Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis

There are links between student performance and financial, human, and material resources. School districts that can afford to spend have the resources stand a better chance of having higher performing students. These links also affect teaching and learning. It is pretty simple the more money, parental/community involvement and better materials, equals the more effective teacher. And the end result equals a well educated high performing student. Bear Valley Unified School District’s strategic plan illustrates all of the resources relate to teaching and learning. The first example of the resources affecting teaching and learning that I saw came from this particular statement in Bear Valley Unified School District’s strategic plan. Number four on the district parameters says: School district policy and expenditure decisions will support the Strategic Plan (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). By supporting the Strategic Plan which includes a lot of benefits for teachers and students shows the district’s commitment to develop its policies and budgets according to achieving what is in the plan. When a person reads this they know that the Bear Valley Unified School District is attempting to do everything in its power to achieve all of the things outlined in its strategic plan. Number six under district parameters stated the following: The school district will not change nor implement programs or activities without provisions for staff training (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). This statement articulates that the Bear Valley Unified School District is willing to invest money into staff development to produce better teachers within their school district. If this happens the district will produce better teachers. The more effective teacher will then challenge his/her students to become better learners. Here there seems to be a trickle down effect. By investing i n building better teachers in return will p... Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis There are links between student performance and financial, human, and material resources. School districts that can afford to spend have the resources stand a better chance of having higher performing students. These links also affect teaching and learning. It is pretty simple the more money, parental/community involvement and better materials, equals the more effective teacher. And the end result equals a well educated high performing student. Bear Valley Unified School District’s strategic plan illustrates all of the resources relate to teaching and learning. The first example of the resources affecting teaching and learning that I saw came from this particular statement in Bear Valley Unified School District’s strategic plan. Number four on the district parameters says: School district policy and expenditure decisions will support the Strategic Plan (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). By supporting the Strategic Plan which includes a lot of benefits for teachers and students shows the district’s commitment to develop its policies and budgets according to achieving what is in the plan. When a person reads this they know that the Bear Valley Unified School District is attempting to do everything in its power to achieve all of the things outlined in its strategic plan. Number six under district parameters stated the following: The school district will not change nor implement programs or activities without provisions for staff training (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). This statement articulates that the Bear Valley Unified School District is willing to invest money into staff development to produce better teachers within their school district. If this happens the district will produce better teachers. The more effective teacher will then challenge his/her students to become better learners. Here there seems to be a trickle down effect. By investing i n building better teachers in return will p...

Free Essays on Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson: Robinson Changes Americans’ Views on Racism Jackie Robinson was one of the most profound individuals to ever walk on this earth. Robinson established a reputation as a man who never tolerated insults to his dignity (Kahn 6). One of his accomplishments was entering the major leagues and is one of the most remarkable and inspiring accomplishments in sports history. When Robinson became the first black to play in Major League Baseball, he changed Americans’ views on racism forever. Robinson was born the youngest of five children near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. Robinson’s father, a sharecropper, left the family when Robinson was only about 2 years old. His mother, Mallie McGriff Robinson, then moved to Pasadena, California to find work (James 5). Trouble found Robinson at an early age, when he became a member of the Pasadena gang (7). Mack, Robinson’s older brother, used sports to become popular not drugs or gangs (8). In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Mack won the silver metal in the 200m-hurdle (13). Learning to deal with criticism early was a major contribution to his success in life. He and his friends would be called racial names while just trying to play baseball at the local park (Kahn 10). Not long after the family moved to Pasadena, California Robinson’s mother enrolled him into Pasadena Junior College. At Pasadena Junior College Robinson set a National Junior College record in the long jump of 25’ 6  ½Ã¢â‚¬  (Ringer 22). After only one year at Pasadena Junior College Robinson received an athletic scholarship to UCLA (23). There, Robinson became the first Bruin athlete to earn varsity letters in four sports (25). Robinson was a standout in football, baseball, basketball and track (26). After three years of college Robinson left college to work to support his mother (29). Several months later, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army (31). In the Ar... Free Essays on Jackie Robinson Free Essays on Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson: Robinson Changes Americans’ Views on Racism Jackie Robinson was one of the most profound individuals to ever walk on this earth. Robinson established a reputation as a man who never tolerated insults to his dignity (Kahn 6). One of his accomplishments was entering the major leagues and is one of the most remarkable and inspiring accomplishments in sports history. When Robinson became the first black to play in Major League Baseball, he changed Americans’ views on racism forever. Robinson was born the youngest of five children near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. Robinson’s father, a sharecropper, left the family when Robinson was only about 2 years old. His mother, Mallie McGriff Robinson, then moved to Pasadena, California to find work (James 5). Trouble found Robinson at an early age, when he became a member of the Pasadena gang (7). Mack, Robinson’s older brother, used sports to become popular not drugs or gangs (8). In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Mack won the silver metal in the 200m-hurdle (13). Learning to deal with criticism early was a major contribution to his success in life. He and his friends would be called racial names while just trying to play baseball at the local park (Kahn 10). Not long after the family moved to Pasadena, California Robinson’s mother enrolled him into Pasadena Junior College. At Pasadena Junior College Robinson set a National Junior College record in the long jump of 25’ 6  ½Ã¢â‚¬  (Ringer 22). After only one year at Pasadena Junior College Robinson received an athletic scholarship to UCLA (23). There, Robinson became the first Bruin athlete to earn varsity letters in four sports (25). Robinson was a standout in football, baseball, basketball and track (26). After three years of college Robinson left college to work to support his mother (29). Several months later, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army (31). In the Ar...

