The Schools Our Children Deserve By Alfie Kohn - 1358 Words

Book Synopsis The Schools Our Children Deserve by Alfie Kohn Chapter 1 -- Forward Into the Past There are two categories of schooling theory that will be discussed in this book: â€Å"Old School† (OS) and â€Å"Non-traditional† schooling. The first has information ‘drilled in,’ worksheets and behaviorism, and an emphasis on obedience. Students are individualized and run through like clockwork as teachers fill their brains like buckets -- math is usually the subject where this is the worst. In the second, children are taken seriously, and student questions shape the curriculum; critical thinking is fostered, students learn from each other, and the community is one of learning -- usually the arts are where this theory comes through the most. Before†¦show more content†¦Chapter 4 -- Getting Evaluation Wrong: The Case Against Standardized Testing Standardized tests are no way to measure the things that really matter -- intrinsic motivation, intellectual exploration, or anything else that really matters in the pursuit of creating a lifelong learne r. What makes it worse is when test results are given out without even saying what they were being tested on, and when those results are put against other countries as though relativity to the rest of the current world is how we should measure how well our students are doing. Many of these tests are designed for the same students to get all the questions wrong or all the questions right so the students can be easily stacked against each other -- not a measure of how smart they are intrinsically, but how smart they are compared to their neighbor. When we spend so much time preparing students for tests, we’re putting the cart before the horse, devaluing tests even further! Chapter 5 -- Getting School Reform Wrong: The Arrogance of Top-Down Coercion There are two ways to reform anything: top down (demanding it,) or bottom up (growing forth from the community support.) Community support makes more sense, because here in a macro scale, just as on a micro scale, more is accomplished when the motivation is intrinsic instead of imposed. Extrinsic motivation kills intrinsic motivation. Our school system doesn’t make sense; if we want to raise little freedom-oriented democrats why are we marchingShow MoreRelatedA Lecture Hall Is Filled At The Brim With College Students1751 Words   |  8 Pagesare others who would argue that paying students to try in school takes away their motivation to actually learn. Among the latter stands Alfie Kohn, author or Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes, who would be appalled by the professor’s actions. Kohn’s book challenges the common phenomenon of using rewards in everyday life in dealing with others. With example s pulled from schools, the workplace, and even households, he demonstrates to hisRead MoreThe Pressure in Todays High Schools1557 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Education is not the filling of a vessel, but the kindling of a flame.† –Socrates (Secret). Unfortunately, many school systems, today, are not following Socrates’ advice. Many teachers have forgotten what learning is all about, and as students mindlessly memorize facts and figures, the only flame being kindled is their burning hatred towards school. Students stress about grades and believe that their self-worth is defined by their GPA. As they struggle under never-ending piles of homework and standardizedRead MoreThe Benefits Of Using Grades On Student Learning And Achievement2914 Words   |  12 Pagesfor years, but there is still no consensus about the effectiveness or benefits of using grades on student learning and achievement. Do grades help students to learn or hinder them? Even though grades have been accepted a standard practice in most schools, there is little research to support their continued use. Grades can cause students to lose interest in learning, preference for challenge, and quality thinking. The controversy on the value of grades is not new. While most educatorsRead MoreFactors That Influence A Child s Education Track Essay1919 Words   |  8 PagesEach new school year, an individual may face new challenges on their educational track. The child may be at a new school, they may have a new teacher, they may have new classmates, and they may have had something impact them over the summer that will be reflected in the classroom behaviors. Although there are factors that could influence a child’s education track, an important factor is the type of educational tradition the student receives. The three major types of educational traditions are conservativeRead MoreStandardized Tests Are Biased and Unfair Essays1984 Words   |  8 Pages How standardized are standardized tests? In America, we strive to perfect them as well as give our students an education they deserve but at what cost? Standardized tests have been the easiest way to ultimately evaluate a student against every other student in America. However, standardized tests are not as great as they are made out to be. We need to take a step back and look at the faults of standardized tests. Quite simply: Standardized tests are not standardized. Standardized tests are biasedRead MoreIs Cahsee A Waste Of Time, Money And Effort?1797 Words   |  8 Pagesimprove educational quality in California, the California Department of Education created an exit exam. Beginning with the class of 2006, all students were required to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE). This exam added an additional barrier for students to graduate from high school. After looking at both sides of this exam, positive and negative, my conclusion is that CAHSEE is a waste of time, money and effort. Even though all students are required to pass a specific numberRead MoreEssay on Standardized Testing Is Counterproductive2010 Words   |  9 PagesExcessive testing has been integrated in the public school system to measure student intelligence, observe teacher proficiency, and distribute federal funds since the passage of the No Child Left behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001. The (NCLBA) ‘‘called for 100% of the nation’s public school students to become proficient in mathematics and reading by 2014’’ through the usage of standardized testing (Hanson 3). Since the inception of this policy there have been numerous issues involved in these tests. ‘‘InsteadRead MoreEssay on My Classroom Management Philosophy 3785 Words   |  16 Pagesthese goals and responsibilities on a daily basis in order to maintain a sense of collaboration, respect, and routine. I believe teachers should set high expectations for their students. In doing so, students are reminded of the reason they are in school: to learn. By making expectations clear, there are no discrepancies or questions about appropriate procedures and behaviors in the classroom. More importantly, creating positive student-teacher relationships can prevent discipline issues fromRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesIntegrating Contemporary Theories of Motivation 226 Summary and Implications for Managers 228 S A L Self-Assessment Library How Confident Am I in My Abilities to Succeed? 202 Myth or Science? â€Å"The Support of Others Improves Our Chances of Accomplishing Our Goals† 204 S A L An Ethical Choice Motivated to Behave Unethically 209 glOBalization! Autonomy Needs Around the Globe 210 Self-Assessment Library What Are My Course Performance Goals? 214 Point/Counterpoint Fear Is a PowerfulRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management View.Pdf Uploaded Successfully133347 Words   |  534 Pagesstorage or retrieval system, must be arranged with the individual copyright holders noted. This special edition published in cooperation with Pearson Custom Publishing. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Please visit our web site at www.pearsoncustom.com ISBN 0–536–72690–6 BA 996748 PEARSON CUSTOM PUBLISHING 75 Arlington Street, Suite 300 Boston, MA 02116 A Pearson Education Company iii iv Table of Contents SECTION ONE .................................

