The Introduction To What Is Learning?

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

Compare and contrast 2 treatments of crime. (TEP’s and AMP’s Token economy program and anger management program. Essay

Token economy programmes are a form of behaviour modification based on the principles of operant conditioning. They are used in prisons to encourage the reduction of anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour; they involve awarding tokens to offenders if a desired behaviour is performed. The tokens may then be exchanged for various rewards. The aim is for the desired behaviour to be repeated. As a treatment it involves setting out a range of desirable behaviours and reinforcing the offender whenever the behaviour is displayed. This behaviour would focus upon non-aggressive, these behaviours are expected that the behaviour will become learned and automatic. Positive reinforces come in the shape of tokens—a secondary reinforcement, which can be exchanged for primary reinforcement. Negative reinforcement comes with the threat of removal of tokens and prisoners change their behaviour to avoid this consequence. A token economy system uses operant conditioning to gradually changing behaviour through primary and secondary renforcements. Anger management is another treatment aimed to prevent crime. It is used in prisons, and participants may participate voluntarily or as part of their sentence. This is used identify triggers which may cause there aggression. By preventing aggression, the likelihood of crimes being committed is reduced. The treatment usually takes place in group settings and occurs about twice a week. A trained person runs the group. They are usually asked what factors make them feel angry and thus trigger aggression. Once this trigger has been identified, strategies can be taught which to condole and reduce the anger they experiences. An anger management programme will be based around 3 key stages; cognitive preparation (analysing past aggression and discovering patterns, and the offender also looks at the consequences of aggression), skills acquisition (where they are taught techniques that help them to manage their response to triggers in a more productive way.) and application practice (the offender to test their skills in a range of situations). Token economy works because the behaviour of the offender is being constantly monitored and recorded in order to award the tokens, and then becomes habit. However it is limited to institutions like a prison for this token economy to work because they will not get such awards in the ‘real world’ but it is the plan that due to what is shown by operant conditioning these desired  behaviours may/can become a habit and thus behaviour is repeated. Anger management can also have a similar problem, it may be easier to control your anger and follow the program while in the group but in the ‘real world’ it may be harder to follow or perform the behaviours that are learnt from the program. Even though this may happen for anger management there is still very effective, the offenders take part voluntarily. This increases the programme’s effectiveness, as offenders who take part voluntarily are usually more committed to the programme’s success. This is in contrast to other treatments, such as token economy, which are often enforced over an entire prison system meaning that it may not be successful in all cases. But not all anger management is voluntary some people have to take part as part of their sentence. This provides an ulterior motive and although the offender may appear to have made progress, this could be false and the issue of anger is not actually being addressed (demand characteristics). This means that anger management like token economy may not be effective for everyone. Another problem you may find in anger management is by doing the course they may be singled out (especially in prisons) and by singling out prisoners to show they are doing this program may cause prisoners not to take it seriously or may not consider taking it voluntary, or may take it for other motives e.g. some times taking the course can help your bid to get erlyer or longer parole periods. Token economy on the other hand dose not single out specific prisoners as all prisoners have to take part in the programme, no single prisoner can have an ulterior motive for participating. However anger management is supported by Ireland (2000). They compared 50 young offenders on an anger management programme with 37 on the waiting list for anger management. Before and after treatment scores were taken on level of aggression shown (as reported by prison officers and by the prisoners themselves through self-report). 92% of the treatment group showed some drop in aggression with 48% showing major decreases. 8% showed deterioration. This evidence shows strong support of anger management programmes as a way to control aggression in prison. Hobbs and Holt (1976) measured the effect of token economy on a sample of young delinquents across 3 institutions  (with one other institution being used as a comparison[control group]). Tokens were awarded to those in the experimental groups whenever target behaviour was displayed. These were swapped for primary reinforces. There was a significant (28%) increase in the target behaviours in the experimental groups compared to the controls. This shows that the token economy was an effective and cost effective (less than $8 per month per boy) way to control the behaviour of criminals whilst in prison. By comparing the results it would seem that anger management may be more effective as a way to treat crime but the numbers of people who participated was far less so Hobbs and Holt may have less success rate due to the larger groups meaning that the result may be more valid due to it being easer to apply to the prison population.

