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Write an - Essay Example Black represents boldness while whi represents light. Indeed, this piece of art is a reflection of a traditional era but there is life in it. First impression: My first impression of this piece of art was hilarious and I was so fascinated about the way it looked liked. The piece of art was so gigantic and resembling a true image of a living human being. However, what impressed more about this piece of art was the size. Extended viewing: Even the biggest person I have ever imagined could not match the size of the person portrayed by this sculpture. My initial impression about this piece of art was positive since it shows a high degree of artistry skill where a true image of a living human being can be designed using different types of material such as metal and bronze. Line: line is emphasized in the form of height in this piece of art. Height entails that the sky is the limit and this implies that human beings can achieve anything they want in their lives if they commit themselves to that particular action. The human beings are endowed with the brains and they can achieve whatever they want in order to improve their lives. Space: The other element of art portrayed in this piece is related to space. It can be observed that the piece of art is proportionally presented meaning that it occupies adequate space to be in control of the surrounding environment. The space shows that the person represented has free movement and can control the environment around him. Balance: The principle of design that is emphasized in this piece of art is related to the aspect of balance. Apart from the enormous height of the piece of art, it can be seen that it is balanced and firmly upright. This reflects great skill of the artist to show that they can defy other natural elements that can otherwise make it impossible for such a huge feature to stand upright. The colors are also balanced in order to make the art attractive to the viewer. These