A More Perfect Union Free Essays

In the remarks on â€Å"A More Perfect Union† Senator Barack Obama discusses the issue of race identity in terms of American society. Barack Obama describes his life stressing the role the race has played in his life. It is known that if Obama wins Presdiential elections, he will become the first African-American president in the US history. We will write a custom essay sample on A More Perfect Union or any similar topic only for you Order Now Obama touches the questions of slavery, declaration of independence in Philadelphia and origins of democracy in America. Declaration of independence in Philadelphia played crucial role in promoting democracy as farmers, scholars, patriots and statement were provided with opportunity to express their negative attitude towards slavery, discrimination, tyranny and inequality. Declaration of independence became the first step on the long road to democracy, freedom, liberty and universal human rights. (Obama, 2008) Through struggles and protests, through civil disobedience and civil war, American citizens made a successful attempt to narrow the gap between empty words and reality of the time they lived in. Therefore, the most important idea of the speech is that all citizens of the United States should be provided with full rights and obligations despite their color, religious preferences and beliefs. Obama says that US Constitution is the ideal for citizens as it ensures their legal rights, and opportunities. It is Constitution that promises all citizens liberty, freedom, justice and union. Obama adds that union should be perfected with time. Therefore, Obama views the task of his campaign as one which will continue the long march of to more just, equal, free American nation. Obama says that he decided to run for presidency as he believed that challenges couldn’t be overcome unless they were solved together and unless the union was perfected. (Obama, 2008) Obama stresses that we have different hopes, but all of us are striving for better future sharing similar hopes. Obama argues that â€Å"we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren†. (Obama, 2008) Obama’s beliefs, according to his words, are rooted in his own story. Obama tells he is the son of a black man and white woman from Kansas. Obama’s grandfather survived Depression and helped to raise Obama. Obama says he visited the best schools in American, and, at the same time, lived in one of the poorest nations. She is married to an African-American women and blood of slavery flowed within them. Obama’s life story has taught him that a nation isn’t simply a sum of genetic make-ups. Instead, nation is sharing common hopes and prospects for better future. Obama says that racial tensions are seen in all spheres of life. Even he is often labeled as ‘too black’ or ‘not black enough’. In South Carolina there are powerful coalitions of African-Americans and white Americans. Blacks and whites are equally offended and it should be stopped. Obama shares his experiences at Trinity. He says that Trinity is embodiment of African-American community as similar to other African-American churches Trinity offers services which are full of bawdy humor and raucous laughter. Obama says that Trinity’s church is full of dancing, shouting and clapping, as well as it combines kindness and cruelty, struggles and success, intelligence and ignorance, love and bitterness, etc. All these components build the experience of Africans in America. (Obama, 2008) How to cite A More Perfect Union, Papers