About the Chiat/Day Binoculars Building

Catcher In The Rye Nonconformist Analysis - 700 Words

Is the world a perfect, beautiful place? Or is it filled with selfish, evil people whose conformity is destroying society? According to Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the second question models the world in which he lives. Over a span of three days, nonconformist Holden seeks different people to connect with, most of whom are conformists, but is left isolated and unhappy as no one seems to care about him. Through the characterization of Holden Caulfield, JD Salinger develops the theme of society’s disdain of nonconformity, leading to the depression of nonconformists. Leaving nonconformists depressed, Salinger exposes the harsh theme of the rejection of different values as compared to most†¦show more content†¦All throughout the novel, Holden encounters conformity, resulting in him being cynical and unhappy. Using Dick Slagle as an example, Salinger continues the theme of the shunning of nonconformity in society. A past roommate of Holden’s, Dick Slagle feuds with Holden over their suitcases, since Holden has an expensive one whereas he does not. After Holden put his bags under his bed to make Dick feel better about his inexpensive suitcases, Dick â€Å"took [Holden’s suitcases] out and put them back on the rack† (121). Dick wants these suitcases to look like they were his, only to make people think he is wealthy. He is conforming to society’s core value of wealth to fit in, and manipulates Holden to help achieve this goal. Putting his bags under his bed, Holden doesn’t want Dick to be upset that Holden is wealthier than him and wants a connection with him, since he feels lonely. However, Dick’s main priority is to act wealthy and to conform into society. Furthermore, Dick says many â€Å"snotty things† about Holden’s suitcase, like saying it was â€Å"bourgeois† (121). By making rude comments and moving Holden’s suitcases, Dick eliminates the opportunity to have a connection with Holden, which is what Holden wants. He brings Holden down to make him feel better about himself, and as a result conforms to society by acting like he’s rich. Since Holden is depressed by the thought Dick doesn’t care about being friends, both of them separate as roommates. Having differentShow MoreRelatedA Psychological Interpretation: the Irony of Holden Caulfield’s Inner Conflict with Society2496 Words   |  10 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J. D. Salinger is a story about a unique yet troubled boy named Holden Caulfield. Sal inger masterfully depicts the story’s protagonist as a well rounded character who feels the full range of emotions. Holden is consumed by the desire to live in a world where he can play the hero and surround himself with love and acceptance. Holden’s need for love and belonging, however, creates an irony because it provokes an intense aversion to society that pushes Holden

Mandated Governmental Benefits and the Regulations Essay

Benefit Programs and Compensation Administration Lisa Hodges HRM401-Assignment 5-1 Francine Warhman, Professor July 25, 2014 Mandated Governmental Benefits and the Regulations: Employers provide a percentage or portion of wages that are mandated by the government in what they may pay as far as minimal wage is concerned. A lot of employers also decided to offer other benefits to their employees. Employers aren’t mandated to provide the majority of the benefits they do offer but once they have decided to add additional benefits to their compensation package there are multiple laws that have to be followed that are governed by state and federal laws. As stated some of the more common benefits are wages and†¦show more content†¦As difficult times tend to loosen these binds, many employers find that reminding employees of the dollars and cents value of that relationship can provide a little fresh glue (HRO Today - Human Resource Outsourcing Today).† Employees have to consider not looking at just the base salary if there are non-monetary benefits, perks and extras to consider as well. Unions have a significant effect on those who are in unions and those who aren’t in unions in relation to total compensation plans and benefits. Unions in their bargaining for the employees can potentially increase the salaries, increase the benefits as well as encourage or help an organization offer up additional perks. Unions allow for equality within the lower and middle class sector, those who work in more labor intensive careers and those who are limited in the degree they hold by fighting for those workers to ensure some amount of fairness. Unions can impact the salaries of an industry that doesn’t have a union in a particular building because the unions are in the industry the worker would be paid a more because of that even though the union may not be physically in the building. The biggest impact that a union has on a total compensation package is the perks or additional benefits of employees by bargaining for leave with pay, which ends upShow MoreRelatedEconomics And Competitive Strategies And Government P olicies1527 Words   |  7 Pagesprofits. We will explore mergers and merger activity within the industry as well as current and expected government policies and regulations in place to address issues related to externalities. We will also take a look at the effects of global competition on the decisions made by management with regards to change in labor demand, supply, relations, unions, and rules and regulations in the auto industry. 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Fireweed †Trip to Wales! Free Essays