Explain the history and evolution of the U.S. Constitution, related Essay

Explain the history and evolution of the U.S. Constitution, related historical documents, and the U.S. Supreme Court - Essay Example The judges of the federal courts are structurally envisaged to remain independent through a constitutionally designated separation of powers. Article III involves dealing with two basic features of the United States Constitution, namely federalism and separation of powers which makes it eternally relevant and contestable. Here, the constitution invests central powers with the United States Supreme Court as the only institution in which the highest judicial powers of the land is concentrated. According to Amar, â€Å"the Constitution clearly does limit in important ways congressional power to shift ultimate judicial power from federal to state courts† (1985, 271). Importantly, the federal judges and the lower court judges are not equal as the latter is constitutionally created as supreme and independent. III) The Case or Controversy Requirement The case or controversy requirement of Article III is meant for safeguarding the timely power allocation among the courts in an easy ma nner, the rightful representation of a party who is ate the receiving end of the judgment and protecting the matter of self-determinism.

The company man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The company man - Essay Example Phil got along well with those working for him, some of whom the company may consider for his replacement. Upon his demise, Phil left his wife Hellen, who the author describes as a lovely woman having no necessary skills for work. She gave up working and resorted to taking care of the children. However, Hellen seems less bothered by Phil’s death because, to her, Phil was married to his work but not her. The surviving sons of Phil seem to have no connection with him before his death. The eldest son searches information about his father’s nature from the neighbors and the answer he gets â€Å"his dad was an embarrassment.† Phil’s girl uses to view him mockingly and choose to live near her mom. The youngest son was Phil’s favorite. At his funeral, the company president describes Phil as hardworking and a difficult man to replace. Just the evening after his funeral, the president was already organizing Phil’s replacement. The story is ironical in that it depicts Phil as hardworking yet the same work made him alienated from his family and social life. Ideally, â€Å"The company man,† is a story that illustrates the actual nature of corporate

Sensor Project Essay Example for Free

Sensor Project Essay I have decided to measure the temperature of a greenhouse using a thermistor in a potential divider circuit, and then when the temperature gets too cold, the relay will activate and turn on a heater. A thermistor is a temperature sensor in which its resistance will increase or decrease with temperature change depending on what type of resistor. An alternative for this experiment could have been measuring light levels in a greenhouse using an LDR. A light sensor in a green house could tell you when and where in the greenhouse the most intense sunlight is, which you could you use to aid your growing skills. I decided to design a temperature sensor for a greenhouse using a thermistor, as temperature can be critical in growing plants especially if it gets too hot or too cold. As my thermistor is an NTC this means that as temperature decreases its resistance increases, and when temperature increases its resistance decreases. Plan: Circuit Explanation The water is boiled until it reaches a temperature of just above 90i Celsius. The thermistor is inserted into the hot water and the voltage across it is measured for a temperature of 90i. The varying voltage across the thermistor is measured as the temperature falls at 10-degree intervals. The experiment is repeated and a second set of readings obtained. An average set of readings is obtained and a voltage-temperature conversion graph is plotted. Then test the sensor by attaching the amplifier and relay. Materials/Apparatus Needed: Thermometer, Thermistor, Beaker, Electric kettle, Power supply, Multimeter, Variable resistor, Amplifier, Relay, Leads. These pictures show me testing the thermistor (left), and testing the amplifier to see at what voltage it activates (right). Variables The volume of water used for this experiment was kept at 250cmi The experiment was completed over one day, and on the day, the temperature in the physics laboratory where the experiment took place was 19i C. Results Calculation of R1: I want my amplifier to activate at 10i C, for the heater to come on. The amplifier turns on at 1. 93V, as I have tested, and because the voltage is proportional to the resistance, I will work out which resister to use using the equation below. (At 10i C the thermistors resistance is 124. 8? )

Drunk Driving Essay -- essays research papers, Alcohol

The Saturday night party was the place to be. Anyone who is anyone was there. John’s curfew is midnight and its 12:05. Mark had been doing quite a lot of drinking and he was John’s ride home. John questioned whether or not he wanted to get in the car with Mark, but thought about how mad his parents were going to be. He was already five minutes late. Saying to himself â€Å"Just this one time,† he decided to get in the car. John never made it home that night. Mark had rolled the car off the bridge one mile away from his house. John lost his life all because he was afraid of getting grounded. There are many situations similar to John’s, and in a lot of them, no one survives. Because of all the death and tragedy as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol, I feel that there should be an increased punishment if caught. The legal definitions of "driving" and "drunk" are open to many interpretations, which vary greatly from state to state. In some places, "driving" can include sitting still in a parked or wrecked vehicle with the motor off, or starting up a car in a driveway. Police can and do arrest people whom they believe are drunk before they get on the road and even when they've pulled off to "sleep it off," just if they're in the driver's seat. As for the definition of "drunk," there are several major factors to consider. You can be "legally impaired" as viewed by the law without ever taking a drink, if you have taken other substances like prescription drugs that affe...