A Matter of Desert free essay sample

I met one of my best friends two years ago on the first day of AP Calculus. When I sat down next to him in the front row he joked, â€Å"Hey, my name is Gabe**. Im not being obtuse, but youre acute girl.† I asked him how long he had been waiting to use that one, laughed, and then called him a dork. We have been friends ever since. At age seventeen, he has a job, a place on the high school newspaper staff, and an abundance of friends. He maintains a respectable GPA, speaks perfect English, doesn’t break the law (he won’t even j-walk with me), and some weekends he volunteers with me for the American Cancer Society. This past year Gabe told me that he is here illegally. He moved from Mexico to the United States when he was only seven years old, and of course, it was not his choice. We will write a custom essay sample on A Matter of Desert or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He is American in every way I can think of and yet he constantly faces the threat of deportation to a country that is no longer his home. As Gabe finishes out his senior year in high school and considers college options, the burden of the title â€Å"illegal immigrant† weighs on him more heavily than ever. In this year President Barack Obama issued an executive order, the Dream Act, which puts policy in place allowing young illegal immigrants to be granted citizenship, granted they meet certain requirements. According to the policy, immigrants who moved here before the age of sixteen, have no criminal history, show effort in school, and meet a few other specific requirements will be granted a two year deferral from deportation. Following the announcement, many legislators at the state and national level expressed strong opposition, criticizing it as an act of amnesty that threatens congressional authority. They point to upward trends in immigration, fret over unemployment rates, and offer figures related to public spending on health care, education, and social services. Somewhere in the battle over public resources and immigration policy, it seems children have turned into statistics. It is easy to forget that the kids this act aims to protect are not nameless leeches who exist solely to drain American resources, and to overlook that they attended American elementary schools where they learned how to read and write, said the Pledge of Allegiance every day, and maybe played on the soccer team or ran track. Perhaps they forget that a ten year old or a twelve year old cannot understand what it means to move to a country illegally, or that having to leave their home and try to figure out who they are in a new place is tough enough without laws that make it even tougher. My friend Gabe has a little sister, Veronica**, who recently started 6th grade. During the next few years of her life, she’ll make critical choices about the kind of student she wants to be, what type of people she wants to spend time with, and in what ways to contribute to society. Veronica is also beginning to understand what it means to be â€Å"illegal† in the government’s eyes, and to catch glimpses of the struggles she is sure to face no matter how hard she works to be a productive part of the society she was brought into. For her, the light at the end of the tunnel—the promise of a successful future and stable lifestyleis dimmed by these impending struggles. Instead of realizing her full potential, it very possible that without realistic motivation she might choose not to continue her education, never realize her full potential, and become the kind of drain on society that legislators fear. President Obama’s proposal is not aimed at protecting criminals or squandering resources. It is about granting freedoms to talented youth who are in a difficult situation that they didn’t create, and about preserving the idea that in America, if you play by the rules and work hard, you can succeed. No seventeen year old who has worked as hard as Gabe should face the challenges he faces. He is more than a statistic, and I promise that the government faces bigger threats than this boy who I became friends with in AP Calculus two years ago. 65,000 young people are in a similar situation. 65,000 people like Gabe and Veronica, who seem no less American than their classmates and friends, and are certainly no less deserving. If the weight that the title of â€Å"illegal immigrant† carries is lifted off their shoulders, these young people can continue to work hard to be a positive part of American society, and the government can focus on more pressing threats. **Real names omitted

