Cultural Diversity and Literacy Essay Example for Free

Cultural Diversity and Literacy Essay The student body of academic institutions for higher learning is becoming more and more diverse in culture and social groups through the past generations (Koester Lustig, 1991; Powell Collier, 1990). Therefore, educators must bear in mind this diversity factor and modify teaching procedures accordingly. I am a Korean intending to effectively teach piano lessons to high school students. I should be able to help my students appreciate the piano, play the piano excellently and make them become highly literate in music. In a paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention in Oklahoma City in 1994, Goulden suggests that the primary goal of academicians and educators in facing cultural diversity should be to provide an opportunity for learning that is beneficial for students (1994 5). This primary goal is supported by more straightforward objectives. Goulden also states that the students must be prepared for life after graduation (1994 5). Therefore, the end goal should be to help the students, however diverse their cultures are, to stand proud for his culture and for what he has learned. As a piano teacher, I think that aside from teaching my students to simply play the piano, I must also impart on them the value of cultural pride, as well as the importance of understanding people on other cultures that will also be part of their audience in playing the piano. Even as music is considered a universal language, it will help my students to play with passion to be able to transcend cultural differences. It is my goal as a teacher to help them achieve that level of effectiveness. Of course, in effect, I intend to teach piano lessons to my students to help them achieve high literacy in music. Literacy is a much broader concept than most people think. While others believe that literacy is all about learning to read and write, other academicians believe that literacy means deep understanding of subject matters, such as music. To contrast, literacy is what broadens a persons world, while illiteracy shrinks it down (Needlman, 2001). I think a persons imagination has a lot to do with literacy. For example, if my students could learn to read the notes and play the piano effectively, I will be happy as a teacher. However, if my students will play the piano and experiment with musical notes on their own, then, I will be happier; because it means that I am imparting high litereacy to my students. If my students can use their imagination and deepen their appreciation and interest in music, I will say they are highly literate in music. As a piano teacher, I think I need to know more than just my students level of skills. For instance, I need to know more than just the notes that they can or cannot read, or the music pieces that they can or cannot play. To be able to reach their mind and help them become imaginative, productive and highly literate in music, I must be able to overcome any possible barrier in reaching their mind. I think my students must have fun while learning with me. Culture can be a barrier to literacy, if there is no connection between teachers and students. For instance, some of my students might be intimidated by the fact that we Koreans, are highly interested in music, and it is an integral part of our lifestyle. I, as the teacher, should tell my students, that even if a certain culture appreciates music more than a certain other culture, it does not mean that the others cannot learn. In fact, on the contrary, we would be very happy to share our passion with the rest of the world. I think that as a teacher, I must understand my students, as well as their families and their communities so I can help them to reach a high level of literacy. Through understanding, I can better relate to my students and establish a connection with them so they will feel that they are a part of me, and I am a part of them, and we must celebrate our cultural diversity because it is beautiful to see that we are different, and yet the same. We have different cultures, but we also have the same interest and the same goals. Between my students and me, our main similarities should be our interest in learning together, learning from each other, and learning about music. For me to have a better understanding of the underlying effects of the increased cultural diversity of my students, I should look into the manners in which students from diverse social and cultural units experience music. I think I should educate myself and equip myself with knowledge about my students varied culture before I can become truly effective in reaching out to them, to make them excellent piano players. Culture is not a static phenomenon passed exactly as it is down from one generation to another; in fact, culture is a dynamic, flexible, breathing environment to which every person makes a contribution. In this case, education, specifically music education must be about helping every student find his passion in music, and help him nourish that passion so he could be prepared to make his own contribution to his own culture (Shuler, 2001). If I could help a student with a culture different from mine develop a contribution to his own culture, then it will also be my achievement as a teacher. References Goulden, N. R. (1994). Curricular Changes, Communication Skills, and Cultural Diversity: The Next Generation, 5. Koester, J. , Lustig, M. (1991). Communication curricula in the Multicultural university. Communication Education, 40, 250-254. Needlman, R. (2001). What Is Literacy? Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http://www. drspock. com/article/0,1510,5133,00. html Powell, R. , Collier, M. J. (1990). Public speaking instruction and cultural bias: The future of the basic course. American Behavioral Scientist, 34(2), 240-250. Shuler, S. C. (2001). Music and education in the twenty-first century: A retrospective, Arts Education Policy Review (Vol. 102, pp. 25): Heldref Publications.

