An Analysis of Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Analysis of Literacy - Essay Example Firstly, it must be understood that literacy in and of itself can and should be described as a type of awareness. As described by Paul Kei Matsuda in his piece, â€Å"Alternative Discourses: A Synthesis†, the definition of what specifically defines literacy evolves and grows as a function of type and nature of literature that exists within a particular period in time. As such, the reader can readily note the fact that what defined literacy within the 18th century might not necessarily be what defines literature with the current era. However, a thread of similarity and comparability exists between all levels of literacy. The similarity is with respect to the fact that the individual who is literate is both aware and able to express themselves with regards to salient topics within a range of different issues. This does not necessarily engender the fact the individual must be a polymath who is talented a great range of different subjects; rather, it denotes an individual that is capable and willing to research and litany of different areas and present a balanced and reasoned analysis that can readily be understood by even an individual is not an expert within the given field.From the information that was provided within James Gee’s article, â€Å"What is Literacy†, it can also be understood that a pitfall that many professors, and indeed universities themselves make, is with respect to formalize the discussion in seeking first English as second language and native speakers integrate with the topic. in a particular way. Ultimately, the author points to the fact that college and/or University should be to a period of time in one’s life that they are able to use as a means of expanding their horizons and honing their ability to create and argue a well reasoned point. Ultimately, rather than forcing a level of similarity of content, the author argues for the fact that the rhetorical analysis process in and of itself is the greatest virtue. Finally, a further point, and thread of similarity that exists between three articles, is referenced in the third and final argument that will be analyzed. The author of â€Å"Acquisition of Literate Discourse: Bowing Before the Master†, Lisa Delpit, denotes the fact that even though it is human nature to define and define people based upon their abilities, it is unfair and unreasonable to stipulate that an individual is somehow inherently incapable of creating a well reasoned argument within a written format. Ultimately, the case in point is provided, is that of a disadvantaged African-American female who, although her GRE scores were insufficient for admission, she nonetheless was able to develop or rhetorical skills and proved to be a successful writer and explicate or complex and nuanced ideas. Accordingly, the author helps to argue for the fact that grouping individual into the category of â€Å"unable to write† is somehow akin to the way in which individuals are grouped and discriminated against with regards to other categories. Further, instead of a rash judgment being

Sch21 Communication Essay Example for Free

Sch21 Communication Essay Communication plays a major part in our everyday life, if we did not communicate with each other we could not learn, develop relationships or even progress and it is very important to make sure that the best provision is created for all. Different methods can be used as a way of communicating but the way we express it can have different effects on the children, parents and staff that we work with. When communicating with children it is important to give them your full attention as this encourages them to express how their feeling and to explore by asking questions because if by any chance you become distracted while communicating to a child by turning the other way while their are speakingthey may feel that what they are trying to say or ask you may be unimportant to you and this may cause the child to lack in confidence when speaking to another adult or child and may become reluctant in expressing themselves or asking questions. Adults can also demonstrate a good use of language and encourage children to express themselves and become confident in themselves by showing them that you are actively listening and showing them that they are valued by using your body language and facial expressions this is done by socially interacting with the child by getting down to their level and establishing eye contact, smiling attentivly and nodding encouraginaly to them. It is always important to make sure that good communication is kept with the child because if its not then the child may find it difficult to interact with you and this may affect his or hers learning and development. It is also important that your work is of its highest standard and that the child is benifiting from this. Good communication skills are always essential when working with parents, being positive towards them by showing them good eye contact, smiling and body language. It is also important when communicating with parents that you are giving them time to be heard and are paying full attention to them. When possitive relationships are formed between collegues and parents it is easier to trust, support help and advise. Parents will feel alot more confident about leaving their child in a setting if the staff are friendly and approachable by being this way you can recieve the mutual respect and develop a professional relationship by showing that you have interest and priority in their childs learning and development although it is as equally as important that while you are developing a professional friendly relationship with the parent that it doesnt become personal and develop into a friendship. Good communication is the key to establish a possitive relationship with your colleagues and other professionals in the setting it has a major impact on the daily running of the setting it is important to be polite show respect and be highly professional with anyone that you work along with. It is important to respect other peoples views regardless of your own personal opinion of them. If you choose to be unproffesional and dismiss other peoples views and opinions this may result in result between the adults and this can be easily picked up by the children and if communication is poor between the colleagues this can have a negative effect on the setting , while a good relationship between colleagues will create a comfortable and happy enviroment for allthose involved in the setting and they will feel valued which will create a strong proffessional relationship and will allow the children to learn and develop efficently, good teamwork depends on good communication. . 3 Give an explanation of why it is important to observe an individuals reactions when communicating with them. It is important to observe an individuals reactions when communicating with them because only around 70-80% of communication is verbal and if you are not paying attention to the persons facial expressions and bodily reactions then you will be missing out on a large part of the communication because not all people are able to communicate verbally maybe they dont know the language or just dont have the confidence, perhaps the individual may not have the confidence to confront the person therefore would use other ways of communicating.

