My Biography Essay

E-MAIL ADDRESS: veronguti@yahoo. com To whom it may concern, Dear Sir/ Madam, I am a University of Nairobi graduate, born, raised and schooled in Kenya. I have worked In 2 NGOs in the last 3 years. (The first was as a volunteer in the ICL ABC Project Abstinence, Being Faithful and Condom as a Peer Education Supervisor). This has been with adolescents, fellow youth in institutions of higher learning and urban slums (Dandora and Mathare). As a result I have acquired modest but valuable skills on project management (Monitoring and Evaluation). I am creative, innovative and eachable. I am familiar with the BCC model and development of ‘EC materials. I am available to start right away. I worked with I Choose life Africa, a leading NGO involved in Peer Education as a project officer in the High School Project and as a result I worked with the Ministry Of Education in Carrying out a survey (on Sexual reproductive Health) with the aim of enriching the high School Curriculum among other duties. As a student I volunteered for over two years with ICL in organizing and supervising Behavior change interventions at the University of Nairobi. I gained experience in working with adult and youth behavior change methodologies and their application to HIV/AIDS. I have conducted numerous trainings on Life Skills in peer education. I was also in charge of the Leadership and governance project which I helped design. In this project, the peer educators we train give back to their communities by training their fellow youth, carrying out outreach and thematic events. Last year, I helped the students prepare a memorandum to the Committee of Experts on constitutional affairs. This was given to Mr. Bobby Mkangi during one of our leadership and governance forums. I was part of the team that developed a website dubbed ‘Chuo’ which is aimed at connecting youth to various opportunities and information provision. I belonged to the Customer perspective and proposals teams. I have acquired skills in project design, implementation and Monitoring and evaluation. Working with you will be very beneficial to me. This will be a new challenge and a great opportunity for me to learn, share, input and grow. Looking forward to working with you. Yours faithfully,

Typography and Clarendon

Clarendon is a classical font that was designed by Robert Besley. In 1842, Besley entered the design under Britain’s Ornamental Designs Act. It was than released in the year 1845 for the Fann Street Foundry in England. Clarendon was named after the Clarendon Press in Oxford. It is acknowledged as the first major listed English slab-serif typeface, because Besley worked hard at trying to patent the typeface. The font patents around that time merely lasted up to three years, as soon as it became extremely well liked and a lot of foundries copied it.In 1935, the Monotype foundry revised Clarendon typeface. The first templates and major hits for Clarendon stayed at Stephenson Blake and market and then afterwards founded at the Type Museum in London. In 1953, Hermann Eidenbenz took over and reworked it. Today Clarendon has ten font names that you can use such as: Clarendon Black, Clarendon Bold, Clarendon Extra Bold, Clarendon Bold Condensed, Clarendon Condensed, Clarendon Heavy, C larendon Light, Clarendon Medium, Clarendon Regular, and Clarendon Roman. They call it a slab-serif because it has some bracketing and some contrast in size.Clarendon was one of the final century typography to be developed. Clarendon is also a metal type and a popular wood type. It emphasizes text by being the primary design to be related bold. As an example of this it emphasizes, â€Å"WANTED† in the old west signs. Clarendon came along ways over the past years now several logotypes that are recognized in the United States of America uses this font. In 1973, the Sony logo was created and is used in Clarendon Bold Expanded. The national parks signs that are known worldwide are Clarendon font.Also People Magazine logo, Ruby Tuesday logo, Starbucks logo and so forth use the font Clarendon. Work Cited â€Å"Typedia. † : Clarendon. Media Temple, 2006-2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Know Your Type: Clarendon. † Idsgn: A Design Blog. N. p. , 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Oct . 2012. . SONY logo Clarendon in use: People magazine logo, US National Parks signage, Ruby Tuesday logo, Starbucks Chocolate logo, Pitchfork logo, Tonka logo, U2 album cover, Riki Watanabe clock, Wells Fargo logo

Briefly Define and describe the impact of utopian socialism on first Essay

Briefly Define and describe the impact of utopian socialism on first wave feminism - Essay Example Utopian socialism can be defined as one version of socialism that is based on pragmatic principles as opposed to such abstract ones as equal political rights, which its proponents saw as â€Å"selfishly individualist†. The other aspect in which utopian socialists were different was in their perspective on some of the most important intellectual developments of the nineteenth century. For example, the basic tenets of utopian socialism were inconsistent with liberal ideologies. The essential difference between utopian socialism and the prevalent versions of socialism is noted thus by author LeGates, â€Å"that liberalism generated the idea of feminism while the Industrial Revolution, by taking work out of the home and giving middle-class women leisure, created the opportunity to put the idea into action†¦The liberal emphasis on individualism and equality that justified the American and French Revolutions in the late eighteenth century inspired women to apply the language of ‘the rights of man’ to themselves† (LeGates, p.154). When Karl Marx produced his historical analyses on political economies, the idea of socialism created excitement among the intellectuals of the day. A small section of them expected too much from the fledgling politico-economic alternative proposed by Marx. Nevertheless, it did have a significant effect on the first wave feminist movement, not least because of the underlying similarities between them. For instance, utopian socialism inspires the oppressed masses to struggle and undergo sacrifices in order to achieve a better standard of living for themselves, which is also adopted into the agenda by first wave feminists. Utopian socialism strives to give a lucid interpretation of socialism and also attempted to demonstrate how socialist principles could be implemented without excluding or exploiting any section of the

Design a management control system to measure the iphone's success as Essay

Design a management control system to measure the iphone's success as an established brand - Essay Example Current Apple Product Offering One area of business that Apple seems to concentrate a great deal of resources is Research and Development (R&D). As the source of many loyal consumers’ frustration about the company, Apple is always upgrading their products (Chamberlin, 2011), presenting iPad 2, for example, less than one year after April 3, 2010 release date of the original iPad (InfoSync World, 2010). The two newest product categories Apple has introduced are the iPad and iPhone (Apple Inc., 2011). Other product categories the company offers include the iPod, a music device that comes in various sizes, styles, and storage capacities, such as iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, and iPod Classic. Apple also manufactures laptop and desktop computers called the MacBook and iMac, which also have other styles, sizes, and names, such as MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro (Apple Inc., 2011). Shareholder Value or Financial Perspective The financial objectives identified i n this section focus on market share, profits, and utilization of current assets. A company with unsold inventory is losing money every day they do not sell the products (The Business Place, 2009). Tracking the sale of these products by store and moving unused inventory to geographic locations that have potential to sell, if the products are available, as opposed to being manufactured, it is an excellent starting point. Continuing to monitor the location of all inventory and keeping the products mobile will help the company to achieve both of the other objectives in this section, which are increasing market share and profits. Customer Value Perspective In the section focusing on the company’s current and potential customers, the objectives are enriching relationships with current customers, reducing paperwork completed by employees, and generating â€Å"buzz† about new products like the iPhone. Customers do not want to feel as though they are simply revenue for the org anization. Taking time out to focus on the customers, gives the company an opportunity to gain insight through feedback they offer (Walinskas, 2011). If the customer is having issues, the company is aware of them before the customer complains. With the vast amount of technology available as forums for product complaints such as Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, and YouTube, customer satisfaction is a top priority (Bensen, 2010). Reducing the amount of paperwork completed by employees, potentially frees up time for these groups to spend focusing on the customer; proactivity requires attention. Customers appreciate immediate notification if a foreseen problem exists. Process or Internal Operation Perspective The two focuses of the three objectives in this section are training and communication. Empowering and developing employees, makes them more of an asset to the company. Knowledge is power, and educated employees ultimately make customers happier (Hobbs, 2011). C ommunicating this knowledge is the second piece of the process. Trained employees are not effective if they do not share their education with peers, customers, management, and all who they interact with during the regular course of business. Customers want

Telefnica International Business Environment Essay

Telefnica International Business Environment - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Telefonica managed to increase its customer base by 23 million, which was an increase in 8.7% compared to 2009 making up 288 million customers and by September 2013 the customer base was more than 320 million. Telefonica has managed to be among the 5 largest telecommunications operator across the globe with regard to accesses. The company operates in Europe and Latin America with its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, which makes the company have one of the largest geographic footprints for any operator because it is present in 25 nations in Europe and Latin America. Before Telefonica was established, there was a royal decree in 1884 in Spain that controlled monopoly within the telecommunications industry, which meant Telefonica was the only company capable of offering such services. However, the prevailing telecommunications market is different because it is very competitive and having many operators and choices for customers in different nations. Although, s ince its inception in 1924 Telefonica benefitted from a privileged position for a prolonged period as the monopoly in Spanish telecommunication sector, the period of monopoly came to an end in 1996 after the market was completely liberalized forcing the company to adapt to the change. In the prevailing globalized and turbulent environment, corporate social responsibility plays an essential role for companies to survive. Leadership in Telefonica values CSR as a means of managing the business while considering all stakeholders. To ensure supervision of aspects associated with corporate reputation and responsibility, the company in 2002 appointed a commission tasked with the promotion of corporate responsibility. To ensure corporate responsibility and reputation the commission adopted various goals that include promoting the development of company values and ensuring ethical and responsible behavior in the company.