Best Practices & Most effective strategies for Curriculum Design in K-12 education in America Essay

Curriculum is a plan for learning that includes targeting a student population, conducting a needs assessment, and writing a mission statement. It includes developing goals, objectives, content, teaching strategies, and assessment tools. Alignment is critical in curriculum development from purpose and philosophy, to goals and objectives, to content and activities, and to assessment and evaluation. Working through a process of asking and answering who, what, where, why, when, how questions is essential in designing and developing curriculum. A curriculum serves several purposes that include: †¢ Explicit statements of ideology underlying the instruction (why are you teaching it, and why is the teaching the way it is? †¢ General long-term aims (what are students intended to gain from following the course? †¢ Specific, testable, short-term objectives (what will they be able to do as a result of following the course? ) †¢ Resources to be used (what is needed to deliver the course? ) †¢ The delivery methods to be employed (how is it to be taught? ) †¢ Timing of the units and their sequencing (when is it to be taught and in what order? ) †¢ Assessment procedures and the balance of assessments to be made (how, when and why will it be examined? ) †¢ A methodology for evaluating how well the course has been received (how will instructor acquire feedback from the students about the course? ). K-12 education is defined as educational technology in United States, Canada and other countries for publicly supported grades prior to college. The K stands for kindergarten and 12 denotes 1st to 12th grade before the 13th that is the first year of college. Curricular Theory and Theorists The word curriculum has its origins in the running/chariot tracks of Greece. It was, literally, a course. In Latin curriculum was a racing chariot; currere was to run. A useful starting point for us here might be the definition offered by John Kerr and taken up by Vic Kelly in his standard work on the subject. Kerr defines curriculum as, ‘All the learning which is planned and guided by the school, whether it is carried on in groups or individually, inside or outside the school. [1] This gives us some basis to move on. For the moment all we need to do is highlight two of the key features: †¢ Learning is planned and guided. We have to specify in advance what we are seeking to achieve and how we are to go about it. †¢ The definition refers to schooling. We should recognize that our current appreciation of curriculum theory and practice emerged in the school and in relation to other schooling ideas such as subject and lesson. In what follows we are going to look at four ways of approaching curriculum theory and practice: †¢ Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted. †¢ Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students – product. †¢ Curriculum as process. †¢ Curriculum as praxis. Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted Many people still equate a curriculum with a syllabus. Syllabus, naturally, originates from the Greek. Basically it means a concise statement or table of the heads of a discourse, the contents of a treatise, the subjects of a series of lectures. In the form that many of us will have been familiar with it is connected with courses leading to examinations. For example, when teachers talk of the syllabus associated with, say, the Cambridge GSCE exam. What we can see in such documents is a series of headings with some additional notes which set out the areas that may be examined. A syllabus will not generally indicate the relative importance of its topics or the order in which they are to be studied. Those who compile a syllabus tend to follow the traditional textbook approach of an ‘order of contents’, or a pattern prescribed by a ‘logical’ approach to the subject, or the shape of a university course in which they may have participated. Thus, an approach to curriculum theory and practice which focuses on syllabus is only really concerned with content. Curriculum is a body of knowledge-content and/or subjects. Education in this sense is the process by which these are transmitted or ‘delivered’ to students by the most effective methods that can be devised [3]. Where people still equate curriculum with a syllabus they are likely to limit their planning to a consideration of the content or the body of knowledge that they wish to transmit. ‘It is also because this view of curriculum has been adopted that many teachers in primary schools, have regarded issues of curriculum as of no concern to them, since they have not regarded their task as being to transmit bodies of knowledge in this manner’. Curriculum as product The dominant modes of describing and managing education are today couched in the productive form. Education is most often seen as a technical exercise. Objectives are set, a plan drawn up, and then applied, and the outcomes (products) measured. In the late 1980s and the 1990s many of the debates about the National Curriculum for schools did not so much concern how the curriculum was thought about as to what its objectives and content might be. It is the work of two American writers Franklin Bobbitt, 1928 and Ralph W. Tyler, 1949 that dominate theory and practice within this tradition. In The Curriculum Bobbitt writes as follows: The central theory is simple. Human life, however varied, consists in the performance of specific activities. Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities. However numerous and diverse they may be for any social class they can be discovered. This requires only that one go out into the world of affairs and discover the particulars of which their affairs consist. These will show the abilities, attitudes, habits, appreciations and forms of knowledge that men need. These will be the objectives of the curriculum. They will be numerous, definite and particularized. The curriculum will then be that series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of obtaining those objectives. This way of thinking about curriculum theory and practice was heavily influenced by the development of management thinking and practice. The rise of ‘scientific management’ is often associated with the name of its main advocate F. W. Taylor. Basically what he proposed was greater division of labor with jobs being simplified; an extension of managerial control over all elements of the workplace; and cost accounting based on systematic time-and-motion study. All three elements were involved in this conception of curriculum theory and practice. For example, one of the attractions of this approach to curriculum theory was that it involved detailed attention to what people needed to know in order to work, live their lives and so on. A familiar, and more restricted, example of this approach can be found in many training programs, where particular tasks or jobs have been analyzed and broken down into their component elements and lists of competencies drawn up. In other words, the curriculum was not to be the result of ‘armchair speculation’ but the product of systematic study. Bobbitt’s work and theory met with mixed responses. As it stands it is a technical exercise. However, it wasn’t criticisms such as this which initially limited the impact of such curriculum theory in the late 1920s and 1930s. Rather, the growing influence of ‘progressive’, child-centred approaches shifted the ground to more romantic notions of education. Bobbitt’s long lists of objectives and his emphasis on order and structure hardly sat comfortably with such forms. The Progressive movement lost much of its momentum in the late 1940s in the United States and from that period the work of Ralph W. Tyler, in particular, has made a lasting impression on curriculum theory and practice. He shared Bobbitt’s emphasis on rationality and relative simplicity. His theory was based on four fundamental questions: 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? 