened
- let the child know what you will do next
- do not confront the person alleged to be the abuser
- call the Department’s district office nearest to where the child lives
- be respectful of the sensitive nature of the information and only discuss the child’s situation with professionals who are dealing with the matter
- if possible write down what the child has said.
In Western Australia, doctors, nurses and midwives, teachers and police officers are required by law to report a belief, formed on reasonable grounds in the course of their work, that a child has been the subject of sexual abuse, to the Department. For further details, refer to the Mandatory Reporting website. | <urn:uuid:d489cf79-c0e1-4705-9bf5-523fce619a96> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/ChildProtection/Pages/ChildDisclosingAbuse.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371876625.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20200409185507-20200409220007-00437.warc.gz | en | 0.954076 | 249 | 2.828125 | 3 | This extract scores high for its practical application of emotional intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking in a sensitive context. It provides realistic scenarios and straightforward guidance on responding to child abuse disclosures, emphasizing empathy, calmness, and respect. The extract also touches on professional development, mandatory reporting, and intercultural fluency by considering the child's words and respecting their situation.
Educational score: 4 | 4 | 3 | 722,769 | 1 |
Do you understand how to write a article? One of grammar and spelling checker free the prerequisites for entrance into medical colleges and universities is a fantastic writing sample. In reality, it is required that you have one essay written before it is possible to submit an application for entrance. As you know, essays are still an important part of getting into medical school and it is not acceptable that you submit any kind of badly written composition.
In case you haven’t done this kind of work before, it may seem daunting initially. However you’ll find that it does not take too much time. Actually, it is often quite enjoyable. As a matter of fact, you will understand you could write essay easily if you’ve got a clear direction of what you wish to realize.
In order to start your how to write an essay, you should decide on your topic. Choose a subject that will give you ample time to research and write your own paper. Your research ought to be backed up by strong references and points. Here is the ideal step in preparing for the task ahead.
The next step is to outline your plan of actions. Since you write the essay, you ought to think of an outline of your own arguments. This means dividing the paper into chapters or segments. You need to determine the main focus of each chapter and write the title of this section based on your outline.
The next step on how to write essay would be to study your subject thoroughly. Make sure that all facts and data that you put in your paper will free spell check and grammar support your perspective. You should check at all probable sources and see everything you can get your hands on. It’s advisable that you read through your paper after three days so as to get the maximum from the research.
The previous step about how best to write essay would be to compose it. This may be easily done if you use a manual to help in the introduction of your own paper. There are many guides available on the internet and in bookstores. These guides will show you the construction of your composition. It’s also crucial that you abide by the arrangement laid out in the manual while you write your essay.
The following step is bettering your own work. This is especially important when you are writing for a teacher. You have to check for mistakes in grammar and sentence structure. If you discover any such mistakes, correct them immediately. The last but not the least important step would be to update your essay after you have completed it. Revising can be done by editing and proofreading it .
You could also find support from a friend who is a fantastic author or an adviser. They’ll be able to provide you with additional ideas and suggestions. Another way to acquire academic help would be to join discussion groups. You will be able to network with people who will teach you more about essay writing and provide you with fresh ideas to implement in your own writing. | <urn:uuid:82b5e192-3dee-464b-aa7d-eb843ca17bb6> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://americanfarriersupply.store/2022/11/30/how-to-write-an-essay-the-very-first-step-to-writing-your-college-paper/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945292.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20230325002113-20230325032113-00376.warc.gz | en | 0.963167 | 600 | 2.578125 | 3 | The extract provides basic guidance on writing an essay, covering steps such as choosing a topic, outlining, researching, and revising. It touches on the importance of clear writing, grammar, and spelling, but lacks depth in soft skills development, such as teamwork, leadership, or intercultural fluency. The content is straightforward and lacks nuanced interaction or complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 141,048 | 0 |
At the high school I currently attend, an attempt at creating a new culture was implemented on the very first day back from summer this year. Dubbed the Positive School Climate Initiative, it was created to reduce the number of disciplinary measures required in the school. The Initiative required teachers to hand out “pink tickets” as rewards for positive behavior that the students could spend a new store created just for the new Initiative that only used the aforementioned pink tickets as currency. In doing so, kids were clamoring over themselves to be seen doing the right thing so they could accrue currency for the Positive School Climate store. The public aspects of this initiative were seen immediately, fewer students were getting called out for their troublesome activities, and there were seemingly less disciplinary measures being taken by staff members. However, there has been an observed increase in the number of severe penalties handed out; i.e., police arresting students for being in possession of drugs. It seems that the Initiative has allowed students to feel good about themselves for “doing the right thing” and cause them to do the wrong things in other aspects of life. The situation also begs the question of the extent to which selfishness inhibits our ability to do the right thing, and from a larger perspective, our ability to empathize with others. (Use different story to begin?)Leslie Jamison, in her response to Paul Bloom’s “Against Empathy”, hints at an answer to this. She suggests that doing the right thing can often be seen as rooted in a sense of self-aggrandizement, meaning that people do the right thing because it makes them feel good, rather than because it helps other people or for the simple fact that it is the right thing to do. Jamison’s argument lends a pervasive theory on this