Plant Growth Experiments Essay Example

Plant Growth Experiments Paper They grow best in cold seasons. The group selected this study so that they can test the effects of certain mixtures or substances such as water and salt, water and sugar, water and powdered milk, against the effects of water only. The group wanted to find out if these substances would benefit or cause damage to the plants. Statement of Problem Can varying solutions enhance the growth of peachy? Hypothesis The problem under study Is whether different kinds of solutions (such as water and salt, water and sugar, water and milk) will affect the growth of plants. Their objectives are: To determine which solution will benefit peachy plants. *To make a homemade, effective fertilizer Instead of buying expensive ones Significance of the Study Since agriculture is one of the main sources of income for the people in the country, the researchers would want to determine if water mixtures would affect the growth of plants. Their study about the different mixtures, such as water with sugar, water with salt, water with oil and water with soap affecting the growth of plants is significant because this study will educate the people of the things that they do not want to water their plants with. We will write a custom essay sample on Plant Growth Experiments specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Plant Growth Experiments specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Plant Growth Experiments specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer If this study Is successful, the researchers will be able to Inform the people on how they can make their plants grow faster and the substances that would harm them. Through this experiment, we might be able to find ways of increasing the growth of the plants found in our garden. Scope and Limitations The researchers will try to determine whether different substances (water with salt, sugar, powdered milk or water only) will affect the growth of the plants. They will be allotting 2 months for us to see if the water mixtures namely water with salt, sugar, and powdered milk can affect the growth of plants. The plants in trial 1 will be receiving enough sunlight while trial 2 will not be receiving enough sunlight, watered equally and have a control set up so that we can compare the results after the time allotted for the experiment. They will not be spending as much because most of the products they will be using are found at home. They will be having a PH. 500 budget to buy materials that we will need but couldnt find them at our houses. The Independent variable will Include the plants we used In testing, water with the mixtures. The dependent variable will be the result of dealing with or experimenting nee Inaepenaenvexperlmental variable. In tens case, It will De ten amount AT sugar, salt, and powdered milk that they will mix with the water to see if these will affect the Peachy plant we will be using for our experiment. Their controlled variable will consist of the peachy plant and water. Review of Related Literature Tap Water on Plants Tap water is good for plants that need water with chlorine in it, spring water is good for carnivorous plants in order for them to grow, and bottled water is good for plants like cactuses that need mineral water to grow. Sugar on Plants Plants require three essentials, light, water and nutrients to thrive and produce optimum yield. Plants naturally produce sugars, such as glucose and sucrose. These sugars are needed to produce energy, promote growth and aide in the processes of respiration and transpiration. Sugar can also be introduced to a plant through watering to enhance growth and production. Sugar, in moderation, is not harmful to plants. If the amount of sugar in the soil becomes too high, this promotes a higher incidence of fungi and bacteria. A typical fungus that thrives on sugar is yeast. In a study at University of Southern California, here groups of bean plants were watered with different degrees of sugar water (O g, 25 g and 50 g solutions). The group of plants which had been watered with the 50 g sugar/water solution was not only the largest and strongest of the plants, they were also the healthiest and highest yielding plants. Effect of Salt Concentration on Plant Growth Many western farmers believe that soil alkali is more detrimental to crop growth during the hot weather than during the cooler seasons of the year. Other agricultural workers have noted that damage to crops due to alkali (soil salinity) is more serious in he hot interior valleys than along the coast where the climate is more moderate. It is not definitely known whether or not soil salinity concentrations are comparable between different seasons of the year or between respective areas. Yet, information on this question is pertinent to the development of management practices which would aid in ameliorating soil salinity conditions at different seasons of the year and under different climatic conditions. The results obtained in this study show that* most crops are injured by salt to a greater extent in warm than cool climates. The Effect of Water Impurities on Plant Growth The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of water impurities on the growth of plants. Each plant was put near a big window that let in a lot of sun. Two different stems from each plant were marked with bag ties. The heights of the two stems from each plant were measured. The plants were watered with 157. 6 millimeters of the solution. Each plant was watered on Thursday and Sunday. The first solution contained six millimeters of Colors bleach and 151. millimeters of water. The second solution contained 6 grams of sugar and 157. millimeters of water. The third solution contained 6 grams of salt and 157. 6 millimeters of water. On Friday and Monday the height of the stems of each plant were measured, and the height was recorder. I nerve was also a plant Tanat was watered Just Walt water, Tort ten control setup. This experiment ran for four weeks. The data was analyzed to determine which plant grew the most over that period of four weeks. The conclusions of this experiment are that the plant watered with sugar grew the most. Another conclusion is that the control (the plant watered with water) grew a little less than the plant attired with sugar. The plant watered with salt grew a little less than the control, and the plant watered with bleach grew the least amount. The reason that was discovered for why the plant watered with sugar grew the most was because when plants absorb nutrients, they turn them into some form of sugar. This plant didnt have to do that because it was already absorbing sugar. The other substances, except water, probably Just stopped the plants from growing as much. Plant Growth Experiments The instructions below outline a protocol for conducting plant growth experiments in the laboratory. You may want to make adaptations for use in a greenhouse or outdoors. Purpose: To determine the effect of compost on plant germination and growth. Materials: pots, compost, soil, seeds, light source (sunlight or artificial light) Procedure The first step is to design your own experiment. There are many possibilitiesa few ideas are listed here, but the variations are endless: 0 Test various combinations of soil and compost on plant growth. For example, you might wish to dig a soil sample from your school yard and mix it with various amounts of finished compost for planting experiments. Natural soil is better than prepackaged potting soils for experiments such as this because the potting mixes are formulated for optimal plant growth and already contain significant amounts of compost or humus. ) 0 another possibility is to mix your own potting soil by using vermiculite, sand, and compost. Creating several mixtures using the same percentages but different types of compost is a good way of comparing the influence of the various types of compost on plant growth. For example, you could compare compost at various levels of maturity, compost created using different mixtures of organic wastes, or overoptimistic versus impost created in a thermometric system. 0 if you are interested in investigating the effects of compost tea on plant growth, you could fill the pots with a sandy soil or potting medium such as vermiculite, then use compost extracts for watering. Next, whatever type of experiment you choose, make sure that you design your experiment to include replicates of the various treatments.

Drug Legalization essays

Drug Legalization essays Although it is apparent that Americas drug plague is reaching epidemic proportions, costing US taxpayers an estimated 20 billion dollars in a year, the legalization of drugs cannot be economically justified. Despite pro-legalization arguments, the estimated economic benefit that would be derived from the legalization of drugs would not compare to the enormous social-economic costs that would result. The main assumption that is made concerning the legalization of drugs is that taxes on drugs could raise large amounts of revenue. First, this assumption is simply untrue if compared to the tax revenues collected on alcohol, a legal drug. The total tax revenue from the sale of alcohol is $13.1 billion a year while alcohol extracts over $100 billion a year in social costs. (Magginnis, 2001) This assumption also does not take into consideration that legalization would perpetuate the criminal black market. Government regulations on drug sales would open the doors to cheaper, more potent drugs being offered to under-aged users who could not obtain the legal version. This criminal sale of drugs would continue the need to spend money funding additional law enforcement and judicial personnel. The legalization of drugs would also help bring in many new drug users. It has already been proven that drug use and abuse is reduced by drug prohibition. Demand is less when the drug is illegal. The use of heroin and cocaine, two popular illegal drugs, usually begins in social situations. The likelihood of an initial user obtaining the drug from a drug dealer is slim. In one study it was found that almost 90 percent of the initial use of cocaine took place at a party or other informal social event. About 70 percent of new users obtained it from friends or relatives. Only 5 percent of the new users obtained it from dealers. (Edgmand, Moomaw, Olson, 2001) Thus a vicious circle emerges; societys increased social interaction wi...

