Management and Leadership in Education free essay sample

The Unit for Distance Education places specific emphasis on integrity and ethical behaviour with regards to the preparation of all written work to be submitted for academic evaluation. Although academic personnel will provide you with information regarding reference techniques, as well as ways to avoid plagiarism, you also have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you at any time feel uncertain about the requirements, you must consult the lecturer concerned before you submit any written work. The policy for plagiarism is available on the policy website of the Office of the Registrar at http://www,up. ac. za/intranet/reqistar/20Q9-10-22 Plagiarism policv. pdf DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct. It involves both appropriating someone elses work, and passing it off as ones own work afterwards. 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For the period that you are a registered student at the Unit for Distance Education, the under-mentioned declaration must accompany all written work to be submitted. No written work will be accepted, unless the declaration has been completed and attached. I (full names amp; surname):Ethel Vera de Wet Student number:13024605 Module amp; Code: Management and leadership in Education LVO 721 DECLARATION: 1)I understand what plagiarism entails and I am aware of the Universitys policy in this regard; 2)I declare that this Assignment 1 (e. . essay, report, project, assignment, dissertation, thesis, etc. ) is my own, original work. In cases where someone elses work was used (whether from a printed source, the Internet or any other source), due acknowledgement was given and reference was made according to departmental requirements; 3)I did not make use of another students previous work and submit it as my own; and 4)I did not allow, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intentio n of presenting it as his/her own work. _Ethel Vera de Wet___ 5 June 2012 Please type your full names and surname Date How to change School B from a low-rated school to a highly recommended school in the community. 1. Analysis of the climate and culture at School B The school climate consist out of the interaction between the school’s ecology, organisation structure, milieu and culture. The governing body, principal, teachers, parents and learners at any school experience this interaction. I agree that the learning culture at the school has been undermined. The culture of School B is reflected in its climate that in is interwoven with the interpersonal relationships in the school. The climate of School B is visible in all aspects of the school. In school B there is no interaction between the parents and school management. The parents have no part in any decision-making process and there is a huge lack of communication. Nobody knows the goal, vision and mission of the school. The teachers feel unappreciated and no job satisfaction. The learners are negative because they feel they are constantly criticised. None of the three important partners in the school (educators, parents and learners) is happy. It is important to establish sound relationships. The relationships built by the principal influence the smallest task the school undertake. The principal has to establish relationships with everyone in the school: the learners, educators, administrative staff, cleaning staff and parents. The school culture is the believe in the values of the stakeholders of a school. The culture underpins the climate of a school. According to McLean and Marshall(1993:4) culture is the collection of traditions, values, politics, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in a organisation. In the education system there must be a culture of teaching and learning. In School B there are no proper teaching and learning and everyone is negative. The teachers do not have the desire to teach and they feel hopeless. There are tension and conflict between individuals and groups. Because of weak or no leadership nobody want to accept the other member’s believes or respect his norms and values. A school must be an environment where teachers and learners must feel safe, homely and enjoy learning. The organisational culture of the school must emphasise the importance of education for the learner, community and country. As seen in the above mentioned definitions of learning culture, School B does not measure up to any of the characteristics and therefore does not qualify as a learning and teaching school with a well established culture and climate. To change is to implement new or better ideas or ways for something that does not work as it is suppose to. The purpose of change is to â€Å"improve†, or to â€Å"achieve the goals† as set out in a policy, or to achieve â€Å"excellence†. Change must always be for the better, to improve. The first thing to do when you want to introduce educational change in a school will be to convince all the parties involve that the change is necessary and to the advantage of all. The changes have to be managed in a structured and orderly manner. This means that time is very important. Give time to the teachers to get use to the idea and to â€Å"want† to be part of the change. Implement changes in phases. Monitor the process and adjust if necessary. 2. LET’s MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Now that we know what the problems at School B are, we must seek the opportunities to change it. We are going to look at ways to change and make a difference in leadership, leadership styles, communication, motivation, decision-making and pedagogical interventions. 2. 1 LEADERSHIP Leadership is a social action where one person influences the process of directing behaviour of other individuals and members in a group towards a goal or achievement. According to Farley (2002:393) the talent for leadership involves much knowledge and disciplined practice. Leadership contains two concepts: authority and power. Principals and teachers must use their authority and power to ensure a successful education. In School B the staff members are not happy with their work and must be directed by good leadership to experience job satisfaction. Anyone that takes on the responsibility and commitment to be a leader can make a difference in School B and change a negative situation around. Commitment allows one to make a real difference in any situation. This person must have according to Sterling and Davidoff (2000:22) the following leader characteristics: accountability, discipline, flexibility, courage, integrity, tolerance, inner strength, confidence, decisiveness, enthusiasm, honesty, loyalty, dedication, compassion, perseverance, dependability and fairness. When asking the question:†What do leaders do? † The answer should include the following: provides direction, offers inspiration, builds teamwork, set an example, gains acceptance, be an organisational architect, moral educator and social architect. (I van Deventer amp; AG Kruger 003:70) Integrity and competence goes hand in hand, because followers want leaders who are able to perform their tasks well. Integrity is associated with the qualities of honesty and consistency, while competence is developed through hard work and dedication. Competent people seek ways of learning and improving themselves. They realise that in a changing world it is important to keep up w ith new developments. When changing the negative leadership in School B around the leader, teachers and community must remember: â€Å"When the going gets tough, it is commitment that carries the leader through. (Unisa, 2006:87-88) 2. 