topic, that maybe we aren’t doing the right thing because it helps others, but rather that we are doing the right thing because it gives us a sense of accomplishment or pride. However, Jamison also shows that empathy can be used for good, or that we can employ our feelings towards others to do good things and affect real change. Jamison had previously reported on the patients of a dangerous illness that often was dismissed by doctors because of its controversial symptoms, and she concluded that because they were listened to by Jamison and their situations understood, they felt more at ease about the conditions they found themselves in. Jamison repeated this process with inmates of a high-security prison and found that after hearing their stories, Jamison could tell that they felt better about where they were and the situation they found themselves in. Empathy can be used as an effective weapon of change, but it has to be based solely on the feelings of those in the dire situations. (Stronger conclusion here) (Connect these two paragraphs better)The societal institutions we employ today, such as schools and governments, or the hospitals and prisons that Jamison visited, often rely on the idea that people are selfish, David Brooks advances in his writing “The Power of Altruism”. As in my school, where the rewarding of positive behavior is now commonplace, there are many situations where those in charge build up the next generation on the idea that people are selfish, which in turn causes the next generation to be selfish. Brooks is divergent with Jamison in that he believes that people are not naturally selfish, but rather that the above institutions have introduced to us an economic aspect to decision-making, they have caused us to believe that there is something to be gained in every situation, which catalyzes us to expect rewards for doing the right thing rather than doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.Where these sources agree, however, is that empathy can be used as a force for good, that there is a chance that humans can do the right thing for the right reason and that people may not be as selfish as they appear. Jamison suggests that a very specific type of empathy, one that is based on the idea that different people have different wants and needs, is the type that is not rooted in selfishness. She does this by citing a story about a doctor that she visited that gave her very specific care but did not simply repeat the fears that she had about her illness. Brooks argues that rebuilding the institutions that give us moral guidance, such as churches, codes of honor, and others, can help us to remember how we should treat other people and use our empathy as a force for good.However we view altruism, or our ability to do the right thing, there is no doubt that as we continue on our path as a society, it is important to keep in mind that there are people every day who are going through situations much worse than those in which we find ourselves. In order to solve the problems that we face in this world, we have to be willing to ask for help, and we have to be willing to give it to others. There is no chance that we can affect change if we are simply selfish people trying to work in tandem with other selfish people. | <urn:uuid:ce40c72a-af3b-4079-bc53-c92abcb147a6> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://virginiaangerclass.com/at-i-e-police-arresting-students-for-being-in/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251681412.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20200125191854-20200125221854-00354.warc.gz | en | 0.98414 | 1,032 | 2.890625 | 3 | The extract scores high due to its in-depth discussion of empathy, selflessness, and the complexities of human behavior, incorporating realistic scenarios and nuanced interactions. It explores the concept of altruism, citing various authors and their perspectives, demonstrating critical thinking and analytical skills. The text also touches on the importance of cultural awareness, institutional influence, and the need for empathy in creating positive change.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 107,695 | 1 |
Crystal Lake School is currently in its third year of implementation of the Responsive Classroom approach to elementary teaching.
The Responsive Classroom approach is a way of teaching that emphasizes social, emotional and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. There are ten core components of the Responsive Classroom approach: Morning Meeting, Rule Creation, Interactive Modeling, Positive Teacher Language, Logical Consequences, Guided Discovery, Academic Choice, Classroom Organization, Working With Families and Collaborative Problem-Solving. Crystal Lake School has a three year plan to implement all ten of these components.
The goal of the Responsive Classroom approach is to enable optimal student learning.
Urban, suburban, and rural schools nationwide implementing the Responsive Classroom approach consistently experience higher teaching quality, increased student engagement, academic gains, and fewer discipline problems.
A study by the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education found a link between the Responsive Classroom approach and:
- Increases in math and reading test scores
- Improved social skills
- High-quality instruction and greater teacher efficacy.
No Child Left Behind considers the design of this study to meet its rigorous standards for providing valid evidence of effectiveness.
The goal of the Responsive Classroom approach is to enable optimal student learning. Developed by classroom teachers and continually refined to meet schools’ needs, the Responsive Classroom approach is based on the premise that children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills. The approach consists of classroom and school-wide practices for deliberately helping children build academic and social-emotional competencies day in and day out, year in and year out.
Guiding Principles of the Responsive Classroom ® Approach | <urn:uuid:8d97d221-d8e0-418c-bb3b-276baa594bff> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.ellingtonpublicschools.org/schools/crystal-lake-school/student-services/responsive-classroom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949701.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401063607-20230401093607-00291.warc.gz | en | 0.949686 | 359 | 2.96875 | 3 | The extract discusses the Responsive Classroom approach, emphasizing social, emotional, and academic growth. It highlights the approach's core components and benefits, including improved student engagement and academic gains. While it touches on social skills and emotional intelligence, it lacks depth in discussing complex communication scenarios, leadership challenges, and nuanced interaction.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 91,819 | 0 |
Academician Andrey Petrovych Ershov (Russian: Андре́й Петро́вич Ершо́в; 19 April 1931, Moscow – 8 December 1988, Moscow) was a Soviet computer scientist, notable as a pioneer in systems programming and programming language research.