Practical on Enthalpy Changes Between Acids and Bases Essay Example for Free

Practical on Enthalpy Changes Between Acids and Bases Essay Introduction All life on earth depends on the transfers of energy in chemical reactions. So that measurements can be made when energy is transferred during chemical reactions, that have to be carried out under controlled conditions. A special name is given to process where energy is transferred and exchanged with the surroundings, when taking place under constants pressure. The special name given to this type of process is Enthalpy. When chemical reactions take place they release energy to the surroundings. There are also special names given to these kind of energy transfers. They are called exothermic and endothermic reactions. Out of these two types exothermic reactions are most easily detected. This is because in exothermic reactions energy is realised to the surroundings and is detected by temperature rise. But some chemical reactions only occur when energy is put into them from an external source. Reactions which require this sort of input are called endothermic reactions. Enthalpy is the total energy content of the reacting materials. The symbol for enthalpy is ?H. Enthalpy is measured during a reaction. Energy is transferred to and from a reaction system and as a result the enthalpy changes. The equation used to calculate the enthalpy is as follows. ? H = mc ?T (H is the enthalpy change, M is the mass of the reacting solution and C is the specific heat capacity for water.) Acids are known as proton donors. Acids have a pH below 7 which varies from one acids to another. What I mean by this is that a strong acid readily gives away protons and is fully ionised in water. A weak acid is reluctant to give up its protons and is slightely ionised by water. Bases are on the other hand the total chemical opposites of acids they are proto acceptors. carry out was to an practical where an acid is basically reacted with a base and the heat produced by the reaction recorded. Health and Saftey During this practical a white lab coat should be worn and safety glasses du the use of acids could be dangerous. Method Refer to sheet given by lecturer Results Strengths Solutions pH of solutions A2 1M Hydrochloric acid 0.68 A1 1M Sulphuric acid 0.32 A3 1M Ethanoic acid 2.42 B1 1M Sodium hydroxide 13.38 B3 1M Sodium hydrogen carbonate 8.42 B2 1M Ammonia 11.39 Key A1 = Strongest acid A3 = Weakest acid B1 = Strongest base B3 = weakest base Acid Base T1 (Temp ?C) T2 (Temp ?C) Temp change (?C) ? H = mc ?T HCl with NaOH 23 30 7 -1170.4 2NaHCO3 23 28 5 -836 NH3 23 29 6 -1003.2 H2SO4 NaOH 22 27 5 -836 2NaHCO3 22 23 1 -167.2 NH3 22 25 3 -501.6 CH3CH2OH NaOH 21 27 6 -1003.2 2NaHCO3 21 20 + 1 167.2 NH3 21 25 4 -668.8 Conclusion After successfully completing my experiment I have concluded a number of things. From my results I have results concluded that there is a relationship in our results to a certain degree. For example the enthalpy for each acid is as follows. The most strongest acid sulphuric acid, which had the lowest pH showed that when mixed with the base sodium hydroxide it gave the highest enthalpy value then the second strongest acid compared to the same base and then the third acids which was the weakest. This showed me that as the acid got weaker the enthalpy values also decreased. The way in which I kept my experiment a fair test was that I made sure that I used the same equipment for example to use the same thermometer each time I made a temperature recording at the start of a reaction and at the end and made sure that each time the thermometer came back to its original temperature. Also I made sure that we used the same digital pH meter and that it was washed everytime after use to remove all impurities so contamination would not occur. Another important aspect was to make sure that the experiment was carried out in the same conditions because if for example the temperature changed this could have affected our practical and results. If I was to conduct this experiment again I would make a number of changes. Firstley one point in the practical which I thought caused chance of error was when reading the meniscus line on the cylinder it was very hard to get this exactly right. A better and more accurate way would have been if we used an pipette it would have made it more accurate. I think another aspect which could cause error was the thermometer which could have used a digital one. And also finally there could have been another area in which error could have been caused is the pH meter this if not cleaned properly could infected my other solutions.