1. 2 LEADERSHIP STYLES As the leader of school B the principal was suppose to manage his staff and learners. If certain structures do not function as it is suppose to, it is his responsibility to get help to make sure the specific structure function properly. Without all the prescribed structures in place, the school cannot function as a successful learning school. The principal and the teachers are responsible and accountable to the community as well as the Education Department to teach the learners. The leadership style that the leader adopt in School B can have a positive or negative effect on achievement, performance, staff development and job satisfaction in a school. Ideal leaders are people who are task-oriented (productivity) and people-oriented. Task-oriented leaders want to get the job done. They focus on activities like planning, maintaining standards and performance, getting things done first, meeting of deadlines, directing and problem-solving (Love, 1994:37) They are also very critical of poor work and poor results. People-oriented leaders are concerned with relationships, feelings, teamwork, harmonising and compromising. They are always looking out for the welfare of others and listens to the members. They always want approval before going on with a project. To turn School B around the principal must use his/her task- and people skills to bring out the best in everybody. There are four leadership styles we are going to discuss, namely Laissez-faire, Autocratic, Democratic and Situational. 2. 1. 2. 1 LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP STYLE This leadership style creates a situation where the individual has to make his own decisions and this results only in individual development. Characteristics of the Laissez-faire leadership are when the leader is uninvolved, sometimes even passive. No direct decisions are made by the principal and he has no interest in the planning, organising and control in activities. Normally there is a lack of communication and the principal does not take responsibility of the activities. The lack of leadership results in poor school performance and goals and outcomes are not set. The educators and learners are frustrated and demotivated with little job satisfaction. These are all the problems that exist in School B, and this leadership style will not be the best to follow. 2. 1. 2. 2 AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE The performance is usually good, but the people are unhappy. Characteristics of the Autocratic leadership style are that the leader have all the control and makes all the decisions. The principal communicate, no, order the members and no discussion takes place. The leader is in charge of the planning and organising of any activity or situation. Good human relations are not important for the leader, only that the task is done. The result of the Autocratic leadership can be that fear is the motivation for educators and learners. Because of the fear and tense atmosphere the staff will be under a lot of stress and there will be little job satisfaction and dissatisfaction with school management. Unhappy staff will leave the school as soon as possible and this create a situation where the learners must cope with a new teacher all the time and there will be no trust and respect between teacher and learners. According to me this will not be the best way to change the negative climate and poor education in School B around. . 1. 2. 3 DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE Here we have a healthy balance between task- and people-oriented management. We have teamwork, with a two-way communication. Tasks, responsibilities and authority are delegated and everyone know exactly what to do. Leadership is through consultation and involvement of staff, learners and parents in the decisions that are made. This results in good human rela tions. Staff, learners and parents are motivated and want to reach the goals of the school. The staff have job satisfaction and are positive in creating ideas and learning. Because of the fact that the staff is happy the staff turnover will be low. The problem with this leadership style is that when fast and critical decisions have to be made a lot of time is lost by consulting everybody. There may be more talking than action. 2. 1. 2. 4 SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE People and circumstances have to be taken in consideration when being a leader. A school represent a combination of leadership styles. These may be from autocratic leadership and decisions to spontaneous independent leadership and decisions by the staff. Every situation requires a unique action. For School B this will be the best leadership style. The leader will look at the following behaviours: Task, relationship, maturity and leaderships. The principal and leaders in school B will be task oriented. They will organise and tell the staff and learners what they should do, when to do it, where to do it and how to do it. The relationship between the leaders and staff must be positive and motivational. There must be a open communication between leaders, staff and learners. The principal must look at the staff maturity levels, confidence and abilities before handing out any tasks. . 2 COMMUNICATION Communication can be described as a message conveyed by a sender to a recipient(s), either verbally or non-verbally with regards to activities, management tasks and/or relationship between staff, parents and learners and the school (Smith amp; Cronje, 1999:409) In the educational system it may be seen as the primary method by which the educator can influence the groups and individuals . To interact effectively with anyone – educators, learners and parents – one first need to understand where that person is â€Å"coming from† (I. J Prinsloo, 2012:74) The way in which any problem is communicated will determine whether the people who have to find the solutions respond positively or negatively. For effective communication a sufficient infrastructure must be in place. Communication is a process in the way people interact with one another. The principal in particular, is held responsible for the effectiveness of communication processes in the school. Without effective communication, it is not possible to plan, communicate the vision and the objectives to parents, learners and educators. To convey a message and keep educators, learners and parents informed oral and written communication is used. Communication is needed for any decision-making and problem-solving process. (Prinsloo, I. J. 2010: 721) The planning of change, that takes place in School B must be communicated to everybody that is involved. The planning, roles and responsibilities should be explained. The staff that is involved should think and discuss the goals. The school policy and pupils code of conduct should be