2. What educational experience can be provided that is likely to attain these purposes? 3. How can these educational experiences be effectively organized? 4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? Like Bobbitt he also placed an emphasis on the formulation of behavioural objectives. Since the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform certain activities but to bring about significant changes in the students’ pattern of behaviour, it becomes important to recognize that any statements of objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students. We can see how these concerns translate into an ordered procedure and is very similar to the technical or productive thinking steps set out below. 1. Diagnosis of need 2. Formulation of objectives 3. Selection of content 4. Organization of content 5. Selection of learning experiences 6. Organization of learning experiences There are a number of issues with this approach to curriculum theory and practice. The first is that the plan or programme assumes great importance. For example, we might look at a more recent definition of curriculum as: ‘A program of activities by teachers designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives [4]. The problem here is that such programmes inevitably exist prior to and outside the learning experiences. This takes much away from learners. They can end up with little or no voice. They are told what they must learn and how they will do it. The success or failure of both the program and the individual learners is judged on the basis of whether pre-specified changes occur in the behaviour and person of the learner. If the plan is tightly adhered to, there can only be limited opportunity for educators to make use of the interactions that occur. It also can deskill educators in another way. For example, a number of curriculum programs, particularly in the USA, have attempted to make the student experience ‘teacher proof’. The logic of this approach is for the curriculum to be designed outside of the classroom or school. Educators then apply programs and are judged by the products of their actions. It turns educators into technicians. Second, there are questions around the nature of objectives. This model is hot on measurability. It implies that behaviour can be objectively, mechanistically measured. There are obvious dangers here: there always has to be some uncertainty about what is being measured. We only have to reflect on questions of success in our work. It is often very difficult to judge what the impact of particular experiences has been. Sometimes it is years after the event that we come to appreciate something of what has happened. For example, most informal educators who have been around a few years will have had the experience of an ex-participant telling them in great detail about how some forgotten event brought about some fundamental change. Yet there is something more. In order to measure, things have to be broken down into smaller and smaller units. The result, as many of you will have experienced, can be long lists of often trivial skills or competencies. This can lead to a focus in this approach to curriculum theory and practice on the parts rather than the whole; on the trivial, rather than the significant. It can lead to an approach to education and assessment which resembles a shopping list. When all the items are ticked, the person has passed the course or has learnt something. The role of overall judgment is somehow sidelined. Third, there is a real problem when we come to examine what educators actually do in the classroom, for example. Much of the research concerning teacher thinking and classroom interaction, and curriculum innovation has pointed to the lack of impact on actual pedagogic practice of objectives. One way of viewing this is that teachers simply get it wrong as they do not work with objectives. The difficulties that educators experience with objectives in the classroom may point to something inherently wrong with the approach, that it is not grounded in the study of educational exchanges. It is a model of curriculum theory and practice largely imported from technological and industrial settings. Fourth, there is the problem of unanticipated results. The focus on pre-specified goals may lead both educators and learners to overlook learning that is occurring as a result of their interactions, but which is not listed as an objective. The apparent simplicity and rationality of this approach to curriculum theory and practice, and the way in which it mimics industrial management have been powerful factors in its success. A further appeal has been the ability of academics to use the model to attack teachers. There is a tendency, recurrent enough to suggest that it may be endemic in the approach, for academics in education to use the objectives model as a stick with which to beat teachers. ‘What are your objectives? ‘ is more often asked in a tone of challenge than one of interested and helpful inquiry. The demand for objectives is a demand for justification rather than a description of ends. It is not about curriculum design, but rather an expression of irritation in the problems of accountability in education. [5] Curriculum as process We have seen that the curriculum as product model is heavily dependent on the setting of behavioural objectives. The curriculum, essentially, is a set of documents for implementation. Another way of looking at curriculum theory and practice is via process. In this sense curriculum is not a physical thing, but rather the interaction of teachers, students and knowledge. In other words, curriculum is what actually happens in the classroom and what people do to prepare and evaluate. What we have in this model is a number of elements in constant interaction. It is an active process and links with the practical form of reasoning set out by Aristotle, which is as follows: Teachers enter particular schooling and situations with an ability to think critically in action and with an understanding of their role and the expectations others have of them, and a proposal for action which sets out essential principles and features of the educational encounter. Guided by these, they encourage conversations between, and with, people in the situation out of which may become thinking and action. They continually evaluate the process and what they can see of outcomes. Curriculum as praxis Curriculum as praxis is, in many respects, a development of the process model. While the process model is driven by general principles and places an emphasis on judgment and meaning making, it does not make explicit statements about the interests it serves. It may, for example, be used in such a way that does not make continual reference to collective human well-being and to the emancipation of the human spirit. The praxis model of curriculum theory and practice brings these to the centre of the process and makes an explicit commitment to emancipation. Thus action is not simply informed, it is also committed. It is praxis. Critical pedagogy goes beyond situating the learning experience within the experience of the learner: it is a process which takes the experiences of both the learner and the teacher and, through dialogue and negotiation, recognizes them both as problematic. It allows, indeed encourages, students and teachers together to confront the real problems of their existence and relationships. When students confront the real problems of their existence they will soon also be faced with their own oppression. The process model is modified to fit the praxis model, which is as follows: Teachers enter particular schooling and situations with a personal, but shared idea of the good and a commitment to human emancipation, an ability to think critically in action, an understanding of their role and the expectations others have of them, and a proposal for action which sets out essential principles and features of the educational encounter. Guided by these, they encourage conversations between, and with, people in