Analysis of the diaper market

Analysis of the diaper market Baby diaper market has been growing at a nominal rate for some time now. Declining birth rates in the developed world has adversely affected the diaper manufacturers’ ability to expand their businesses. As per data provided by Euromonitor International, birth rates among the developed nations have declined by almost 20% during the last 30 years and are now only half the global average. The global market for diapers was worth $22.2 billion, a 2.9% increase YOY. However, the major markets of Western Europe, the U.S. and Japan posted nominal decline. As a result, companies like Procter & Gamble and Kimberly Clark are relying more on innovation to their rescue. This has also been a major contributor of success for P&G in the past few years. The new found focus is the developing country markets, from which 40% of global diaper revenue is derived. Markets such as China and Russia are providing brands with excellent opportunities for longer term growth. It is also worthwhile to noti ce the trend in the developed markets towards greener products as shown in the chart below Diaper Market in Developing Country There is huge growth potential for these products in emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India, as these markets are still quite underdeveloped and new. For example, China is world’s most rapidly developing nation. While it has taken developed Western economies some time to realise the environmental price of their development this is not the case for today’s emerging nations. In this case even the global recession will enable China to have more time to better make arrangements for considering more sustainable and greener options for its growth. Middle-class consumers are at the forefront of environmental awareness as the environmental consequences of rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in countries such as China and India are becoming increasingly apparent Also in countries such as India, the Philippines and Malaysia, levels of cons umer awareness regarding hygiene products are very still very low. Indian Diaper Market In 2009, manufacturers have been now more focused on more categories such as disposable nappies/diapers. With the increasing buying power of Indian consumers, companies are looking for options which are more convenient and safe to use for the children. Increase in awareness about hygiene is a big factor for thus development. Some of the major development last year is as follows: Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Ltd introduced Pampers Magic Nickers Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd introduced Huggies New Born, a product specifically targeting the mothers of new born babies. With increasing awareness regarding the advantages of using the use of disposable nappies/diapers over cloth substitutes, Indian parents are now spending more on purchasing such products which in turn led to an increase in sales value for the manufacturers. Convenience has been one of the driving factors in this change. Even in ti er 2 towns and cities, parents are willing to spend money on disposable nappies/diapers to use when the baby is taken out of the home, for added convenience. Also as babies get older, some young mothers look to go back to work. This encouraged the use of nappies/diapers, as they are more convenient, and they do not need to spend time washing cloth nappies. Also, as babies become more active, and nappies are a more comfortable and hygienic alternative to cloth nappies. However currently the majority of the sales is restricted to customers in urban India. So the penetration rate of disposable nappies/diapers has been increasing, as more young parents are finding it convenient to switch from cloth nappies to disposable nappies.

Globalization at general electrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Globalization at general electrics - Essay Example First, GE chose to invest aggressively in foreign expansion for the obvious reason of desire to grow the company. Foreign investment results in more branches of the company, and this is directly linked to increased revenues for the company due to the additional branches, which will generate additional profits for the company (Rugman & Collinson 2008). Therefore, GE bought other companies in various countries, which were in a financial jeopardy, and were on the verge of collapsing. GE bought the financially unstable companies at a faster rate, mainly because, this was the only opportunity it had to acquire those companies and expand, since these would be seized by other companies, if GE would not act fast. This is a strategy, which GE used to ensure that its expansion was rapid. Aggressive expansion of GE might have been aimed at ensuring that the company moves closer to most of its customers, since this would be easier and cheaper for the company to address the various concerns and n eeds of its customers, while increasing its total sales revenue. In addition, international expansion by GE was intended for the company to increase its customer base, since this would acquire more and new customers in the new geographical locations that it established itself. In addition, GE chose to expand because of the company’s wish to deal with their foreign markets on a higher level. By adopting globalization, GE wanted to prove that the relationship between the company and its foreign markets was strong enough to allow the country to directly invest in the foreign countries, while being assured of profits. Rugman & Collinson (2008) argued that it not enough for a company to be shipping its products to foreign countries. Instead, a company should consider getting closer to its customers in the foreign markets, and establish a close relationship with them, to boost revenue and address consumer needs appropriately. Finally, GE might have chose to expand internationally i n order to save on the costs it incurred in the form of wages for its employees. Employees in other countries outside the United States are paid lower salaries and wages, mainly because of the economic status of their country, which is usually lower, compared to the United States. Therefore, most American multinationals choose to expand outside the United States in order to explore these lower wages (Rugman & Collinson 2008). Question 2 According to Birkinshaw, Braunerhjelm, Holm & Terjesen (2006), the corporate headquarters of a company plays a valuable role in influencing the relationships between the company and the financial markets, as well as its stakeholders. Stakeholders of a company include customers, as well as the competitors of the company, which are the most important stakeholders of a company. Therefore, by moving its headquarters to foreign markets, GE wanted to influence the relationship with its customers in the foreign countries. This would result in a stronger rel ationship than the one that existed previously. Most companies claim that the decision to move their headquarters to foreign countries is influenced by their desire to be in close proximity with their international customers (Rugman & Collinson 2008). In the case of GE, like most companies, this company has moved most of its headquarters of its other businesses from the U.S.A. to other foreign countries.

MATCHING STRATEGY TO FOREIGN OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS Research Paper - 1

MATCHING STRATEGY TO FOREIGN OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS - Research Paper Example ness are facing, their use of the IR framework must based on managerial perceptions alongside the pressures placed by global integration and the pressures from local responsiveness. In applying international decision making it is essential to base on the capability of transferring and adapting the parent firm’s knowledge or capabilities of the foreign markets. A company planning on conducting its operations outside the borders of its local authority should have a good knowledge of the different trends prevailing in the different international markets. Companies applying international decision making should be able to apply international strategy to influence and control all decisions pertaining to strengths and weaknesses posed by companies operating in the markets they intend in venturing into. This will provide them with a leverage point as they will be able to determine and structure their products and services in such manners that reflect on the needs of foreign markets therefore being able to stand the competition posed by other companies. A good example is that Carrefour which is an international retailer is able to make good international decision making which entails the application of different standardized hypermarkets to venture into different countries where it carries out its activities or business. The best strategy to apply in such occasions where international decision making is required involves the use of International strategy (Cavusgil, Knight, & Riesenberger, 2011). This strategy can be described as a company’s ability to take its strength from the domestic market and use the same strategy in entering or venturing into international strategy. A good example of a company that uses this strategy is Wal-mart supermarket. This is because the company has taken the strategy which it uses on its country base to venture and introduce their goods in other countries yet still succeed in the international markets. Moreover, International strategy