Donald Knuth considers him to have independently co-discovered the idea of hashing with linear probing. He also created one of the first algorithms for compiling arithmetic expressions.
He was responsible for the languages ALPHA and Rapira, AIST-0 the first Soviet time-sharing system, electronic publishing system RUBIN, and MRAMOR, a multiprocessing workstation. He also was the initiator of developing the Computer Bank of the Russian Language (Машинный Фонд Русского Языка), the Soviet project for creating a large representative Russian corpus, a project in the 1980s comparable to the Bank of English and British National Corpus. The Russian National Corpus created by the Russian Academy of Sciences in the 2000s is a successor of Ershov's project.
He received the Academician A. N. Krylov Prize from the Academy of Sciences, the first programmer to be so recognized. In 1974 he was made a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society, and in 1981 he received the Silver Core Award of the IFIP.
To computer science community he is mostly known for his speech "Aesthetics and the Human Factor in Programming" presented at the dinner at the AFIPS Spring Joint Computer Conference in 1972 and, due to its importance, republished as an article by the Communications of the ACM.
- Programming Programme for the BESM Computer, Pergamon Press, London, 1959. Translated from the Russian original: Russian: Программирующая программа для быстродействующей электронной счетной машины, 1958.
- Academician A. Ershov's archive, including documents and photographs (in English) (in Russian)
- Computer Fund of Russian Language (in Russian)
- PSI International Andrei Ershov Memorial Conference (Novosibirsk, Russia)
- Aesthetics and the Human Factor in Programming by A. P. Ershov. Communications of the ACM. July 1972, Volume 15, Number 7 | <urn:uuid:6fbe0eb7-8aee-4664-ae03-98ad2ed41193> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrey_Ershov | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128321309.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20170627101436-20170627121436-00577.warc.gz | en | 0.907856 | 577 | 2.609375 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on the biography and achievements of Andrey Petrovych Ershov, a Soviet computer scientist. It provides historical context and technical information, but does not address communication, teamwork, or professional development.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 78,644 | 0 |
What is Gender Mainstreaming?
The term “Gender Mainstreaming” comes from English and refers to the “integration of the sexes” or “equality policy”. The aim is to successfully implement gender equality at all levels of society. The term “Gender Mainstreaming” was first used at the third UN World Women Conference in Nairobi in 1985.
Ten years later, at the fourth World Women Conference in Beijing, the term was propagated. Gender mainstreaming became widely known in 1997/1999 when the Amsterdam publishing house appointed the concept of the officially recognized focus of the European Union’s gender equality policy.
Gender mainstreaming is often confused with classical women’s policy and interpreted as one and the same, but this is not correct. Gender mainstreaming differs from explicit women’s policy in that within the framework of gender mainstreaming, both sexes, i.e. male and female, are to be integrated equally into the holistic concept design.
If one takes a closer look at the term gender mainstreaming, it becomes clear that it can be divided into two terms, namely “gender” and “mainstreaming”. The English term “Gender” has no direct equivalent in some other European languages. Thus, the English term is generally used in Europe. The term refers to the socially, socially and culturally shaped gender roles of both women and men. “Mainstreaming” means the attempt to bring disadvantaged groups or marginalized groups into the middle of society, i.e. into the normal mainstream. There these fringe groups are to be included in the social alliance.
Gender mainstreaming is not only a modern concept of gender equality but also a so-called “task” at the management level of every administration, every organization, and every company. Strictly speaking, the task is to consider and take into account the different interests and concerns of both women and men in the structure, in the formulation of processes and workflows, in communication as well as in management and to take control right from the start. Only in this way can the goal of general equality and equality orientation of women and men be successfully achieved.
Gender and Discrimination
Discrimination against one gender is of central importance in the context of gender mainstreaming. As we all know, gender mainstreaming means the equality of both women and men – and that in their very individual diversity. This gender equality is based, within the framework of this administrative action, on the avoidance of gender discrimination.
Discrimination can take on very different faces, either with regard to the female or male sex. Strictly speaking, gender orientation requires respect for social, cultural and normative dimensions and also in sports where inequality is still pretty common. It is particularly important here that no disadvantages are linked to general gender affiliation or general gender roles. In this context, the talk is of disadvantages if people are harmed – i.e. if they are not given an opportunity, including a professional one, or if they are excluded.
Generally speaking, a distinction can be made between two types of discrimination:
Direct or direct discrimination: This type of discrimination occurs when a woman or man is deliberately or clearly disadvantaged because they are either male or female. This type of discrimination is also the case if the person does not correspond to an explicitly existing stereotypical notion of man or woman.
Indirect discrimination: This type of discrimination is mentioned if an action or measure which appears to be neutral clearly disadvantages either men or women, i.e. one gender. This type of characterization of the discrimination just described is laid down various international laws.