the situation out of which may become informed and committed action. They continually evaluate the process and what they can see of outcomes. Proposed Curriculum Design: A curriculum prepared for the targeted students of K-12 education must be tailored to meet their needs for a fast and productive mental growth. Therefore a curriculum for k-12 education must be prepared so that it supports all children and young people from 3 – 18 to develop as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors, ready to play a full part in society now and in the future. As part of the review process we need to develop clear guidance which sets out expectations of what children and young people should learn and also promotes flexibility and space so that teachers can use their professional judgment creatively to meet children’s needs. Therefore, before beginning to design a curriculum for k-12 education, one must capture the essence of what young people will learn over the course of their schooling and express this through the experience and outcome statements. Curriculum Designing Guidelines Purpose The construction of experiences and outcomes that effectively provide progression in each curriculum area and convey the values, principles and purposes of A Curriculum for Excellence is central to the success of the program. In particular, it is important that you reflect relevant aspects of the four capacities in your work. If we can get this right these outcomes and experiences will have a significant, positive, impact on classroom practice and hence on the learning experience of all children and young people. It is an exciting prospect. Starting point In phase 1 each early review group should be asked to simplify and prioritise the curriculum (from age 3 to 15 in the first instance) retaining what currently works well and making changes where these were justified by research evidence. The output from phase 1 of the review process and the rationale for your curriculum area, research and other national and international comparators are your starting points. Your work will be based on the relevant parts of the Curriculum Frameworks: for Children 3 – 5, 5 – 14 guidelines, Standard Grade, and National Qualifications. It is important that experience and outcome statements you write at each Curriculum for Excellence level provide appropriate cognitive demand. The framework for outcomes The experiences and outcomes will sit within a framework of advice to teachers. Curriculum Area The eight curriculum areas are: Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Languages, Maths, Religious and Moral Education, Science, Social Studies and Technologies. Rationale The rationale provides an overview of the curriculum area states its main purposes and describes its contribution to the values and purposes. Subsets of the curriculum area Each curriculum area is subdivided either into fields of learning – or ‘subjects’ (e. g. Expressive Arts into art, drama, dance and music) or into aspects of learning in that area (e. g. Languages into listening and talking, reading and writing) Lines of development These identify learning tracks in each subset of the curriculum area. They are expressed in different ways in each area of the curriculum. For example within expressive arts they identify the skills to be developed: creating, presenting and evaluating in art, drama, dance and music; within science they describe broad areas of knowledge and understanding to be developed; biodiversity, being human and cells in Our Living World. Experiences and outcomes Within each line of development, experiences and outcomes describe the expected progression in learning for children and young people. Essential outcomes Essential outcomes are a small number of high level statements, derived from the main purposes described in the rationale, that encapsulate what learning in that curriculum area provides for all children and young people. Taken together, the essential outcomes are intended to sum up the expectations for the broad general education of all young people. The focus of your work will be writing the experiences and outcomes for your curriculum area. It is likely that there will be interplay between what you produce and the ‘essential outcomes’ , which are the ones helping to shape and refine the other in an iterative manner. Outcomes should be written in the clearest possible English. Where possible these should be accessible to children and young people, but not at the expense of clarity. It is also important to try to write lively and engaging experiences and outcomes. Best Practices of Writing the Curriculum Ultimately the intention is to produce streamlined guidance for the entire curriculum in a single document. We also intend to make the outcomes available in electronic format to allow curriculum leaders and teachers to identify and blend outcomes from both within and beyond curriculum areas. Several stages will be required to achieve this. Curriculum for Excellence Achievement framework In the first stage of work the aim is to produce experience and outcome statements up to Third level with provisional work done to Fourth level. Both Third and Fourth level have particular significance. Third level is important because it defines the point at which a young person has experienced a broad general education and has satisfied the essential outcomes in all curriculum areas. At this point there may be opportunities to choose what she or he wishes to study, typically with a greater degree of speciality and in greater depth to Fourth level and possibly beyond. For some pupils, their choices will result in continued, lateral progression, in curriculum areas at Third level. Fourth level is important because it will enable transition into the formal qualifications system. Experiences and outcomes at this level will tend to be more specific than those for earlier levels. The outcomes and experiences written during this stage will be subject to refinement through the engagement process. Writing an excellent outcome Always remember that the experiences and outcomes should have an impact on classroom practice and learning. The outcomes should not be written in the form of assessment criteria, nor should they constrain learning. Every outcome should therefore be tested against the following criteria: 1. It should express learning that is clear to the teacher, and where possible the young person. This will promote the application of formative assessment strategies. 2. It should indicate the purpose of the outcome and/or direct the selection of learning activities for all children and young people. 3. It should allow evaluation of the outcome. In other words, it should be clear from the outcome what evidence might be observed to demonstrate progress by the child or young person. Also bear in mind that there is no intention to produce an elaborated curriculum. Outcomes should therefore offer and support opportunities for enrichment and development for those young people with additional support needs who may not progress beyond the first levels. As you complete blocks of work a further test is to consider the extent to which you have prioritised and simplified existing guidance and to ask yourself if any changes are robust and justifiable. As a general rule outcomes should begin with the ‘I can’ stem. Experiences describe purposeful and worthwhile tasks, activities or events that contribute to motivation, personal development and learning. As a general rule they should be signalled using the ‘I have’ stem. The following additional general parameters will help you get started. †¢ Simplification and prioritisation should result in time and space being made to operate the seven principles of curriculum design. For example, teachers should have time for greater depth of study, to introduce topics or ideas in a relevant context or to respond to local events or circumstances and to ensure progression. †¢ Assume your outcomes can be taught within the time allocations typically applied in schools at present.