The Use of Psychobabbles in Psychology Essay Example for Free

The Use of Psychobabbles in Psychology Essay The word psychobabble was coined and first used by R. D. Rosen, a journalist and an author, in 1975. The New Times Magazine then used the term as title of the cover story Psychobabble: The New Language of Candor. It was in 1977 though when the term gained popularity through the book entitled Psychobabble: Fast Talk and Quick Cure in the Era of Feeling published by Rosen. The book looks at the explosion of terminologies and treatments in psychology, whether in professional or non-professional scenes. Psychobabble is defined in the book as a derogatory word signifying a technical jargon in psychology that is being used outside its original purpose. Some people might use a specific psychological term in a different context and without really knowing the word’s real meaning. In that case, a psychobabble is formed. This situation would just denote the speaker’s incapability of understanding the proper use of a certain psychological word or term. However, in other cases, psychobabbles are perceived as jargon words denoting meanings beyond what scholars and trained practitioners accept. The frequent use of such psychobabbles can lead to the widespread exploitation of some psychological terms. Laypersons might use them to describe a thing inappropriate for the meaning of a psychological word. Worse, they might describe a non-clinical situation as a medical one, even if it is not. Today, psychobabbles are rampant in motivational seminars, management training, and popular psychology. Examples of Psychobabbles Synergy The word synergy means the event that happens when two or more agents are combined and created an effect greater than what was expected. A person who knows and understand the effects of each agent can better predict their synergy. An example of this is drug synergism, where two or more drugs combined interact to augment the characteristics of their effects. In Psychology, synergy in drugs is often used. However, the word becomes a psychobabble when applied to humans. In human synergy, two or more people interact to accomplish a bigger and greater goal. For example, if two carpenters combined their strengths, they will be able to finish a house bigger in a faster rate. Although synergy is not used in this manner frequently, still the word is becoming a layman’s term. Holistic The term refers to the thought that all components of a certain scheme or system should be taken as a whole thing and not separated from each other. In psychology, holistic approach is being observed in psychosomatic medicine, where multiple factors are used to devise a systematic model for the psyche and the soma. Nowadays, the psyche and the soma are not seen as two separated entities but more of two interlinked units. In this manner, holistic approach is also commonly used in the context outside its original scientific meaning. Holistic is also being used in as part of the English vocabulary pertaining to a kind of systematized living where all aspects are connected: biological, psychological, and social way of living. Abnormality In psychology, the term abnormality is often used to describe a condition that is perceived as rare and dysfunctional. Abnormal behaviors are given constant attention and study in the field of abnormal psychology. The criteria for abnormality are being subjected to studies based on scientific approach. Although the term purely connotes a psychological meaning, still abnormality becomes a layman’s term used to pertain to any unusual or strange characteristic of a person, a thing, an animal, or a situation or condition.

Pre 1914 Poetry :: English Literature

English GCSE Coursework – Pre1914 Poetry How does Hardy portray the themes of loss and loneliness in his poems? I am going to be comparing three of Thomas Hardy’s poems. These poems are: Where The Picnic Was, The Voice and Neutral Tones. Hardy was writing in a time when women could not vote. Women were second-class citizens who mainly stayed in the home. During the time when Hardy was writing, it was very difficult for a woman to divorce a man. The only way the woman would be able to divorce the man was only if she could prove cruelty. However, unlike women, a man could divorce his wife just like that with a minor reason. Thomas Hardy himself believed in marriage but only if people had similar interests. If people grew apart, he believed that they should be allowed to divorce. Hardy married twice in his lifetime. In 1874, Hardy married Emma Lavinia Gifford. She convinced him to start writing. Emma Hardy could not have children but still, Hardy continued the marriage without divorcing. On November 27th 1912, Emma Hardy died after being married for 38 years. Two years later, Hardy married his secretary, Florence Emily Dugdale. She was 35 and he was 74. She acted as his companion and housekeeper. The poems I have chosen to compare were all written after Emma’s death. Where The Picnic Was is basically talking about a picnic he had been on with Emma. He explains how it was in a secluded area were hardly anyone went. The title suggests happy as you normally go for a picnic in summer or spring, it also suggests that he went with someone like family or someone he was in love with, it mainly suggests love, but it also suggest looking back because of the ‘was’ in the title. All the poems do not contain the same content but overall relate to the death of Emma and looking back at good times. The mood of this poem changes as it goes on. In the first verse of the poem, it is a happy mood, but gradually the mood changes in verse 2 and in verse 3, the mood is oriented on the death of Emma and less on natural setting. Happiness in the first verse is shown in this quote. ‘In the summer time’. The sadness in the third verse is shown in this quote, ‘Where no picnics are, And one – has shut her eyes’. This reflects how Hardy is feeling because this is a one of the things he uses to reflect his mood. The theme of this poem is a place of

Cheating and plagiarism for my religion class Essay

The movie we watched was very interesting. I felt like I could definitely relate to most of the situations they brought up. In particular, the point about how you felt the need to cheat nowadays to keep up with the cheaters. Their information was very accurate and it really gives you a look into what life is like as a student. When watching it I really felt like what they were saying was pro-cheater. The only problem with the movie was the give a lot of great reasons why there is such a high percentage of cheaters out there, but the never offered any ways to fix the problem. Then the movie switched to the problem of plagiarism. They addressed the issue and showed some of the difficulties of trying to detect it. They then went into the only way of detecting it and how to avoid detection. Afterward they showed an example of a class and how bad plagiarism has gotten. Still they never offered any way to solve the problem. I really enjoyed the movie we watched in class it was very interesting. Through out the movie I felt could relate to the students telling their experiences. For example, one girl talked about how she feels the need to cheat to keep up with all the other cheaters out there. From my experience, I have tried studying long hours for tests and then going in the next day, taking the test and then having the person next to me cheat and get a higher grade. I myself cheat because nowadays it is all about grades and getting into the best colleges and getting the highest grade point average (g.p.a.), and with out a good g.p.a., you cannot get into a good college. So to get into a good college and get a good paying job some people are willing to do what ever it takes and to keep up with them we have to do the same things. Through out the movie I got the sense that they were taking a pro-cheater standpoint. I noticed that they really didn’t show you anyone who got anywhere in life by not cheating and so I got the feeling that they wanted us to walk away with better knowledge and methodologies on how to cheat. By the end of the movie, I really felt like cheating was no longer a bad thing and in fact it had actually become almost necessary to succeed in life and everyone is doing it. They also gave only examples of people who cheat all the time and easily get away with it. Once again, they never offered any solution to the problem. Next, they talked about plagiarism. They did an experiment with a World History class and had the kids write a paper on their favorite explorer. Then the teacher took all the papers and used the one tool out there that can check for plagiarism, turnitin.com. She submitted all the papers to this website and got them back with all the plagiarized portion of each students paper underlined. When she got the papers back, more than half the papers were plagiarized and some only had a few original sentences. It just goes to show how big of a problem plagiarism is these days. Then they said that the website only detects plagiarism if eight of the words are an exact match so to avoid detection all you have to do is change every eighth word and to be on the safe side you could play around with that number. Even though the movie never offered any way of solving either problem, they still informed you of the problem. I really enjoyed the movie. I left wanting to cheat and plagiarize. In the movie, they talked about a person who would write papers for you for $25 a page. Though I don’t know anyone that would do that for me, if I did, after watching the movie, I probably would have enlisted for his help. However, I don’t know anyone who would so I guarantee that this paper is completely original.