My Abandonment By Peter Rock

My Abandonment By Peter Rock In Peter Rocks My Abandonment a thirteen year old girl named Caroline lives with her father in Forest Park. Carolines father is not mentally stable but helps Caroline live a life that she will remember. Caroline and her father live in the woods all alone aloof from society. To avoid capture they hide underground and also in trees. One day a jogger noticed Caroline changing in the trees. If she had not done that and stayed incognito she would not be in the mess she is in now. The police brought Caroline and her father back to a detention center where they were interrogated. They are soon put to live on a farm. The question is what will they do next? The first thing I would like to touch upon is the fact that our narrator, Caroline, is not very trustworthy. As Caroline writes her book on her and her fathers experiences she says, I remember the conversations as best as I can.   If I make up words he says at least theyre close or taken from his notebook.   I stitch it together and I only add what I have to.   If I dont remember something I skip over it and leave it out,(222). This affected me a lot even though I knew a potential theme of this book was secrecy, something her and her father had a lot. Caroline left her dead father in a cave during a storm and went on with her life. How would you feel if the father was someone you know and love? Caroline at the beginning of the book disobeyed her father and took off her camouflage. Then she lied to him and told him she saw nothing. That put them both in danger but I was thinking if getting caught was what she wanted. Maybe Caroline Harris 2 wanted to see how living a civilized life was like and only acted as if she missed home to mess with the readers mind. When this book was over those questions still linger in my head but another one keeps popping up every time I hear the title. I wonder how Caroline is going to end up living like her father, all alone and potentially confused. This book was an amazing experience for me. I love unloving things but this book hid a lot of things from the reader. Importantly, we dont know if Carolines story is actually true and there are no lies. Peter Rock does a great job addressing most of the literary elements. One thing that really stood out for me was his outstanding job of, show dont tell. He barely told us directly what was going on but his detailed descriptions helped us uncover what he really wanted us as readers to know. His imagery was great and he also included a little foreshadowing which really drove the story. Many parts were very disturbing to read but those parts just shows what the other side of life may look like. The story ended very quickly as if the narrator was rushing to the end because she forgot or she didnt want to talk about it. Caroline ends up going to college and so far she is a lone wolf. She works part time at as a librarian. The ending was ok but I wish I knew what happened to her in the future. Carolines father is dead but she is now living life the way people expect humans to live. Only she knows if shes satisfied. At first I did not get what Randy, Carolines toy horse, symbolized. Towards the end Caroline found out that Randy was a Chinese acupuncture model. In movies I watched Chinese knick knacks like Randy symbolized things like luck or something. I came to a conclusion that it symbolized hope and perseverance, two important themes that come up. Caroline carried Randy with her at all times and he was rarely out of her site. Randy Harris 3 pushed Caroline to do things she wouldnt do if she lived a normal life. She went back for him and always wanted him near her, as comfort. This book has an amazing plot, ok ending, and some great imagery. Ultimately this book taught me that if I dont take chances I will be stuck with any problems I have, which would end up harming me in the future. Caroline took chances and even though she was home schooled by her father that was in the war she still hanged tough and made it through. I recommend this book to anyone because there is so much excitement on every page. There isnt any other book like this and I had a great time reading about Caroline and her father. (Word Count: 809)