Native Son :: essays research papers

Character Actions Defines Their Individual Personalities and Belief Systems Richard Wright's novel, Native Son, consisted of various main and supporting characters to deliver an effective array of personalities and expression. Each character's action defines their individual personalities and belief systems. The main character of Native Son, Bigger Thomas has personality traits spanning various aspects of human nature including actions motivated by fear, quick temper, and a high degree of intelligence. Bigger, whom the novel revolves around, portrays various personality elements through his actions. Many of his actions suggest an overriding response to fear, which stems from his exposure to a harsh social climate in which a clear line between acceptable behavior for white's and black's exists. His swift anger and his destructive impulses stem from that fear and become apparent in the opening scene when he fiercely attacks a huge rat. The same murderous impulse appears when his secret dread of the delicatessen robbery impels him to commit a vicious assault on his friend Gus. Bigger commits both of the brutal murders not in rage or anger, but as a reaction to fear. His typical fear stems from being caught in the act of doing something socially unacceptable and being the subject of punishment. Although he later admits to Max that Mary Dalton's behavior toward him made him hate her, it is not hate which causes him to smother her to death, but a feeble attempt to evade the detectio n of her mother. The fear of being caught with a white woman overwhelmed his common sense and dictated his actions. When he attempted to murder Bessie, his motivation came from intense fear of the consequences of 2 "letting" her live. Bigger realized that he could not take Bessie with him or leave her behind and concluded that killing her could provide her only "merciful" end. The emotional forces that drive Bigger are conveyed by means other than his words. Besides reactions to fear, his actions demonstrate an extremely quick temper and destructive impulse as an integral part of his nature. Rage plays a key part in his basic nature, but does not directly motivate the murders he commits. Rage does not affect Bigger's intelligence and quick thinking and it becomes evident during the interview with Briton. The detective makes Bigger so angry that the interrogation becomes a game to Bigger, a game of logic and wills, of playing the stupid negro, and telling the man exactly what he wants to hear.

How Accurate Is It to Describe the Us Constitution as Too Rigid?

