Literacy Enhancement Teaching Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literacy Enhancement Teaching - Assignment Example I made two colorful books, with splashing colors. One book contained the photographs of those persons whom Evan was familiar with, like his parents, his aunt, and me. I showed him the pictures twice a day for two weeks. Initially, he would not take an interest but that was only for a day. From the second day on, he started taking great interest which showed that he was recognizing the faces. When I showed him the pictures, he gave me smiles and giggled as if he was too pleased to see the faces. He also did some baby talk which included little sounds. This helped me learn that this activity enhanced his recognition capability and memory. In understanding the patterns of cognitive development in infants and children and how families affect their development, the contributions of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and Erik Erikson (1902-1994) hold a very significant importance. Children go through a number of cognitive stages in intellectual development, and they learn to develop emotional attachm ent right from their infancy. This emotional attachment made Evan recognize the faces in the photographs and smile at them. In the second book, I attached pictures of things that Evan saw on daily basis. They included his feeding bottle, diaper, a fluffy little cushion, and some of his toys. First I showed him the things in real, and then I would show him the pictures. I noticed that every time I showed him the pictures, he would raise his legs in the air and do some baby talk like â€Å"oo-aa†. This activity helped develop memory and initiated speech. Evan would also touch the pictures as if wanting to get a feel for them. My experience proved that Evan loved to see the pictures and feel the textures.  

The UN is essential to ensuring Accountability by member States for Essay

The UN is essential to ensuring Accountability by member States for their Human Rights Obligations and Commitments - Essay Example â€Å"On 10 December 1948, the UN General Assembly espoused the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).† Before the adoption of UDHR, human rights were guaranteed through protection of natural rights and the protection of human rights by the rule law by different nations around the globe. The declaration and implementation of UDHR in 1948 can be said to be a new beginning of the significant global march towards making sure that the human rights is safeguarded internationally by the rule of law. Thus, UDHR can be said to be legal foundation for modern international human rights law1. Though, UDHR is not legally binding instrument when it was introduced 64 ago, but UDHR is consistently employed to safeguard the international human rights, mainly through the rule of law. As compared to the earlier endeavour of including human rights provisions in the Covenant of the League of Nations immediately at the conclusion of the First World War in 1919, was futile. However, there wa s an effort by private sector and in 1929, the Institute of International Law, which was a private body of eminent officials of international law in USA, Asia and Europe perused the Declaration of the Rights of Man where it was stressed that it was the State’s responsibility to offer equal rights to every individual to their liberty, life and property. Though, the above Declaration was not a legally authenticated document, it facilitated wide publicity of the notion of the international human rights for the first time2. Massacres and atrocities unleashed during the Second World War had aggravated poignant humanitarian apprehensions and pushed the international community to introduce a global initiative to ensure the legal safeguard of human rights and accomplishment of world safety and peace3. Since its inception, UDHR played a major role in establishing a comprehensive body of human rights regulations and laws. Within six decades of its establishment, its function included t o address particular human rights infringements and complaints together with wider human rights issues. The UN has established a system of unique methods to supervise, analyse and report on human rights infringements. The UN system addressed not only nation-specific human right infringement, but also ‘thematic’ cutting across human right infringement like religious prejudice, racial discrimination and refusal of freedom of expression. In Prosecutor v. Anto Furundzija4, it was observed by the International Criminal Tribunal that the general rule of honour for human dignity was the fundamental highlight of both national human rights law and global humanitarian law. (Olasolo 2008:34). In Juan Carlos Abella v. Argentina5, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights observed that its authority to extend the international humanitarian law could be obtained from the overlie between the standards between the Geneva Conventions and the American Convention on Human Rights6. How ever, in the recent years, disagreement crept over the conduct of the commission members. Some nations which are criticised as systematic human rights infringers were voted as its members. Sudan, which is notorious for its human rights abuses, was elected as the member of the council in 2001. Sudan was widely censured for its ethnic