Organisational Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organisational Psychology - Essay Example Organisation behaviour refers to the study of human behaviour and trying to relate it with the individuals dynamism in a given organisation set up. Organisation behaviour as a subject is broken down into simpler aspects which are applied when trying to understand the individual’s fitting in a given set up (Saul, 2014; Robbins, 2009). The levels of the study of organisational behaviour include micro level which is the study of the individuals in the organisation, meso-level which focuses on the work groups that make an organisation and the macro-level which focuses on the way organizations behave in regard to individual’s personality. Organisations are made up of different individuals who are brought together and their minds synchronized to work and deliver in the overall interest of the whole organisation. This is hard and it is the place where the aspect of organisational behaviour comes in. This work will therefore analyse the theories of personality and then look and how relevant they are in a given organisation. In the second part of the paper we shall identify and evaluate the effect of power relationship and the role they play in motivating the workers. Theories of personality are important in explaining the dynamicity of the individual in relation to the organization he/she is working in. According to Allport, 1961, personality is the dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychophysical systems that that determine his characteristics behaviour and though (p. 28). Weinberg and Gould, 1999, personality is defined as the characteristics or blend of characteristics that make a person unique. Personality of different people is therefore different and though the theories that will be explained in this work will show a correlation between them it is important to understand the different people to place them in the places that they will deliver best. All the definitions that

Impact of Announcing Dividends on Share Prices of Corporations Listed Dissertation

Impact of Announcing Dividends on Share Prices of Corporations Listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange - Dissertation Example In the past, research tended to confirm the absence of impact of dividend announcements on shareholders’ value on condition that taxes and market imperfections are not present. For this reason, companies would prefer to invest its excess funds (which are not needed for business operations or expansion) in positive net present value projects available to it, in lieu of a dividend payout. It is also generally accepted that market valuation of stocks is dependent upon future earnings – when future earnings are lacklustre, the stock’s market value would go down or remain flat. Should companies pay out all its earnings, therefore, funds that may be reinvested for future productive undertakings are depleted, creating a dampener for new dividend declarations. Also, if dividends were taxable, shareholders may put off the declaration of additional dividends in order for their tax liabilities to be prevented from increasing. Despite these disadvantages to dividend declarat ions, however, companies continue to resort to cash dividends in order to signal information about future earnings (Uddin & Chowdhury, 2008). What is interesting in Saudi Arabian situation is that Saudi Arabia is a non-tax economy, and one would tend to believe that market imperfections are kept to a minimum. The country therefore presents some interesting possibilities towards confirmation of certain principles espoused by Modigliani and Miller, particularly concerning the signalling theory of dividends. This therefore leads to the objective of the study, stated below. 1.1 Objective of the research study The objective of the study is to determine the impact of dividend announcements on the share prices of corporations that are listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange. The purpose is to determine the degree to which informational content is conveyed by unexpected announcements of dividends, as discerned from the stock price changes beyond levels ordinarily expected. This information would be important to all participants in the stock market, including regulators, policy formulators and investors. 1.2 Statement of the problem The study addresses the problem of how market efficiency may be determined through stock price movements in relation to their corresponding market-moving announcements – that is, the release of announcement of dividends other than that already expected by investors. Knowing how this may be determined, the study shall also apply this method in assessing the efficiency of the Saudi Arabian stock market in factoring in the information content of these announcements. 1.3 Main research question The main research question may be stated thus: How efficiently does the announcement of dividends get factored into the prices of stocks trading in the Saudi Arabian stock market? 1.4 Research subquestions The study proposes to answer the main research question by seeking answers to the following subquestion: Q1: How may extraordinary stock price fluctu ations be reliably measured? Q2: By what criteria may unexpected dividend announcements be determined, vis-a-vis expected dividend declarations? Q3: Having distinguished extraordinary stock price fluctuations from regular movements, and unexpected divide

Apple INC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Apple INC - Essay Example most of these factors are caused by the fact that there are many countries which are involved in the manufacture of Apple’s products. While most of the manufacturing activities take place in Japan, assembling activities take place in Europe and the United States. This process can be affected in terms of transport across borders considering that situation in one country have a bearing on the activities of Apple products in other counties (Porter, 1985). The PESTEL analysis of Apple Inc. can be understood as following. Most of the operations of Apple are done outside America. This implies that the overall performance of the company is prone to problems raised by bad international relations such as war of terrorism, political issues, and geopolitical instabilities, natural and man-made disasters (Apple Inc. 2008). Other problems are caused by distribution and transport issues between the two counties which can disrupt the whole operations. Such international challenges which are beyond the control of the company are common in Apple (Bright Hub, 2010). The economic factors affecting Apple Inc. are attributed to the depression which caused immense negative effects on most sectors of the economy (Business Case Studies, 2012). The rise in the inflation rate has led to overall reduction in the purchasing power of consumers. Most countries where Apple operates experience economic problems such as inflation, unemployment and slow growth. USA and Europe are experiencing high rates of unemployment recently which reduced the sales of their technological products (Marketing Magazine, 2005). Globalization has positive effects on Apple Inc. this is because technology is very influential in promotion of globalization. As such, Apple is able to market and promote most of its products globally. Furthermore, the MP3 sector of Apple enables it to cater for a wide market since the social influence is positively

Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics Essay Example for Free

Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics Essay Abstract Along with the web 2.0 prevailing since the beginning of the 21st century, social media has become one of the most important tools for companies to develop the markets or public relations during this decade. Most companies around the world have a good sense of the importance of the social media. Companies use all the social media websites available to create more chances to meet more businesses online, or only to get a platform to show what they have such as products or services, even though the audiences only catch a glance of their companies’ profiles, they have already achieved their marketing purposes. Individuals are very obsessed in social media personally as well as businesses; they think social media is a great way to distinguish themselves from others or let the world get to know them. Introduction Through our survey, it is not hard to find that social media can impact businesses in some certain areas. In the U.S., with Facebook floating on the stock exchange at a mind boggling $104 billion, many naysayers predict an Internet bubble. However, there is no denying the power of social media and the impact that it can have on the business of marketing. Particularly, there are four aspects. Firstly, social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest represent a huge opportunity for businesses to grab the attention of customers while simultaneously building a brand image. There are plenty of tactics that businesses can employ to do this including the creation of brand profiles on social networks such as Facebook fan pages and creative advertising via branded podcasts and applications, also known as apps. Secondly, we know how important the word of mouth is in business. Social media platforms provide the perfect opportunity to take advantage of word of mouth and to see it spreading. Social media is growing at its fastest rate in developing countries. People are connected on a global scale and casually participate in each other’s lives through online observation. Something as simple as â€Å"Liking† a brand on Facebook can spread very quickly throughout the various social media channels. It is worth noting that individuals trust the opinions of their peers far more than a glossy magazine advert. Millions of people review products and services directly via social media sites using videos through YouTube, which in many cases are then shared and disseminated via various other social media websites. As a consequence, the public increasingly looks to social media to find reviews on various products and services to help them to make buying decisions. As a result, companies can and do provide products to popular Youtube users to review for their subscribers as well as create their own branded Youtube channels with branded videos about their products. (Social Media can impact business) Regarding communicating with customers, companies may see massive negative reviews about their products or services when they are expecting to use it as their advantage. By utilizing social media effectively, companies can reach out to dissatisfied customers directly, within their own social m edia environment, to find innovative ways of improving the product or service they have offered. When creating a social media marketing strategy, it is worth thinking very carefully about who is being targeted. There will be people within social networks who may not necessarily be customers, but who nevertheless can have a massive impact on marketing efforts. More than 80 % of that population is made up of â€Å"potential influencers†. It is worth making the effort to identify that these people are in the network and connect with them to attract shares and likes which ultimately help to spread brand name. One website which is excellent for identifying these people is Klout. Klout gives social networkers a score out of 100, which indicates how influential an individual is over their network while also identifying who the broadcasters and influencers are within that network. The purpose of the whole research process is to find out how companies use social media based on a stati stic view. Research Methodology There were 199 survey attendants given the questionnaires. The questionnaire was divided into 12 parts and each part had 3-13 questions. The questionnaires contained questions such as how companies use social media to provide customer services, marketing research, and improve the public relation with supplier or partners. We will use the information provided by the survey respondents to combine what we learned from statistics class, which included but not limited to probability from chapter 5, estimation and confidence intervals from chapter 9, one sample and two- sample test of hypothesis from chapter 10 and 11; simple linear regression and correlation which is from chapter 14, and Chi-square test. This research is based on the sets of data that were collected from Survey Monkey, collected by Survey Monkey Survey System. Survey Monkey is a company that provides platforms for those who need information for any legal purpose such as market research, education, and customer satisfaction. There are three steps to complete a survey. The surveyors usually design the surveys based on the purpose of their organizational behavior, and then they would distribute the survey to their targeted population such as customers or students; finally, they would use mathematic tools to analyze the data that was collected from the surveys. In this research paper I would like to represent some data graphs that we learned from the statistics class (Survey Monkey, 2013). First, we will show a pie chart of the gender information about the survey respondents. Table 1: What is your gender? The sample population of this survey consists of 103 (51.26%) participants who were male, while 78 (39.20%) participants were female, and 19 (9.55%) participants did not select their gender. (See table below) Among all the survey respondents, 24.12% of them were 18-24 years old, total 48 respondents; 51.76% were 25-34 years old, total 103 respondents, 6.53% were 35-44 years old, total 13 respondents, 6.53% were 45-54 years old, total 13 respondents also. Only 5 respondents (2.51%)are 55-64 years old, 0 (0%) respondents are 65-75 years old, and 17 (8.54%) participants didn’t answer this question. (See table below) Table 2: How old are you? Regarding the working experience, 39(19.6%) out of 199 respondents (100%) chose â€Å"less than 1 year†, 89 respondents (44.7%) chose â€Å"1-5 years†, 11 of them (5.5%) chose â€Å"5-10 years†, 23 respondents (11.6%) chose â€Å"more than 10 years†, and 23 respondents (11.6%) didn’t answer this question. (See Table 3 below) Table 3: How many years have you worked in company? Table 4: How dose your company use social media? Since gender, age and working experience are dependent variables that describe how company used social media. In table 4, there were 28(14%) of respondents use social media extremely likely, 31(15%) respondents use social media very likely, 61 (30%) used social media moderately likely, 39(19%) respondents used social medias slightly likely, 31(15%) participants did not use social media very likely, and 19(9%) respondents did not use social medina at all, and 24(12%) respondents chose â€Å"don’t know†. (See Table 4 below) Table5: Relationship between companies founded years and how long does company use social media? Base on this table we can tell that the relationship between the companies founded date and the year they began using social media. Normally, The Company began using social media for 1-2 years when the company founded 1-5years, the rate of possibility is 3/179; the company founded 5-10 years and they used social media for 2-4years, the rate of possibility is 4/179. ] The company uses 4-6years social media when the company founded 10-15years, the rate of possibility is 8/179; finally, the company used social media above 6 years when the company founded more than 20 years, the rate of possibility is 22/179. Data Result and Analysis Descriptive Statistic To help explain descriptive statistics, we will use the total number of How long has the companies begun using social media, and based on the description above, we will demonstrate that how likely is the companies going to adopt new social media applications in the next 12 months. (See table below) Descriptive statistics can include graphical summaries that show the spread of the data, and numerical summaries that either measures the central tendency (a typical data value) of a data set or that describes the spread of the data (Gerald, 2011). There are five different tests including â€Å"Hypothesis (one sample)†, â€Å"Hypothesis (two sample)†, â€Å"F-test†, â€Å"Regression†, and â€Å"ANOVA (multiple sample)† that we used in data result and analysis to illustrate the relationship among different data. I. Hypothesis (One Sample) Question background is permitting employees to use mobile applications to interact with customers. We hypothesize that respondents would largely use mobile applications of social media to interact with customers at 4 of 5 scales. In order to prove our hypothesis we use one sample hypothesis method. We hypothesize the null is at 4 scale of 5, and we use 95% as the confident level, so the alpha is 5%. Because we know the sample mean (S), so we choose the T test. To perform the test, please see Table 8 below. To conclude that because the P (T=t)= 0.00019813, and it less than 5%, so we should reject the null which means the employees use the mobile application such as social media to interact with customers is less than 4-scale. II. Hypothesis (Two Sample) Background question is how social media used for company awareness and PR purpose. In order to prove our hypothesis that two industries use social media at the same frequency we use two sample hypothesis methods. We hypothesize that the permitting employees to use mobile applications to interact with customers is equal to the employees who use the Internet tools. And we know the sample mean (S) so we also use the T test. To perform the test: (See Table below) Conclusion: Because the P (T=t)=2.08, and it larger than 0.05, so we choose the accept the null, which means the retail industry and business service industry used social media for PR purpose at the same frequency. III. F- Test Background question is to market and operate our business, our organization has done the following activities: 3.1. Permitting employees to use their creative ideas to facilitate business 3.2. Permitting employees to use Internet tools to interact with each other The F-test is designed to test if two population variances are equal; in order to prove our hypothesis we use two sample hypothesis methods as well. It does this by comparing the ratio of two variances. So, if the variances are equal, the ratio of the variances will be 1. We hypothesis the permitting that to market and operate our business, our organization has done the following activities, permitting employees to use their creative ideas to facilitate business. We use F-Test two-sample for variances firstly, and then we will use T-Test two-sample assuming equal variances to perform the test. (See Table 10 below) Permitting employees to use internet tools to interact with each other| Mean| 3.755102041| 3.888324873| Variance| 1.867922554| 1.579301771| Observations| 196| 197| df| 195| 196| F| 1.182752142| 　| P (F=f) one-tail| 0.120713955| 　| F Critical one-tail| 1.265936455| 　| Because the P- value equal to 0.120713955, so we use equal variance and t -test to test sample means. To perform the t-test, please see Table 11 below. Permitting employees to use internet tools to interact with each other| | Mean| 3.755102041| 3.888324873| Variance| 1.867922554| 1.579301771| Observations| 196| 197| Pooled Variance| 1.723243082| 　| Hypothesized Mean Difference| 0| 　| df| 391| 　| T Stat| -1.005935799| 　| P (T=t) one-tail| 0.157534284| 　| T Critical one-tail| 1.648760041| 　| P (T=t) two-tail| 0.315068568| 　| T Critical two-tail| 1.966049679| 　| Because the P (T=t)=0,155490816, and it larger than 0.05, so the conclusion is we choose to accept the null, which means the permitting employees to use mobile applications to interact with customers is equal the employees who use the Internet tools. IV. Regression Background questions are following: X:In what year was your company founded? Y1: How long has your company begun using social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Sina Weibo, QQ, etc.)? Y2: How many employees currently work for your organization? Regression and correlation is a method that we use to find the relationship between dependent variables (Ys) and independent variables (Xs). From Table 6 we can tell that the p-value of variable X which is â€Å"when the company was founded† is not significant means it is not related to Y1 of â€Å"How many employees currently work for your organization? †, and the p-value of variable Y2 of â€Å"How long has your company begun using social media† is not significant explains that it is related to â€Å"In what year was your company founded?† From the regression analysis table # 6, we can find out that 57.57% of the numbers of employees are explained by when the company was founded. From the regression analysis table # 7, we can find out that 36.1% of the social media uses for companies are expla ined by when the company was founded. Table 12: Table 13: To market and operate our business, our organization uses the Internet for the following activities: V. ANOVA analysis The background questions are below. 5.1. Permitting employees to use Internet tools to interact with customers 5.2. Permitting employees to use Internet tools to interact with each other From Table 14, the P-value for rows indicates three different activities are highly significant, which mean three activities have different means. P- value for column indicates that 200 different respondents are not significant which means 199 different respondents have practiced similar activities. (Table 14 below) Conclusion From this research, we conclude that generally, male uses social media more often than female, it is because male is still the mainstream of the business area; from the survey, we got to know that most of the social media users were very young and had a little working-experience. We surprisingly found out that most companies use social media moderately, to be specific, employees use mobile applications to interact with customers at 4-scale of 5 which means they did not use them extremely likely. We would expect they used them very often. One is within our expectation that the earlier the company founded, the longer period they use social media, most of companies used social media for long time though they did not use them very often which explains than people are willingly trying new technology, however, it takes time for them to form a habit. We also surveyed people to compare the frequency of smartphone application use and Internet use; we found out that people approximately use them half and half. From this result, we can conclude that there are lots of s martphone or tablet technologies grow very rapidly and people can complete their business process through cellphone instead of laptop or desktop that are much more cumbersome to carry. In a word, we can make precise decision process though both survey results and analysis results in the related business. Social media is a blessing technology, which we will rely more in our businesses and daily lives, we will find out more advantage of social media and prove it with data analysis and improve our life quality.

Nature of Knowledge Essay Example for Free

Nature of Knowledge Essay In the study of knowledge we distinguish between knowledge by acquaintance, in essence to know someone or know of something. Ability knowledge is for example to know how to swim or how to ride a bike. And, our main concern, propositional knowledge that is sentences or statements that can be either true or false. To have knowledge one needs to have a belief and for this belief to be true. The following text will show how true belief, even if it is justified in a rational way, does not suffice for knowledge. Take Nina, she is walking by some slot machines in the casino. She feels drawn to one of the machines, and believes it is her lucky day and that she will win because of the nice appealing colors on the slot machine. She places her bet, the wheels spin and line up three lucky 7’s, she wins and her belief turns out to be a true one. But while her belief being true, intuitively this do not suffice for knowledge, as it is easy to ascribe this winning to pure chance. Even if different suppositions may justify Nina’s belief in winning, it is natural to think that what Nina lacks in this situation to have knowledge, is justification. And also for this justification to be strong enough for Nina to be a rational being in believing she will win, without need to turn to superstition or vagueness to explain her belief. But even if Nina where to have a justified true belief, which she formed in a rational way, it is easy to show that this neither suffice for knowledge. Say Nina is a con girl, she has tricked the manager of the slot machine manufacturer to give her a manual, showing all the results the machine can produce, together with a serial number for each spin which is also displayed on the slot machine. So it is easy to look down in the manual what the next result will be. It is noon and Nina is now standing in front of the slot machine in the casino. She reads the serial number in the display and matches it in her manual. The next spin will line up three lucky 7’s and win. She places her bet and spins the wheel. Unbeknown to Nina there was an error when printing the manual so all the numbers are mixed up, making the manual useless. And this day the casino owner celebrates his 60th birthday by letting all the machines go off program at noon and give every placed bet at that time the three lucky 7’s line up. Nina’s justified belief turned out to be true, but due to lucky and unlucky circumstances we do not ascribe knowledge to Nina in this situation. Nina was responsible and rational when forming her belief, considering she went the length to trick the boss to give her the manual to see which spins win. If her goal is to win at slots, she was responsible when gathering evidence and responsible and rational in believing her evidence. And even if this example showed that an agent with a justified true belief formed in a rational and responsible way, do not necessarily have knowledge. It is easy to see that even if the agent lacks knowledge, she will often be successful in reaching her goals, because of the rational way she gains justification for her beliefs. Though it is not sufficient or may not even be necessary to have justified true beliefs when trying to grasp the nature of knowledge. Bibliography: Pritchard D. (2006) What is this thing called knowledge?, Routledge, Oxon