How accurate is it to describe the US Constitution as too rigid and difficult to change? The USA has a written codified constitution and as a result, it may be described as too rigid and difficult to change. The UK in contrast, has an unwritten constitution in the sense that it is not contained in one single document so it lacks a formal constitution but is made up of a variety of different sources along with long-standing traditions. This has led to some saying it is too flexible and easy to change.While it may be argued, that the US constitution is too rigid and too difficult to change and this is highlighted through the lack of new amendments, I do not feel that this is a bad thing, it was desire of the Founding Fathers to be this way in order to ensure long-term political stability. In order to amend the constitution the Founding Fathers stated that Congress must call a national convention at the request of two thirds of the state legislatures or there must be a two-thirds superm ajority in favour of the amendment of both houses in Congress, the first has never been used.For a proposal to be ratified the Founding Fathers specified that there should never be another supermajority in three-quarters of the state legislatures for this amendment to be added to the constitution. The relatively inflexible nature of the US constitution is revealed through the number of amendments that have been made. Since the bill of rights, which was the inclusion of ten rights to the constitution, there have been only 17 amendments made.Even two of these cancel each other out, the 18th and 21st regarding to the prohibition of alcohol. This could be argued this is appropriate rigidity, some people would argue that it prevents the USA from adapting to changes in the national culture and situations. Many people state the ‘right to bear arms’ as the principle example highlighting the nation’s failure to set stricter gun laws. However, the nature of the constitutio nal change in the USA requires that the majority of people to put pressure onto Congress to implement necessary changes.The fact that this has not happened in some ways shows that the constitution is fulfilling its role and preventing fundamental changes based on minority views, just as it was designed to do. While the limited number of amendments presents the USA constitution as being highly flexible, it has been kept up to date through judicial interpretation. The founding fathers granted the judiciary the power to interpret the document and this has allowed the rules of the constitution to be kept up to date. It has been flexible in the sense it can evolve along with the changes in society.In this role, the judiciary has been willing to interpret the words in the light of modern conditions and ignore precedent. It should be noted that when the Judiciary is mainly Republican, they are more likely to conserve the constitution in its present state, whereas Democrats are likely to be more willing to add and interoperate the constitution more freely. The constitution was intended to be a full set of fundamental principles for the ‘new nation state’. If they are such fundamental principles, then it possibly could be argued that it should in fact be entrenched and difficult to change.In the USA, constitutional law is above that of ordinary statute law where there is conflict between the two. In contrast, the UK does not have constitutional law. ‘Constitutional changes’ are implemented in exactly the same manner as statute law, by a simple majority in the sovereign parliament, such as the Devolution of Scotland, however, in America any change in power would need constitutional amendment, and as I have pointed out this is a difficult process, however though not many amendments have been enacted, a few have showing it does happen time to time.The founding fathers set in place the rigidity of the constitution, giving the judiciary, the abilit y in making constitution to be flexible in terms of its interpretation, thus allowing it to keep it up to date. It has stood the test of time and has maintained political stability