To give you a few examples: A collective agreement sets different wages and salaries for men and women who perform the same work. A company regularly assigns other, more highly qualified tasks to men, because the opinion prevails that men can cope better with these tasks than women. This is called stereotyping.
A company assigns different tasks to men than to women because it is assumed that women are “responsible” for certain tasks (comparison: women belong in the kitchen). This is referred to as a clear assignment of roles, which means that certain tasks are immediately associated with women.
A colleague continuously writes e-mails to his colleague in which he compliments her on her figure, appearance, clothes, etc. The colleague is also a member of the team. This also includes invitations to a meeting for two after work. This is called sexual harassment.
Examples of indirect or indirect discrimination:
A building, restaurant, or office has two toilets, i.e. closed compartments, for men and four urinals, but only two compartments for women.
A business, company or enterprise requires both male and female employees to dress appropriately. According to this, men in suits and women in costumes with skirts must appear at work. This suggests that neutral regulation thus focuses on traditional roles. Without explicit justification, this regulation would be indirectly discriminatory – in this case even for both sexes.
Regulation is based on the fact that part-time employees are not entitled to certain company-related benefits. Due to the fact that the majority of part-time employees are women, gender discrimination can be assumed here. | <urn:uuid:e31383b7-a858-4f40-941a-e3b53b4be7f8> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://genderstats.org/gender-mainstreaming/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648635.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602104352-20230602134352-00583.warc.gz | en | 0.962954 | 1,073 | 3.671875 | 4 | The extract provides a comprehensive overview of gender mainstreaming, discussing its definition, importance, and application in various contexts. It also delves into the topic of discrimination, highlighting different types and examples. The content demonstrates a good understanding of soft skills such as empathy, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. However, it lacks practical application, nuanced interaction, and complex problem-solving opportunities.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 918,232 | 0 |
22 physical and intellectual challenges developing a range of key transferable and life-based skills without the need to go offsite. Carefully constructed pair, small-group and whole-class activities get students planning, leading, debating, cooperating and analysing performance. Great for use as full lesson activities or as warm-ups/icebreakers.
Every activity includes:
- Clear defined aims – demonstrating the skills being developed during each challenge
- Step-by-step instructions and key rules – focused towards student-led learning!
- ‘Make it Harder’ differentiation opportunities
- Thoughtful questions and discussions – elicit wider application of key skills across other subjects and beyond school life
Covers key aspects of the National Curriculum Programme of Study, including ‘the use of a range of tactics and strategies’, ‘improving and analysing performance’ and ‘taking part in outdoor adventurous activities’.
- Includes teacher’s overview – highlighting support, preparation, skills developed and health and safety considerations for each activity
“Good use of key learning skills, could imagine using with my sixth form students who are involved in lesson support/ using for G&T learners to develop skills or as a guided discovery based lesson.” – R. Devlin, Director of Learning PE & Independent Reviewer
“From my experience, many PE teachers lack the knowledge and confidence to fully implement a good OAA programme into their curriculum due to lack of experience or good training. This resource therefore gives teachers different ideas for their lessons.” – M. Hammonds, PE teacher & Independent Reviewer
Price is £39 — Includes photocopiable master with site licence; electronic copies available. Orders are normally dispatched in 2-5 working days.
Click here for full details and to order. | <urn:uuid:799603f9-5257-4cd4-a969-012937cddb42> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://zigzageducation.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/outdoor-adventurous-activities-without-going-off-site/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549426951.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170727022134-20170727042134-00319.warc.gz | en | 0.929204 | 373 | 3.578125 | 4 | The extract scores high for its comprehensive coverage of soft skills development, including leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. It provides realistic scenarios, practical applications, and opportunities for critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness. The resource also caters to different learning needs and styles, with differentiation opportunities and thoughtful questions for discussion.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 390,358 | 1 |
Much of the contemporary debate about inequality focuses on the problems related to inequality in developing countries. This, of course, is an urgent issue and it seems obvious that it should be central to discussions on global development policies in the coming decades. However, while Europe is confronted with the deepest economic crisis in more than 80 years and given the policies designed and implemented to combat this crisis, I want to argue that the discussion on inequality should be broadened to include also ‘developed’ industrial economies in the West.
In the current context, it appears that a small number of private or bureaucratic actors is taking advantage of the European economic crisis, not only to enrich themselves at the expense of society, but also to increase their power and to reduce their accountability. This creates a vicious circle of concentration of wealth and power in the hands of ever fewer people, which leads not only to the deepening of the democratic deficit in Europe, but also to deteriorating living conditions for a majority of the European population. With inequality on the rise throughout the region, it is to be expected that European states will eventually have to deal with a resurgence of social and economic ills that were thought to have been eradicated from our ‘advanced’ part of the world: mass unemployment, poverty, hunger, crime and a lack of trust in political institutions.
At the same time, some developing economies are showing how inequality can be successfully tackled through active government intervention. Several Latin American countries have pursued activist redistributive social policies, and have been quite successful in equalising income distribution and hereby in tackling some of the problems associated with inequality. European countries as well as EU institutions should learn from these examples and acknowledge the responsibility of the state to correct a fundamental problem of the market system. The economic and financial crisis that continues to challenge the European Union shows that inequality is not only a topic important for developing countries, but is more and more becoming an equally important subject for wealthy, industrialised nations.