in writing and available for everybody. Decisions must be made on sufficient information. Delegation will be effective only if all the tasks and responsibilities are clear to everyone. Coordination will be effective if the term and year plan are followed. There are five elements in the communication process. The communicator who sends the message, the message, the media used to send it, the recipient’s reaction and the feedback. In school B the principal will hand out a questionnaire. The staff must fill in the questionnaire so that the management can determine where the problems are. According to this priority list, the problems must be attended too. During the first staff meeting the principal can ask the staff to help think of solutions to a problem. Remember, according to the Maslow Hierarchy the physical and safety needs must be attended to first. This means that the school building, school grounds and fencing must be first on the list. A clean and safe environment will have a positive effect on the learners and educators. By having a parent meeting and later sending out a letter, the management communicate with the community about the problem, solution, actions, and the responsibilities of all involved. Communicate the goals, plans, policies, rules, regulations, decisions, responsibilities and the Codes of Conduct to all stakeholders so that they will know what the school wants to achieve, how it wants to go about it and what role they could play in this regard. 2. 3 DECISION-MAKING Problem solving and decision making are working hand -in- hand. Problem solving is the process of making and carrying out a decision that will overcome an obstacle. Decision making involves a choice between two or more alternatives. It is a thought process directed at the achievement of a school’s aim. I van Deventer; 2003: 96). During the planning process, managers make a series of decisions that play an important role and eliminate problems. When the principal in School B involves the staff, learners and parents and give them the opportunity to participate in the decision making, he will achieve great motivation, effectiveness, communication and honest flow of information and awareness of proble ms. The ideal decision-making process includes having clear outcomes, knowledge of the problem, all information required, as well as having possible solutions. Remember decisions are made to correct a situation or to improve it. There are certain steps to follow during the decision-making process. The first thing to do is to determine the existence and importance of the problem. The entire process should be seen in context of what the school is trying to achieve. (It’s mission, aims and outcomes). A problem is an obstacle that’s in the way of achieving an outcome. So in step two you must identify the problem, determine the desired outcomes and getting all facts and opinions. Now we must state the real problem and determine the alternative solutions. To help us, it is useful to split the needs into two categories: Essential and desirable ends. Essential ends mean that if they are achieved, it will mean that the situation has been put right or improved. Desirable ends are the needs which we would like to achieve but are not essential to correct or improve the situation. In step four we must evaluate and choose between alternative solutions. In doing this the principal must include the staff that actually have to do the work. They will know the situation and will have realistic solutions. Lastly the decision must be implemented. (Prinsloo, I. J; 2010: 50) By using this information the principal in school B will determine the problems like frustrated teachers, a cold and unfriendly school environment, conflict between groups and individuals and lack of communication. Then the school management will set their desired objectives and get all the facts form the teachers, learners and parents. Determine alternative solutions by asking the members to brainstorm. Tap your staff’s creativity. Evaluate the solutions and help the staff to choose because they are going to do the job. Implement the solution made, example cleaning the school grounds. Now implement the solution by starting to pick up papers and rubbish, and clean the school grounds. 2. 4 MOTIVATION Motivation is the influencing of people to achieve the aim that the manager wants him to achieve. (Gerber 1998:329) Motivation depends on two elements: the people’s needs, behaviour and actions as well as the aims. Through planning and organising the school management will determine the outcomes and aims. The principal, school management, heads of departments and staff must work together to reach the goal set. The motivational cycle consist out of three steps. The need, the drive (motivation) and the goal. In School B the need is to turn a negative situation, parents, learners and staff around to a more positive learning environment. At this moment there are a lack of communication, leadership, respect, learning material and job satisfaction. The drive in School B must be to look at each need and to take charge. Communicate with the staff, learners and parents. Listen to their problems and demands. Plan and organise a way to help all the members to stand together and commit to a better School. The principal and management must find out from the staff what will help them to reach the goals. The aim/goal of School B will be positive teachers, learners and parent. Decisions must be made by a committee selected by the parents. There must be trust in the principal to make snap decisions. The staff will then have job satisfaction and happy learners that want to study and have a better life. Motivation can be explained according to different motivation theories, namely Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s two-factor, Post enrichment, Aim and Reinforcement theory. According to the Maslow theory (Smith amp; Cronje, 1992:328) only unsatisfied needs can influence behaviour. When the lower needs have been satisfied the higher order becomes the motivator of behaviour. Let me explain how we can use Maslow’s hierarchy to create change in School B. The Physical needs can be satisfied by school buildings that is in a good condition. When the classrooms, tables and chairs are in a good condition it will create a learning friendly environment. Maybe the school can also start a soup kitchen or a tuck shop where the children can get food. Nobody can study on a empty stomach. To feel part of the school and safe the children and parents can help make the school rules that applies to the day to day situation. With better communication between educators and learners socialisation are created. Friendships, acceptance and understanding by the members becomes more and more and this create a positive learning atmosphere. The educators and learners will have more self-respect. The learners will have respect for their school uniforms and for what it represents. There will be the need for success, for example to become head boy of the school. The Herzberg theory states that by making the work challenging and attractive for the individuals the task itself becomes worth doing. The leader must focus on the importance of a task. He must have insight and