Maedchen In Uniform :: essays research papers

MAEDCHEN IN UNIFORM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maedchen in Uniform ( Sagan, 1932, 80’) is a film that was specifically design to represent a group of women living in a patriarchal society and the conflicts they encounter by simply being their naturally, nurturing selves. One major conflict involves the deep relationship that develops between a female teacher and her female student in an all girl boarding school that is operated like a strict military camp. It is heavily suggested that this relationship is a romantic one, but there are no solid evidence that it is. I believe that Sagan had design the film this way so that the idea of lesbianism would not be so aggressive towards the audience that they will not be willing to sit through the entire film. Should the teacher have been a man and the student remains a female, I believe that this film would not have had the same effect it did on the viewers as it did the way it was presented. The gender between the two people should not have made a difference because, in general, it is wrong to have a romantic relationship between a teacher and a student who is still under the teacher’s guidance. Given this conflict alone, I believe that the Sagan wanted to take it to the next level and show that with the suggestion of lesbianism, these women are like any other women who are also caring and nurturing. I believe she was trying to introduce a new idea of lesbianism where the women are not heavily masculine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, there is the setting of a strict military like boarding school where the students, all females, are craving the love and affection that they are missing from their family. One particular student, Manuela von Meinhardis, had just recently joined the school after the recent death of her mother. She is particularly vulnerable to the love and care that is provided by the only caring teacher in the school, Fraulein von Bernburg. Fraulein von Bernburg is a very beautiful young teacher who is constantly at odds with her elders because she does see the need to punish her group of girls. She believes that the students need to be shown compassion and care; not just as a teacher but as a friend. It is between these two women that a heavily suggested romantic relationship developed. The reason why I say â€Å"heavily suggested† is because I still believe that Fraulein von Bergen was only trying to be sympathetic with the new girl, Manuela, because her mother had just died.

Compare and Contrast: Passage 1: Description of Tom, Passage 2: Gatsby

Compare and Contrast: Passage 1: Description of Tom, Passage 2: Gatsby seen The first passage is a description of Tom. He is portrayed as strongly built: "It was a body capable of enormous leverage-a cruel body." He also seems to be a brutal an supercilious man. Words as "arrogant", "sturdy", "gruff" and "husky" create a mood around him which is quite unpleasant. This description is very objective and we get a clear picture of what Tom looks like. We are also given a description of Tom's voice as being "...a gruff, husky tenor..." The other passage is not really a description of Mr Gatsby, but rather an occasion which he fits into. The description we are given about Gatsby is much more unclear than that of Tom. The night makes the atmosphere more mysterious around Gatsby. Here words as "night", "trembling", "silhouette" and "dark" set the theme of the passage. There is a clear contrast in the themes between the two passages. In the first one 'day' or 'light' can be said to be a theme in comparison to the 'night' or 'darkness' in the other. Even though the description of Tom is quite objective, the sunshine and clearness has a high symbolic importance to the passage and makes it more of a contrast to the other passage. This sunshine could be there because Tom is an antagonist in the novel, thus his description should not be complicated as, for example Gatsby's. Thereby he is connected to unambiguousness, whereas Gatsby is connected to darkness and implying that his character will be revealed later on. The sunshine which is connected to Tom could mean that his character is exposed and open for everyone to look at. This could be connected to that his characteristics are those of a fascist prototype... ...asting themes are day and night and the tone and the techniques are based around these themes. The techniques are quite different in the two passages; in Toms there are many negative words and his body is personified as "cruel". In Gatsby's passage there are more words connected to obscurity and Gatsby is not at all illustrated negatively. The techniques create two contrasting moods in the two passages. Tom's passage is more simple and it is not as interesting to read as Gatsby's passage. Tom's passage is almost unpleasant to read because one could almost think he is a monster by his account. The tone in Gatsby's passage is more calm. The presence of the night makes everything more subjective and abstract. A potential effect of this is that the reader will feel more comfortable with this passage. Things connected to the night are usually more interesting.