Toward the end of the 2000s, income distribution in Europe was more unequal than in the average OECD country, and income distribution within the EU-27 as a whole was larger than in India. As policies implemented to combat the on-going economic and financial crisis in the EU emphasise the importance of austerity, cutbacks and balanced budgets while basically doing nothing to advance a more equal distribution of income, boost consumer confidence or increase demand for goods and services, it is likely that inequality within and between EU member states will continue to rise in the coming years. As a result, many of the problems associated with inequality will become more relevant for European countries as well.
As has been rightly pointed out in Stalling growth and development, more unequal societies perform worse on indicators such as health, social and psychological well-being, and happiness. Moreover, crime figures tend to be higher in more unequal societies, and lastly, more inequality is associated with social unrest, institutional failure, and the concentration of political power in the hands of the rich. This latter development is especially visible in the European Union, where non-elected technocrats, often with a professional history in investment banking, in Brussels, Frankfurt and on the national level are gradually taking over responsibility for macro-economic policy from politicians accountable to the people. The other dangers of rising inequality are beginning to manifest themselves in Europe as well, most visibly in the Mediterranean countries but inevitably spreading to the wealthy northern countries as well.
As the crisis continues to smash the region, all these problems are essentially becoming more visible in European societies. In several countries, austerity means less investment in physical and mental health care, education, social services, and culture. Crime is on the rise in the Southern European countries that have been most severely hit by the crisis and in cities such as Athens or Madrid mass demonstrations and protests are the order of the day. People are venting their anger about their worsening situations not only at politicians, but also at social or ethnic groups, such as immigrants, that act as scapegoats. On the political level, we observe national institutions retreating from macro-economic management, unable to cope with growing unrest and shrinking budgets, as well as European institutions that fail to come up with sustainable policy solutions that can count on the acceptance of a majority of the population.
The austerity policies that are currently being designed and implemented sustain a vicious circle of decreasing democratic legitimacy and increasing inequality. The crisis is being handled in a way that benefits a small and wealthy group of technocratic European politicians, investors and entrepreneurs, whereas a growing number of Europeans face unemployment, deteriorating living standards and even outright poverty. The crisis therefore appears to serve as an instrument to cut down on democracy and to increase inequality. In a way, this vicious circle is therefore becoming a virtuous circle for the rich. But as long as the consequences of rising inequality are not addressed, the benefits will not be sustainable.
The obviously mistaken course of European macro-economic policy with regard to the socio-economic well-being of the population is unforgivable, not only because the disastrous socio-economic consequences of this course are crystal clear, but also because solutions and policies to avoid these consequences are available. European policy-makers should look to a number of developing countries, for instance in Latin America, where the rise of the ‘New Left’ led to a more interventionist macro-economic and social course by national governments, which succeeded in significantly reducing income inequality. The Bolsa Familia programme in Brazil is only one of the exemplary policies that show that a strong and socially concerned government can equip itself with the tools to genuinely reduce inequality and improve socio-economic well-being, without giving up the goals of economic development and investor confidence. Other Latin American countries such as Chile and Venezuela have implemented similar progressive schemes, reducing social and income inequality and thereby truly serving the interests of the people instead of those of the market only.
Inequality between the people of a nation is at the root of many social and economic problems, which constitute a massive burden on any society. Failure to recognize the relationship between inequality and social instability will eventually hurt all the indicators that are now presumed sacred for obtaining or restoring the confidence of the market. The failure, or outright reluctance, of many European economies to grasp the importance of reducing inequality is appalling, especially given shining examples of social policies targeted at substantially reducing inequality and increasing general well-being. Inequality, therefore, is not only a crucial theme to be included in any future agenda for the developing world, but is also a subject that should be paramount in any discussion in ‘advanced’ European countries about the political, economic and social future of the region.
Photo credit main picture: changó | <urn:uuid:5699b070-95e8-4b02-ae78-4070e4a1d329> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Blogs/Inequality-debate/Inequality-should-be-of-central-concern-to-advanced-economies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701314683/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104834-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959997 | 1,351 | 2.515625 | 3 | The extract discusses economic inequality, its consequences, and potential solutions, but lacks direct discussion of soft skills. However, it implies the need for critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership to address inequality. The text provides realistic scenarios and integrates emotional intelligence, but does not explicitly focus on soft skills development.
Educational score: 3 | 3 | 2 | 241,824 | 0 |
First, our charge was to come up with something that could be done in the equivalent of two-three class periods if we were in school, but that could also be scaled up or down in the future depending upon the number of days that were missed.
Second, I made the executive decision that each teacher was not going to do his or her own thing. It seemed to me to be easier for us to all collaborate on one project for each grade level (so all 9th graders will do the same thing in all classes) rather than each teacher try to come up with an acceptable activity on his or her own. I also wanted to avoid the inevitable comparisons that parents would do between what one teacher assigned and what another assigned. Invariably, someone would complain that so and so's assignment was easier/harder than another teacher's. If they all do the same thing, this concern is a non-factor.