an interest in the task. By smaller classes the dissatisfaction of teachers will be reduced and will create a situation where the teacher is motivated. By using the Post enrichment theory, the capable and experienced staff can be put in charge of a school activity. This will create commitment, achievement and recognition that are great motivational tools. By setting aims the task-oriented person will perform better and meet a deadline. The aims should be systematically identified. The aims must be challenging, but realistic. Reinforcing positive and pleasant results and consequences the behaviour of the educators, learners and parent will change. The individual is praised and rewarded (Prize giving) the closer he comes to the desired behaviour. Reinforcement can also be negative namely punishment and suppression. The style of motivation in School B will depends on the leadership style of the principal. By using positive motivational methods like merit awards, promotions, recognition and delegation of greater responsibility and authority the staff will be encouraged and experience greater job satisfaction. According to Gerber 1998:287 ; Kroon et al 1991:332 and Prinsloo, 1993:68 educational leaders should always recognise the individual differences among the staff. The outcomes must be challenging to motivate the staff who have a need for success. Include the staff in the decision-making process. Make sure the educators feel useful and important by delegating tasks meaningful. Allow staff members to take part in the managing process. By clear communication the staff must be informed about the aims and results. Delegate tasks and authority to competent people. Acknowledge staff personally when they deserve it. Ensure healthy competition among staff members as a motivation to greater success. 2. 4. 1 Motivation of teachers When the principal assigns a mentor to a new teacher, the new teacher will have a feeling of support and success. This will create a lower teacher turn-over. This mentor must teach the same grades and subjects as the new teacher. To change the negative attitudes from the teachers around the principal can have a â€Å"work hard and play hard† policy. Reward the teachers when you thank them for a job well-done. Hand out a thank you note with a chocolate or a nice â€Å"bring and braai† for the teacher and his family after school. This will relieve some stress and the principal meet the teacher on a social manner. If the staff is very collegial and joke around it is easy to share best practises and discuss important issues openly. When people have some control over their work environment, they are happy. By empowering teachers and staff in decision-making you will have a positive climate and a lower teacher turn-over. When they take part in the decision-making the staff feel that they are respected and valued. If the principal praise and acknowledge the teachers work and recognise their achievements publicly it make them feel appreciated. When the principal’s feedback is more positive than negative the teachers will have a positive attitude towards their work, learners and principal.. This doesn’t mean that the principal must oversee work that’s wrong, but he must correct it in a positive manner. The principal must put in an effort to â€Å"hear† the teachers. Have informal gatherings, ask questions, have a questionnaire filled in. By really working on the problems the teachers have and trying to solve it, the teacher feels he can trust the management and feel motivated to do his work to the best of his ability. When a good school climate exists and educator morale is high, educators feel positive about each other and, at the same time, experience a sense of accomplishment from their jobs (Hoy amp; Miskel, 1987:112)Teachers who feel good about themselves and work will try to reach all learners – even those who struggle. This will not only motivate the teacher but also the learner. 2. 4. 2 Motivation of learners The learners in school B will feel better and less criticised if there are rules that is applicable to the school situation. If all the teachers follow the same classroom rules, the learners will know what are expected from them and the teachers will have a better discipline in the class. Learners are more motivated in class when they feel that they can rely on the teacher, feel safe and participate actively in the class. Learners are enthusiastic about school and classes that provoke their intellectual curiosity and encourage participation.. According to Hilsen, 1998, the learners must really know the teacher and must be treated with respect. The teacher must make an effort to know each child’s name. In an educator-learner relationship that is characterized by caring, listening, questioning, the learner will be more willing to take risks (I van Deventer amp; AG Kruger 2003: 15). A positive school climate will have a influence in learners results and motivations. There will be a reduction of absentees and the drop-out rate will become lower. The encouragement of learners will built their confidence in their efforts even if they fail to succeed the first time (Savo, 1996). 2. 4. 3 Motivation of parents Motivate the parents by letting them be a part of the school. Lethoko,1998:97) The principal can involve them by being a member of the governing body, attending parent evenings and really listen to them and their concerns, asking them to attend and help with extra-mural activities. Then school’s climate must be warm and inviting. When they feel welcome and comfortable at the school, their attitude will be positive and encouraging. (Squelch amp; Lemmer, 1994:93). If there is ef fective communication between the school and parents, the parents will put in an effort to help the educators with the learning of the learners, example the helping children with their homework. What recommendations would I make to the staff , parents and learners of School B? * Let’s start by talking to each other and not about each other. * Let’s respect each other’s point of view. * Let’s respect each other for the fact that we are all human. * Let’s believe in each other for wanting to contribute to change and to make a difference. * Concentrate on the problem and the possible solutions and not on a personal agenda. * Trust the decisions made and trust the people chosen to implement the solutions. * Don’t be prejudiced. Relate to others in an affirmative and supportive way. 2. 