International Marketing Vifon to Japan

Japan is still the 2nd biggest retail market in the world with 127 million consumers that appreciate high quality and excellent service. China may have more factories these days, but how many people there can really afford western goods? When it comes to measure market size, Japan still accounts for more than 55% of the whole Asian retail market. Japan is also the nation with the highest demand for foods imports as it has the lowest self-sufficiency rate (39% only), 61% of all foods consumed in Japan is imported (United Nations, 2008).In 2011 the Japanese retail market had to cope with the March 11, 2011 shock and then compensate for the various after effects. Initially consumption spiked with the mass purchases of emergency items such as bottled water and batteries, followed by corresponding declines in purchases like party items and non-essential goods. The economy shifted from a rocky footing onto a more stable pathway by summer and consumer behaviour normalized.Japanese consumer adapted to new preferences in reaction to the events, changing retail market demands significantly. First, Japanese consumers began eating out less, while having meals at home more. This has led to an increase in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) sector, as well as the frozen food sector. Second, Japanese consumers are more attentive to products with longer shelf life, in case of future emergency situations. The Japanese retail market is dominated by two demographics: Young career seeking individuals in single person households B.Market breakdown Total retail sales including food, beverages, general merchandise, fabrics, apparel, and accessories in Japan amounted to $832. 6 billion in 2011. Of this fgure the total food and beverage retail sales amount was $527. billion. Total retail sales have increased each year since 2008. In 2007, there were total retail sales of $614. 6 billion and food & beverages sales of $370. 6 billion. Below are the total sales fgures: C. Food sales 2011 The Japanese retail food industry in 2011 experienced growth across all three categories of large and conventional supermarkets, department stores, and convenience stores.As stated previously the resilience of the industry and its ability to quickly adapt to the market changes along with economic growth in the latter half 2009 to 2011 for the three retail categories D. Food and Beverage Sales Japan While food sales grew across all segments, overall sales growth was observed in most regions of Japan as many households spent more time and money purchasing food items to consume at home rather than spending money at restaurants in 2011. Restaurant spending did increase in 2011, but food purchases for home consumption were the larger portion of spending.Japanese real economic growth rate for 2011 was estimated at minus 0. 4% by the Bank of Japan. The negative growth rate was expected due to the hardships that had to be overcome, but it is important to keep in ind that even in an environment of stagnant sales; geographic markets in Japan are quite sizable – often exceeding that of entire countries. E. Establishment Trends In 2011, supermarkets and convenience stores continued to be the primary distribution channel for food in Japan.The market has been relatively stable over the last 3 years with the only notable trend that department stores are losing ground slightly, but this corresponds with the decline of department store sales in general. F. Large Scale and Conventional Supermarkets Japan Supermarkets in Japan represent the largest provider of food and within the upermarket sector the top 5 companies (AEON, Ito Yokado, Uny, Daiei, and Life Corp. ) represent 65% of all sales. 1. Target Market As the Japanese market continues to mature, supermarket giants have strengthened their networks to reach single adults and Generation M.The older generation especially has wealth to spend they are targeting this group by changing store hours. In addition to opening early, supermarkets have special promotions related to these early bird specials – resulting in more foot traffic especially among the elderly population. 2. Price Competition Price competition has become more intense and is a major feature of the upermarket business in Japan. Supermarkets are reducing costs and improving their infrastructures through restructuring and closing unprofitable stores in an effort to improve efficiency.The companies which have succeeded to reduce management cost and to prevent losses have regained their profit. Speciality supermarkets are important for export products because these stores carry products with higher prices. Their focus is own branded import foods and beverages, there is about 900 speciality supermarkets within the top 10 chains, plus about 200 POS as 3. Company Highlights The following table highlights the Japanese supermarket industry food sales, and the percentage component those sales represent.The general trend has been greater food sales in 2011. G. Convenience Stores (CVS) Japan There is a total number of about 48,000 convenience stores in Japan. In 2011 convenience stores were proactive and were one of the first retailers to move into the Northeast Japan area. The mobility of convenience store operations, smaller size, and less SKUs allowed convenience stores to play a vital role in supplying the region. One way convenience stores helped after the disaster was by releasing â€Å"Mobile Convenience Stores†.These are small 3 ton trucks which can hold up to 300 items of â€Å"bento boxes†, rice balls, drinks, and snacks. These trucks were used in areas where stores were destroyed or where evacuees had trouble accessing food. Convenience stores in 2011 continued strategies to develop and maintain efficient networks. Convenience stores for the top 7 operators in 2010 numbered 41,663 and in 2011 the total number of convenience stores in Japan increased by 13. 4% to 48,139 according to the Nikkei fisc al 2011 convenience store survey.This expansion and competitive trend will continue in 2012 as the top 5 convenience stores plan on opening over ,700 new stores. Food sales grew again in 2011 by an additional $8 billion and three of the top 4 convenience store chains broke their records for operating profit. Profits were boosted by female and elderly customers buying fresh food, desserts, and ready to eat meals in the aftermath of the quake. Seven & Eleven became the first Japanese retailer to achieve more than trillion ($37. 1 billion) in annual sales.With the earnings in 2011, convenience stores are set to once again expand outlets and network capabilities in 2012. H. Department Stores Japan Since the 1980s Japanese department stores have faced steeper competition from he growth of supermarkets, malls, and convenience stores. Department stores generally have a variety of shops and services, with the basement level having a grocery or eatery shops. ln 2011 department store food sal es amounted to $23. 9 billion, representing 12. 