What follows is the first draft of the project description:
9th grade: Are to research how a person registers to vote, where voting happens, and how voting is done in the town of Burlington and the state of MA. They can interview, research and read about this. They must then make an infogram and a physical poster explaining this information that would help to guide a person with the process of voting, from registration to casting the ballot. We provide them with copies of the MA Constitution with commentary/annotations/presentations to guide their reading in this process, and perhaps also give a guided reading about voting rights in the US. Posters are placed in the hallways of the school and town buildings. Infograms are shared via Padlet.com. Honors student possible extension: look at how voting rights have evolved in MA from colonial times until now.
10th grade: Are to learn about how town government works--what happens at all levels of local decision making--Selectmen, Town Meeting, School Committee, Ways and Means, etc.--They can interview, research, read about this. They are then to create a digital presentation that shows the way that all aspects of town government are interrelated...like a flow chart in Explain Everything/Showme, or a series of slides, or a diagram of who does what, how it happens and how a person gets involved/elected. Presentations are posted to a YouTube channel and/or given to BCAT as infomercials to run and shared with the town government. We provide students with copies of the MA Constitution with commentary/annotations/presentations to guide their reading, and perhaps a guided reading about the history behind NE town government as a structure different from the rest of the nation's structures.
11th grade: Are to learn about how state government works. Who are their state representatives, how long have they served, what do they do. What are the parts of state government and how do they connect?How does the state government function? They can interview, research, read about this. Students are to produce a video that explains state government (think, I’m Just A Bill-esque, or a Welcome to Your State Government, or a TED talk). Videos are posted to a YouTube channel and/or given to BCAT for broadcast and shared with Burlington’s State Reps and Senator. We provide students with copies of the MA Constitution with commentary/annotations/presentations to guide their reading, and perhaps a guided reading about the differences between state and federal government.
All we have to do ahead of time is annotate the MA Constitution for the relevant information for each grade level, and find a reading and make some questions, all of which can be done in Google Docs for rapid and easy distribution on a snow day. I can create the common submission points for their digital work, which would make it easier to pass along to others, and to check off compliance/completion. Because they are publishing their work publicly it can be largely done pass/fail, I think, or we can create scoring guides if we want to, and scale the expectations for AP/Honors, CP I and CPII, with a layer of expectations depending on future number of days they have to spend doing the work. In the event of lots of days off, we could also extend it by asking them to submit a written reflection, or a critique, or suggestions for improvement to the political process they are researching. | <urn:uuid:50dfa3dc-3882-4e33-89e1-e90333f6e25f> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://whit-send.blogspot.ca/2015/03/snow-day-make-up-rough-cut.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549427749.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20170727062229-20170727082229-00205.warc.gz | en | 0.971128 | 897 | 3.359375 | 3 | The extract demonstrates a comprehensive approach to teaching civic engagement and government, incorporating collaboration, research, and digital literacy. It promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills through realistic scenarios and practical applications. The project encourages intercultural fluency by considering the local context and history of government.
Educational score: 5 | 5 | 4 | 525,811 | 1 |
St Margaret's Bay
1 : 21120 This rough field sketch of the Kentish coastline was produced on about 12 pieces of thin, irregularly cut, paper which were then joined and laid on thick paper. There is considerable mismatch of detail at the joins. The plan runs from the Strait of Dover, through Dover Castle, St Margaret's Bay, Kingsdown, Walmer Castle and Deal. The red colouring normally used to distinguish buildings in settlement areas was not added to this drawing.
Canterbury is the largest settlement featured on this drawing, with barracks recorded nearby. The draughtsman has also noted two military batteries along the coast, roughly level with Sandwich. Produced against the background of the Napoleonic Wars, the Ordance Survey drawings show a clear preoccupation with defensive structures, particularly along the vulnerable south coast. On this map, Deal Castle, Sandown Castle and Walmer Castle form a line of protection for the Downs anchorage. Commissioned by Henry VIII in the late 1530s, they were built as a defence against possible invasion after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon angered French and Spanish Catholics. The draughtsman has delineated the distinctive petal formation of Deal Castle, built to resemble the Tudor Rose. | <urn:uuid:e3a53808-46f8-48fb-9484-a70a5681981d> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.oldmapsonline.org/map/nls/101465648 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370505359.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20200401003422-20200401033422-00397.warc.gz | en | 0.971788 | 255 | 3 | 3 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on historical and geographical content. It provides factual information without opportunities for communication, teamwork, or problem-solving. Cultural awareness is limited to historical context, and digital literacy is absent.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 722,687 | 0 |
The Downtown San Francisco Model and the Berkeley Simulation Lab
During the late 1960s, the San Francisco City Planning Department became aware of the WPA model of downtown San Francisco, constructed in the 1930s as part of the Depression era federal works program. Stored in a warehouse in the Mission district, it was dusty and seemingly abandoned. Although it promised to be of value to the planning staff, there was no place to store or to use it to demonstrate what existed with what their designer-planners hoped would be the future. Donald Appleyard (1928-1982), Professor of Urban Design at the University of California, Berkeley, who was starting his simulation studies in collaboration with Kenneth Craik (Emeritus Professor of Psychology) acquired the model with the stipulation that it would be available to the San Francisco City Planning staff if and when needed. Later, Appleyard was hired as a consultant on the city’s urban design study and plan, working primarily on street livability from which came some of his seminal writing.