Parents Against Education: Unschooling

The topic of radical unschooling is important for a number of reasons. It deals with a very important matter, which is the education and rearing of children. It calls the integrity of public schools into question and the importance of a curriculum. It also questions or disregards the need to guide children at all through life. The world in general does not look fondly upon radical unschooling. Most people see it as neglect. The people who choose this lifestyle for their family bring up a few arguments and have philosophies that, in theory, make sense. They say that unschooling is good for children because it allows them to naturally learn for themselves at their own pace and in their own environment. Radical unschooolers extend their beliefs to everyday life. They believe that it is best for children to freely learn and express themselves without guidance and outside pressure. The children of parents who practice this form of education, or un-education, mostly get to decide what is best for themselves and have very little, if any, rules at all. Parents who radically unschool their children argue that children are â€Å"natural learners† and this is the best way for children to learn because it gives them real-life experiences and helps them to grow their own intellect. However, it has been proven that children require guidance and structure that this form of education has time and time again shown that it does not provide. One large problem with radical unschooling is the lack of structure and care provided for the child. Though radical unschoolers argue that they do not neglect their children and they provide helpful advice and suggestions, this is not exactly what children need. It has been proven that children really need structure and a definite routine to feel comfortable. According to Kathy Eugster, a registered child and family psychologist, structure is very important in the lives of children. Not only does it help to assert parental authority, it also helps children feel safe and secure. Also according to Eugster, children who come from chaotic and uncontrolled households have a harder time with healthy development. Unschoolers make the argument that their form of education is best in the long run because children will adapt better to life in the real-world. The real world does not coddle adults as they may have been throughout their childhood, so the adjustment could be difficult for some. However, structure is also a large part of the adult world. Also, as children grow into teens and then become adults, they learn more to think on their own, especially if they are encouraged to do so within a structured environment when they are young. These things are found to be true in a study entitled, â€Å"Chaotic homes and school achievement,† performed by King’s College London, The Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Center. Children living in the environmental confusion and unpredictability of high levels of family chaos (i. e. noise, disorder and human traffic) have lower expectations, lack of persistence and a tendency to withdraw from academic challenge. The level of family chaos affects early reading skill, even after considering other home environmental factors relevant to children's mastery of reading. Parents who radically unschool say that their children are in control of their lives. This becomes a problem because parents are not teaching their children how they are expected to act in public. They are not able to socially interact with other people and often act in a way that most of society frowns upon. Quinn Cummings, the author of the book, â€Å"The Year of Learning Dangerously,† who unschooled her daughter for some time, recounts some of her experiences while attending a Radical Unschooler’s Conference. She said that when she was there, she witnessed children stripping down to nothing and running around a crowded room, as their parents did nothing. Also, she saw one four year old girls get up and hit another child as her mother looked on, not saying a word. Most radical unschoolers will argue that these things rarely ever happen. However, many people have recounted experiences where things like this do happen. It is not very uncommon to see behavior like this from children of parents who radially unschool. One mother expressed fear of her children playing with the children who were radically unschooled down the street from them because they were so violent. Without proper guidance, children are not able to know what behaviors are really appropriate and which ones are not. Also, schooling your children in an environment void of other children can become a problem. Since they are not exposed to different types of people, such as, different races, religious, and economic backgrounds, they can become intolerant. This becomes especially true since they are not being taught about these things if they do not express interest in them. Though the children are encouraged to â€Å"become their own person† so to speak, they can still act out the behaviors and have similar thoughts that the people in their environment have as they grow older. For example, in the essay â€Å"Group Minds,† Dorris Lessing makes the point that we all live our lives out in groups, whether it is a school, family, etc. It becomes very easy for people in this situation to fall prey to thought that they are their own person with individual thoughts and are not subject to other people's ideas infiltrating how they think. Even though unschooling parents say that their method of teaching is best because it prepares children for the real-world, they seem to skip over one of the most important parts of adulthood, understanding other cultures. Another issue within unschooling is general inability of being able to do it. This could be from a number of reasons. Many people do not have the money, resources, or knowledge to do this. Radical unschools make the point that if there is a will, there is a way. While this sounds nice, most two income houses are not able to live off of just one income. It is almost impossible for a single parent to switch of unschooling unless they become their own boss. Many people do not feel comfortable when not using a curriculum in teaching their children. By definition and through all of its philosophies, there is no curriculum for unschooling, especially radical unschooling. Also, many people do not feel that they have the proper knowledge to be able to teach their children, especially without a proper guideline of what they should be teaching. Honestly, many people do not find that they are properly qualified to teach someone else. An argument that is made often is that children have more options to explore things they want to do. While this is true, if the child does not express interest in it, parents are not supposed to make them pursue anything. Also, if a child decides they are not interested in anything, they very often end up sitting in front of the television or playing video games all day. This is not a radical step in the right direction, it is actually radically unhealthy. Allowing children to take interest in solely what they want is a main component in radical unschooling. In her essay, â€Å"When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of Time,† Susan Jacoby talks about how not being able to use math and science is detrimental to society. If a child decides that math and science are not important and only wants to color, that does not mean it is right to let them do so. Avoidance of math and science has the potential to limit job potential in the future, as well as, making a child feel inadequate when someone possesses more knowledge than them. Children learning to read can also go along with this. Many unschooling families had expressed concern with their child's unwillingness to read, or inability to catch on. Also, because part of the philosophy is for children to do things at their own pace, this can really be a hinderance. Often, they are behind and unable to excel in other subjects because they just cannot figure out reading. This also serves to greatly limit children and what they are able to do. Overall, radical unschooling is a bad idea. While the philosophies seem to be in the best interest of the child, most of the time, they are not practical. Numerous studies have proven time and time again that structure, routine, and true guidance are all important for children. Also, always allowing children to do activities that will not help to intellectually serve them is really hindering, not helping them. Without exposure to different types of people, children can become intolerant and in general stuck within themselves while not being concerned with other people. This is especially true if all they have been taught all of their lives is to do whatever they want to do. It is a great possibility that these children could grow up to be the kind of people who do not care for others, education, or and kind of structure. That is not the kind of future that is best for children.