Contemporary cars Essay Example for Free

Contemporary cars Essay

Effectiveness of Play Based Learning on Thinking Skills

Effectiveness of Play Based Learning on Thinking Skills The effectiveness of play-based learning in developing thinking skills in young children. There is wide-held support for the thesis that a play-based curriculum will directly enhance cognition in young children. The effectiveness of play-based learning is founded on the pedagogical applications of the theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Semenovich Vygotsky. Both theorists wrote about the importance of play in the world of children and recent research in the area builds upon their ideas to confirm that play has a significant role in the development of cognitive skills in young children. In this essay, I will explore how play-based learning is linked to the development of thinking skills in young children, especially when the processes involved in play are made explicit, so that children, while enjoying the experience of play also explicitly recognise the mechanics of play, understand the role of play in their learning and anticipate the outcomes that will be achieved. I will consider both theoretical and practical levels and conclude that the benefits of play are so vital that children need to be given an abundance of opportunities to experience learning through play, because play directly affects their capacity for cognition, metacognition and problem solving, skills which are fundamental to their longer-term academic and social achievements. In a detailed synthesis of the recent research on the relationship between play and cognition, Bergen (2002) lists how such studies link play to young childrens mathematical reasoning, cognitive strategies, linguistic ability, problem-solving skills and mental representation ability. However, despite the positive literature on the importance of play in the learning experiences of children, there still exists an underlying bias – both parental and pedagogical – that sees play as a â€Å"trivial,† â€Å"purposeless† and â€Å"aimless† activity or a â€Å"jumbo category† that includes all sorts of activities, some of which are â€Å"conducive to learning† and others which are not (Wood and Attfield, 2005, p. 2). It is pertinent then to ask the same question that Moyles (2005, p. 2) asks: â€Å"Can play be equated with anything that is worthwhile in the twenty-first-century world?† A play-based curriculum includes play as a pedagogical tool. This is based on the understanding that the characteristics of play are always present in the world of the child (Piaget, 1999) and it is through play that children naturally learn about the world. Play involves a wide variety of activities and behaviours that take place in different meaningful contexts. Adults, however, according to Piaget (1999), tend to distinguish between â€Å"serious endeavour† and â€Å"play† and see a childs play as a â€Å"world of irresponsibility, in which unreality reigns supreme† (p. 366). The very nature of play might indeed be founded on behaviour that is seemingly spontaneous and idiosyncratic, but these characteristics are often mirrored in young childrens thinking patterns. Wood and Attfield (2005, p. 87) clarify that while young childrens thinking exhibits elements of disorganisation and inconsistency, there are actually very consistent patterns being developed in pla y which later integrate into a childs accumulated body of knowledge and experience. This occurs successfully when children are encouraged to become consciously aware of the processes at play in their play-based learning activities. It is when play is made explicit – that is, when it is understood at the metacognitive level – that it becomes an especially effective tool in developing thinking skills in young children (p. 87). Thinking skills are a group of skills that govern how new knowledge is learned. Clarke (2008, p. 1) defines thinking as a â€Å"complex process that involves a variety of skills that are often used together when confronted with a new and interesting situation.† Thinking skills also require â€Å"knowing about thinking.† This is metacognition. Metacognitive abilities include planning how to approach a learning task or problem, evaluating a specific learning process or approach to problem-solving, and being motivated to do this (Clarke, 2008). The development of thinking skills in young children requires that children be given opportunities to think â€Å"for themselves† and apply the knowledge they have acquired in one learning situation to another situation. Thinking skills are also often called â€Å"critical thinking† or â€Å"creative thinking† because of the assumed ability of a learner to reason, evaluate, solve and process, while being aware o f executing these skills. Clarke (2008) stresses that children need opportunities for questioning and answering in a â€Å"variety of contexts† and â€Å"play situations.† In these situations, adults should serve as guides to model the skills required for developing cognition and metacognition. Children develop thinking skills through their interactions with adults as well as with other children and through â€Å"their explorations and use of mind-engaging materials† (Puckett and Diffily, 2004, p. 36). Play is effective in developing thinking skills because different play situations offer cognitive challenges, provide opportunities for young children to form new connections between ideas and concepts, and consolidate cognitive competence by incorporating â€Å"practice, rehearsal, repetition, mastery and extension† (Wood and Attfield, 2005, p. 88). Moreover, cognitive development in young children is linked to their ability to acquire the skills that Vygotksy called â€Å"symbolic representation† (Whitebread and Jameson, 2005, p. 65), which are linked to abstract thought, the type of cognitive competence developed in later years. Young children between the ages of two and seven are in, what Piaget calls, the â€Å"pre-operational† period of cognitive development, a period characterised by the â€Å"acquisition of representational skills: mental imagery, language, and drawing† (Puckett and Diffily, 2004, p. 105). During this phase in their cognitive development, children use words, concepts, images, signs and symbols. A play-based curriculum can effectively foster the acquisition of such skills. Even a game of tag can offer opportunities for the development of thinking skills (Little, 1998) if the teacher makes explicit the mechanics of the game. For example, the physical education activity of â€Å"chasing and tagging† becomes an opportunity for thinking as well as â€Å"having fun.† Thinking skills are developed when students discuss the rules and objectives of the game with the teacher in the guiding role. For example, the teacher might ask about the strategies students used in tagging, seek ideas on how it is best to play the game, question how well students understood directions, and encourage students to consider novel ways for playing the game. Similarly, playing with play dough in the classroom can become an opportunity for developing thinking skills (Dimech and Pace, 2005) when the teacher introduces the concept and symbol of CAF (Consider All Facts.) Students are offered the opportunity to develop thinking skills when asked leading questions by the teacher, for example, â€Å"Where are we going to play?† â€Å"What should we do so as not to dirty the tables?† and â€Å"What should we do when we have finished playing?† (p. 5). Hereford and Schall (1998) also consider how guiding children through â€Å"dramatic play† can help develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, playing a â€Å"trip to the moon† could begin with guided questions that identify a problem (the need for helmets), brainstorm solutions (what can be used) and choose and evaluate a solution. Here the teacher supports the choices of the students even when impractical or illogical (p. 22). These activi ties encourage students to think for themselves and to understand the mechanics of their playing and thinking activities at a metacognitive level. In both theory and practice then, the evidence supporting a direct link between the effectiveness of play-based learning in developing thinking skills in young children is significant. The development of thinking skills thrives best when young children experience learning in a variety of complex contexts. A play-based curriculum offers the ideal multidimensional context in which young children are able to develop cognitive competence and metacognitive strategies. Young children should therefore be given ample opportunities to experience play, because play can indeed be equated with something â€Å"worthwhile.† References Bergen, B., 2002. The Role of Pretend Play in Childrens Cognitive Development. [online] In Early Childhood Research Practice, Vol. 4 No. 1. Available from: http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/bergen.html [Accessed: 21 November 2008]. Clarke, J., 2008. What are thinking skills, and how can they be nurtured in young children? [online] In Teaching Expertise. Available from: http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/fostering-young-childrens-thinking-skills-3193 [Accessed: 21 November 2008]. Dimech, N., and Pace, D., 2005. Thinking Skills Lesson Plans for Kindergarten [online] Skola, Available from: http://schoolnet.gov.mt/tsearly/LESSONPLANS/lessonplansforkindergarten.PDF [Accessed: 21 November 2008]. Hereford, N.J., and Schall, J., 1998. Learning Through Play: A Practical Guide for Teaching Young Children. New York, NY: Teaching Resources/Scholastic. Little, N., 1998. Sharks and Barracudas: Chasing and Tagging Activity: An Educators Reference Desk Lesson Plan [online] The Educators Reference Desk. Available from: http://eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Physical_Education/Games/GAM0005.html [Accessed: 21 November 2008]. Moyles, J.R., ed., 2005. Excellence of Play. Berkshire: Open University Press. Piaget, J., and Inhelder, B., 1999a. The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence: : Classification and Seriation. London: Routledge. Puckett, M.B., and Diffily, D., 2004. Teaching Young Children. Clifton Park, NY: Cengage Learning. Whitebread, D., and Jameson, H., Play, Storytelling and Creative Writing, p. 59-71. In Moyles, J.R., ed., 2005. Excellence of Play. Berkshire: Open University Press. Wood, E., and Attfield, J., 2005. Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum. California: SAGE Publications Inc. 5/ 5