Professor Jacobs is also featured in the video display accompanying this exhibition.
--Allan Jacobs, Professor Emeritus of City & Regional Planning and Urban Design
Laboratorio di Simulazione Urbana (top row)
The three photos here demonstrate the use of a GIS model of a proposed project in Milan, Italy. The left-most image depicts the existing skyline; the central image depicts the modeled development; the image on the right is a 3D model showing the placement of the project within the city.
--photographs courtesy Peter Bosselmann
Since the late 1960s the College of Environmental Design has operated an Environmental Simulation Laboratory. The methods used to make simulations have evolved from a model stage with a computer guided camera to a 3D digital models that can be animated with fly-through and visualization applications. The laboratory has become world famous with similar facilities established by Berkeley faculty in New York City, Tokyo, and Milan.
At Berkeley, the idea of simulation originated with Donald Appleyard, who worked with Kevin Lynch at MIT, where he experimented with graphic methods to record human experience of time and space. The work was published by Appleyard, together with Kevin Lynch and John R. Myer in The View from the Road. At Berkeley, Appleyard teamed up with the psychologist Kenneth Craik, a specialist in personality and assessment, who had transferred assessment techniques to the then new field of Environmental Psychology. Aided by a large grant from the National Science Foundation, Appleyard and Craik established a laboratory to simulate large scale planning, design and engineering projects.
Establishing the laboratory responded to two important trends that emerged by the late 1960s: the growing strength of the citizen participation movement and an early wave of concern for the environment and ecological well-being. Both trends resulted in a regulatory framework, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Thus the mandate for the new Environmental Simulation Laboratory was to develop methods for measuring and communicating the effects of urbanization on cities and landscapes.
The emphasis on improved public communication through simulation has remained the laboratory's central focus. Under Peter Bosselmann, who came to Berkeley in 1976 and took over the direction of the Simulation Laboratory upon Appleyard's death in 1982, the lab was applied to the modeling and visualization of large scale urban planning projects, first in the San Francisco Bay Area, later in New York City and Toronto, and more recently in Tokyo and in Milan. The views of downtown San Francisco shown here and the changes proposed to the skyline are useful in explaining proposals for the Transbay Terminal Area to those members of the public, who may not otherwise understnad the implications of decision making such as politicians, community representatives, and the news media, thus the public at large.
At the College of Environmental Design we continue to produce Simulations following the fundamental premise that it is possible to take parts of a city into a laboratory in order to experiment with city structures. The resulting simulations make an important contribution to the political discourse about changes in cities.
--Peter Bosselmann, Professor of Urban Design in Architecture, City & Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture
A drive across the Oakland San Francisco Bay Bridge in 2005 (bottom row, middle)
1.) The simulations illustrate the importance of the “Downtown Hill Policy.” The allowable building heights are set to create a constructed hill that is compatible with the hill of the natural topography
2.) The Environmental Simulation Lab's digital GIS model is set up to show potential building volumes to test the cumulative effect of new construction on the “Downtown Hill Policy.” With each frame of the drive the model is rotated to correspond to the changing aspect angle as the camera progresses across the bridge. | <urn:uuid:29382c8c-e0f6-4e61-87fd-0693156470dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/exhibitions/exhibits/show/new-modernism/college-and-communities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698289937/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095809-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940248 | 969 | 2.75 | 3 | The extract lacks direct discussion of soft skills, focusing on urban planning and simulation. However, it implies teamwork, communication, and problem-solving through collaborative projects and public engagement. The content is informative but lacks practical application and nuanced interaction, warranting a basic score.
Educational score: 2 | 2 | 1 | 143,156 | 0 |
For children with autism spectrum disorders, a lack of motor skills means more than just being clumsy. New research has shown that delayed motor development may contribute to social issues in children with autism. The findings support mounting evidence that links motor skill deficits and autism.
Lead author and assistant professor at Oregon State University’s College of Public Health Megan MacDonald has devoted her time to furthering understanding about the movement skills of children on the autism spectrum. Her latest study considered 35 students, aged 6 to 15 who were diagnosed with “high-functioning” autism. All of the participants were in mainstream classrooms at school. The research team examined “object control” motor skills (precise movements like throwing and catching) and “locomotion” skills (movements like running and walking). The researchers discovered that students who displayed lower levels of proficiency with object control were more likely to have worse social problems and difficulties in communication. Students who performed better on the motor skills evaluation were less likely to experience these issues.