The Role of Assesment in Higher Education

Table of Content NoTitlePage No 1Introduction 2Role of assessment in curriculum design , learning & teaching 3Assessment for learning v Assessment of Learning 4. Issues and concerns ? Abstract Assessment is an integral part of curriculum practice. The prime consideration of educational institutions are the outcomes of learning, the enhanced abilities students can demonstrate because of their increase in knowledge , able to adapt and understand to changes because of their university experiences.Our concern is how learning takes effect and how teaching and assessment affect the quality of learning in order for students to acquire the knowledge and competencies that is required for the work place. To acquire these industry relevant skills lecturers suggest assessment be integral to teaching and how learning activities are structured. Hence , this report reviews the role of assessment in curriculum design & change, it’s importance of continuous assessment for enhancing learning, c ommon assessment practices and it issues and concerns. 1. Introduction: In this report, literature researched was with regards to the role of assessment in curriculum design & change. Thus this report tries to answer the following questions in order to highlight the role of assessment in curriculum design, implementation and enhancement of learning. 1. What is curriculum and the role of assessment in curriculum development and enhancement? 2. What is Assessment of learning v Assessment for Learning and the practices in higher education 3.Issues and concerns on assessment in teaching and learning at institutions of higher learning? 2. Assessment as a part of curriculum practice Curriculum is a Latin word and it refers to a ‘course’ or a ‘track’ to be followed. In education, the focus is learning, then the most appropriate interpretation for the word curriculum is viewed as a course or ‘plan for learning’ (ef. Taba , 1962). (Howell and Evans, 199 5) defines curriculum as the ‘what’ of teaching. I would define curriculum as a course of study.Then the process of curriculum development can be seen in short where one develops a product, which involves an ongoing improvement. Curriculum development is a long cyclic process of research, designing, implementing and evaluating learning outcomes based on the interest, needs and capabilities of learners, and the many stakeholders, which directs enhancement. The literature review report is in relation to the role of assessment in curriculum development and enhancement of Teaching and Learning. What is Assessment?Assessment is any process that evaluates an individual’s knowledge, understanding and skills. Van den Akker (2003) defines assessment as an integral component of curriculum practice. Assessment gives feedback on curriculum delivery which indicates about student learning, the curriculum and the academic policies. Thus educators strongly believe that assessmen t and curriculum be integrated in the curriculum cycle. For example, Students achievement of knowledge and skills are determined by assessment.Lecturers manage teaching and assessment of student competence according to the level of the course, giving grades, guiding and counselling and so on. These can only be possible if there are effective assessment procedures in the curriculum administration and practice. â€Å"In 1995 the Assessment Forum of the American Association of Higher Education led by Thomas A. Angelo went through an interactive process to develop a definition of assessment. The end-result of that definition process is as follows:† â€Å"Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning.It involves making our expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expec tations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance. When it is embedded effectively within larger institutional systems, assessment can help us focus our collective attention, examine our assumptions, and create a shared academic culture dedicated to assuring and improving the quality of higher education (Thomas A.Angelo, AAHE Bulletin, November 1995, p. 7)† In order to measure a student’s learning outcome, progression and competence attained, various types of information need to be gathered to determine the degree of student’s attainment in the learning outcomes for the curriculum. Various methods of formal and informal observation of students during their learning, examinations and quizzes, performance on assignments, projects and presentations are used to gather this information. Lecturers advise that there should be a plan for assessment at programme, course and lesson level, which is often overlooked.As P ratt (1998) stated, to make sure student achievements and grades reflect the learning outcomes established, assessments must be carefully planned, conducted, subject to continuous analysis, evaluation and enhancement. Learning outcomes (knowledge and competence of students), assessment, and teaching are all parts of an integrated whole. Assessment is believed to be essential to the teaching process in delivery and experience of the curriculum. But some students think of assessment as a form of control for lecturers. As (Pratt, 1998; Haladyna & Downing, 2004) stated when students progress from one semester to another they become displeased and suspicious about the assessment practices, and regarding them to be unfair and a means to demonstrate favouritism and punishment. † In institutions of higher learning, educators have the choice to choose the assessment types and practices. Since assessment results affect academic competence, educators are required to create a conducive le arning environment and make assessment integral to educational processes.In an encouraging learning environment a healthy dialogue takes place, trying out ideas, reflection, discussion, ask questions and enjoy the process of learning. (Pratt, 1998) Assessment is an important component and has several purposes. It directs the teaching process. Monitoring, discussion and observations in the classroom is also an important kind of assessment. This allows the instructor to gauge how well the lesson is going and whether learning is taking place with healthy discussion, participation and answering sessions (Nittko, 2004).Assessment helps in identifying learning difficulties, students’ strength and weakness. This then allows the instructor to set questions that can help build on the student’s weaknesses both formally and informally. Secondly assessment provides feedback on the learning. Information from assessment helps in programme evaluation (Pratt, 1998). Thirdly assessment declares ones achievement for various stakeholders like students, parents, the institution, prospective employers, the government sectors, accreditation body, and professional bodies.Assessment in the form of quizzes, tests, class projects, assignments and informal observations declare how well a student has achieved the learning outcomes and grade in his/her course, module or unit (Nittko, 2004). Besides, assessment points students to pedagogical priorities and directs students approach to experience course curriculum. Classroom questions test and examinations would indicate to students, important topics of the curriculum. Example, if questions are based on trivial information, then students focus would be at factual recall and knowledge.If tests require substantive knowledge and deep understanding then students change their perspective to curriculum. Assessment motivations, improves self image and a sense of self power of students. When assessment is well designed, it produces su ccess in learning; it motivates and stimulates student confidence and wanting to learn. Meherus and Lehman (1991) describes assessment as an important tool as it increases motivation towards their course, which establishes healthy study habits, which also provides feedback to lecturers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses.Assessment gives lecturers an opinion on students’ learning. Assessment results enable the lecturer to provide further guidance about their learning. Therefore, lecturers in institutes of higher learning should be aware of the significant role of assessment in curriculum and thus have the skills and tools to effectively setup curriculum at programme level. 3, Assessment for Learning v Assessment to Learning What is Assessment for Learning? It could be defined as: †¢a form of positive formal feedback [ e. g. ecturers comment; self-assessment systems] †¢provides informal feedback [ e. g. dialogue teaching; peer interaction] †¢i t gives an opportunity to the student to try and apply knowledge, skills and their understanding †¢ assessment tasks that are relevant †¢it guides students to develop independence and †¢it has an appropriate balance between summative and formative assessment. There should be a balance between formative and summative assessments. Continuous assessment or assessment for learning is practiced less compared to summative assessment.As stated by Careless (2004), lecturers in institutions of higher learning tend to choose more for theoretical knowledge than for practical and procedural knowledge in assessing students. Such assessment focuses on theory and concepts really do not help students for the real world. This limits the students of skills that employers look for. Brown & Glaser (1999) states improving on assessment practice improves student learning. Further to that, standards of learning rose through ongoing assessment practice. It is noted that students’ beha viour and attitude towards learning changes, when assessment methods change.Students become more responsible and take ownership of their learning. But there are challenging problems with assessment for learning. Problems identified by Black and William (2004) with regards to assessment for learning in institutions of higher learning as: †¢Assessment methods used by lecturers are not effective to promote good learning †¢Grading practices gives rise to competition rather than self improvement and †¢Feedback on assessment if practiced, often has a negative impact on less performing students which makes them believe that they lack ability and thus are not able to learn.Diamond (1998) further goes to describe the basic problem with assessment practice in institutions of higher learning, as a mismatch between learning outcomes and the assessment methods and criteria used by lecturers to assess and grade their students. Frequently, learning outcomes are expected to demonstra te critical thinking and problem solving skills, but the assessment type used would most frequently focus on recalling and recognition of content learned. Assessment used for the purpose of promoting student learning is described as assessment for learning.Assessment used for accountability purpose, grading or certification is assessment of learning. Assessments that promote enhancement to learning is one where there is a continuous process of back and forth between the student and the lecturer which provides feedback on progression until the outcome is well met. This sort of assessment is called ‘assessment for learning’ when assessment evidence is used to adjust teaching to meet learners needs and difficulties (Black & William 1998). Assessment is part and parcel of learning. Assessment in fact, shapes learning.Much has been discussed and written that to enhance student learning, assessment has to be integrated with teaching (Wright, et. al, 1997). Gibbs and Simpson ( 2005) regards assessment for learning as a system which directs and controls student learning based on the power of summative assessment and grades in addition to providing feedback. Assessment and teaching has to be blended to contribute to the goal of improving learning. Good instructors do pay careful attention to assessment and teaching, and to have learning activities well structured.Despite this