America Was Built On Freedom Essay Example For Students

America Was Built On Freedom Essay Word Count: 415. Freedom to speak,freedom to choose, freedom to worship, freedom to dojust about anything you want within the law. Americas lawwas designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. Thereason the United States of America came to exist wasbecause the colonists fled Great Britain to get back thefreedoms that were taken away from them by theMonarchy. The pact the Founding Fathers made with thecitizens to guarantee their freedom forever was theConstitution, whose first ten Amendments are called TheBill of Rights. The Bill of Rights assures the basic freedomsof life. The right to Life, Liberty, and Prosperity. Incountries where Monarchies and Dictatorships rule, there islittle if any freedom to speak of. Citizens of these countriesare persecuted or even killed if they attempt to exercise anyof the basic freedoms. In these countries there is no freespeech, no right to choose government, no right to expressreligion, no right to own property. To regain these basicrights of life citizens risk their lives and the lives of theirfamilies to escape the supreme rule of their homeland toenjoy life in the United States without having to look overtheir shoulders at every turn. In America these rights aresecond nature and so often taken for granted. In a countrywhere a person is innocent until proven guilty freedoms aresometimes abused. This is where the right to a speedy trialcomes in. A person accused of a crime has the right to atrial in court and to be judged by a jury of his peers. In acountry where it is a basic right to own property and gatherwealth, America has many of the wealthiest and mostsuccessful people in the world. And this wealth is not takenfrom the people as is the case of a dictatorship. In acountry where it is a basic right to choose government,America has the most successful form of Democracy hasever known. In a dictatorship or monarchy there is nochoice of government and people are persecuted forvoicing any opinions toward the government that is notfavorable. In the case of the United States if one is nothappy with the present choice of an elected official it is hisright to vote that person out of office in the next election. Ina country where it is a basic right to practice religion ofchoice, America has the more different religious sects thananywhere in the world. These are just some of the manyreasons America is the greatest country in the world. Ifthere is a better place to live no one has created it yet.

Sample Essay About Physician Assistant - Is it Important?

Sample Essay About Physician Assistant - Is it Important?Writing a sample essay about physician assistant is really not that difficult. This is because you should not limit yourself to just writing the standard, boring or plain-looking essay. You should also put in some time and effort into creating a great one. After all, you want to stand out from other applicants.Here is an amazing article that can help you achieve this. It is a sample of an essay about physician assistant. As you can see, it contains a lot of great and important information for you to be able to write something really outstanding. I would like to point out a few good points that you must consider while writing it. Now, let's start!First of all, you should pay attention to the entry page. You need to make sure that you make it as informative as possible. For example, if you use an example of a piece of machinery, you can make it as if you are really doing your job.You need to have some ideas on the different jobs that can provide you with a wide variety of opportunities. Let's just take for example an example of a website.If you were to write something like 'Nowadays, websites are becoming a necessary part of the lives of our fellow man. So, instead of making a website yourself, why don't you just rent one?It is just like renting a room in a different place. In this case, you will be doing your job, as well as some other person's job. You will also be able to save a lot of money, so that you can afford to pay for more electricity or other expensive things.Now, if you find this information interesting, you need to try it out and see how well it works for you. There are a lot of great ways to write this type of essay, but you need to remember that it is just as important as the other ones.

Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression Essay Example

Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression Paper The evolutionary view states that all aggressive behavior is a product of genetic programming and inheritance. Every individual is genetically programmed to maximize their fitness. There are two ways 1) reproducing and generating 2) by avoiding predation or by being successful predator.  There are many types of aggression. Male on female aggression – the men uses the violence to keep the women faithful to him. Miller study show that 55 % of battered wives perceived jealousy as reason for husband’s behaviour. The implication is that 45% of women reported that there was no jealousy so other factor must contribute. This explanation is reductionist , because it assumes that there is only one cause. Shackeford investigated the relationship between a women’s age , her husband’s age and the risk that he will murder het. This study found that older man are more likely to kill the younger women. The implication of this is that younger women are more fertile therefore more desirable. From evolutionary theory point of view this iis a product of men’s evolved sexual proprietaries. A second evolutionary explanation of human aggression is the evolution of homicide. One cause of aggression could be a lack of resources. Daly and Wilson carried out a study in Brazil and found that approximately 40% of victims and killers were men that were unemployed and around 70% of male victims and killers were not married. So, the inability to attract a long term partner and a lack of resources appears to lead to social competition and therefore aggression. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A second cause of aggression could be status. In the EEA, we used to live in small groups and status was very important. A loss of status could have had catastrophic results on reproductive potential and resources. Although this is not the case now, the gene may still exist, so there has been a genome lag which is causing aggression in humans.  However, human aggression focuses too much on the male aspect. Society has changed and therefore the evolutionary explanation may not seem to be as relevant in modern day society. This explanation could be seen as reductionist because it doesn’t explain how females act when they feel jealous. It emphasizes the aggression of men , but does not discuss female aggression in detail.  The methodology of the research can be questioned. As questionnaires and surveys were used, the participants may not always speak the truth. Some may lie to avoid confrontation from their partner. They may receive further abuse from male if he finds out. This explanation of human aggression may not always explain cultural differences. Some cultures do not feel the need of being aggressive and therefore don’t show signs of human aggression. Whilst other cultures may believe being violent can help a male feel dominant.  Therefore, the results cannot be applied to all cultures so not generalisable due to cultural differences that arises between different cultures and countries. The evolutionary explanation can explain why individuals tend to show signs of aggression, this can help people who may feel that another individual is in an aggressive relationship by showing signs highlighted by the male, of an aggressive manner. So the explanation can be applied to real life, and help women in aggressive relationships, who receive violent abuse from males.  Homicide doesn’t have much adaptive value. Duntley and Buss say that once anti-homicide defences begin to evolve, homicide becomes a far more costly strategy to pursue. As a result of this, the evidence is supported that homicide is a extreme form of aggression, but not an adaptive response to dealing with the problem in question. Evolutionary explanation is a nature theory because whole process is driven by evolution. We could argue that it is deterministic because our behaviour is determine by evolution. It is reductionist , because it seems to explain all behaviour as maximising fitness. On the other side it is not completely reductionist because it have more than one explanation of aggression; male on famele, jealousy. There is no many cross cultural research . However this theory expect that there are no cross cultural difference. The implication of this is that culture is reflection of evolution. From the psychodynamic point of view there may be conflict between id and ego. This explanation appears to be scientific, because it talks about gene, but do not specify the gene. Some people claims that this theory is not scientific approach as it is non-flausible. Something that cannot be proven is not scientific.