Me And Her :: essays research papers

We have been dating for 1 month and 8 days. Able to have her as a girlfriend is the greatest gift of all. Thinking back, I still can't figure out, what gave me the courage to ask her out, maybe it was my determine mind, which constantly reminds me that i want her. On the first day of our relationship, everything seemed normaly, too normal it made me think that we will never go beyond friends. That thought actually scared me a little, because it was like having something you have always wanted, but you can't hold on to it. We didn't get the chance to speak to each other the next day. I guess she found me too boring, or maybe she too, think that there's no way we are goign to go further than typical friends could. At that point, I did have the thought of letting her go, because I felt very unloved. On the same night I got to talk to Katherine, she was the girl i use to like. "Use to"?? Does that mean I dont' like her anymore? I don't know the answer to that question. At least I believe the answer is not important at that stage. Because what she said later on during our convesation, is what i considered to be most important. She said that she like me more than a friend. I was flattered, when i heard those words. I was happy and sad simultaneously. Happy because I have found someone that might love me. Sad because that person isn't my girlfriend. I did ask myself serveral times, why did those words came out of Katherine's mouth and not her's? But that question didn't stay in my head for long, because another question came up, and I believe this coming question is the most important one, and must be answered immediately. "Should I choose Katherine or my current girlfriend?" I was a confusing situation, even though half an hour ago I said that I was prepared to leave my girlfriend, I guess its true, that you won't know, how important someone or something is to you, until you are at the edge of losing them. A couple of days had gone by, I still haven't decided who i want. During this last couple of days, I didn't talk to Katherine, instead I talked to my girlfriend and told her the whole situation.