suggestion, lecturers in higher education do not practice the real importance of assessment. As Black & William (1998) says this could also be because lecturers are not well trained in this area. In most institutions of higher learning assessment is used to test knowledge and does not test the critical and problem solving skills. Example, multiple choice questions promote de-contextualised, rot learning and this narrows the curriculum to basic skills with low cognitive demands. In contrast to this, the industries demand for transferable skills like communication, information retrieval, critical thinking, problem solving.And because of this, institutions have fast inclined to formative, holistic form of assessment which is described as ‘authentic’ assessments. However, as Black & William (1998) argues that traditional form of assessment cannot be easily replaced because they are embedded in complex histories, culture and power relations of school societies. Shepard (2001) also suggested that conventional assessment method based on theories and psychometric principles conflicts with implications of assessment for learning which is based on cognitive and constructive learning standards.James (2003) findings indicate a number of major effects with assessment methods and students self-perception and confidence level. For many students, they were disappointed with feedback, on how to improve their level of competence, for others was the concern on how to achieve higher marks. Term exams were rarely discussed or available so that students could use them to improve their knowledge and skills. Assessment plays a significant role in implementing curriculum. There should be significant guiding principles for this to happen. James (2003) had put forth the following guiding principles for assessment for learning: †¢Ensure ssessment methods used promote and reward desired learning activities and outcomes. †¢Students have got clear instructions on assessment requirements. †¢Provide effective and timely feedback with comments on a continuous basis. The first principle is based on Bloom’s taxonomy, which is to recall and recognition, comprehension and application, critical thinking and problem solving. In his second principle (James: 65) states the following: â€Å"Assessment procedures in higher education are likely to become increasingly open to security to candidates, and to candidates appeals.The need for commonly agreed marking procedures and techniques is obvious, if collective responsibility for candidates is maint ained, full openness between colleagues and demonstrable internal consistency of courses and related assessment procedures are vital importance† There can be a problem in generalised good assessment practices for learning. Different subject discipline like Engineering versus psychology would have different pedagogic assumptions. So if general principles cover all subjects, the way in which they manifest may differ for different subjects (Black & William, 2004).Boud (1990) suggests alternate developments in student assessments in higher education, which is careful monitoring of assessment to see how relevant they are to the students. He also challenges that current assessment methods do not really prepare students to the real world. Meherns & Lehman, 1991 & Nitko 2004, state quality teaching and assessment are intertwined. They greatly improve students’ learning. Teaching will be effective when teaching activities, learning outcomes and assessment methods are well aligne d.As Nitko (2004) suggests 4 key questions lecturers got to ask themselves when preparing for teaching and to implement continuous assessment. †¢Is my lesson going well? Is there progression in student leaning? To align to these questions suggested assessment methods could be classroom observation during class activities, response to questions and students’ interactions. †¢How can I improve to make the learning activity better? Diagnosis types of errors made by students, identify students who are not participating and also at the assessment methods used. †¢What feedback to be given about the student’s learning?Assessment methods used are informal observation and encouragement, how well they have achieved the learning outcome, assignments, quiz and consultations. †¢Finally are the students ready to progress to the next level? Informal observation, checking and questioning students about their understanding of homework, test, quiz and grades obtained to decide on their progress to their next learning or do they require remedial instructions. Lecturers should use a variety of assessment methods to help student achieve the learning outcomes as stipulated in the course curriculum. In most cases lecturers generally use pen-and-paper achievement tests.Meherns & Lehman (1991) argue that classroom evaluation should not be restricted to pen-and-paper but other forms like observation techniques, checklists etc. Continuous assessment is practical for everyday classroom use. Test, presentations, projects, journal, collaborative works are some that could be used to assess students and lecturers their stand in relation to knowledge and skills. Smith (2003) and Shepard (2001) stated that assessment trends are moving away from traditional methods to a variety of new approaches. For instance, Observation is greatly used by experienced teachers to identify students’ progression or having difficulties.Portfolio or records of work are also another form of assessment practice. Portfolio is a kind of file where student’s written works are kept. Portfolios provide cumulative evidence of learning over time in much detail and substance than a mere list of scores. Self and peer assessment are also essential to learning. Students’ self-reflection and their understanding are used to inform for further teaching and areas the lecturer needs to spend more time and effort. Brookhart (2001), Shepard (2001), and Stiggins (1999, 2001) maintained that students should be actively involved in self-evaluation as a form of assessment.Their argument was that students need to monitor their own progress by applying ongoing feedback that is helpful in showing them how to meet the ultimate learning outcome. However, self-assessment is only possible when lecturers help students develop assessment skills, because it is difficult for students to think of their work in terms of learning outcomes (Black & William, 2004). Peer-assessm ent is also another important form of assessment. The learning task is placed in the hands of the students. While the lecturer is able to observe and reflect on what is happening and frame helpful interventions.The lecturer finds this form very helpful indeed. Misconceptions are highlighted and these are discussed when they go over the assessment. These forms of assessment require student active learning. As one student stated ‘after a student marking my assignment, I can now acknowledge my mistakes easier. I hope that it is not just me who learned from the work but the student who marked it also’ (Black & William, 2004:16). Feedback and comments to students about their learning is a good practice in assessment. Feedback should state ways for improvement.Grades or marks are not providing enough feedback to help improve student learning (Nitko, 2004). Feedback is effective when it provokes thinking in students. With regards to this, Back & William (2004) stated marks are likely to set comparison; while only feedback and comments help them to improve. Research studies on feedback showed 60% improvement on performance. Feedback with no comments was more of judgement or grade with no indication for improvement (Black & William, 2004) Hence it is important for the enhancement of student learning that lecturers emphasise on feedback and comment on assessed work of students in the learning process. . Issues and Concerns Staff One of the main concerns in assessment will be the lecturers. Especially here in Malaysia in the private sector , many lecturers lack the knowledge in assessment practices. Universities and college do not believe in investing in training. Another factor is lecturers have heavy teaching work load and large class sizes that formal assessment would be replace by mere test, assignment and examinations due to time constrains. Cost Costs to the faculty and institution are an important factor. Some form of assessment processes can be time consuming, involving student supervision in observation of activities.Time, of course, is money. Also investing in additional resources like technology increases cost. This does not enable the lecturers to use innovative methods of assessment. Standards To increase pass rates standards are compromised. Assessment requirements have placed more weightage on coursework, so student achievement has appeared to improve the assumption coursework is easier then exams. In some cases institutions do not have a quality system in place. Validity and reliability of assessment could be questionable. ConclusionAssessment is a vital component of curriculum practice that has important contribution for effective practice and operations of curriculum. Lecturers’ acknowledgement for continuous assessment practice has significance for students learning of knowledge and skill. Lecturers should set assessment tasks that are practically challenging, provide feedback as they assess and get students e ngaged in the assessment process. Finally lecturers should change their views and practices of assessment and be committed to prepare competent graduates with the knowledge and skill in their specific field of study for the market place. References Akker, Van Den. (2003). Curriculum landscapes and Trends (pp1-10). Curriculum Perspectives:An Introduction. Black,P and William. (1998). Assessment and Classroom learning. Assessment in Education 5(1) Black,P. ,and William,D. (2004). Inside the Black Box: Phi-Delta kappan, 86(1):9-21 Diamond, R. M. (1998). Designing and Assessing Courses and Curricula: A practical Guide. Sanfrancisco: Jossey-Bass Inc Boud, D. (1990). Assessment and the Promotion of Academic Values. Studies in Higher Education 15(5): 101-111 Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. 2004-5) Conditions under which assessment supports students' learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1 (1), 3-31. Brookhart,S. M. (2001). Successful students’ formative and summative use of a ssessment information. Assessment in education 8, 153-169 Brown S. And Glaser A. (1999). Assessment Matters in higher Education: choosing and Using Diverse approaches. Great Britain: St. Edmunds bury press Ltd, SRHE and Open University press Careless,D. (2004). Converting assessment into learning. Theoretical and pratical perspectives. Paper Presented at Chinese University of Hong Kong.Unpublished. Haladyna and Downing. (2004). Constructive irrelevant in high stakes testing. Educational measurement:Issue and practice 23(1), 17-27 James,D. (2003). Making the graduate. Perspectives on student experience of assessment in higher education. In Ann filer (2003). Assessment: Social practice and social product. London: Rutledge Meherens, W. A. , and Lehmann, J. I. (1991). Measurement and Evaluation in Education & Psychology (4th ed). Wadsworth: Thomson learning Nitko, A. J. (2004). Educational Assessment of Students (4th ed). Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall Pratt,D. 1998). Curriculum planning: A handbook for professionals. London: Harcourt Brace College Publishers Smith, K. J. (2003). Reconsidering reliability in classroom assessment and grading. Educational measurement: Issue and practice 22(4), 26-3. Stiggins,R. J. (1992). Relevant classroom assessment training for teachers. Educational measurement: Issue and practice 1091), 7-12 Wright, et. al (1997). Teacher and classroom context effects on student achievement; Implication for teacher evaluation; Journal of personnel Evaluation in Education, 11,57-67.