Moringa Oleifera Health Benefits and Nutrition

Moringa Oleifera Health Benefits and Nutrition According to Dr. Lydia M. Marero of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Philippines, Moringa oleifera is one of the worlds most useful plants. It is used as food, effective water treatment, antibiotic, source of oil, and coagulant for turbid waters. Moringa Oleifera has several health benefits that are one of the reasons why it is named the Miracle Tree and the Tree of Life in many cultures. People benefit from Moringa Oleifera both in terms of prevention and healing. Moringa Oleifera is nutritious, natural and energizing. The immature pods are the most valued and widely used of all the tree parts. The pods are extremely nutritious, containing all the essential amino acids along with many vitamins and other nutrients. The immature pod can be eaten raw or prepared like green peas or green beans, while the mature pods are usually fried and possess a peanut-like flavor. The pods also yield 38 40% of non-drying, edible oil known as Ben Oil. This oil is clear, sweet and odorless, and never becomes rancid. Overall, its nutritional value most closely resembles olive oil. The root is used as pickle. The leaves are eaten as greens, in salads, in vegetable curries, as pickles and for seasoning. The Bark can be used for tanning and also y ields a coarse fiber. The flowers, which must be cooked, are eaten either mixed with other foods or fried in batter and have been shown to be rich in potassium and calcium. Moringa Oleiferas on Dr. Oz Show These are some of the uses of Moringa Oleifera: Moringa Oleifera for Diabetes Relief Moringa Oleifera for Healthy Skin Moringa Oleifera for Nutrition Moringa Oleifera to sleep better Moringa Oleifera for decreased depression and anxiety Moringa Oleifera  contains more than 92 nutrients and 46 types of antioxidants. Moringa leaves contain all the essential amino acids to build strong healthy bodies. Moringa  is said to cure about three hundred diseases and almost have all the vitamins found in fruits and vegetables. Even in larger proportions. With all the health benefits of this miracle herb, it can easily be termed as the most nutritious herb on Earth. There are no side-effects which also has tried, tested, documented and proved evidence to support the same. Some Facts about Moringa Moringa has following properties: 92 Nutrients 46 Antioxidants 36 Anti-Inflammatories 18 Amino Acids, 9 Essential Amino Acids Nourishes The  Immune System Supports Normal Glucose Levels Natural Anti-Aging Benefits Provides Anti-Inflammatory Support Promotes Healthy Digestion Promotes Heightened Mental Clarity Boosts Energy Without Caffeine Encourages Balanced Metabolism Promotes Softer Skin Provides Relief From Acne Supports Normal Hormone Levels Few Nutritional Value of Moringa Gram-for-gram comparison of nutritional data: 2 times -the Protein of Yogurt 3 times the Potassium of Bananas 4 times the Calcium of Milk 4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots 7 times -the Vitamin C of Oranges The Vitamin and Minerals Component of Moringa  Leaves and Pods Vitamins are soluble either in water or in lipids. They help regulate almost all physiological processes in the body. When any vitamin is absent from the diet the body begins to show signs of deficiency. Minerals are also essential for our health; they are used by our body for building tissues such as bones, teeth, muscles. Some minerals are components of enzymes and help to regulate metabolic function of the body. Lack of minerals in diet can impair normal functioning of the body and may lead to a number of disease. Without enough calcium and phosphorous our bones fail to grow properly. The detail of vitamins and minerals in Moringas fresh dried leaves and its pod are presented in the following tables. Table No. 1: Moringa Oleifera Pods [Raw] Nutritional Value Per 100  g (3.5  oz) Energy 26  kcal Fat 0.10 g Carbohydrates 3.7 g Protein 2.50 g Dietary fiber 4.8 g Water 86.90 g Vitmans Vitamin A equiv. 0.11 mg Calcium 30 mg Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.05 mg Iron 5.3 mg Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.07 mg Magnesium 24 mg Niacin (vit. B3) 0.20 mg Manganese 0.25 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.79 mg Phosphorus 110 mg Vitamin B6 0.12 mg Potassium 259 mg Folate (vit. B9) 44 ÃŽÂ ¼g Sodium 42 mg Vitamin C 120.0 mg Zinc 0.45 mg Source: USDA Nutrient Database Table No. 2: Moringa Oleifera Leaf Nutrient Composition Calories Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  92 cal Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  49 cal Macronutrients Protein Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  6.70 g Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  6.5 g Fat Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  1.70 g Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  0.55 g Carbohydrates Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  12.5 g Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  9.2 g Micronutrients Carotene (Vit.A) Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  6.78 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  4.54 mg Thiamin (B1) Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.06 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  0.63 mg Riboflavin (B2) Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.05 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  4.92 mg Niacin (B3) Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.8 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  1.97 mg Vitamin C Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  220 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  4.15 mg Calcium Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  440 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  480.72 mg Copper Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.07 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  0.14 mg Fiber Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.90 g Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  4.61 g Iron Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.85 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  6.77 mg Magnesium Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  42 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  88.32 mg Phosphorus Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  70 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  48.96 mg Potassium Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  259 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  329 mg Zinc Fresh Leaves (Value/100g):  0.16 mg Dried Leaves (Value/24g):  0.79 mg Source: The National Academies Press Amino Acids: The foundation of our body Our bodies need twenty different amino acids or proteins that are the building blocks for a healthy body. Nonessential amino acids are those that the body can synthesize for itself, provided there is enough nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen available. Essential amino acids are those supplied by the diet.   They must be consumed as the human body either cannot make them at all or cannot make them in sufficient quantity to meet its needs. Of the 20 amino acids required by our bodies, eleven of them are nonessential and nine are essential. Functions of Amino Acids: Proteins act as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. They maintain fluid balance and acid and base balance. They also transport substances such as oxygen, vitamins and minerals to target cells throughout the body. Structural proteins, such as collagen and keratin, are responsible for the formation of bones, teeth, hair, and the outer layer of skin and they help maintain the structure of blood vessels and other tissues. Enzymes are proteins that facilitate chemical reactions without being changed in the process. Hormones (chemical messengers) are proteins that travel to one or more specific target tissues or organs, and many have important regulatory functions. Insulin , for example, plays a key role in regulating the amount of glucose in the blood. The body manufactures antibodies (giant protein molecules), which combat invading antigens. Antigens are usually foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses that have entered the body and could potentially be harmful.If these critical components for a healthy body are not provided as part of a healthy diet, the body will look for other sources for them.   This can include breakdown of our organs, leading to chronic problems such as liver and kidney problems, diabetes and heart disease among others. Moringa as a Food Moringa is considered a complete food as it contains all of the essential Amino Acids required for a healthy body.  The dried leaf is a nutritional powerhouse and contains all of the following Amino Acids. Ann Hirsch, PhD One of the things that impress me most about Moringa is the fact that it has the full complement of the essential amino acids those humans beings need-there are nine of them that we cannot synthesize, so we have to get them from our food. Ann Hirsch, PhD, Professor of Botany at University of California Los Angeles Malnutrition In developing tropical countries, Moringa trees have been used to combat malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers. Three non-governmental organizations in particular Trees for Life, Church World Service and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization advocate Moringa as natural nutrition for the tropics. Leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or stored as dried powder for many months without refrigeration, and without loss of nutritional value. According to Optima of Africa, Ltd., a group that has been working with the tree in Tanzania, 25 grams daily of Moringa Leaf Powder will give a child the following recommended daily allowances: Protein 42%, Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Potassium 41%, Iron 71%, Vitamin A 272%, and Vitamin C 22%. These numbers are particularly astounding; considering this nutrition is available when other food sources may be scarce. Moringa as medicine Scientific research confirms that these humble leaves are a powerhouse of nutritional value. The Moringa tree has great use medicinally both as preventative and treatment. Much of the evidence is anecdotal as there has been little actual scientific research done to support these claims. Indias ancient tradition of ayurveda says the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. One area in which there has been significant scientific research is the reported antibiotic activity of this tree. Moringa and cancer Findings of a study made in India, which were used as the basis of many news reports on malunggay as a wonder plant, states that moringa contains anti-cancer compounds (phytochemicals) that help stop the growth of cancer cells. Moringa is said to be effective in treating ovarian cancer, among a host of other diseases like arthritis, anemia, heart complications, kidney problems, scurvy, asthma, and digestive disorders (ulcer, gastritis, diarrhea, dysentery). Another area of folklore which research supports is in cancer treatment. Moringa species have long been recognized by folk medicine practitioners as having value in the treatment of tumors. Studies examined certain compounds for their cancer preventive potential. Recently two of these compounds were shown to be potent inhibitors of activation of lymphoblastoid (Burkitts lymphoma) cells. One of these compounds also inhibited tumors in mice bred to be prone to tumors. In another study, Bharali and colleagues examined skin tumor prevention following ingestion of drumstick (Moringa seedpod) extracts. Liver and Moringa Moringa has been observed by scientists to contain unique compounds and enact mechanisms that help purge the liver of these toxins and even reverse the damage that they cause. Silymarin is a flavonoid or specialized molecule found in moringa that has been shown to help reduce the effects of hepatoxins on the liver, improving its resiliency. It also protects the liver from the toxic effects. Moringa has also been observed to be an effective treatment against a wide array of liver diseases, such as both chronic and acute hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, fatty degeneration of the liver, and the metabolic liver disease brought about by alcohol and drug use. This is because moringa not only stops the toxicity that causes these diseases, but also helps reverse it. On its own, the liver is a very resilient organ, able to regenerate its cells and grow back even after over half of it is destroyed or removed. Moringa accelerates this regeneration process by about four times the normal speed, eventually helping the liver regain full functionality. Water purification After the oil is extracted from the pods, the seed-cake remaining contains the active components for removing turbidity (solid particles) from water. Because bacteria adhere to the solids, this seed-cake also effectively removes bacteria. At the Thyolo Water Treatment Works in Malawi, Africa, two researchers from the University of Leicester, England, have worked on substituting moringa seeds for alum to remove solids in water for drinking. Conclusions This tree is truly a Miracle Tree offering hope; nutritionally, medicinally and economically to devastatingly poor 3rd world countries. It has just recently begun being used as a supplement in a juice form and in powdered leaf tablets. We are not talking about believing us, the data is already out there to show the benefits of Moringa Oleifera.What has been missing, so far, is the willingness to create awareness about this. In our local language it is called SOHANJNA References: Broin M (2006). The nutrient value of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves: What can we learn from figure? 2006 Moringa news work shop. http://www.moringanews.org/doc/GB? Posters?Broin_poster.pdf. accessed 18/05/2010. Fahey JW (2005). Moringa oleifera: A review of the Medical evidence for its nutritional, Therapeutic and prophylactic properties. Part 1. http://www.TFLjournal.org/article.php /20051201124931586. accessed 15/03/2010 Anjorin TS, Ikokoh P, Okolo S (2010). Mineral composition of Moringa oleifera leaves, pods and seeds from two regions in Abuja, Nigeria. Int. J. Agric Biol., 12: 431-434. Anwar F, Sajid L, Muhammad A, Anwarul HG (2007). Moringa oleifera: A Food plant with Multiple Medicinal Uses. Phytother. Res., 21: 17-25. Foidl N, Makkar HPS, Becker K (2001). The Potential of Moringa oleifera for Agricultural and industrial uses. What development potential for Moringa products? October 20 th- November 2nd 2001. Dar Es Salaam. Fuglie LJ (2001). Combating malnutrition with Moringa. In: Lowell Fugile, J.(Ed), The Miracle Tree: The Multiple Attributes of Moringa. CTA Publication, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 117-136. Gidamis AB, Panga JT, Sarwatt SV, Chove BE, Shayo NB (2003). Nutrients and anti-nutrient contents in raw and cooked leaves and mature pods of Moringa oleifera, Lam. Ecol. Food Nutr., 42: 399-411. Babu S (2000). Rural nutrition interventions with indigenous plant foods-a case study of vitamin A deficiency in Malawi. Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ., 4(3): 169-179. Barminas JT, Charles M, Emmanuel D (1998). Mineral composition of non-conventional vegetables. Plant Food Hum. Nutri. 53: 29-36.