I am called Bill and I live with my auntie and father in London. My mother is dead and my father always said I was never to be sent away as an evacuee. When my father was called up for active service in the army I was left with my auntie. We will write a custom essay sample on Fireweed – Trip to Wales! or any similar topic only for you Order Now We wrote numerous letters to my father but he never replied to any of them. My auntie started to moan and groan about not being able to manage me. So, she decided to send me of as an evacuee, even though it was against my father’s wishes. Auntie wrote to my father and said that I was being sent to another part of the country as an evacuee (not explaining why she sent me). I didn’t even know where I was going, all alone without any money at all, not even a penny for a stamp to write to my father. The station was jam packed with children of all ages. Everyone had a bag, enclosed was a change of clothes and a label attached with an address written in capital letters to make it stand out. Two trains passed before, ours finally arrived. I was stuck in a carriage with mostly girls in uniform. Opposite me sat a great fat woman dressed all in blue, hairy tweed. As the journey progressed we passed station after station, nobody knew where we where going. Until finally the train stopped and everyone disembarked. Darkness was falling and after waiting half an hour another train came and our carriage was joined on the back. By now it was pitch black. Eventually we reached our destination, which turned out to be Wales. Once of loaded everyone was counted and put with a billeting officer who would find us billets in which to stay. One by one each child was chosen and I was last to go. The man took me up a pathway and by this stage I was feeling a tiny bit unwanted, neglected, and rather orphaned. He spoke in welsh to the people and after some persuasion they took me in. I stepped inside into a big farm kitchen where a great log fire was blazing like a forest rapidly burning down. The heat was inconceivable. Served on the tabletop there was bread, cheese and also a cold roast chicken. My stomach felt empty I was famished and the sight of food made the rumbling noises even worse. They asked my age and I replied fifteen. At last I was offered something to eat and then shown to my bedroom. The couple I was staying with were called Mr and Mrs Williams living with them were two shepherds, David and Evan. They hardly spoke a word of English just enough to cope with telling me things. In this welsh valley there were two chapels, no church and no cottages only rows of terraced houses. It was rather poor at that. I spent a lot of time on my bed reading an aged copy of the woman’s weekly, which Mrs Williams stored under the staircase. When the billeting officer came round to see how I was getting on with the Williams, they seemed quite content with me. Feeling rather bored, I finally plucked up the courage and asked if there was a school nearby which I could attend. In the village there was only a primary school that was for juvenile children, but Mrs Williams suggested the grammar school on the other side of the mountains. The only trouble was how would I get there? The only option would be to get the bus. Yet again a problem arose. The bus fair! I had no money. So out came pen and paper to write a letter to my auntie telling her about the grammar school and asking if she could write to father and ask him to send me money for the bus fare. I also asked for my father’s address. I posted the letter in the post office at the back of the village shop I waited for a reply but no letter came. An unusual thing happened one day, Mrs Williams approached me saying that she needed to check my hair for lice. Naturally enough I refused argued and ran out of the house until I came to a dip. I decided to jump but slipped and fell into heavy disinfectant that burnt my mouth and nose. I swallowed several mouthfuls. David and Evan who had been trying to catch me were in stitches of laughter. I was so angry I felt like a raging bull. When I gathered myself together I began to shake all over this made David and Evan very concerned. They took me back to the house and as I stood by the fire they stripped my wet clothes that were laden with disinfectant of me. Afterwards I went to bed. The following morning to my delight Mrs Jones informed me that there was post for me. My heart pounded like the footsteps of an elephant. In actual fact I received two letters! The first opened was from my auntie. Enclosed was my father’s address, a book of stamps and she hoped I would write to him often. The other letter, number two was from my father. He missed me a lot. My father had sent me three whole pounds! This was the biggest amount of money I had ever been given in my life. This overwhelmed me. My first thoughts were to calculate how many bus fares would this pay for. Then I got to thinking about Auntie and home and decided that I would use the money for my train fare back to London. Leaving Mr and Mrs Williams, David, Evan and the terraced houses behind I left for the station. The timetable showed only one train per day at the village. The man at the ticket desk stared at me as though he were looking right through me. When I saw him, I was frightened that he would recognise me so I put plan B into action. I walked to the crossroads. ‘Owestry =15 miles’. I looked down at my worn shoes; there was a station at Owestry. I bought a pair of boots so I could walk to Owestry as I had a funny feeling my old shoes wouldn’t make it. I set off not having the foggiest how long it would take me to walk there. I bought a brown bap from a bakery van, which I met outside the village. When I arrived in Owestry it was late afternoon. I found the station and waited for the train to leave. It left and hour and a half late. Once I reached London I caught the bus home. Suddenly it took a wrong turn! Then I was told that the street no longer stood. I got of the bus as quick as my legs could carry me. I walked to my auntie’s house and everything was grand until a warden stopped me asking where I was going. I was totally bewildered they wouldn’t even let me my own home. Nobody was there to look after me. My auntie was not there any more. I was going to stay put I decided at least until my father came home. I was determined about this. How to cite Fireweed – Trip to Wales!, Papers