Floods in India Essay Example for Free

Floods in India Essay India, being a peninsular country and surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, is quite prone to flood. As per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the major flood prone areas of India cover almost 12.5% area of the country. Every year, flood, the most common disaster in India causes immense loss to the countrys property and lives. India Flood Prone Areas The states falling within the periphery of India Flood Prone Areas are West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The intense monsoon rains from southwest causes rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna etc. to swell their banks, which in turn floods the adjacent areas. Over the past few decades, central India has become familiar with precipitation events like torrential rains and flash floods. The major flood prone areas in India are the river banks and deltas of Ravi, Yamuna-Sahibi, Gandak, Sutlej, Ganga, Ghaggar, Kosi, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Mahananda, Damodar, Godavari, Mayurakshi, Sabarmati and their tributaries. Though the north-Indian plains prone to flood more, the India flood prone areas can be broadly categorized in three divisions: Besides the Ganga, rivers like Sarada, Rapti, Gandak and Ghagra causes flood in eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. The Yamuna is famous for flooding Haryana and Delhi. Bihar experiences massive dangerous flood every year. River Burhi, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla along with many small rivers contribute to that. In West Bengal, rivers like Mahananda, Bhagirathi, Damodar, Ajay etc. causes floods because of tidal effects and insufficient river channels. * Brahmaputra and Barak Basins: The river banks of Brahmaputra and Barak gets flooded due to the Surplus water found in the Brahmaputra basin and the Barak basin. These rivers along with their tributaries flood the northeastern states like West Bengal, Assam and Sikkim. Jaldakha, Teesta and Torsa in northern West Bengal and rivers in Manipur often overflow their banks. * Central India and Deccan Rivers Basin: In Orissa, spilling over of river banks by Mahanadi, Baitarni and Brahmani causes havoc. The deltaic area formed by these three rivers is thickly populated. Even some small rivers of Kerala and mud stream from the nearby hills add on to the destruction. Southern and central India observes floods caused by Narmada, Godavari, Tapi, Krishna and Mahanadi due to heavy rainfall. Cyclonic storms in the deltaic regions of Godavari, Mahanadi and Krishna even floods the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu occasionally.