Chapter 5: Why the Fries Taste Good Essay -- Food

â€Å"Out of every $1.50 spent on a large order of fries at fast food restaurant, perhaps 2 cents goes to the farmer that grew the potatoes,† (Schlosser 117). Investigative journalist Eric Schlosser brings to light these realities in his bestselling book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Schlosser, a Princeton and Oxford graduate, is known for his inspective pieces for Atlantic Monthly. While working on article, for Rolling Stone Magazine, about immigrant workers in a strawberry field he acquired his inspiration for the aforementioned book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, a work examining the country’s fast food industry (Gale). Schlosser sets off chapter 5: â€Å"Why the Fries Taste Good,† in Aberdeen, Idaho at the J. R. Simplot Plant where he introduces John Richard Simplot, â€Å"America’s great potato baron,† (Schlosser 111). Simplot dropped out of school at 15, left home, and found work on a potato farm in Declo, Idaho making 30 cents an hour. Simplot bought and turned profit on some interest-bearing scrip from some school teachers and used the money to at 600 hogs at $1 a head. He feed the hogs horse meat from wild horses he shot himself, later selling them for $12.50 a head. At age 16 Simplot leased 160 acres to begin growing Russet Burbank Potatoes. In the 1920s the potato industry was just picking up as Idaho was discovered to have the ideal soil and conditions for successfully growing potatoes (Schlosser 112). Soon Simplot was the â€Å"largest shipper of potatoes in the West, operating 33 warehouses in Oregon and Idaho,† (Schlosser 113). During World War II Sim plot sold dehydrated potatoes and onions to the U.S. Army. By the time he was 36 he â€Å"was growing his own potatoes, fe... ...ted, â€Å"the french fries were delicious- crisp and golden brown, made from potatoes that had been in the ground that morning. Eric Schlosser finished them and asked for more,† (Schlossr131). Throughout this chapter Schlosser takes his reader through the journey of the french fry from spud to stomach. Schlosser uses his talents to educate the world about the ins and outs of the processed food and flavor industry, informing the fast food nation, â€Å"Why the fries Taste Good.† Works Cited "Eric Schlosser." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 60. Thomson Gale, 2005. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Schlosser, Eric. "Chapter 5: Why the Fries Taste Good." Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print.

Cause of Eating Disorders Essay -- essays papers

Cause of Eating Disorders In America, today we often hear of people who suffer from illness such as cancer, aids etc. what we often don’t hear about is the illness that effects a lot of people each year that being eating disorders. Whenever I hear about eating disorders it remains me of one of my cousin who had suffered from anorexia. It all started when her family and acquaintances started to say that she was fat and chubby. In her family everyone is very slim and tall so her brothers started teasing and calling her fatty and used to say that she need to loose weight otherwise nobody will marry her or even wants to be with her. She used to worry so much about her weight and wanted to loose weight. The only way she found for loosing weight was stop eating. She starved herself and lost couple of pounds. She was happy with the result and had great determination of loosing weight. Nobody noticed anything wrong until one day she was completely dehydrated and fainted at school. She was hospitalize d for almost a week. But she got all the help and support that she needed from her Doctors, family and got better. Eating disorders have become serious issues in the past 25 years. Many people have been diagnosed with eating disorders. More teens out of any other age groups suffer from it. Sports, body image, peer pressure and low self-esteem can cause teens to be driven to eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are the two main types of eating disorders. Anorexia is the self-starving behavior that can lead to severe health problems an even death. Bulimia is when a binge/ purge cycle is used or laxatives are used at an excessive amount. Anorexia and Bulimia affect persons thoughts and feelings as well as his or her body. ... ...happy with any thing they do. Being over weight is hard to cope with in this day and age. Many teens get very depressed when they are over weight because people tease them they cannot fit in with the crowd. Sometimes even if a teenager is not overweight, they feel they must maintain their body size, so they can look like models. It is unfortunate, but in today’s society, people have forgotten that it is what inside a person that counts, not what’s on the outside. In conclusion, we need to start loving and accepting each other for who we are, and not what we look like. We need to teach our children to be proud of whom they are. Parent’s needs to also teach our children the value of healthy leaving and not send the message that being thin is important. Family and peers need to support people with weight problems and not make them feel guilty about how they look.

The Epidemic of Teenagers Using Drugs

The Epidemic of Teenagers Abusing Drugs Krystyn Romualdo COM/156 November 18, 2012 Jackie Hudspeth Jr The Epidemic of Teenagers Abusing Drugs To have known so many people that have struggled with drug addiction in their teenage years it has become very apparent what a vital time in one’s life it is to know the dangers of abusing drugs as a teenager. Even though not all teens abuse drugs, it is an epidemic in the United States because more teens are turning to drugs to escape or use out of boredom.Take my younger brother for instance; he has struggled with drug addiction from the time he was a teenager into his early twenties. My brother Matthew started off smoking pot and drinking socially out of boredom. Then he found the drug crack cocaine to escape from reality as his world came crashing down around him. Once he found that drug he went overboard and started stealing electronics and pawning them for money to buy his drugs. From there he would also beg people for money and ob tain it to get his fix. He would clean up for about a week at a time but would fall right back into it.He would blast his music in his room while he was high on drugs. He would also disappear for days at a time while on a drug binge. After stealing everything in my mother’s house my mother finally committed him to a drug rehabilitation center. The first one failed. The second one failed. Matthew just could not get off the drugs. He to this day struggles with drug addiction, and he is now twenty four. However Matthew is just one of many with stories like these. Let us look at how many others are a part of this vicious cycle known as drug abuse among teens.A lot of teenagers abuse drugs for a variety of reasons, stress from school, social acceptance or low self-esteem, self-medication, misinformation, and easy access to name several. Seventy three percent of teens of teens report the number one reason for using drugs is to deal with the pressures and stress of school. This was done by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (2010). They have to deal with the pressures of being socially accepted, what clothes they are wearing if they are â€Å"cool† and the overall stress of their schoolwork. Self-medication being nother reason teenagers use drugs is huge. One self-medicates to deal with all types of stress that they feel like they cannot cope with. There was a study conducted in 2009 that reported an estimated seventy percent of teens suffer from undiagnosed clinical depression perhaps at some point in their life. Depression is a leading cause and effect of why teens turn to drugs. Many teens are unaware that they have an underlying mental or mood disorder that is causing them to use illegal or prescription drugs to self-medicate and cope with their symptoms.Teenagers abuse drugs due to misinformation with studies showing that many teenagers do not know the effects of drugs. Most teens do not see any major risk with abusing drugs. Forty one percent of teens mistakenly believe that it is safer to abuse a prescription drug over a street drug. Teens also abuse drugs for social acceptance. They want to be accepted by their peers so they do drugs just to be part of a group or clique. Another reason is low self-esteem. People who feel down on themselves are more likely to abuse drugs to feel better about themselves.Easy access is one of the main reasons teenagers easily get addicted to drugs. Almost fifty percent of teenagers say it is easy for them to get marijuana; seventeen percent say it is easy to get methamphetamine; fourteen percent mention that it is easy obtain heroine and over fifty percent of teens say it is easy to get prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets. Let us explore how one teenager became addicted to drugs by going through the medicine cabinets of his own family. This teenager was a football star and had made more wins for his team than he can count.But he started to have troubling pain in his hamstring. He decided at first to just walk it off instead of going to the doctor. This teenager walked it off until he could not endure it anymore. He remembered that his father had a surgery a while back. So he searched for the medication and found a prescription pill bottle that said Percocet on it. The bottle said to take every four to six hours for pain. Now Percocet is a strong painkiller that is highly addictive. This teenager was unaware of its high addiction level so he started to take them as directed.When he ran out of those he found more prescription painkillers from his brother’s medicine cabinet because he had to win the big game. Once he found his brother’s medicine he had enough to last him to win the big and final game. He won the big game but afterwards he ran out of medicine. He started to get sick and began to experience hot and cold sweats and realized he was physically addicted to prescription drugs. He had to go through withdrawals to real ize he was physically addicted to the drugs. But withdrawals are just one of many results of using or abusing drugs.There are many bad outcomes to abusing drugs. Some teenagers just waste away their lives. Others hurt the ones they love by stealing from them or treating them horribly when they are coming down off their high. Some teens become very violent and out of control towards everyone around them. Some teens run away and disappear for life. Other teenagers get raped not even knowing it unless someone tells them what happened unless they were awake during the rape. A rising problem among teens and drug use is teen pregnancy.Minimally, one million teenage girls become pregnant annually, reports the Women’s International Network News (1992). One study of youth in three urban areas found that between twenty nine and forty two percent of the girls studied reported being pregnant at least once before the age of seventeen (Huizinga, Loeber, & Thornberry, 1993). The effects of this has caused a decline in furthering education and an incline in single parenthood as most young men do not stay to support the child or even be there for the teenage girl during pregnancy let alone post-partum.Another bad outcome is teenage violence. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to violence and victimization. They are at a high risk for interfamilial emotional, physical and sexual abuse (Strom, K. , Oguinick, C. M. , & Singer, M. I. Page 3, 1995). They experience twice the amount of violence adults do. Some of the violence includes theft, assault, and rape. On a ten point scale drug abuse was at an 8. 5 for teens being at a high risk (Stephens, G. Page 2, 2010). It is not all grim as there is hope. There are many resources to help teenagers overcome the use of drugs. One is in the schools.Knowing that school drop outs and failure in school are contributors to drug use it is clear how critical it is to have an educational facility with competent, caring teachers working with parents and the community (Stephens, G. Page 3, 2010). However, most teens in this digital age, do better turning to campaigns such as Above the Influence and Under Your Own Influence. Under Your Own Influence was a campaign that started off in several schools and ran a campaign from 1992 to 1995. Above the Influence is a campaign that still continues today on a national level. Both were started to get kids to stay off marijuana butAbove the Influence has turned into a national campaign to stay off all drugs. Be Under Your Own Influence was found to reduce marijuana uptake in an earlier randomized community trial. It was re-branded as Above the Influence by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Slater, M. , Kelly, K. , Lawrence, F. , Stanley, L. , & Comello, M. Page 1). Above the Influence not only serves as a television media campaign but has its own website with tons of information and help such as testimonials, ways to help a friend and interactive communications to ke ep kids off of drugs and above the influence of them.Even though not all teens abuse drugs, it is an epidemic in the United States because more teens are turning to drugs to escape or use out of boredom. We have experienced my own personal account of knowing someone addicted to drugs. You have seen the numbers of how easy it is for teens to get drugs and why they abuse them. We have seen how prescription drug abuse comes about. We have explored some of the outcomes of drug abuse and what resources are available to help teens overcome or abstain from drug abuse. If you know a teenager abusing drugs, help them help themselves and get them the help that they need.References (American Psychological Association). Strom, K. , Oguinick, C. M. , & Singer, M. I. (1995). What do Teenagers Want? What do Teenagers Need?. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 12 (5), 345-359. (American Psychological Association). Lindstrom, M. (2011). PAIN PILLS?. Odyssey 20(7), 30. (American Psychological Ass ociation). Stephens, G. (2010). Youth at Risk: A New Plan for Saving The World’s Most Precious Resource. Futurist, 44 (4), 16. (American Psychological Association). Johnson, A. O. , Mink, M. D. , Harun, N. , Moore, C. G. , Martin, A. B. Bennett, K. J. (2008). Violence and Drug Use in Rural Teens: National Prevalence Estimates from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Journal of School Health, 78 (10), 554-561. doi:10. 1111/j. 1746-1561. 2008. 00343. x (American Psychological Association). Slater, M. , Kelly, K. , Lawrence, F. , Stanley, L. , & Comello, L. (2011). Assessing media campaigns linking marijuana non-use with autonomy and aspirations: â€Å"Be Under Your Own Influence† and ONDCP’s â€Å"Above the Influence†. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of The Society For Prevention Research, 12(1), 12-22.