The Dark Ages Essays

The Dark Ages Essays The Dark Ages Essay The Dark Ages Essay Introduction During the reign of the Roman Empire, Europe had advanced in terms of technology and literal work as well as education. During this time, civilization had boomed with many cities being built that facilitated structured formal civilization. During this time agriculture, economy and trade had boomed. It is also a time when literal work was at its peak during those ages. However, towards the fifth century, the roman army was loosing grip of the empire due to economic, political, social and military hardships. The army was becoming increasingly unable to defend the territory during the barbarian invasions and lost. Upon loosing, what was left of the Roman Empire was destruction and stagnation in economy as well as hardship since the civilization had been lost. After the fall, many regions of the territory including Europe were left in social, economic and literal crisis. Several centuries after the fall of the empire literal work was limited and development went down. This has come to be known as the Dark Ages of Europe where there is little known to historians about what was happening at the time. It took a few centuries and great efforts from different parts of Europe including Irish people in coming out of the dark ages through their efforts in preserving of the literal work done before the fall of the Roman Empire. Meaning of Dark Ages The Dark Age represents the first centuries after the fall of Roman Empire and before the middle ages that left Europe quite susceptible to violent warlords, natural calamities such as famine, disease and economic downturn. The term was used as a metaphor to show the contrast between the prior ages and after the dark ages when there was development in both economics and literal work that resulted from education at the time (Mommsen, 1942). The dark ages denotes a time when literal work was limited and hardly any literal production was realized at the time. It characterizes a period during which historical records and other written materials were scarce. Further, it was a period when very few people knew how to write and read. The darkness described was an intellectual one where very little intellectual work took place compared to the period before and after (Mommsen, 1942). Why the Dark Ages were Dark What made the dark ages dark was the effect of lack of intellectual capacity and the waves of war and invasions that followed as well as the theological teachings that advocated that only what was in the bible was true. During the Roman Empire, much of the territories within Europe were unified and well protected by the roman army. This had contributed to an economic, political as well as social development across the whole of Europe. After the fall, maintaining the unification was hard without the protection of the Roman Empire leaving the territories open for grabbing by the warlords that were seeking power. Waves of war accompanied by cultural, economic, political and literal work declined almost to a standstill (Snodgrass, 2000). During the invasions, the barbarians left nothing standing including buildings, arts and even schools. Thus, knowledge was only left to a few people within the monasteries. Without knowledge and literal work for reference, Europe was left in a mess where productivity in all aspects went down. The main reason it was named Dark Age was lack of learning and production of arts or literal work. People were in no position to learn and produce such works due to the hard times of the Dark Age especially warfare from the warlords that roamed through out Europe. This lasted for several centuries before the middle ages when the Europeans started the work of thinking and advancing again. However, this was influenced by the eastern territories that had not been conquered by the barbarians such as China and India where great civilizations thrived during the 1000s.During the invasions by warlords, food would be stolen, people killed, and cities destroyed. This would live the people homeless and wit hout food. What made it quite dark was the lack of intellectual material and lack of scholars to advance the available knowledge. Lack of knowledge made it impossible to advance economically and the people within this age lived a devastating life. It is a time when a third of Europe’s population was lost to plagues that ravaged the territory. At this time, the only formal education was found in church, which acted as the unifying power. The Christian teachings taught that whatever was not in the bible was not true and people should not have to do what is outside of the biblical teachings. Thus, if biblical teachings did not support scientific discoveries, people were not supposed to study science. Thus, the people living in this age only clung to the hope that a better life awaits them in heaven. The hardships during this time made the dark ages dark. Coming out of the dark ages The dark ages had left Europe in crisis and people had lost al hope. Although civilization had stopped in Europe, other territories continued with scientific discoveries. Some of the territories that continued with civilization were Israel, India, China and other territories in the east. During the Dark Age when the Catholic Church was considered the ruler of Europe, the pope ordered crusades. The crusades were religious wars that aimed at restoring access of Christians to Jerusalem. During the Dark Age after some of the invasions, Christians were stopped from accessing Jerusalem. This did not go down well with the Catholic Church tat considered Jerusalem a sacred city that represented the three Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islamic. Thus, the crusades were started in an effort to regain access (Snodgrass, 2000). During the crusades, the warriors who went there interacted with the people they met in the eastern territories and realized there was better civilization than back at Europe. Soon, the crusaders would return home with new technology and skills. As the crusades went on, more was realized and the Europeans interacted with newer architecture, arts and other literal works. It is here that Europe prepared inadvertently to come out of the Dark Age by interacting with other civilizations in the east such as Israel (Snodgrass, 2000). Impact of Ireland in Emerging From Dark Ages During the dark ages, the literal work was lost to many parts of Europe. However, there was a time when efforts to revive the literature was done in the Carolingian period. The Carolingian period represents the period in which efforts were made to revive intellectual and cultural literature and classical texts (Herren, 1981). The Irish during this period had developed a taste for the Latin classical work. There was classical Latin learning in Ireland during the dark ages in the seventh and eighth centuries. The Irish served to protect most of the classical literature through incorporating the principles and ideas in the publications between the ninth and subsequent centuries. During this time, some English scholars went to study in Ireland. â€Å"What, pray, I beseech you eagerly, is the benefit to the sanctity of the orthodox faith to expend energy by reading and studying the foul pollution of base Proserpina, which I shrink from mentioning in plain speech †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Herren, 1981). Further continuation implies that Aldhelm’s disciple went to Ireland to study since he was preparing to go to Ireland. In coming out of the dark ages, Ireland had a significant impact through preserving of the classical literature. The Chivalric Code During the dark ages, many warriors emerged paying loyalty to a leader who would be from their tribe. Their quest was adventure and conquering. Many of the warlords sought their services in the invasions. They were highly trained with their training going for many years. Working for the small warlords the knights were brutal and went around taking anything they want when the Dark Age progressed (Moelker and Kummel 2007). However, powerful people began to reunite the European knights, where a code of conduct was set out to prevent them from engaging in brutal activity. The code set out came to be known as the chivalric code describing how a knight was supposed to treat others within the society especially the weak such as women. It required knights to be gentle and courteous towards women and during their conquest. In modern times, this can be considered a code of ethics that seeks to regulate how the powerful within the society should treat the weak (Moelker and Kummel 2007). However, in military field it would mean stopping women from becoming soldiers since it considers women as weak. Conclusion Warfare and invasions by warlords in Europe was heightened after the roman empire fell. The Roman Empire had established formal structures and governments, laws and formal education that played a crucial role in the economic and social development. When it fell, all this was lost including