4 PEDAGOGICAL INTERVENTIONS The enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning is a key priority of the minister of Education (Garson, 2000:4). A dominant belief in educational and government circles in South Africa is that principals can and should make a difference to the academic standards of a school. (Christie, 1998: 291) The responsibility of the principal to enhance the school’s teaching and learning activities has been broadly identified as his instructional leadership role (Haughey amp; MacElwain, 1992: 105). The two basic assumptions that underpins the instructional leadership task of the principal are as follows (Kruger,1999a: 12): The organisational structure and culture of the school and the principal’s influence on these relate to the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The second assumption is the principal’s personal convictions about the nature and purpose of education. The five basic elements of the principal are according to Kruger (1992:432-433), the defining of the school’s mission, managing the curriculum and instruction, supervising teaching, monitoring learners progress and promoting an instructional climate. A vision and mission for school B is crucial for the effectiveness of the instructional programme of the school – it sets the general tone and direction (Haughey amp; MacElwain, 1992: 109). From the vision , clear aims, outcomes and expectations can be established. The management team divides the school’s aims in long and short term objectives. Examples for the long term aim can be improvement of academic achievements and cooperation among learners and educators. Short term aims can be the attendance of specific courses at teaching centres in order to promote teaching skills and the introduction of test periods. The school’s educational programme consist of curricular and extra-curricular activities. The function is to structure different subjects, learning areas and activities in the school to accomplish educative teaching. The following five principals of OBE form the guidelines for managing the curriculum and instruction (South Africa, 2000a 11-13). Content teaching should promote values and skills, knowledge should be presented in an integrated way, teaching and learning should focus on outcomes, the learner is the centre and assessment is part of the learning process. School B need a effective timetable. The timetable is the key in ensuring that the flow of teaching and learning goes on in the most predictable and ideal circumstances. The effective use of teaching time can be ensured by allocating the correct time and periods according to departmental prescriptions. According to the Department of Education the purpose of developmental appraisal is to help every educator to keep growing and learning through professional development. The principal must conduct development programmes and activities like staff meetings, staff development activities, formal and informal observations and consultations, and the coaching of individual educators. Heading specific subject teams, the team may undertake the following (Theron amp; Botha, 1998: 96): Subject meetings; interpretation of syllabus; subject policies; subject files; subject control and class observation. The principal must keep the staff informed of new teaching techniques and curriculum development. Sergiovanni amp; Starrat, (1988: 405-411) and Blairs, (1992: 31) identified the following in teaching improvement methods: Formal classroom visits, professional development with the help of peers’ informal classroom visits, information related to the curriculum. By means of assessment the principals provide control on the preparation of learners. (Kruger, 1992: 433) A continuous assessment ensures that all the teaching and learning outcomes are attained, and can be done by tests, examinations, learner portfolio’s and self and peer assessment and projects. A positive school climate should be one that makes learning exciting. When teachers and learners are supported for their achievements, there is a shared sense of purpose and learning will not be difficult (Kruger 1992: 433) The positive organisational climate in which effective teaching and learning can take place is there for an important element in the school. 2. 5 CONCLUSION In conclusion by creating a positive school climate the teachers, learners and parents will have a positive influence on the culture of teaching and learning. When the staff and learners feel safe, there will be the maximum opportunity for the teachers to teach and the learners to learn and they will achieve academic success. Clear values and goals will direct the staff, learners and parents to successful teaching and learning. A code of conduct will ensure a disciplined and orderly environment. By communication between the learners and the educators the moral between them will be high. The teachers will care about the learners and will be dedicated and committed to effective learning. School leaders need to help educators create high-achieving learning environments for all learners, where the most advanced curriculum and instruction techniques combine to support learning. Educators engage learners in problem solving and exploring ideas. The learner learn to construct knowledge rather than just memorizing it. By law children have to attend school to be educated. It is the responsibility of the SMT to create an environment that is conductive to teaching and learning. This include a positive school climate, sound classroom environment, sound home-school relationships, effective leadership and management, good administration, neat buildings and facilities, available resources, high professional standards among educators, healthy relationships between all roll-players, order and discipline and effective instructional leadership. If all above mentioned characteristics is in place, there would be no reason for any teacher, learner or parent to be unsatisfied. It is a circle effect. If the principal is an effective and competent leader his/her staff will be happy, which will make the learners happy which will make the parents happy which will keep the principal happy. A positive school climate is more than one where children feel good. It is concerned with the culture, ethos, mission and purpose of schooling.

Star Trek IV essays

Star Trek IV essays Adm. Kirk William Shatner Mr. Spock Leonard Nimoy McCoy DeForest Kelley Gillian Taylor Catherine Hicks Federation president Robt. Ellenstein Cartwright Brock Peters Klingon ambassador John Schuck This film blew me away. Comparing to all other Star Trek films and episodes, this one is by far the most bizarre, funniest, and best one so far. I give the scriptwriters a lot of credit for coming up with the strangest but interesting plot. The crew must travel back in time to find humpback whales to sing in order to save the planet from the probe. Contrasting to Time Machine, the crew travels back in time while in Time Machine, they travel forward in time. The film opens up with some leftover stuff from the last film, which is not really relevant to this film. The crew is left with the Klingon ship they acquired, which they must use to save the planet. After the crew decides to travel home they come across a probe from the sea that need the songs of whales to break the signal. They find out whales are extinct in the 23rd century so they must travel back to San Francisco in the 20th century to find some. So this turns out to be their mission before the go home. The crew actually makes me laugh hysterically in this film. Starting with Spock, he says the funniest lines on accident trying to be logical with everything because of the way his non-human side is. Captain Kirk finds out he has a crush waiting for him in San Francisco, and turns out she comes with the crew to the 23rd century. The most interesting parts in the film are not in space. They are in the states because an audience is not used to seeing the crew interact with other humans. It is sort of funny to see what will hap ...