Relationship Between Intelligence and Creativity

Relationship Between Intelligence and Creativity For a long time, creativity has been a neglected subject in psychological research. This is mainly because it has always been widely believed that it has mystical influences or a divine nature. Plato said that the poet is only able to create what the Muse dictates and most often than not, even nowadays, writers or inventors often mention the presence of a spiritual nature that switches their perspective to a revelatory one. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, those interested in the human mind found a new interest in the matter. This generated countless theories regarding the nature of creativity, but probably the most puzzling question was whether one has to be intelligent to create something never seen before or to discover a never before explored perspective. This essay will present a few of the most famous opinions on the matter. Most of the research in this area, up until the 1960s, was based on the idea that creativity and intelligence are coincide. Cox and Terman(1926) proposed that highly creative individuals are also exceptionally intelligent and they tried to estimate the IQ of 301 of the most eminent people who lived between 1450 and 1850.The study was severely criticized because of the unreliability of the data collected from letters, records and writings, but also because of the subjectivity involved in approximating IQs. The results were inconclusive, showing that high, but not the highest, intelligence combined with great persistence can achieve greater eminence than those of highest intelligence did. A study, by Getzels and Jackson(1962), was the first to somewhat prove that creativity and intelligence were independent concepts. They selected a high sample of students ranging from 6th grade to the end of high school and they asked them to complete one IQ test and five alleged creative tests. Their results showed an insignificant correlation between the scores. However, Wallach and Kogan(1965) reanalyzed the data and concluded that four of the creativity tests were significantly correlated to IQ for girls and all five of them for boys. They theorized that results continued to show that intelligence and creativity share a conceptual basic because the way tests were administered was very similar to the methods used for IQ testing. It was suggested that the presentation of tests and the frame of reference of the subject are important in determining whether there is a connection between intelligence and creativity. Boersma and O’Bryan (1968) decided to test this with 46 element ary school students. All of them were given the Lorge-Thorndike Nonverbal and Verbal Intelligence tests under strict teacher supervision, in the classroom. Afterwards, they were randomly assigned into two groups: group A and group B. One day after taking the intelligence tests, group A were given Torrance’s Figure Completion(TFC) test of nonverbal creativity and Unusual Uses test, under the same conditions. Group B were administered the same tests except they were informed, one day after taking the intelligence tests, that they were free from school that morning. They were then invited to visit the University of Alberta, where an examiner took them in a gymnasium where several boxes with toys had been placed. The boys were told they could play, but after 60 minutes the examiner asked them if they would like to try â€Å"something someone made up†. He then placed a box containing the TFC tests. The tests had no instructions on them, the examiner saying they should inclu de as many different ideas as they wished. Ten minutes later, the examiner asked if they wanted to go to the pool and instructed them to put the tests back in the box with their names written on them. 25 minutes later, the examiner presented them with a soft toy dog and asked them to find as many uses for it, other than that of a toy. The final results showed that Group B scored significantly higher on the creativity tests and displayed a less significant correlation between intelligence and creative variables. These results support Wallach and Kogan’s suggestions, but, at the same time, it must be noted that the definition of creativity used by the experimenters was quite general, and, since the participants were all children, it could be that the creativity they displayed was simply age specific. Supporters of the cognitive approaches generally assumed that the study of creativity was simply an extension of that of intelligence, mostly because it was thought that both involved the same main mental processes. Norbert JauÃ… ¡ovec (2000) conducted a study that investigated the differences in cognitive processes related to creativity and intelligence with the help of EEG coherence and power measures in the lower and upper alpha band. The participants were 49 students and teachers taking a course in psychology. They were divided into four groups, based on the results in intelligence (WAIS) and creativity (Torrance) tests: gifted- high IQ and high creativity; creative- high creativity and average IQ; intelligent- high IQ and average creativity; average- average IQ and average creativity. Afterwards, they were asked to solve two problems with two levels of complexity, which could be considered closed problems with closed solution situations, and later, they had to solve four creativ ity problems, some similar to those on creativity tests, and others related to their everyday lives. Both tasks were completed while the individual’s EEG was being measured. Results showed that for the first task, highly intelligent individuals displayed less mental activity (which would translate to less effort) and greater cooperation between brain areas than average intelligence individuals. In the completion of the second task, highly creative individuals displayed less mental activity than the average creativity participants. At the same time, creative individuals showed better connections between brain areas than gifted individuals. The results suggested that creativity and intelligence are different concepts and abilities that differ in the neurological activities shown by individuals while solving open and closed problems. Results also imply that creativity has a less pronounced influence on solving closed problems, as well as intelligence on solving open problems. Another prominent hypothesis was developed by Guilford (1967) and is widely known as the threshold theory, which assumes that above-average intelligence is a necessary condition for high-level creativity. This is commonly tested by dividing a sample to a threshold (e.g. 120 IQ) and determining correlations for lower and upper IQ range (Sternberg, 2003). This method has been criticized because there is no apparent reason to set the threshold at a given IQ score. In an attempt to overcome this problem, a study was conducted in 2013 (Jauk et. al) to investigate the relationship between intelligence and different indicators of creative potential (ability to generate something novel and useful) and creative achievement (actual realization of this potential in real-life accomplishments). This was done using segmented regression analysis in a sample of 297 individuals, which facilitates the detection of threshold in data by means of iterative computational algorithms. Participants were requ ired to complete four subtests of the Intelligence Structure Battery (figural-inductive reasoning, verbal short-term memory, arithmetic flexibility, word meaning) for general intelligence, an alternative uses test for creative potential and the Inventory of Creative Achievements. In the end, a threshold was found for creative potential, but not for creative achievement, which suggests that while intelligence and creative potential are highly related up to a point where they have no influence on each other, there is no apparent relationship between intelligence and the actual fulfilment of that potential. It should be noted that the study had limitations such as the size of the sample and the IQ range of the participants. In response to the fact that most contemporary research focuses on the idea that creativity and intelligence are unrelated, Nusbaum and Silvia (2011) conducted a study based on improved approaches to creativity measurement, which proposes that fluid and executive cognition is actually central to creative thought. The participants were 178 women and 48 men, all of them university students. In the first phase of the experiment, the effect of fluid intelligence on creativity was observed by giving the individuals divergent thinking tasks and measuring their executive switching (the number of times people switched idea categories). In the second phase, half the sample were told what strategy they should use in an Unusual Uses test, which was then administered to the entire sample. People with high fluid thinking did better when they knew the strategy, which was consistent with their ability to access and use it in spite of interference, while for the people with lower fluid thinking, the strategy tended to slip. By combining the results of the two phases, the experimenters suggested that creativity is probably more convergent than modern theories assume. In conclusion, views on the relationship between intelligence and creativity are extremely varied and there is evidence to be found for each of them. Probably the greatest problem of this area of research is finding a suitable definition for the abstract concept of creativity, but maybe there is a need for a new and creative perspective on the matter to finally decipher it.