Essay --

Like many other topics, organic food brings up many controversial opinions. A new study out of Stanford University showed how organic fruits and vegetables are the same as conventionally grown products by countering their nutrients intake. Their study included humans that were tested between two days to two years. In the end of their study they concluded that organic goods are no more nutritious than lowly conventional foods. Also, when it comes to meats and dairy production, they claim that they didn’t find any apparent health advantages. To end up with this conclusion, the specialists made thousands of research that included 17 studies of the population that consume organic and non-organic foods in their diet and 223 studies that contain comparisons between the nutrients levels, pesticide, hormones, and bacterial contamination in different organic and non-organic products ( vegetables, fruits, milk, and meats). They strengthen their theory by saying that no long-term studies showed any health difference between people that consume organic foods versus people that eat non-organic products. But still, they said half-heartedly that they found in organic food more phosphorus than in conventionally grown food and higher levels of pesticides in non-organic products. But they quickly covered this by saying that the â€Å"pesticide levels were always within health regulations and below the dangerous levels† (USDA). In the other hand, in the last few years, many studies have been confirmed that organic food is more nutritious than non-organic. According to Crinnion, the mineral and vitamin content in organic products were discussed in earlier studies, while recent studies looked at pesticides and hormones levels. For example, Lairon reported ... ...n). Secondly, sometimes natural hormones are metabolized by the body but the synthetic ones are not. In fact, synthetic hormones act as toxins in the body and can be difficult to get out of your system (U.S Drug and Food Administration). One of the main side effects of synthetic hormones (rBGH and steroid hormone) is weigh gain, especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs. Other major health risks of steroid and rBGH hormones have been correlated with increased risk of many cancers, heart disease and strokes. Simply choosing organic meat and dairy products can help avoid the health risks associated with hormone treated foods including weight gain and obesity. Also, because these steroids and antibiotics are not fully broken down and enter the environment fully intact through waste water and run off choosing organic foods is a good choice for the environment, too.

Loneliness in Of Mice and Men Essay

Explore the issues connected with loneliness in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Loneliness is examined carefully in Of Mice and Men. In the world of itinerant ranch-hands, loneliness is an inescapable part of life and Steinbeck records this through the plot and characters in his novel. Being lonely is the lack of an emotional, mutual bond, which leads the characters to lose a sense of self-worth and dignity. This essay explores what Steinbeck discusses about loneliness in Of Mice and Men and how he uses the characters of Candy, Crooks, George, Lennie and Curley’s wife to express these views. George and Lennie are the most interesting starting point for such an exploration since they are the only two characters in the novel who are defined by their companionship rather than loneliness. George proclaims proudly to Lennie in the early pages of the novel, that itinerant ranch-hands, typical of the economic Depression in the USA in the 1930s, â€Å"are the loneliest guys in the world† but â€Å"with us [them] it ain’t like that†. Both George and Lennie know that their friendship gives them a future and gives their life purpose and significance. They want to own a farm where they can â€Å"live off the fatta the lan'† and rear animals; where their feeling of self-worth will not stem from gambling and prostitutes, but from their camaraderie-their importance to each other. On the other hand, other wandering workers â€Å"got no family† and they â€Å"don’t belong no place.† George and Lennie know that their companionship sets them apart-it makes them dignified enough to have a dream and think about putting down roots, a dream that most ranch-hands would have had at the time, but would never achieve. Other ranch-hands’ remained as ‘islands’, their lives cut off from anybody else’s. The fact that the bond between George and Lennie would have been rare-it is the only instance of true friendship between men in the novel-shows that at the time of the Great Depression, every man was for himself. Indeed, a few characters are suspicious of their friendship, thinking it financially exploitative: â€Å"You takin’ his pay away from him? †¦ Well, I never seen a guy take so much trouble for another guy.† The only reason their friendship exists is because Lennie is so simple; his vulnerability and dependence on George make him loyal and trustworthy, unlike any other ranch-hand. Although George says, â€Å"When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts,† he knows that Lennie’s presence makes him feel more important and confident than an average itinerant worker like him would normally-being in charge with Lennie makes him feel in charge of his life. Tragically, however, by the end of the novel this is what George becomes-an average itinerant worker; he has to kill Lennie and after losing the only emotional human connection he had, George’s dream and dignity are both destroyed: â€Å"He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would [be able to have the farm.]† The fact remains that such an honest friendship has a flawed foundation-Lennie’s mental debility, although making a friendship possible, also makes him too vulnerable to make prudent decisions. Loneliness is thus inevitable for George and all his fellow wanderers. In many ways, George and Lennie’s relationship is mirrored by that between Candy and his dog. Again, Candy is able to gain true loyalty and trust only from a dog-a one-dimensional, vulnerable being. When the thick-skinned Carlson asks, â€Å"He ain’t no good to you †¦ Why’n’t you shoot him Candy?† the only answer Candy can produce is that he â€Å"had him so long†. Over the years, Candy has developed a special bond of care, as opposed to simple utility, with his dog. To Carlson, who can only understand the value of a person in terms of their practical usefulness, due to his experience of the Great Depression, this bond is meaningless. After his dog is shot, Candy is reduced to a useless old cripple, also encapsulated in solitude. The dog’s companionship had allowed Candy to cherish his past and be hopeful for his future, but now he has nothing to look forward to: â€Å"When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me †¦ I won’t have no place to go an’ I can’t get no more jobs.† The dream farm tempts Candy, too, because he feels that owning a place will prevent him from becoming a lonely monument for passing ranch-hands to observe. His desperation for the farm is so intense that even after Lennie’s death he hopes George may work towards it, but to no avail-Candy too is destined to be alone, unknown and uncared for once he can no longer serve a practical purpose.