the literature at the time. The great civilizations were lost in the destruction by ranging wars. It took an effort of several territories and the church as well to get Europe out of the Dark Age. Annotations Herren M. (1981). Classical and Secular Learning among the Irish before the Carolingian Renaissance. Florilegium, 3: 118-157. The article seeks to present evidence about learning in Ireland during the dark ages that many scholars have not accounted for. The Carolingian period represents the period in which efforts were made to revive intellectual and cultural literature and classical texts. The Irish during this period had developed a taste for the Latin classical work. There was classical Latin learning in Ireland during the dark ages in the seventh and eighth centuries. The Irish served to protect most of the classical literature through incorporating the principles and ideas in the publications between the ninth and subsequent centuries. The article further cites that some Englishmen studied at the generosity of the Irish in their land at their expense as well. Thus, Ireland played a crucial role in coming out of the Dark Age through studying and reserving the classical literature. The article illustrated proof that the Irish people exploited the opportunity to study Latin classical literature during the Dark Ages. It portrayed the role that Irish played in coming out of the Dark Ages as that of academic scholars interested in continuing to study classical literature, preserving it and educating the English students simultaneously. Herren discussed various instances of individual accounts of people during the Dark Ages such as Aldhelm. â€Å"What, pray, I beseech you eagerly, is the benefit to the sanctity of the orthodox faith to expend energy by reading and studying the foul pollution of base Proserpina, which I shrink from mentioning in plain speech †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Herren, 1981). Further continuation implies that Aldhelm’s disciple went to Ireland to study since he was preparing to go to Ireland. The article provides a good account of the impact Ireland had on the world in emerging from the Dark Age. Moelker, R. Kummel, G. (2007). Chivalry and Codes of Conduct: Can the Virtue of Chivalry Epitomize Guidelines for Interpersonal Conduct? Journal of Military Ethics, 6 (4): 292-302. This article was published in the journal of military ethics asking a question about the relation or relevance of chivalry codes of conduct and their relation to interpersonal conduct. The article cites that there exists doubt about chivalry being a virtue or just a code of conduct for the military, considering it is not a theological or cardinal virtue. However, some philosophy, tradition and history have been found to regard chivalry as a virtue, describing the agreed conduct of a knight in the middle ages. It contains codes of courteous behaviors that are formal or informal, making interpersonal behavior civilized. It seeks to regulate the behavior between the two genders within the social interaction. The article seeks to find out whether the chivalric code of conduct provides a guideline for leading a virtuous life. the chivalric code represented the expected behavior or conduct of a knight in his quest for adventure, conquering, serving in the army and relating to others within the society such as women with care and love. The article refers back to the historical contexts meaning of chivalry, which meant a definition between roles of men to women. â€Å"Despite this, archaic, symbolic, or anachronistic forms of chivalry may have survived, in which the male was perceived as strong, and protector while the female was perceived as weak, passive, in need of protection, and courteously treated† (Moelker and Kummel 2007). As the chivalric code described how the knights should treat women or those, considered weak in the society, so does the modern world need to treat others with courtesy. The contemporary world should be able to adopt some of the features of the chivalric code that prescribed how men should treat women and weaker people in the society. The article implied that considering chivalric behavior as a virtue would exclude women from serving in the military, as they were considered weak and in need of protection. I agree with the authors that chivalry is a benevolent sexism that excludes wo men. However, it applies in other contexts within the modern society such as protecting the weaker people including women from violence. This article is quite useful in defining the chivalric code and answering the question of its relevance to modern ethics. Mommsen T.E. (1942). Petrarch’s Conception of the ‘Dark Ages. Speculum, 17 (2): 226 – 242. The article presents a conception of the Dark Ages as portrayed by Petrarch, an Italian poet and scholar, as well as one of the earliest humanists in the 14th century. The article cites that the Dark Ages, in its most popular meaning, is used to denote the period in which there was an intellectual depression in the European history that corresponds with the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages and Middle ages have been used to describe the same period but from different perspectives. However, the two names have come to be distinguished as representing two different ages. â€Å"But they have come to be distinguished, and the dark ages are now no more than the first part of the middle age while the mediaeval is often restricted to the later centuries, about 1100 to 1500,† (Mommsen, 1942). The Dark Age now represents the age between the fall of the Roman Empire and revival of the literature. The article clarifies the meaning of the dark ages in details, stating what period can be considered as the Dark Age since it is supposed to represent an era when intellectual work or literature was limited. It clears the controversy contained in considering the Dark Age as the same period as the Middle Ages. Its credibility is entailed in the use of Petrarch’s conception of the Dark Age, and middle age considering he wrote during the middle ages. The fact that the article borrows from Petrarch’s idea who wrote during the middle ages implies that the Dark Age, which represents an age of intellectual depression, could not be the same as the Middle ages since he produced literal work. This makes the definition of the Dark Ages as being an era of intellectual depression agreeable. Snodgrass, A.M. (2000). The Dark Age of Greece: An Archaeological Survey of the Eleventh to the Eighth Centuries BC. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, The book is written after new archeological evidence has been found supporting the idea of a dark age. Snodgrass presents the evidence that provides an insight into what the Dark Age represented by showing some of the reasons it was considered so. He starts by defining the Dark Age in the first chapter, The Concept of a Dark Age. â€Å"There if a far-off island of knowledge, or perhaps knowledge; then darkness; then the beginning of continuous history,† (Snodgrass, 2000). By this, he defines the meaning of Dark Age, which is a period in which history was not well recorded due to lack of literal materials. It is between two eras, the first one being an age where information or knowledge is available to an age when information is not available followed by a continuous history well recorded. He further provides evidence of why it was considered dark. At the time, there was scholarly scarcity, and people who lived in this age were poor, isolated and aware of the lost skills. The b ook shows a period of discontinuity in development, intellectual knowledge and other issues present before and after the Dark Age. Information regarding this age was scarce, consequently limiting our knowledge about it. This is what qualifies it as a dark age. Through providing strong evidence of the dark age in terms of scholarly and life during this period, the author manages to provide a detailed lens through which to look at Europe’s experience during this age by focusing on Greece. It depicts the experiences of the Dark Age to the people who lived in it, thus providing a good account of the Dark Age. Considering the author makes use of evidence from archeological data collected recently, it provides students with a source of information about how the Dark Age might have affected those who lived in it and reasons it is considered dark. It helps in answering the question on what made the Dark Age dark. References Herren M. (1981). Classical and Secular Learning among the Irish before the Carolingian Renaissance. Florilegium, 3: 118-157. Moelker, R. Kummel, G. (2007). Chivalry and Codes of Conduct: Can the Virtue of Chivalry Epitomize Guidelines for Interpersonal Conduct? Journal of Military Ethics, 6 (4): 292-302. Mommsen T.E. (1942). Petrarch’s Conception of the ‘Dark Ages. Speculum, 17 (2): 226 – 242. Snodgrass, A.M. (2000). The Dark Age of Greece: An Archaeological Survey of the Eleventh to the Eighth Centuries BC. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press,