3% of the Retail Food market in Japan.Over the last decade total department store sales of non-food products have declined. However, food sales at department stores have grown because of premium products, location, and the use of the depachika. Depachika means the basement floor of the department store where fresh food halls are traditionally located. Traditionally, depachika was a quiet retail food location. This changed when shops introduced high-quality HMR, creating a new niche food market in Japan. In addition, famous restaurants became tenants and lent their brand names to popularize depachika.The depachika phenomenon customers to department stores. Department stores are often attached to large train stations (such as the newly opened Shibuya Hikarie owned and operated by Tokyu Corp). Because of the proximity to the stations, pedestrians can easily access depachika eateries; Tokyu Corp's Hikarie location is estimated to attract 1 4 million isitors a year, with 200 shops, and many of the eateries staying open until 4am on weekends. Pricing, Quality and Premium Department stores usually carry imported branded products, but they are typically in low quantities.Many of the items are packaged as take-and-go products due to the proximity to stations and the premium nature of the products for use as gifts. l. Consumer Preferences Japan Japanese consumers have some general historic preferences that one should consider. Japan is a nation that prefers convenience, quality, and single-serving sizes. Returning to the latter item, an estimated 3. 3 million people commute into Tokyo every day according to Tokyo Metropolitan government. The commute is mostly done via train and then on foot. Therefore convenience and accessibility are highly valued by Japanese consumers. J.Recent Retail Trends in Japan There are recent trends of burgeoning growth for Private Brands, Healthy Foods, Eco- friendly or Energy saving foods (typic ally as frozen foods), market consolidation for greater efficiency, and new retail ideas to meet new demands. Energy efficient foods (frozen foods – bento dashi), prepared foods (Home Meal Replacements – HMR), and esserts have all seen a strong market growth. Healthy or Functional foods continue to be important. WHOLESALE MIDDLEMEN IN JAPAN Wholesalers are middlemen who purchase only to resell, and whose customers are often not final demanders but instead retailers or other wholesalers.Any sensible analysis of wholesaling needs to begin by recognizing that middlemen of all sorts lower the costs of trading rather than adding to them; otherwise they could not charge prices that their customers willingly pay and that cover their own costs. The costs of middlemen are transactions costs by definition; they are costs of activities hat are either essential to trade or that facilitate trade. These include the costs of assuring ownership rights, detecting the quality of traded goods, discovering valuable trading opportunities, negotiating mutually agreeable terms, and so on.Those who can perform these services at costs that are lower than the middleman;s spread (difference between bid price and asking price) to the lowest level that Just covers their own costs. In all these respects, wholesaling in Japan surely resembles wholesaling in other nations; but there is one thing about wholesaling in Japan that stands out. The peculiar thing about wholesaling in Japan is the often large number of separate wholesalers through whose hands goods pass before reaching their ultimate destinations on the shelves of retail stores.One indication of this fact is the large percentage of merchant wholesalers' sales that are to other wholesalers: 41. 9% for Japan versus 24. 8% for the US and 16. 2% for West Germany. A more precise indication of the numbers of wholesale steps in Japan can be constructed from data on the gross markup of retailers' prices over manufacturers' pr ices and from the average price spreads of all wholesalers. Dividing the total price markup in a wholesale chain by the average price spread of all wholesalers gives an estimate of the number of wholesalers in the chain.The average total price markup in wholesale chains is in fact less in Japan than in the US, but the average price markup of each wholesaler is also less in Japan than in the US, so we infer that on the average Japanese marketing channels have a greater number of wholesale steps. The typical or average marketing channels in Japan includes two wholesalers in sequence while that in the US includes only one. The common held view that wholesale marketing hannels are longer or have more steps in Japan than in the US is thus supported.Japan's multiplicity of wholesale steps reflects its proliferation of retail outlets. Retail business like food, liquor, and toiletries that have vastly more outlets person in Japan than in the US also tend to have more wholesale steps in Japa n. One further fact about wholesale marketing channels in Japan is worth iterating. Marketing channels that have particularly many wholesale steps in the US. For instance, fresh fish, meat, and vegetables all have more wholesale steps than most other kinds of business in both nations. Shoes and apparel have relatively few wholesale steps in both countries.Common forces appear to be operative in the economies of both Japan and America. Marketing channels in Japan and elsewhere reflect the calculated attempts of profit-seeking entrepreneurs to economize on transport costs, to avert spoilage, and to collect and act on information about the local demands for goods. The same is true of other aspects of Japanese marketing channels, including that which we next address, the contractual arragements among channel members. MEDIA According to the latest survey on the time-usage of the Japanese (Kokumin Seikatsu-Jikan Chosa) done in October 1995 by NHK Oapan Governmental Broadcasting Corporatio n), the average Japanese watches television for three hours and twenty- eight minutes a day. This nation-wide survey has been conducted every five years, and the time spent watching TV in 1995 was longer than that of 1990 by more than TV broadcasting began in Japan in 1953. The same survey reports that the average Japanese reads a newspaper for twenty one minutes a day, which is so short compared to the time spent watching TV. In addition the time spent reading newspapers has not changed so much for the past twenty five years (19 min. 1970, 20 in. 975, 21 min. 1980, 20 min. 1985, 20 min. 1990). Another survey reports that already in 1962 more than a half of the Japanese got news information mainly not from newspaper but from television, and this trend is by far more evident than ever at present. Thus the role of the TV in the Japanese everyday life is so big, but as we will see later we cannot always say that the social position of it is high in the social information environment of Japan. And this is also the case of other developed countries like the I-JK, about seventy percent of whose people got news information not from newspapers but from television in 1993.