Helping English Language Learners in the Classroom Essay

Learners from different background and surroundings have different perceptions towards learning English. Their surroundings contribute to their more or less of understanding of towards English language learning. From urban to rural settings, most schools are in charge for educating English language to students. In relation to that matter, teachers of English language in schools are also facing several difficulties in teaching English in the classroom. The first issue is age. In general, the older the student the more difficult it is for them to learn the second language naturally. It is advisable to enroll the child in the beginning levels so he/she hears a combination of English and his native language. Learners who are still young are like a white paper they can grasp and understand the rules and regulations of English grammar easily as they are not yet influenced by the other language. Teaching communication for them is also easy as they can absorb the new things and comprehend the language with teacher guidance. Whereas older students or learners are exposed to many new things and they were influence from what they see, read and hear so the process of teaching English language is a little affected because of their prior knowledge. Older students need more support to encourage them to work hard in their studies, hence helping them to learn English language. The second issue is native language. Sometimes, native language plays a big role in influencing the learners to the new language. t can sometimes confuse them as some word in the first language has the spelling as the new language. So, the educator needs to be focus and consistent in explaining them. Hence, fluent in their native language is considered an extra credit too. A student who is good in his/her rules and regulations of his/her native language and also fluent in his first language is often considered as lucky. As such it is an advantage when they are learning English. The proximity of speech sound for oral communication and whether or not the first language uses Roman letter for writing are also considered as an important factor in English proficiency. When there are some similarities of first language and English language the teaching of the target will be easier. The teachers and learners can both use their first language knowledge to be adopt and adapt in the learning of English language. Lastly, the third issue is literacy of parents. Parents who are not concerned with their children learning often have some effects to their children’s learning. This is same as parents who are not educated in school cannot help their children at home. So, the teaching and learning of English language in classroom at school will a little hard for the unexposed students. The level of literacy of a student’s parents may also affect the acquisition of written language. In average, the more fluent the parent the more fluent the child is. As it is mention earlier, the fluency of a learner in the native language promotes acquisition of English. Teachers need to know about their students’ cultures, it can help teachers to communicate to theirs students well. By doing this, it shows that teacher value their heritage and it will also allow teacher to connect academic content to a student’s set of experiences and knowledge about the world. Eventually, students of target language whose native culture is valued have a greater sense of self-worth and higher academic achievement.