Effect Of Violent Television Programs On Children In The U.S Essay

In 1996, the federal government of the United States passed a law demanding that every television set from the size of 13 inches and above to be installed with a V chip to control content being watched by children. This move was inspired by the recognition of the impact that violent television programs were causing on the children (Centerwall 69). More recently, some senators in US lead the drive to the enactment of laws that would control broadcast of sex ad violence on TV. TV violence has been a matter of greater concern since it occupies much of the TV content programmed in the US today. Research shows that concern for behavioral effects began as early as the 1950s and 60s following the introduction and popularity of televisions in US. Currently, TV broadcasting has evolved a lot in US such that content is being broadcast without much concern for age rating, especially following increased access to TV the children. Violence can be from news programs or fictional entertainment programs. A 1995 article in the Journal of American Medical Association points out that television has detrimental impacts on the normal development of children due to the increase in physical aggressiveness and health concerns (Centerwall 644). Later, the American Psychological Association published a policy statement urging pediatricians to advise their clients to control TV viewing among their children to not more than 1 or 2 hours. Effects of physical aggressiveness have also been confirmed by the US National Institute of Mental Health. This has especially impacted negatively on the religious foundations of children since aggressiveness contrasts the fundamental principles of most religions. Children usually learn by imitating what they observe, hence if exposed to violent programs they tend to emulate the violent behaviors shown on the program. Two separate studies conducted among young inmates convicted of violent crime cases including rape, assault and homicide indicates that between 22 % and 34 % confessed to have been consciously inspired by the crime techniques leant from TV programs they used to watch (Nathanson 141). A number of these were from a strong religious background. Some 1990 data shows that children in US between the age of 2 and 5 years of age were spent about 27 hours of their time every week watching television most of which were had violent content. Although religious principles may guide behaviour to some extent, psychologists argue that children of such age are usually unable to differentiate fantasy ad facts when it comes to television and hence end up accepting and believing what they watch, this erodes their moral and religious believes with time. A study conducted for close to 22 years among US children of age 8 and addressing the correlation of this group to the severity of crime committed by the same at age 30, found out that viewing of violent content correlated highly positively to the nature and seriousness of crime most were convicted of at age 30: at a probability of 0. 05% (Brandon 1). This number is inclusive of religious children implying that violent programs introduce them gradually to crime. A study on 100 male crime convicts, whereby 65 of them had no past association with crime; were of same age, residence background and race and aged between age 10 and 14, shows that there was significant statistical relation between exposure to TV violence and violent behaviour in adults. This proves the finding that violence has great potential to shape the behavior of a child irrespective of religion. A poll conducted among adult Americans show that about 43 percent of Americans believe that contribution of TV violence to increasing violence in the society is high than any other factors. Given that most Americans are religious people and so are their children, it is apparent homicide is against their principles. However, there is the data that states that the per annum rate of white homicides in US increased by 92 recent from 1945’s 1. 3 homicides/ 100000 US white citizens to 2. 5 / 100000 in 1974 (Centerwall 646). TV violence has been the leading cause of religious negligence among most young US people as they are inspired by the reality of TV the set of religious principles. This is regarded as the effect of high market competitiveness driving TV companies to broadcast violence in a â€Å"fantasy† manner to generate mass audiences for advertising purposes. There is less concern for responsibility. Religious children have been victims of juvenile crime as pointed out by senators Kefauwer and Dodd regarding relation of TV programs to the increases in juvenile crime. A study by The Centre of Research on the Effect of Television indicates that young people usually become insensitive to pain or other activity that inflicts suffering on others especially in real life. This has been noted more specifically by church leaders as the most basic factor driving religious children used to violent TV shows to try out violent activity. This is because they tend to believe what they see is the real world. Children, including the religious as well perceive violence in such program as fantasy since they lack the ability to differentiate fantasy and reality at below age 8 (Wood, et al. 375). In this regard, most children also tend to believe that violence is the most appropriate means of getting what one wants as is depicted by their heroes. Children also grow fear of the world that they live in. This affects their self drive and may make them to apply the violent activity in self defense on being made to perceive the real world as bad. This is in contrast to what religion advocates for. This rate of influence is even more alarming given the fact that about 54% of children in America have access to a TV set in their bedroom with 44% (religious children included) confirming that they watch totally different subjects when not with their parents. Research from Michigan University notes that TV contributes to abut 10% of the violent witnessed among religious children. The American Psychological Association notes that children who watch a lot of violent TV shows have more tendency to show violent behaviors such as disobedience, arguing and striking out at playmates irrespective of religious background (Harrison and Joanne 93). The Kaiser Family Foundation argues that most religious children as well as the non-religious ones have come to accept violence as an alternative to solving life problems due to prolonged exposure to programs depicting the same on TV. According to the Center for Disease Control, US, violence among children who watch a lot of television is the topmost public health challenge with the influence of the same on murder rates increasing at rates more than population growth (American Academy of Pediatrics 1119). Violent television has also been associated with increased levels of blood pressure which is a contributing factor to aggressiveness. It is undeniable that TV affects negatively the behaviour f children and it is even worth noting that religious children are not spared unless with the intervention of seniors. Works Cited Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Television and violent crime. † The Public Interest 111(1993): 56-77. Harrison, Karin, and Joanne Cantor. â€Å"Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media. † Media Psychology 1. 2 (1999): 97–116. Nathanson, Amy J. , and Joanne, Cantor. â€Å"Children’s Fright Reactions to Television News. † Journal of Communication 46. 4 (1996): 139–152. Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Exposure to television as a risk factor for violence. † American Journal of Epidemiology 129 (1989): 643-652. Wood, W, Wong, F. Y. , and Chachere, J. G. â€Å"Effects of media violence on viewers’ aggression in unconstrained social interaction. † Psychological Bulletin 109 (1991): 371-383. American Academy of Pediatrics. â€Å"Committee on Communications: Children, adolescents, and television. † Pediatrics 85(1990):1119-1120. Brandon, Centerwall S. â€Å"Television and Violence: The Scale of the Problem and Where to Go From Here† JAMA 267. 22 (1992). Retrieved August 3, 2010 from http://cursor. org/stories/television_and_violence. htm.