The Meanings and Variations of Brother

The Meanings and Variations of Brother The Meanings and Variations of Brother The Meanings and Variations of Brother By Mark Nichol Brother, from the Old English word brothor and cognate with the Latin term frater and the Greek word phrater (both of which mean â€Å"fellow clan member†), means not only â€Å"a male with one or more parents in common† but has also come, by extension, to refer to a man with whom one has a bond or a common interest. It also applies to national or racial commonality, as in the term â€Å"soul brother,† which in American English describes a black male. In addition, it can refer loosely to a male relative or generically to something that is similar to something else. In religious contexts, it denotes a minister or a member of a religious order who has not been ordained. The plural is either brothers or, in formal and religious contexts, the archaic form brethren. The quality of being a brother, literally or figuratively, is brotherhood, and brotherly is the adverbial form. A blood brother is literally a brother by birth or figuratively someone with whom one shares a bond of loyalty; originally, the term alluded to the ceremonial exchange of blood between two men, often by mingling blood at the point of a slight self-inflicted wound. Brother-german is a technical legal term pertaining to the default definition of brother- â€Å"a man or boy who has both of the same parents as a given person,† as opposed to a half brother, who shares only one parent, or a stepbrother, the son of a stepparent. Likewise, a sister-german shares both parents with a given person. (The term german, from the Latin word germanus, means â€Å"having the same parents† and is unrelated to the proper noun referring to a person from Germany.) Brother-in-arms originally strictly referred to a fellow combatant in the same military service, but by extension it alludes to anyone one is closely associated with. (Because women have only recently had a significant role in the military, no equivalent term developed for female soldiers, but the term sisters-in-arms has been employed sporadically, such as in the title of a documentary about female soldiers in combat.) Idiomatic uses of brother include â€Å"brother’s keeper,† a reference to the biblical exchange in which Cain protests, â€Å"Am I my brother’s keeper?† when God asks the whereabouts of Cain’s brother Abel, whom Cain has killed. (The contemporary notion behind the phrase is of interdependent responsibility among people.) Meanwhile, â€Å"Big Brother† is a reference (from George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four) to an all-seeing authoritarian leader or any government entity that practices oppressive surveillance or control. However, â€Å"big brother† also refers generically to one’s older male sibling or to a man who mentors a boy to whom he is not related. Recent idioms include bromance, a portmanteau word from brother and romance, pertaining to depictions in popular culture of close platonic friendships among men, and brogrammer, a mash-up of brother and programmer that alludes to assertive, masculine computer programmers, a divergence from the stereotype of technologically adept but physically and socially awkward males. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their Synonyms5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words

How to Print an Array in PHP Using Print_r()

How to Print an Array in PHP Using Print_r() An array in PHP computer programming contains a group of similar objects that are the same type and size. The array can contain integers, characters, or anything else with a defined data type. The print_r PHP function is used to return an array in a human readable form. It is written as: print_r($your_array) In this example, an array is defined and printed. The tag pre indicates the following code is preformatted text. This tag causes the text to be displayed in a fixed-width font. It preserves line breaks and spaces, making it easier for the human observer to read. pre?php $Names array (a Angela, b Bradley, c array (Cade, Caleb)); print_r ($Names); ? /pre When the code is run, the results looks like this: Array([a] Angela[b] Bradley[c] Array([0] Cade[1] Caleb)) Variations of Print_r You can store the result of print_r in a variable with a second parameter to print_r. This technique prevents any output from the function. Augment the function of print_r with var_dump and var_export to show protected and private properties of the objects, including type and value. The difference of the two is that var_export returns valid PHP code, whereas var_dump does not. Uses for PHP PHP is a server-side language used to add enhanced features  to a website developed in HTML, such as surveys, shopping carts, login boxes, and CAPTCHA codes. You can use it to build an online community, integrate Facebook with your website, and generate PDF files. With PHPs file-handling functions, you can create photo galleries and you can use the GD library included with PHP to generate thumbnail images, add watermarks, and resize and crop images. If you host banner ads on your website, PHP rotates them at random.  The same feature can be used to rotate quotations. It is easy to set up page redirects using PHP and if you are wondering how often your visitors check out your website, use PHP to set up a counter.

Please note the enclosed file inroder to find the topic Coursework

Please note the enclosed file inroder to find the topic - Coursework Example Multinational companies have previously enjoyed the benefits of competitive advantage in the respective markets as a result of their ability to position themselves in the market and exploit resources. However, the values of competitive advantage are under threat as a result of increasing competition, and also the volatility in the market. For example, clothing companies were able to exploit the low cost labour market in some parts of the world, but improved communication links and the Internet have resulted in public outcry over perceived exploitation. The countries involved in supplying these companies have also benefited from the infrastructure and equipment injection which has resulted in an increase in wages. This suggests that the competitive advantage of multinational companies can no longer be guaranteed which has prompted most to seek out sustained competitive advantage. Sustained competitive advantage is when the benefit of implementing value is prolonged, especially when value strategy is one which cannot be duplicated (van Zyl 2006). This would suggest that more and more companies are investing resources into researching value-creating strategies in a bid to maintain their market positioning and competitive advantage. This coursework aims to provide evidence that above-average performance in the long-run is the basis of sustainable competitive advantage. This will be achieved using the following objectives: Sustained competitive advantage is largely down to value creating strategies which serve to differentiate the organization and create a unique selling point for it. However, one must also remember that the success of any strategy will be determined by the efficiency and effectiveness of the application of organization-specific competitive resources and the exploitation of the potential capabilities they provide (van Zyl 2006). When one considers the nature or what

Business Law #1 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Law #1 - Case Study Example The California Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed the charges against the respondents on the authority of People v Krivade that was decided by the California Supreme Court. In the said case, the California Supreme Court held that warrantless trash searches violate the Fourth Amendment and the California Constitution. The State law of California provides that Californians have the right to privacy in their garbage and cannot be inspected without warrant. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari and reversed the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals. It concluded in accordance with the vast majority of lower courts that have addressed the issue that the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit warrantless search and seizure of garbage left for collection outside the curtilage of a home. The U.S. Supreme Court based its decision on a number of similar cases that were already decided. It said that the warrantless seizure of garbage bags left at the curb outside the Greenwood house would violate the Fourth Amendment only if respondents manifested a subjective expectation of privacy in their garbage that society accepts as objectively reasonable. What a person knowingly exposes to the public, even in his own home or office, is not a subject of Fourth Amendment provisions. The U.S.