Free Essays on Fra Angelico

Work of an Angelic Monk The Italian renaissance raced forward through history as the vanguard of artistic innovations, settling in Florence which became the great center of quattrocento (15th-century) art and art theory. As forerunners, early renaissance artists â€Å"made a radical break from the medieval methods of representing the visible world,† creating bold and new, more realistic depiction of space (Renaissance art and architecture). In a rebirth of a vital enthusiasm for classical antiquity, many artists began to reincorporate many ancient principles to their own work. At the same time artists became intensely preoccupied with problems of representing the dimensions of nature on flat surfaces, developing a mathematically based illusion of space-the system of perspective. In this era of unprecedented artistic achievements, Fra Anglico rose above and beyond combining â€Å"the influence of the elegantly decorative Gothic style† of the past â€Å"with the more realistic styles of such Renaissance (contemporaries) as the painter Masaccio and the sculptor Donatello† (Fra Angelico). Originally named Guido di Pietro, Angelico was born in Vicchio, Tuscany. He entered a Dominican convent in Fiesole in 1418 became a friar adopting the pseudonym Fra Angelico. He inherited the name of â€Å"Angelico (Italian for ‘angelic’)† because of his extraordinary personal piety and â€Å"because the paintings he did were of calm, religious subjects †¦ combining the life of a devout friar with that of an accomplished painter† (Fra Angelico). Angelico’s Coronation of the Virgin presents a perfect personification of both his artistic and religious natures and melding of new and old artistic ideology. Reviving the Romanesque style of â€Å"a unifying color scheme† within a fresco painting, Angelico attained â€Å"the achievement of color that unites all the techniques of form and perspective† (Angelico 444). It is through this implementatio... Free Essays on Fra Angelico Free Essays on Fra Angelico Work of an Angelic Monk The Italian renaissance raced forward through history as the vanguard of artistic innovations, settling in Florence which became the great center of quattrocento (15th-century) art and art theory. As forerunners, early renaissance artists â€Å"made a radical break from the medieval methods of representing the visible world,† creating bold and new, more realistic depiction of space (Renaissance art and architecture). In a rebirth of a vital enthusiasm for classical antiquity, many artists began to reincorporate many ancient principles to their own work. At the same time artists became intensely preoccupied with problems of representing the dimensions of nature on flat surfaces, developing a mathematically based illusion of space-the system of perspective. In this era of unprecedented artistic achievements, Fra Anglico rose above and beyond combining â€Å"the influence of the elegantly decorative Gothic style† of the past â€Å"with the more realistic styles of such Renaissance (contemporaries) as the painter Masaccio and the sculptor Donatello† (Fra Angelico). Originally named Guido di Pietro, Angelico was born in Vicchio, Tuscany. He entered a Dominican convent in Fiesole in 1418 became a friar adopting the pseudonym Fra Angelico. He inherited the name of â€Å"Angelico (Italian for ‘angelic’)† because of his extraordinary personal piety and â€Å"because the paintings he did were of calm, religious subjects †¦ combining the life of a devout friar with that of an accomplished painter† (Fra Angelico). Angelico’s Coronation of the Virgin presents a perfect personification of both his artistic and religious natures and melding of new and old artistic ideology. Reviving the Romanesque style of â€Å"a unifying color scheme† within a fresco painting, Angelico attained â€Å"the achievement of color that unites all the techniques of form and perspective† (Angelico 444). It is through this implementatio...