Change Essay -- essays research papers

Change is something that is constantly occurring in our lives. Not a single moment goes by when everything in our lives will remain consistent. Indeed, it has become apparent to us that the only thing which in fact survives change, is change itself. Time and experience allows change to eventually reform and alter everything from the way it originally was. From ourselves physically, to those around us emotionally, to the way in which we perceive the entirety of the world everything it eventually changes. Most of the time we are not even explicitly aware of such changes occurring, but none-the-less they are indeed occurring. Change is a natural process that cannot be easily stopped or controlled. When we think of the things we valued at the age of, five, ten and even fifteen, the constant abundance of change in our lives become apparent. However, it is due to the unpredictability that change promotes in our life, that has made many perceive the ideology of change to be something which should be viewed as a negative in our lives today. However, we should passionately revolt against this notion. It is change which has bought about some of the greatest events in history. Had their not have been change in our past, there would never have been an industrial revolution and we would not be able to live in the liberalist country in which we do today, where we can voice our opinions without being under threat of persecution. This embracement of change which we sh... Change Essay -- essays research papers Change is something that is constantly occurring in our lives. Not a single moment goes by when everything in our lives will remain consistent. Indeed, it has become apparent to us that the only thing which in fact survives change, is change itself. Time and experience allows change to eventually reform and alter everything from the way it originally was. From ourselves physically, to those around us emotionally, to the way in which we perceive the entirety of the world everything it eventually changes. Most of the time we are not even explicitly aware of such changes occurring, but none-the-less they are indeed occurring. Change is a natural process that cannot be easily stopped or controlled. When we think of the things we valued at the age of, five, ten and even fifteen, the constant abundance of change in our lives become apparent. However, it is due to the unpredictability that change promotes in our life, that has made many perceive the ideology of change to be something which should be viewed as a negative in our lives today. However, we should passionately revolt against this notion. It is change which has bought about some of the greatest events in history. Had their not have been change in our past, there would never have been an industrial revolution and we would not be able to live in the liberalist country in which we do today, where we can voice our opinions without being under threat of persecution. This embracement of change which we sh...

Origins Of Distrust Between Th :: essays research papers

The Arab world has been one of the most confusing areas known to the western world. Because of this confusion, the people of the Middle East have been made to suffer, not only at the hands of the west, but also by their own. Even though Arab and western world relations have been stabalizing, they are still long way off from achieving a lasting peace. â€Å"The roots of all these problems go back to the settlement imposed on the Middle East in 1918-1922†(Field 26). Since before the start of World War I, there was a great Western presence in the area we know today as the Arab world. Britsh and French forces occupied Northern Africa since 1882; British occupied Egypt, at the request of Sultan in Constantinople, and the region we today call the Mahgreb: Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. In addition, to its presence in Egypt, Britain also kept the Gulf states under her protection and held Aden as a colony. According to the â€Å"version of events one hears in the Middle East, is that British and French policy at the time was a straightforward betrayal of the Arabs†(Field 28). Because of the Ottoman rule in the Middle East, the Europeans began to persuade the Arab leaders to revolt by promising them their independence. But what was meant, was independence from Turkish rule with the aid, supervision and/or protection from Britain and France. In simple terms, the Europeans powers would be the new occupiers of the Middle East. The deception came in the form of two documents; one important to the Europeans powers, and the other to the Jews. The Sykes-Picot Agreement of February 1916, was the document that divided the Middle East between Britain and France. The agreement stated that Lebanon and Syria would be set aside as areas of French interests and the British were free to intervene in the Arab region in the South. Sykes-Picot remained a secret to the Arabs till 1917, when after the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia had published it. From 1918 the Europeans began to place monarchs in the countries(lands) they had established. Some remained in power for a short amount of time (Sherif Hussein) and others began a lineage (Abdullah in Transjordan). Nevertheless, the rulers that were placed by Britain, were deposed of due to the nationalistic ideas that were arising in the Middle East. The second form of deception was the Balfour Decleration, in which was stated that the British government favoured and supported â€Å"the establishment in Palestine of a natural home for the Jewish people†(Field 44).