Groups and Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Groups and Teams - Essay Example In the first section of this document, I shall critically discuss the impact of Belbin team roles in the three areas that I shall major: leadership skills, problem solving and decision making. Moreover, I shall inculcate the Mary Brown scenario and relate it to the specific three theories discussed. Additionally, I shall deliver an eventual concise summary on the Belbin team roles. Moreover, I have critically explored the above-mentioned areas, with regard to thorough studies I have conducted and which I have cited within the text. Groups and Teams Apparently, all teams are groups but not all groups are teams. Definitely, a group is any given number of entities that are considered as a complete unit. Moreover, a collection of various people who share various aspects, interact freely with each other, give in to obligations and rights as members of the specific group and share an identity form an entity. Moreover, groups are established to segregate the incident into practical areas of operation. Additionally, a collection of individuals who operate together to deliver products or services are mutually accountable. The members of the team share common goals and are mutually accountable for accomplishing them while affecting interactions between them. Each member of the team is held responsible for the work of integrating with each other since the entire team is held accountable. Groups embody various traits that are retrospective relative to those of teams. For instance, group members have paltry communication, they lack vision, members always seek to conceive their identity, leaders are manipulative, the whole group entity is ideally less than the summation of its independent parts, their members have exclusive cliques and there is minimal support. As disputed to groups, teams have advantageous traits that include plentiful support, members always seek to find identity, there is honesty and openness, there are numerous opportunities for motivation and new member s are always welcome and communication is effective. Mary Brown Scenario This scenario regards a situation where a family in a given town faces problems emanating from drug abuse. For instance, George Smith and Mary Brown, the father and mother respectively; to three children: Joe, Lucy and Tom have numerous problems within their marriage, issues that come from intake of drugs and short temperedness. This scenario also encompasses the outside parties concerned with the family, with an aim to help them elude the problems they face. This inculcates Ann, the family’s social service worker, Teachers, welfare personnel and youth workers among others who seem to have issues with effective communication across their specific agencies. Theories on the Leadership Skills, Problem Solving and Decision Making Linked With Mary Brown Scenario With regard to leadership skills, the Mary Brown scenario applies in the sense that virtually all involved parties have weaknesses in one aspect or t he other in process of trying to work as a team. For example, Ann, the family’s social worker seems to be overly concerned with helping the family by addressing the need to hold a meeting with the concerned parties such as the police, youth workers, welfare officers, teachers and drug advisors among others. This shows that she is a leader of good sort. With regard to George’s family, he is anticipated to take leadership over his family though he

Structure of the Legal Profession in the United Kingdom Term Paper

Structure of the Legal Profession in the United Kingdom - Term Paper Example Functionally, the legal profession in the UK is divided into two separate disciplines of barristers and solicitors. In England and Wales, solicitors outnumber barristers eight to one. Solicitors work behind the desk advising and preparing cases for the clients, whereas barristers represent the cases in the courts. Although diverse, the functions of solicitors and barristers are like two sides of the same coin. The basic qualifications necessary for these two branches are the same. It is only after graduation that those wishing to enter the profession as solicitors have to complete a Legal Practice Course according to the requirement of the Law Society, and those choosing to be barristers have to complete Bar Vocational Course franchised by the General Council of the Bar. Both these courses are of one-year duration. (Legal Education in the United Kingdom) Barristers have the right of audience in the Supreme Court and in all other courts, and they specialize in the different area of operations.   Some barristers may specialize in concerning criminal law, while others may be experts in civil cases. Even within the criminal and civil divisions, there may be sub-divisions. For instance, one barrister may specialize in homicidal matters and another may practice on issues concerning fraud, etc. For the ordinary citizen, solicitors are the first point of contact for legal advice and opinion. The solicitors may then advise the litigant on the appropriate barrister who could pursue the case in a court of law. There is yet one more branch of notaries who are small compared to barristers and solicitors. Notaries are authorized to perform functions such as attestations, authentication, administration of oaths, and other legal roles that are not of the litigious nature.   With the complexity of modern times in social, economic, environment and human rights affairs, together with greater awareness of the general citizenry of the legal opportunities available to them, solicitors and barristers have increasing professional challenges. Solicitors and barristers need each other as they perform complementary roles for one another.