Nauseated vs. Nauseous

Nauseated vs. Nauseous Nauseated vs. Nauseous Nauseated vs. Nauseous By Maeve Maddox A reader sent me this request: Would you please do a blast-out about the word nauseated versus nauseous? The noun â€Å"blast-out† is new to me, but I presume it means something like the following: a strongly worded admonition to English speakers to get the difference between these two words straight once and for all, blast it! The more I research usage and write about it, the less inclined I am to blast out about anything, especially word pairs like nauseous and nauseated. The supposed distinction is that people are nauseated, whereas nasty, disgusting things are nauseous. For example, women in the early stages of pregnancy often feel nauseated. A stagnant pool of foul-smelling water is nauseous. The OED gives two definitions of the adjective nauseous: 1. Of a thing, causing nausea. 2. Of a person, affected with nausea. For at least 179 years, English speakers have been using nauseous in the sense of â€Å"feeling the urge to throw up†: In speaking of the effect of bloodletting, Mr. Lizars says that ‘the patient feels nauseous and sick even to vomiting’. (OED citation dated 1836). A search on the Ngram Viewer of â€Å"feel nauseated† and â€Å"feel nauseous† shows a convergence of both terms in 2000. In popular usage, nauseous is frequently used to mean nauseated, whereas nauseating has largely replaced it to describe disgusting objects or odors: Drivers of General Motors popular Chevrolet Cruze sedan are complaining that the vehicles new car smell is a  nauseating stench. Everyone’s entitled to defend a preferred usage, even one that’s clearly headed for extinction. One of my own language peeves is to hear the word disinterested in a context that calls for uninterested. In my heart-of-hearts, I know it’s a distinction that goes unobserved more often than not, but I’ll continue to observe it in my own writing and to recommend it to others. Speakers to whom the distinction between nauseous and nauseated is important should observe it in their own speech and writing. Insisting that everyone do it is futile. Like civil public discourse, careful language has become a minority value. Those who care about it don’t need to be blasted; they need only to be informed. Related Articles What To Do About Non-standard English †Disinterested† Is Not the Same as â€Å"Uninterested† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsComma Before Too?

Cooperative Learning Supports Culturally Responsive Classrooms Assignment

Cooperative Learning Supports Culturally Responsive Classrooms - Assignment Example Students from different backgrounds should be made to work in different groups and group tasks and assignments should be assigned. The tasks and assignments should allow all students to equally participate in these tasks. When students work in pairs and groups, they obtain ideas and opinions from each other and students tend to provide ideas and understanding of topics from their own cultural perspectives, which helps students from other cultures, learn about each other’s culture and this makes students flexible with other students coming from different cultures. In such class room settings, teachers and educators do not need to heavily interfere in the groups business. The task is assigned by the teachers, the students then start working to gather, they generate different ideas about how to solve the assigned problem, these ideas are then evaluated by all students and finally an idea is selected by all the member of the groups. This process increases student involvement and s tudent participation which helps in making students comfortable and welcoming to each

Domestic Transportation Infrastructure Research Paper

Domestic Transportation Infrastructure - Research Paper Example From the research it can be comprehended that transport is a means through which people shift from one place to another. There are many reasons for people to move from a place to another which may include studies, job or any other purpose. Whatever the reason for travelling from one place to the other place would be, means of transportation serve important purpose in making people fulfill their various needs. The modes of transport include: †¢ Cars †¢ Bus †¢ Trains and Trams †¢ Airplane †¢ Ferries and ships etc. The modes of transport used in urban areas are slightly different from the ones used in rural areas. In the areas known as metropolitans that are actually the heavily populated areas, the need of public transport rises. In these regions, people have to adopt various means to go for work or for children to go to school. The most common type of transportation is provided by transit systems in most regions. Transit systems are basically bus services which run around the city to provide transportation facilities to students, workers and all kinds of people. These buses provide their services to city dwellers at low fares which increase their usability in urban areas. Usually, bus service appears to be the preferred means of transportation by a majority of people because of inexpensive rates and convenience. There are different types of transit systems that are run in various countries. In New York, for instance, subway system is among the transportation system which is probably the biggest one in the world. People living in urban areas in New York prefer travelling by bus to car. It is one of the cities in which the use of public transport is frequent and constant. The reason for this frequent use of bus as a mode of transport might be because of the less amount of cars people own in New York. Similarly, London has a large network of trams, both underground and over ground rails, subway and buses which help people in shifting from a region to another. Usually, people have travel cards for travelling in buses and people are not allowed to drink alcohol in public transport in London. However, in some countries the use of cycle is preferable as a means of transportation in urban areas (Krizek, 2003). There are many factors that determine the use of a specific means of transportation by people. However, the main reasons of choosing bus services are the cheap costs and affordability; need to have more spacious roads that cannot be possible if everyone moves on his own car and social responsibility that everyone gets a chance to travel regardless of whether he owns a car or not (Naess, 2005). Some modes of transport are used in specific regions depending on the people’s needs. For instance, in such a place where people collect the products from various factories and intend to export them, they need some means through which they can transport the materials to different places. Usually this is done by means of ship if there is an ocean nearby or by bus, train or airplane. Change of Trend:

John H. Johnson :: essays research papers

John H. Johnson was born January 19, 1918 in rural Arkansas City, Arkansas. His parents were Leroy Johnson and Gertrude Jenkins Johnson. His father was killed in a sawmill accident when little John was eight years old. He attended the community's overcrowded, segregated elementary school. In the early 1930s, there was no public high school for African-Americans in Arkansas. His mother heard of better opportunities for African-Americans in Chicago and saved her meager earnings as a washerwoman and a cook and for years until she could afford to move her family to Chicago. This resulted in them becoming a part of the African-American Great Migration of 1933. There, Johnson was exposed to something he never knew existed, middle class black people. Johnson enrolled in DuSable High School and was an excelling student. Because of his achievements, Johnson was invited in 1936, to speak at a dinner held by the Urban League. Harry Pace, the President of the Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company, was so impressed with Johnson's speech that he offered him a job and a scholarship to attend college part-time. But his interest focused primarily on the operations at the insurance firm and eventually he dropped his studies at the University of Chicago. In 1939 at the age of 21 he became the editor of Pace's in-house magazine. Collecting articles culled from national publications, Johnson realizes he had struck gold. In 1941, Johnson married Eunice Walker and found a full-time position at Supreme Liberty Life. One of Johnson's job descriptions at Supreme Liberty Life was to collect the news and information about African-Americans and prepare a weekly digest for Pace. He thought that a "Negro newspaper" could be sold and marketed and have people to be very interested in it. In 1942, Johnson borrowed $500 from his mother's furniture and started the Johnson Publishing Company. Johnson got idea, The Negro Digest, and modeled it after the Reader's Digest but it took aimed at African-Americans. He launched the Negro Digest, which took a serious look at racial issues and featured articles from prominent black and white writers. The Negro Digest circulated around 50,000. The magazine featured articles about the social inequalities in the United States and gave a voice to the concerns of African-Americans. Within eight months the Negro Digest reached about $50,000 a month in sales. In 1945, Johnson launched his second publication, the Ebony magazine, in which focused on the diverse achievements and successes of African-Americans.

Recruiting – the Cisco Way

RECRUITING – THE CISCO WAY Answer part a The importance of recruitment and selection Recruiters play an important role in the success of an organization. They essentially act as a filter that — when used properly — only selects the best candidates. In a constantly changing business world, companies need to hire people who are adaptable, loyal, knowledgeable, dependable and confident, thereby creating a foundation for success. Cost Cost is a major reason why effective recruitment and selection is important. There are many ways in which poor recruitment practices can result in financial losses.For example, if a candidate's competency is not accurately assessed, he may make mistakes that can hinder productivity. If he needs to be retrained or replaced, this takes up more company time that could otherwise be invested toward remaining competitive. Retention Improper recruitment and selection practices can often result in high turnover or involuntary separations. If a recruiter is not careful when analyzing resumes and conducting interviews, he may hire an employee with a weak work ethic or a tendency to move quickly from one job to the next — â€Å"job hopping. Another so-called â€Å"red flag† is a gradual decrease in responsibility Loyalty and Productivity Loyalty and productivity are linked. Interviewers should inquire about a candidate's greatest achievements throughout the career. Generally, loyal employees will have a track record of striving for excellence, resulting in a more competitive, innovative and profitable business. Legal Issues Discrimination is a serious concern among recruiters. If discriminatory hiring practices can be proven, this could result in serious harm, both financially and in terms of reputation.Things such as language proficiency or physical capabilities should not be listed unless they are absolutely essential for the role. Influence on recruitment process of company by changing dynamics of the globa l InfoTech industry †¦ Recruitment is undergoing a change. Not just a small scale evolution but a fundamental seismic shift. A change that will see the recruiting landscape change forever. A change that will see many traditional recruiters falling behind and being replaced by new, differently skilled recruiters, ready for the challenges.The current global recruitment landscape is changing. The global war for the best talent is real, (note the use of â€Å"best†); talent is geographically mobile and happy to move for the best job; talent is more demanding, not only in pay but career progression and training and development; the experienced talent pool is shrinking in volume; convergence of talent, as recruiters fighting in a smaller talent pool attract candidates across different sectors.Recruitment agencies are failing to be creative in attracting  unique  talent to their databases, hence perpetuating â€Å"recruitment chess† of the same talent across companie s. Not everyone is looking for a job. Different market research exists but the benchmark seems to suggest that, for any given role, only 10% of relevant/experienced talent is actively looking for a role at any given moment in time. That means that 90% of candidates relevant for your role/s are not engaged in job searches. The best candidates typically among them.Hence in a candidate short market, with a host of competition for particular skill-sets, the global war for the best talent is being fought out among 10% of active job seekers. Businesses can no longer control what is said. Today there is a shift in the balance of power. Technology