Creativity in Education Essay

A school with creativity at the heart of the learning process will benefit by increasing the motivation of staff and pupils, says former head, Dave Weston. In this article and case study, he shows the way to more imaginative approaches to curriculum planning ‘Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality’ Arthur Koestler Many school leaders and teachers realise that is now time to take more control over the curriculum and to include a greater emphasis on creativity in the learning and teaching process. During the last five years, headteachers have developed the confidence to take innovative and imaginative approaches to curriculum planning and school organisation. This is due to some encouragement from central government in the light of recent perceived improvements in primary literacy and numeracy standards and to the realisation that a wider and more exciting curriculum can lead to greater levels of motivation for all pupils and staff. Creativity and innovation have now been legitimised by the DfES and primary schools are actively encouraged to develop creative ideas and actions: ‘promoting creativity is a powerful way of engaging pupils with their learning’ Excellence and Enjoyment DfES 2003 (page 31) What is creativity? Creativity is often associated with the ‘creative arts’ but in reality it is certainly not unique to the arts. It can be seen and identified in all aspects of the arts, humanities, sciences, maths and technology. The National Curriculum Handbook (1999) included creativity within the section on thinking skills. It stated that: ‘Creative thinking skills†¦ enable pupils to generate and extend ideas, to suggest hypotheses, to apply imagination and to look for alternative innovative outcomes. ’ Didn’t we always teach it? Creativity was taught in the 1970s and 1980s, often through topic-based projects, but there was a lack of accountability, detailed planning and thoroughness. Much of this perceived ‘creativity’ disappeared in the 1990s as it did not fit into a strategic box and schools thought that there was not time for it and that such an approach was not valued by central government. The difficulty in measuring the success of a creative approach to primary learning and teaching gave our education system many problems. As a result headteachers, under the pressures of Ofsted inspection and statistical league tables, became reluctant to take risks with the curriculum. However, more recently this situation has started to change, especially with the development of the creative partnership schemes. The Reggio Emilia approach The success of the Reggio Emilia approach to early years education has influenced theory and practice in the area of creativity in primary education. In schools in Reggio Emilia there is an innovative staffing structure with each early years centre having an ‘atelierista’ (a specially trained art teacher) who works closely with the classroom teachers. In Italy in the primary sector there is significant teacher autonomy with no national curriculum or associated achievement tests. In Reggio Emilia the teachers become skilled observers and they routinely divide responsibilities, so that one can systematically observe and record conversations between children while the other is teaching the class. Teachers from several schools sometimes work and learn together and this contributes to the culture of teachers as learners. The learning environment is crucial in the Reggio Emilia approach and classrooms often have courtyards, wall-sized windows and easy access to stimulating outdoor areas. Each classroom has large spaces for group activities and specially designed areas for pupils and staff to interact. Display areas are large and stimulating and reflect the creativity of the children. Teachers in early years settings in Reggio often refer to the learning environment as a ‘third teacher’ as most centres are small with just two classroom teachers. The curriculum is project-based and there are numerous opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. The teachers work on topics with small groups of pupils while the rest of the class work on self-selected activities. Projects are often open-ended and therefore curriculum planning is flexible and is sometimes teacher-directed and sometimes child-initiated. This philosophy is inspiring and can be partially transferred to the different framework of the British primary school. Whole-school approach to developing ‘creativity’ For school leaders the first step in developing a creative school is the fostering of a whole-school approach. Creativity is not an add-on and it cannot be imposed by the headteacher. There needs to be discussion, involvement and ownership. The debate should be based around some of the following points: †¢taking control of the curriculum by the school. †¢the creation of a school with creativity at the heart of the learning process †¢enhancing the motivation for staff and pupils †¢fostering the professional development of all the staff, both teaching and non-teaching †¢involving governors and parents in a whole-school approach to creativity and showing how this philosophy supports school improvement and high standards of achievement †¢getting the pupils involved in school issues (regarding the curriculum and the learning, perhaps through the school council). How does your school measure up? So how far has your school got in developing a creative approach to learning and teaching? Ask yourself: †¢Have you discussed the freedoms of developing a curriculum appropriate for your school? †¢Does your school development and improvement plan take account of creativity in learning and teaching styles? †¢Is creativity a part of your staff development programme? †¢Is the governing body committed to promoting creativity throughout the school? Is there a nominated governor involved in this approach? †¢How involved are the pupils in discussing the curriculum and in a creative approach to learning and teaching? †¢Does your school carefully plan visits to galleries and projects involving artists and craftspeople? †¢Are creative successes evaluated in the SEF? †¢Does your school celebrate and promote creativity to a wider audience? Celebrating creativity Creativity should be celebrated and the school should consider looking for outside accreditation through the ‘Artsmark’ scheme. Creative successes should be carefully evaluated, highlighted in the SEF and showcased to parents and the community. Staff should be empowered to design activities within the curriculum which are exciting, motivating and relevant to their  school and pupils. Once these seeds are sown, creativity will flourish. Case study: making our school a more creative environment At the primary school where I was headteacher, we recognised that the curriculum had become unbalanced and that we were spending too much of the ‘timetabled’ day on English and maths. Staff kept saying that too little time was being devoted to the arts and humanities. This imbalance was having an effect on the motivation of some pupils, especially in Years 5 and 6 and on the job satisfaction of the staff. Like every school, we were very anxious to maintain high standards in English and maths and to ensure that our KS2 SATs results were good. However, we decided that we were fairly secure in the core curriculum and that the time had come to reclaim the curriculum. Therefore we reviewed our whole-school curriculum plan and looked at all the ways we could make our school a more creative and exciting environment. The aspects of school life we reviewed were as follows: †¢encouraging a more flexible approach to the timetable †¢developing the school grounds to link in with the outdoor curriculum. We decided that the school grounds were under-used as a learning environment. Therefore each curriculum coordinator was given the opportunity to have a part of the grounds as an outdoor curriculum area to support ‘real learning’ in that area. Staff came up with lots of imaginative ideas such as: †¢Music – developing an outdoor music trail with differing instruments hanging from trees and fences. †¢Geography – developing an orienteering trail around the edge of the field. †¢Art – developing an outdoor sculpture area with a clay model from every pupil. †¢Languages – playground signs and rules in differing languages. †¢Science – developing an environmental area with a pond, seating in the shape of different animals and insects. †¢Design and technology – one of the most successful ‘creative’ projects was the development of a courtyard on the theme of ‘containers’. Each of our 11 classes chose a different type of container (Reception chose old wellington boots while Year 6 chose a large tractor tyre) and in the summer they were decorated and planted up. †¢Supporting the Foundation Stage curriculum with exciting outdoor areas and incorporating some of the Reggio Emilia approaches to early learning. The school decided it was important to give the early years staff the confidence to develop an exciting integrated curriculum based on the needs of young pupils rather than on the formalised curriculum. †¢Bringing in artists and craft workers to give pupils to work with adults with different skills. Each year we decided to bring artists into the school so every pupil had the opportunity to work with a ‘real’ artist at some time during their primary school career. This was an expensive approach but worthwhile as often the skills of the artists inspired school staff to try new ideas and therefore provided a professional development aspect to their work. †¢Celebrating the different languages in our school. As our school was very keen on teaching MFL to all the KS2 pupils we decided to celebrate all the languages of our school by designing a mural which showed pupils from all the countries involved saying hello in their home language. Our pupils decided that on the mural the pupils from the different countries should have hats showing the flag of their country. The large mural was painted by the pupils with the support of a professional artist and is now proudly on display by the entrance to the school office. †¢Developing the confidence and role of the art coordinator. †¢Enhancing the motivation of some pupils and giving greater ownership of the learning process to the staff. †¢Getting involved in the ‘Creative Partnerships’ scheme to get access to support and resources. Introduction 1. The HMIE report Emerging Good Practice in Promoting Creativity published in March 2006 gathered evidence from inspections of pre-school centres, primary and secondary schools and community learning and development to: †¢identify and analyse emerging good practice in promoting creativity, and †¢provide advice on a range of issues related to creativity including learning and teaching, assessment, and current practice in evaluating success in promoting creativity. 2. The Scottish Executive Education Department has agreed to supplement the HMIE report by providing a brief overview of some key national policy developments and other initiatives across the UK promoting creativity in education. The aim is to help educators and policy makers by highlighting some important advice and other support to encourage good practice. The paper is not however a comprehensive review. The bibliography is intended to assist those who wish to explore further the issues discussed. Creativity, Culture and Education (Developments in England) 3. Although focusing on England, the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education’s (NACCCE) report All Our Futures: Creativity Culture and Education has proved influential on subsequent efforts to promote creativity in education elsewhere in the UK. 4. The NACCCE was established in 1998 to make recommendations to the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport â€Å"on the creative and cultural development of young people through formal and informal education: to take stock of current provision and to make proposals for principles, policies and practice. † The Committee was chaired by Professor Ken Robinson and its report was published in 1999. 5. The report emphasised that all children and young people can benefit from developing their creative abilities and this should be seen as a general function of education. Creativity can be developed in all areas of the school curriculum: including the sciences as well as the expressive arts. As discussed later in this paper, the NACCE’s definition of creativity was adopted as part of subsequent initiatives in Northern Ireland and Scotland. (A summary of the report’s general advice on teaching for creativity is contained in the annex to this paper.) The NACCE’s report was welcomed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Culture Media and Sport. Although the Government did not implement all of the report’s recommendations with regard to the National Curriculum in England, many elements were taken forward. For instance, the report led directly or indirectly to important initiatives such as Creative Partnerships and Artsmark. 6. Creative Partnerships is a government-funded national initiative operating in 36 of the most disadvantaged areas in England and designed to build sustainable relationships between schools, creative individuals and organisations. It aims to transform: †¢the aspirations and achievements of young people †¢the approaches and attitudes of teachers and schools †¢the practices of creative practitioners and organisations who wish to work in schools. 7. Starting with the needs of schools and young people, creative practitioners work across and beyond the curriculum, animating the classroom and finding new ways for teachers to teach and young people to learn. Through the development of projects of varying scales, creative practitioners, teachers and young people work together as equal partners to place creativity at the heart of learning. 8. Artsmark is a recognition scheme for schools’ arts provision run by Arts Council for England and supported by DCMS. The scheme encourages schools to increase the range of arts that are provided to children in schools and raises the profile of arts education. (Further information on Creative Partnerships and Artsmark can be accessed through the links provided in the bibliography. ) 9. The educational debate has moved forward considerably since the NACCCE report was published and there is now a much wider acceptance that a broad and enriching curriculum goes hand in hand with high standards. Since September 2000, schools have been working with a more flexible National Curriculum with greater emphasis on the need for creative and cultural education. There are explicit references to the importance of creative and cultural education in the aims for the curriculum and there are explicit references to creativity – encouraging pupils to use their imagination and look for innovative outcomes. The Schools White Paper, â€Å"Schools: Achieving Success†, launched in September 2001 raised the status of creativity and the arts by pledging to provide a range of additional opportunities for creativity and curriculum enrichment. 10. DfES also hosted the Creativity and Cultural Enrichment Working Group (CACE) from May 2001 to Oct 2003. This working group was set up in response to the NACCCE report as a cross-agency reference group with a clear focus on creativity and cultural enrichment. The idea was to share information across various agencies and departments, to provide updates on key policy initiatives and projects and act as a source of new ideas. 11. CACE has now been superseded by subsequent work such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s (QCA) initiative ‘Creativity: Find it, Promote it’ and Creative Partnerships which have built up the knowledge base of creativity in education and helped spread good practice. QCA promotes creativity as an integral part of all National Curriculum subjects and identified the characteristics of creative thinking and behaviour including: †¢Questioning and challenging conventions and assumptions †¢Making inventive connections and associating things that are not usually related †¢Envisaging what might be: imagining — seeing things in the mind’s eye. †¢Trying alternatives and fresh approaches, keeping options open †¢Reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes QCA advises that, with minimal changes to their planning and practice, teachers can promote pupils’ creativity. 