History Study Guide free essay sample

What is the difference between republicanism and democracy? Republicanism: rule by property-owning men of talents and virtue. By 1820s and ‘30s, Democracy: The majority should govern was a fundamental maxim in all free gov. ’s. United ordinary Americans in election fever and party organizations, they held together a social order increasingly fragmented by the economic revolution. Promoted political parties that could debate political policies. 3. Who formed the traditional wealthy notables in America? Northern landlords, slave-owning planters, and seaport merchants. 4. What challenges to the traditional political order arose in the Midwest? Social egalitarianism became important to the masses as small farmers and ambitious laborers in the Midwest became sick of being underrepresented and seemingly thought of as servants. 5. What were some of the democratic trends in the North? (1810-ish) Condemnation of property qualifications led to democratic change allowing broad franchise concerning property owning. Between 1818 and 1821, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and NY all wrote new constitutions that reapportioned legislative districts on the basis of popilation and made local governments more democratic by mandating the election—rather than the appointment—of judges and justices of the peace. 6. Summarize the make up and work of the new political â€Å"machines† They were a coherent legislative program. As the push for democracy developed, political parties became inherent, and by the 1820s were highly developed and disciplined organizations managed by pro politicians—often mid-class lawyers and journalists. Like a well-designed textile loom, they were machines that wove the diverse interests of social and economic groups into elaborate tapestry. 7. Who was Martin Van Buren and what did he do? Chief architect of the emerging system of party government. Between 1817 and 1821 he created the first statewide political machine—the Albany Regency. A decade later he organized the first nationwide political party: Jacksonian Democrats. Disagreed with the republican principle that political factions were dangerous to the common wealth and argued the opposite: â€Å" All men of sense know that political parties are inseparable from free government† because they check the gov. ’s ability to use/misuse power. Most importantly, he created the idea of using media (the Albany Argus) to help get people to vote and Patronage: Van Buren and his followers had greater interest in the gov. than notables. He insisted that state legislators follow the dictates of a party meeting, or caucus. 8. Who was Henry Clay and what was his American System? A presidential candidate in the election of 1824 running against Jackson. His American system was an integrated program of national economic development that relied on the 2nd Bank of the US to regulate state banks and advocated the set of tariff revenues to build roads and canals. 9. What was Andrew Jackson’s appeal? He was a war hero from the War of 1812, and had a wave of nationalistic pride that flowed towards him. He also had strong tied to influential families through marriage and his career as an attorney and slave-owning cotton planter. He also had risen from average to hero, which fit the democratic ideal of America, and his image as a â€Å"plain solid republican† attracted voters in all regions. 10. What was the â€Å"corrupt bargain†? Henry Clay had assembled a coalition in Congress that voted Adams into the presidency, and through that, Adams had then appointed him Secretary of State, the traditional stepping stone to the presidency. Clay was then accused of using the power of the executive to thwart the popular will. Jackson supporters likewise claimed that Clay had made a deal with Adams to become sec. f state. Condemning this â€Å"corrupt bargain† they vowed that Clay would never become president. 11. Why did the South call the Tariff of 1828 the â€Å"Tariff of Abominations†? The tariff raised duties on raw materials, textiles, and iron goods. It thus enraged the southern planters because their raw cotton was the world’s cheapest, so they needed no tariff o continue profi ting. It simply cost them $100 milly every year. Planters could either buy higher-cost American textiles and iron goods or buy form Britain. 12. Who liked and who didn’t like the American System and why? Manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and market-oriented farmers in the northeast and Midwest welcomed the policy. However, southern planters disliked the system because the opposed protective tariffs, and smallholding farmers despised it because they feared powerful banks. Jeffy, on his death bed, condemned Adams for promoting a more powerful central government. Other politicians objected to the system on constitutional bounds; they didn’t like that federal money, as opposed to state money, went into transportation infrastructure. 13. How was Adams politically vulnerable? His political style was out of date. The last notable to serve in the white house, he acted the part; aloof, moralistic, paternalistic. He lost popularity by disvaluing the masses and ignoring them, looking for support only from elected officials. 