Free Essays on In Excess We Trust

In Liz Spayd’s essay In Excess We Trust, she states, â€Å"to be is to consume.† I believe she has come up with some very supportive details for her case, and makes a very good argument about us as American consumers. With the facts that she has presented I would agree with her viewpoints. I myself consume more then I need, and have witnessed many other people guilty of over consuming. Americans today consume more goods as a whole then we did twenty years ago. We also earn more money per household, which is proven statistically. She examines how the wealthy and poor buy a lot more than what is necessary. Everyone is screaming for more, and sometimes we still cannot get enough. We use our monthly paychecks to buy things we cannot even afford. Like going to the local Best Buy and upgrading your 27† TV to the new 72† Plasma set. This will only take four years to pay off, but having this new TV will make your life so much better. Knowing that Visa will always give you a bigger spending limit so we can go out and purchase the goods we think we need right away, and worry about paying for it later. When it comes to shopping I can tell you first hand that Americans have a knack for spending money. I know that when I go out shopping I never put a limit on how much I will spend if I find the right items. This is a terrible thing because I probably only use half of the items I purchase. Whether it is clothes, toiletries, or food there is always something that I don’t use. When I went to Old Navy’s clearance sale two months ago I found a lot of items that I just had to have. When I was done shopping I rang up a bill of over $200.00, and I now had 8 new shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and a duffle bag. At the time it seemed that I couldn’t live without them, but now there is six new shirts and a pair of jeans sitting in my closet that still have the tags on them. I know there are other people like me that will not stop at... Free Essays on In Excess We Trust Free Essays on In Excess We Trust In Liz Spayd’s essay In Excess We Trust, she states, â€Å"to be is to consume.† I believe she has come up with some very supportive details for her case, and makes a very good argument about us as American consumers. With the facts that she has presented I would agree with her viewpoints. I myself consume more then I need, and have witnessed many other people guilty of over consuming. Americans today consume more goods as a whole then we did twenty years ago. We also earn more money per household, which is proven statistically. She examines how the wealthy and poor buy a lot more than what is necessary. Everyone is screaming for more, and sometimes we still cannot get enough. We use our monthly paychecks to buy things we cannot even afford. Like going to the local Best Buy and upgrading your 27† TV to the new 72† Plasma set. This will only take four years to pay off, but having this new TV will make your life so much better. Knowing that Visa will always give you a bigger spending limit so we can go out and purchase the goods we think we need right away, and worry about paying for it later. When it comes to shopping I can tell you first hand that Americans have a knack for spending money. I know that when I go out shopping I never put a limit on how much I will spend if I find the right items. This is a terrible thing because I probably only use half of the items I purchase. Whether it is clothes, toiletries, or food there is always something that I don’t use. When I went to Old Navy’s clearance sale two months ago I found a lot of items that I just had to have. When I was done shopping I rang up a bill of over $200.00, and I now had 8 new shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and a duffle bag. At the time it seemed that I couldn’t live without them, but now there is six new shirts and a pair of jeans sitting in my closet that still have the tags on them. I know there are other people like me that will not stop at...