My empirically testable Essays

My empirically testable Essays My empirically testable Paper My empirically testable Paper When I began contemplating starting a home based business selling Avon, my research had pretty much already been done. Being a user of the products for years knew that the items Avon sold were good products and lots of women used them. Whether I was at home, church or work I found that all the women within my circle were asking the same thing. Do you know an Avon, lady? So clearly to me this was a great opportunity for me to make some extra money. My empirically testable hypotheses was that knew that I already had potential customers seeking out these products. New the products were good because my family had been using them for years. Avon has been a household name for over a century, and is listed as the fifth-largest beauty company and second largest direct selling enterprise in the world. Overall the business opportunity appeared to be a great start for me and all it took was an investment of ten dollars. Also I would be providing needed products to hundreds of women. Statistics has shown that over the years, Avon has consistently manufactures some of the highest rated perfumes and body fragrances. Avon has also produced top-selling anti-aging reams that have proven results. The thing about Avon products was that it was not just hear say. Over the years I have seen these products work with my own eyes. Also I had several women that I knew personally, seeking out these products. Many women had already declared these products as their signature products. All they were missing was a consistent and faithful representative to supply their products. Marketing the product would be easy. Being that majority of the ladies were already seeking the product all simply had to do was mention that I had them for sale. As customer came t e I made it a priority to find out there favorite products, their likes and dislikes. In the beginning simply ordered product as my customers ordered them. Offering samples of perfumes, make-up and body oils and creams, allowed customers to try products before buying. Which also aided in the generation of new sales of products. Producing the potential for a larger inventory. Once I had accumulated a large client base. I began to stock products that my customers regularly ordered, to have them on hand where they were ready to place their order. Knowing their choice products enable e to be able to select other potential items that may be appealing to my customers. Managing the inventory I kept on hand soon became a hassle which prompted me to investigate was to keep track what I had on hand. Together with the help of my family I was able to develop a system that hell me not only account for the items as sell them, but keep an accurate number letting me know when have reached the minimum amount have set within the system. This inventory system lets me know when it is time etc reorder certain products and the Avon Sales Representatives website keep e up-to-date on the latest new items and trends. Overall the decision I made to get involved has proven to profitable decision.

Evolution vs Creation essays

Evolution vs Creation essays The Great Debate: Should Creation Be Taught in School? Evolution versus creation has been a debate lasting decades upon decades in the United States and around the world. The mock trial held during class, however, was not to prove one view as right and the other wrong. Rather, the focus of the trial, from the view of the prosecution, was simply to prove that creation should not be taught as a The prosecution and the defense were each allowed four witnesses. A fifth grade science teacher, a preacher, a world religions professor, and Dawkins were called to the stand by the prosecution. My part in the trial was that of the preacher. Our argument was simple; the preacher believed creation to be true, of course, but did not see how creation could be taught as a science. Instead, the view of creation should be a part of a religion or philosophy class. According to the scientific method, a true scientific hypothesis or theory about anything must be able to be proven false. "There is a very important characteristic of a scientific theory or hypothesis, which differentiates it from, for example, an act of faith: it must be 'falsifiable'. This means that there must be some experiment or possible discovery that could prove the theory untrue" (Wudka 2). If there is no way to disprove something, it can not be classified as a science. In addition, a true science must be reproducible. According to Behe, origin of life scientists have created life using the same conditions that would have existed on the early earth. It is impossible, however, to duplicate creation. In addition to the argument of testability, creation should not be taught as a science because it goes against the rulings of the federal government. In 1987, in a case known as Edwards versus Aguillard, the U.S. Supreme Court held unconstitutional Louisiana's 'Creationism Act.' The Cre...