12. QCA’s ‘Creativity: Find it Promote it’, and ‘Arts Alive’ websites shows how to maximise the impact of creativity and the arts in the curriculum, identifies best practice and provides case study examples for teachers containing practical suggestions in promoting creativity and the arts across the curriculum 13. OFSTED — the inspectorate for children and learners in England — carried out a survey identifying good practice in the promotion of creativity in schools (Expect the Unexpected: Developing Creativity in Primary and Secondary Schools published in 2003). They found that there was generally high quality in creative work. Any barriers that existed could be overcome if teachers are committed to the promotion of creativity, possess good subject knowledge and a sufficiently broad range of pedagogical skills to foster creativity in all pupils, whatever their ability. The active support of senior management is also important. OFSTED emphasised that â€Å"the creativity observed in pupils is not associated with a radical new pedagogy†¦but a willingness to observe, listen and work closely with children to help them develop their ideas in a purposeful way. † The report can be accessed here. 14. The latest development in England is an independent review on Nurturing Creativity in Young People jointly commissioned by DCMS and DfES to inform the basis of the Government’s future policy on creativity. The review was led by Paul Roberts, Director of Strategy from IdeA (Improvement and Development Agency). The review team published their report in July 2006. This provides a framework for creativity starting with Early Years, developing through mainstream education and leading to pathways into the Creative Industries. The report also set out what more the Government can do to nurture young people’s creativity. Particular issues discussed include the role of partnerships between schools and the creative and cultural sector, the development of a new Creative Portfolio to celebrate each young person’s creative achievements and creating spaces for creative activity through the Building Schools for the Future the school estate redevelopment programme. The Government will publish a response to the creativity review report and an action plan in Autumn 2006. Unlocking Creativity (Developments in Northern Ireland) 15. Following his work with the NACCE, Professor Ken Robinson chaired a Creativity in Education Working Group in Northern Ireland. The Working Group was a cross-cutting initiative by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL); the Department for Education (DE); the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (DHFETE) (now known as the Department for Employment and Learning – DEL). The aim was to develop a â€Å"co-ordinated strategy for the development to the full of the creative and cultural resources of the people of Northern Ireland. † The result of this work was the consultation report Unlocking Creativity: A Strategy for Development published in 2000. 16. The report adopts the definition of creativity contained in the NACCE report – Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value. Creative processes have four characteristics. First, they always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively. Second, this imaginative activity is purposeful: that is, it is directed to achieve an objective. Third, these processes must generate something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to the objective. 17. Unlocking Creativity: A Strategy for Development made three key recommendations for education: †¢Develop continuity and progression in creative and cultural education throughout learning, teaching and youthwork. †¢The development of methods and principles of assessment and examination that recognise and value the aims and outcomes of creative and cultural education. †¢Ensure that all professional vocational and academic qualifications positively promote the importance of creative and cultural education. 18. The results of the consultation were published in a second report, Unlocking Creativity: Making It Happen, published in 2001. The vast majority of responses supported the proposals made in the consultation document and Unlocking Creativity: Making It Happen set a wide range of objectives for future work. The key objectives for education related to a review of the curriculum being taken forward by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). The report highlighted CCEA’s proposals to include a creative component at all Key Stages. It set a wider objective of signposting clear steps towards accredited programmes of learning for people of all ages interested and inspired by creativity and sought to encourage collaboration between various agencies and departments to ensure that creativity is fully recognised in the development of assessment methods and the curriculum. The report also highlighted the establishment of a Creativity Seed Fund which invested ? 2. 8m over three years to encourage projects that would either promote creativity in education or strengthen Northern Ireland as a competitive presence in the creative industries. The Education and Training Inspectorate produced a set of quality indicators for the Creativity Seed Fund. The indicators cover outcomes and standards, ethos, assessment and review and management arrangements. 19. A third report, Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region, was published in 2004 and set out a series of medium term strategic measures to maintain the momentum on developing creativity across education, culture and employment. The report again highlighted CCEA’s work on Curriculum Review. The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 will give effect to the revised curriculum, which will be introduced on a phased basis from September 2007. 20. The revised curriculum will be more flexible, offer greater scope for creativity to meet the changing needs of pupils, society and the economy and have a greater emphasis on developing skills. One of the Thinking Skills to be developed across the curriculum is Being Creative, where children should be able to use creative approaches, to be imaginative, to take risks, to question and explore possibilities. The revised curriculum will also provide more flexibility for teachers to tailor what they teach to meet the needs of their pupils and therefore encourage more creative approaches. Assessment will be formative, as well as summative, with pupils assessed in their progress in the skills and areas of learning and pointed towards areas for future development. This Assessment for Learning (AfL) is already being piloted. One of the most important means of promoting creativity in the revised curriculum will be through Education for Employability. Pupils will look at enterprise and creativity in the modern workplace, what it takes to be an entrepreneur and they will have opportunities to demonstrate enterprise and creativity. The pilot work for this aspect of the curriculum has involved school pupils working with local businesses and artists to develop creative solutions to business issues. 21. CCEA is also developing exemplar material and other support materials to illustrate how opportunities can be developed in all curriculum areas to promote creativity. Draft versions of the support materials have been made available to pilot schools and CCEA plans to distribute them to all schools as soon as feasible in the 2006/07 year. 22. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region noted CCEA’s work on auditing examination specifications in order to promote creativity in the learning and assessment associated with qualifications. This audit has now been completed and enabled areas in teaching and learning to be identified that would support a more creative approach. The results will be taken into account as specifications are revised for re-accreditation. Re-accredited specifications will be available for first teaching from September 2008 (GCE A-Level) and 2009 (GCSE). CCEA is also working with the English and Welsh regulatory bodies to review accreditation criteria and this will take account of thinking skills, such as creativity. The Department of Education is also considering an incentive and accreditation scheme for teachers, principals and schools with a view to embedding creativity across the curriculum. A pilot has been arranged to test an Artmark Toolkit involving five schools and, following evaluation, will be rolled out to all schools in September 2006. 23. An important feature of Northern Ireland’s work on creativity is the emphasis on harnessing new developments in ICT. Many of the education projects funded through the Creativity Seed Fund included developing ICT skills and linking these to creativity by, for instance, producing material for radio, making documentary films or creating digital content. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region seeks to embed the concept of the use of ICT to enhance young people’s creativity across the curriculum. The EmPowering Schools strategy has since been published, which incorporates the development of creativity and innovation in the use of ICT. 24. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region included Creative Youth Partnerships (CYP), a 3 year pilot from April 2004 to March 2007 involving the Arts Council NI, the Department of Education, the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Education and Library Boards. Through a collaborative approach, CYP aims to increase participation among young people in arts activities, develop arts infrastructure in NI and develop the contribution of artists and the arts to the learning and development of young people in schools and the youth sector. A key aspect of CYP is local partnerships to develop creative projects using a variety of art forms. The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) is evaluating CYP and its Interim Report (September 2005, full report due October 2006) highlights the developmental nature of the evaluation of a creativity initiative. The Report pointed to some areas for development but found the project to have many strengths. Developments in Wales 25. Wales, like England and Northern Ireland, has a statutory National Curriculum. Creative skills are one of the seven common requirements in the Welsh National Curriculum. Teachers should provide opportunities, where appropriate, for pupils to develop and apply the seven common requirements through their study of all National Curriculum subjects. (The other common requirements include mathematical skills, Information Technology and problem solving skills. ) 26. The Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS) has produced a guidance note for teachers highlighting subject areas of the National Curriculum, from science to modern languages, where pupils can be given opportunities to develop and apply their creative skills, in particular the development and expression of ideas and imagination. 27. A review of the National Curriculum in Wales is currently underway for proposed implementation in September 2008. Findings from an initial consultation in 2004 were that: †¢there should be a clear focus on the needs of learners and effective learning strategies and approaches; †¢there is a need to identify and agree on the range of skills that should be acquired and on their development and application in a range of contexts; †¢there remains a concern regarding perceived overload in some National Curriculum subjects, especially at Key Stage 2 (covering ages 7-11), and the relevance of aspects of the curriculum to the 21st century; and †¢there is a need to ensure that a revised curriculum interests, engages and motivates all learners. 28. Currently DELLS has submitted proposals to their Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning for approval. Following this, the proposals will be open to public consultation. These will include a draft Skills Framework for children and young people aged 3-19. This framework contains the areas of Developing Thinking, Communication, Number and ICT. Within the Developing Thinking are strands highlighting creative thinking. Creativity in Education (Developments in Scotland ) 29. In Scotland, a Creativity in Education Advisory Group was established to consider ways in which creativity could be developed as an important feature of the provision that teachers and schools make for young people’s education. The Group was chaired by Richard Coton, Headteacher of Monifieth High School and its members included representatives from Learning and Teaching Scotland, the IDES Network, HMIE and the Scottish Executive Education Department. The Group’s discussion paper, Creativity in Education, was published in 2001. 30. The definition of creativity in Creativity in Education again reflects that in the NACCE report, All Our Futures, by emphasising imagination, pursuing a purpose, being original and making judgements of value. Creativity in Education, like the NACCE report, stresses the need to encourage experimentation and problem-solving together with reflection and critical appraisal as essential conditions for creativity to flourish in schools. Creativity in Education has a more overt emphasis on the need for schools to foster a personal disposition to be creative in their students. This involves the development of characteristics such as self-motivation, confidence, curiosity and flexibility. However, the publication notes the valuable contribution of group-working to encouraging creativity in, for instance, allowing pupils to build upon each others’ ideas. Creativity in Education also stresses the need for teachers themselves to be creative in the way they encourage and empower children and young people. Teachers need to judge carefully when to intervene and when to take a â€Å"hands-off† approach and to balance planning with improvisation. 31. Creativity in Education was accompanied by case studies providing practical examples of how creativity is being developed across the curriculum. These include the development of a whole school policy on creative learning and teaching (Gylemuir Primary School, Edinburgh); developing creativity in Mathematics (Pollock Children’s Centre, Glasgow/Borgue Primary School, Dumfries and Galloway and Inverclyde Council’s Education Advisory Service) and promoting thinking skills in the context of science education (Monifieth High School, Angus). 32. Follow-up work undertaken as a result of Creativity in Education included the Creativity Counts project. The aims of this project were: †¢To gather evidence of creativity in the classroom across all sectors and all areas of the curriculum. †¢To identify key approaches to learning and teaching, assessment and evaluation. †¢To identify what schools need to do to foster creativity. 27 schools from across Scotland (19 primary, 7 secondary and 1 special) participated in the project. A report of the findings was published in 2004. This was accompanied by Creativity Counts — Portraits of Practice – a publication of case studies drawn from the project. 33. The main findings were that developing creativity in education produced benefits in terms of pupil motivation, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The pupils became more independent in their learning: â€Å"rather than being told; they became more resourceful and reflective. They became good at knowing what worked for them and what did not† (p. 5). However, this freedom to experiment took place within a supporting structure of high expectations and clear outcomes: â€Å"They knew what they were expected to achieve and how to go about that† (p.10). Group working was a strong feature of the projects. This helped to support less confident children and encouraged realistic peer and self-assessment. The pupils responded well to dealing with failure and built confidence in using their imagination and developed a positive attitude to new ideas. 34. Teachers found that they were able to develop a repertoire of teaching skills balancing intervention, â€Å"hands-off†, planning and improvisation. They identified four main characteri.