Bottled Water Essay

A couple of decades ago, people turn to the tap for drinking water. Now, most people, both young and old, drink water from bottles. In fact, the demand for bottled water is so great that it has become a multimillion-peso business in the country today. Why is there a substantial growth in the demand for bottled water? The main reason is the increasing health consciousness of the people. Many people prefer bottled water because they question the cleanliness of tap water. The quality of tap water has been decreasing. To be safe, people choose bottled water to avoid drinking water that may be contaminated with harmful microorganisms. Contaminated water can cause diarrhea and other stomach disorders that kill, like dysentery, gastroenteritis, amoebiasis, cholera, and hepatitis. Mostly, the bottled water that you buy is either mineral water or purified water. Water plants use surface water or ground water as the main raw material. These plants are located in places far from cities and industrial centers to avoid contamination. MINERAL WATER Mineral water comes from mineral springs. It normally contains a high content of mineral salts or gases, and which consequently may have an action on the human body different from that of ordinary water. Mineral waters are usually classified as alkaline, saline, chalybeate (iron-containing), sulfurous, acidulous, and arsenical. Mineral springs are generated deep underground, where, under intense heat and pressure, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, and other minerals are leached from the surrounding rocks. Mineral water is also called aerated water. (The term â€Å"aerated† means charged with gas.) The most common gases that are in mineral water are carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. GUIDELINES FOR BOTTLED MINERAL WATERS There are strict rules for water to be labeled as mineral water. Genuine mineral water should contain the right percentage of such minerals as manganese, chromium, selenium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and other minerals. In California, United States, to be labeled â€Å"mineral water,† the water must contain 550 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved solids (TDS). In Europe, mineral water must meet several criteria. One is that the water must flow freely from its source, meaning it may not be pumped or forced from the ground, and the water must be bottled directly at its source. Furthermore, the water’s properties, such as its temperature, mineral balance, and pressure have not varied in ten years. Some better known brands of mineral water in Europe include Evian and Ferrier of France, Ferarrele of Italy, and Apollinaris of Germany. All these conatin 330, 560, 1,400, and 2,250 ppm of TDS, respectively. MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF MINERAL WATER It has long been believed that mineral springs possess great curative powers. In fact, people have used mineral water since ancient times to cure such ailments as rheumatism, skin infections, and poor digestion. Also, many effervescing waters (impregnated with carbon dioxide gas) are used as table beverages and to dilute spirits or wines. Because of the springs’ medicinal effects, medicinal spas have been built around mineral springs. These spas are frequented by people who are hoping that the spring’s waters will relieve them of their ailments, such as gout, liver trouble, indigestion, and rheumatism. DISTILLED WATER Water that is treated by the process of distillation forms distilled water. This substance is purer than the original water because salt and other impurities do not evaporate with the water. Distillation is the principal method for purifying water. In this process, the water is vaporized into steam, the steam is condensed back into liquid water, and the water is collected in a separate container, leaving behind the impurities. Other methods of water purification include chlorine treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet decontamination, and oxidation-reduction media. Also, one method of water purification is with the use of iodinated resin. Iodinated resin can destroy even the smallest viruses through electrostatic attraction. Negatively charged contaminants are drawn to the positively charged resin. This ensures contact, no matter how small the microorganisms that might otherwise escape if filters are used. Upon contact, the resin releases sufficient iodine to penetrate and kill the microorganisms. PRODUCING SAFE, PURE WATER One of the most effective methods of producing safe, pure water consists of a three-step process. The first step is the use of sediment filters to remove large particles. The sediment filter acts to screen out suspended matter and can also remove many harmful bacteria and protozoa that may be present in the water. The second step is to purify the water through the use of iodinated resin. This devitalizes even the smallest harmful microorganisms within the water. Biological contaminants could also be removed by exposure to ultraviolet light, killing the microorganisms that may still be in the water. The third step is the use of carbon filters to remove taste- and odor-causing contaminants. The filter’s activated carbon and its ion exchange resin remove unwanted ions and molecules from water, leaving those that make water  pleasant to drink. The activated carbon also initiates a chemical reaction that converts free chlorine, which water utilities put in water to kill germs, into chloride and hydrogen ions, which are safe and taste all right. Other systems in bottling water consist of several steps that utilize both purification and filtration processes. In some systems, water is passed through as many as 16 stages in the whole process. Water is an all-important substance that sustains life here on earth. However, safe, pure water is becoming a rare commodity everywhere. Bottled water, whether mineral or distilled, offers safe drinking water for all of us.