MacDonald commented, “So much of the focus on autism has been on developing social skills, and that is very crucial. Yet we also know there is a link between motor skills and autism, and how deficits in these physical skills play into this larger picture is not clearly understood.” The relationship between motor skills and social skills manifest in several ways. For example, children with autism may avoid participating in playground activities because they are uncertain of their abilities. Unfortunately, a failure to join in with playground games does tend to exacerbate existing social issues.
There is hope for children with autism. Although delayed motor development may hamper their social prospects, motor skills can be learned through appropriate interventions. This research suggests that interventions for motor skills in children with autism may be as important as those for social skills.
This research is published in the July issue of Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly.
Previous news in autism: | <urn:uuid:bbd24148-8ef6-48ed-b5b2-d595578f20a2> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://integratedlistening.com/blog/delayed-motor-skills-related-to-struggling-socially-for-children-with-autism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644855.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529105815-20230529135815-00702.warc.gz | en | 0.972513 | 390 | 3.609375 | 4 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on research about motor skills and autism. It provides some insight into communication and social issues, but does not offer practical applications or nuanced interaction.
Educational score: 1 | 1 | 0 | 850,340 | 0 |
By Dan Krotz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Scientists expect subalpine trees to advance upslope as global temperatures increase, following their climate up the mountains.
But new research published Dec. 15 in the journal Global Change Biology suggests this might not hold true for two subalpine tree species of western North America.
A study led by project scientist Lara Kueppers, affiliated with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, shows Engelmann spruce might not move to higher elevations as temperatures rise. Its lower-elevation boundary could recede upslope, so its overall range could shrink. And the hardy limber pine could advance upward in a warmer climate, but likely at the same slow pace as in today’s climate.
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), UC Merced, the U.S. Geological Survey, UC Berkeley and the University of Colorado at Boulder conducted the study between 2009 and 2014 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Their surprising findings are based on the discovery that the two species can be harmed by warming during the earliest stages of their lives, even at the cold, high-elevation edge of forest growth. In addition, seeds from trees now growing at the upper boundary of the species’ range might not fare well at higher elevations.
These insights could help scientists improve models that predict where and how fast subalpine forests will move in a warming climate. Scientists are interested in predicting what will happen to subalpine forests as the climate warms because a shift in the boundary between forest and alpine tundra biomes means big implications for mountain water resources, the carbon cycle and the planet’s climate.
“This means there’s a real risk that climate change may outpace tree migration—some trees may not be able to keep up with their climate,” said Kueppers, a former UC Merced faculty member who now works in Berkeley Lab’s Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division. “Seedlings are the future of the forest, so it’s very important to learn how warming will affect them.
“The assumption that trees will track their climate underestimates the challenges they face during seedling recruitment,” she added. “The odds are stacked against trees at this stage, even under normal conditions, and we found that warming decreases the young trees’ odds of survival even more.”
The scientists focused on the impacts of warming on the first four years of the trees’ lives. They planted the seeds at three sites, one at the low-elevation edge of subalpine forest, another at the high-elevation edge of the forest (the current tree line), and a third site in the alpine zone where the trees don’t grow.
At each site, they planted 20 gardens divided into four groups. One group was heated from March to November with infrared heaters. This melted the snow early and raised the temperatures of soil and seedlings by several degrees, mimicking the effects of climate change.
A second group was heated and watered, a third group was only watered and a fourth control group was left untouched.
Counter to expectations, they found warming reduced seedling survival for both species at all three elevations during the first year of life. The scientists expected survival rates to dip at the lower-elevation site, where temperatures rose above the trees’ normal climate, but not higher up, where warming was expected to help seedlings. They attribute this lower survival rate to drier conditions caused by warming, which negatively affected seedling survival.
Survival rates diverged for the two species after the first year. For the limber pine, the scientists found some benefits of warming at some sites, but not enough to reverse the negative effects from the first year. After four years, there wasn’t a measurable effect of warming on survival.
“From this, we infer that limber pine has the potential to persist at its current location and expand upslope into the alpine zone, but it won’t expand any faster in a warmer climate,” says Kueppers.
Negative effects of warming persisted through the fourth year of the Engelmann spruce, though. No warmed seedlings survived to be 4 years old at the low-elevation site, indicating warming could impede the species’ upward expansion cause the lower-elevation edge of its range to contract upslope.
In another surprise, the scientists found that seeds collected from lower elevations survived better in the alpine zone than seeds collected from higher elevations. This, too, could slow the upslope expansion of subalpine trees, as it’s hard for lower-elevation seeds to “leapfrog” over higher-elevation trees and establish themselves above the current tree line.
“Overall, our findings indicate that seedlings are highly vulnerable to climate variation, which should be taken into account as we predict what will happen to subalpine forests in a warming climate,” Kueppers said. | <urn:uuid:fe2d51d3-aea0-45a1-9af7-03930693a5a2> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2016/study-warming-could-slow-upslope-migration-trees | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320539.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20170625152316-20170625172316-00166.warc.gz | en | 0.952951 | 1,066 | 3.765625 | 4 | The extract lacks discussion of soft skills, focusing on scientific research and climate change. It does not include communication scenarios, team dynamics, or professional development opportunities.
Educational score: 0 | 0 | 0 | 295,104 | 0 |
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