is shifting the power away from the publishers, media, the elite, corporate to us, and the people. Recruiters need to embrace this, as must as their PR ; Marketing departments. The rise in the use of the Internet is probably the most significant development in the recruitment field in the early 21st century.There is, however, little evidence that the Internet produces better-quality candidates, but it does deliver more of them and more employers report that online recruitment made it easier to find the right candidate. Candidates themselves are increasingly choosing this medium to search for jobs, with 89 per cent of graduates only searching online for jobs. The benefits of online recruitment to employers include the speed, reduced administrative burden and costs, and no geographical limits. The benefits to applicants are that t is easier, faster and more convenient to post a CV or search a job site online than to read a selection of printed media. This is all very well if you have skills that are highly in demand, but if employers are tending to post vacancies on their own websites, candidates still have to trawl the web in order to find vacancies and even ‘web savvy’ applicants may be deterred by the perceived impersonal nature of online recruitment. Also there are still some people who are either not comforta ble using the Internet or do not have ready access to a computer.Thus there is still a role then for conventional advertising. Whatever the pros and cons, online recruitment continues to expand and employers are now combining more traditional methods with online recruitment by using printed adverts to refer jobseekers to an Internet vacancy (Murphy, 2008). Other employers such as Microsoft are enhancing its brand visibility and credibility by having a wider Internet recruitment presence. Microsoft uses its online tools to impact and influence its public image and reach a broader audience and thus create a diverse workplace with varied skills and talents.One initiative is the introduction of ‘corporate recruitment blogs’. The idea is that potential job candidates may be attracted to the company through what they see on the blog and make contact through the specific blogger who will initiate the recruitment process on behalf of the company. Cisco, well regarded for its le ading-edge products, is also known for its progressive corporate culture. The company builds employee loyalty with generous benefits as well as work schedules that respect employees' outside interests.Like many high-technology companies, Cisco hands out bonuses to employees who make hiring recommendations that pan out. The company also offers contests and prizes, in one instance rewarding a worker who recruited the most salespeople with a one-year Porsche Boxster lease. Answer part b CISCO’s recruitment philosophy The company followed a policy of hiring ‘top 10-15%’ people in the networking industry. This was a mechanism to remain the industry leader. Its vision statement was, â€Å"Attracting, growing and retaining great talent is critical to sustaining Cisco’s competitive advantage. † The company began to use newer echniques like the ‘build-the-buzz’ strategy, which was centered on the primary market for its products, i. e. , the Inte rnet. Cisco changed the way it wanted advertisements in newspapers. It listed specific job openings and featured its Internet address in its ads and invited prospective candidates to apply. This helped in directing all job seekers to its website where it could inexpensively post hundreds of openings and provides information regarding them. The website also offered features through which applicants could fill their resumes online or create one with the help of Cisco’s resume builder.Friends program The focus group’s exercise ensured that a candidate would approach the company if he had been informed by a friend about better opportunities at Cisco. This led to the launch of the friends program in April 1996. Cisco also organized art fairs, beer festivals and certain annual events in which people from Silicon Valley participated More than 1,000 Cisco employees volunteered for the Friends program, attracted by the referral fee, which started at $500 and a lottery ticket fo r a free trip to Hawaii for each prospect they befriended and who was ultimately hired.Cisco also found that applicants and recruiters were not totally comfortable with, the time-consuming recruiting process. To speed up the process, Cisco hired in house headhunters to identify qualified candidates for managers. Amazing people It encouraged internal referrals for recruitment through a program called ‘Amazing People. ’ This facilitated the employees to refer their friends’ and acquaintances for positions within Cisco. Employees earned a referral bonus if the company hired the person they referred.After streamlining its recruitment policies in 1996, Cisco conducted an Employee survey to find out how the new recruits felt on their first day at work. Cisco launched Fast Start, an employee orientation initiative. It installed software, which tracked the hiring process and alerted the team about the new recruit’s arrival. As a result, every new recruit started w ith a fully functional workspace and a whole day of training in desktop tools. Efficiency of various recruitment tools Fast Start not only eliminated all problems but it also enabled new recruits to know about ‘life inside the company. Every new recruit was assigned a ‘buddy’ who clarified all doubts and answered questions about Cisco. New recruits also had a two-day course called the ‘Cisco Business Essentials,’ which covered company’s history and business units. The managers of the new recruits received an automatically generated e-mail two weeks after their new recruit arrival. It reminded them to review their departmental initiatives and personal goals. Cisco believed that its new recruitment philosophy should also be made a part of the overall corporate culture.Cisco’s job site was recording around 500,000 hits per month. The company generated a stream of reports about who visited the site. Cisco’s hiring cycle also came down to 45 days. The recruitment costs were also below the industry average. Referral rates at Cisco were twice the industry norm. The retention rate of the Company had also increased. Analysts claimed that Cisco’s innovative and aggressive recruiting initiatives were to a large extent responsible for the company’s expansion at 40% per year and recruiting 250 employees every week.