14. What various interest groups did Van Buren put together for the election of 1828? He united northern farmers and artisans (the plain Republicans of the North) with the southern slave-owners and smallholding farmers who had voted for the Virginia Dynasty. John C. Calhoun, Jackson’s vice-presidential running mate, brought his SC allies into the group as Van Buren’s group as well. He also proposed the state politician’s use of newspapers for campaigns, and it became massive. In NY 50 newspapers declared their support for Jackson on the same day. 15. Read Republican Majesty (p. 331) and summarize the scene at Jackson’s inaugural There was a mutual respect between Jackson and his people. They remained silent at will in honor of him to allow him to take oath, and he repeatedly bowed to them, demonstrating his democratic ideals of equal rights and popular rule; the people ruled him as much as he ruled them. 16. What was the spoils system? A system that used patronage to gain political support. Jackson dispensed and rotated government jobs both to gain support for himself and his friends/political programs, and also to encourage political activity among the masses, as any number of educated regular citizens could have the opportunity to be a part. 17. What was South Carolina’s Ordinance of Nullification and what was its connection to the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions? The state of SC declared the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void, and forbade collection of them after Feb 1, 1833, threatening secession if the federal bureaucrats tried to collect them. It is similar to the resolutions of Kentucky and Virginia in 1798, when they too declared state power over federal power to the Alien and Sedition Acts, outlawing them in the respective states. 18. Summarize Jackson’s resolution of the dilemma? Jackson DID want to limit the reach of the national government, just like SC, Virginia, and KY, but he renounced the radical redefinition of the constitution suggested by VP John Calhoun. He declared that nullification violated the Constitution and was unauthorized by its spirit and destructive of the great object for which it was formed. Disunion by armed force is treason, he warned. He then passed a Force Bill in early 1833 that authorized the prez to use military force to compel SC to obey national laws. He also won passage to a Tariff Act that was different than the Tariff of Abominations because it gradually reduced rates and would eventually return to normal. 19. What role did the Bank of the U. S. play to prevent inflation? It collected notes regularly from state banks and in return gave out specie, reducing the amount of paper money that states printed, thus reducing the risk of inflation. 0. Who opposed the Bank? Average citizens didn’t necessarily oppose it, but they feared an institution powerful enough to shut down state banks and leave them with worthless notes. NY bankers opposed it because they didn’t like the financial power the bank and its leader, Nicholas Biddle, had gained. Some state bankers wanted the specie to be owned by the federal government to be deposited in their institutions rather than in the 2nd Bank. 21. How did Jackson use constitutional arguments, revolutionary rhetoric and patriotism to justify his veto of the Bank Bill? He declared Congress had no constitutional right to charter a national bank, which was subversive of the rights of the States. † Rhetoric: attacked the bank as dangerous to the liberties of the people. Evoked patriotism by pointing out that British aristocrats owned much of the banks stock; any such powerful institution should be â€Å"purely American,† he declared. 22. What was Jackson’s next move on the Bank and what was the response from his opponents in Congress? His attack on the bank carried him to reelection in 1832. Jackson hired Roger B. Taney, a strong opponent of corporate privilege, to withdraw the government’s gold and silver form the 2nd Bank and deposit it in state institutions. Pissed Congress off because it was basically illegal for Jackson to do so, but he claimed his reelection showed the people wanted to wage a â€Å"bank war. † He ended up fighting Congress well enough to not allow the bank to be re-chartered after it expired in 1836. Basically Jackson eliminated both the national banking system and the American System of protective tariffs and internal improvements favored by JQ Adams and H Clay. The federal government thus lost power and purview. 3. What were the provisions of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and what was the Indian response? Granted money and land in present-day Oklahoma and Kansas to Native Americans who would give up their ancestral holdings. Many Indian peoples refused to leave their land, but were forced by threats and even military action, such as what was used against Chief Black Hawk and his Sauk and Fox followers. 24. What were John Marshall’s opinions regarding the Cherokee? He claimed they were not an independent nation, declaring that Indian peoples were domestic dependent nations. 25. What was the Trail of Tears?