Preschool Education System Essay Example for Free

Preschool Education System Essay Ramona is a hard-working, loving, single mother of two preschool aged girls, Theresa and Rosa. She works overtime every week, just to make ends meet for her and her children. Ramona and her children are in poverty. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that Theresa and Rosa will struggle to receive the quality preschool education they need to in order to succeed throughout Kindergarten, grade school, high school and into adulthood. According to one study by Sum and Fogs, students living in poverty rank in the 19th percentile on academic assessments, while their peers who are part of mid-upper income families rank in the 66th percentile on the same assessments (Lacour and Tissington, 2011). â€Å"The achievement gap refers to significant disparity in low educational success between groups of children: low-income and minority children as compared to higher income and non-minority children† (Early Education for All). This academic achievement gap is unacceptable and every child deserves the chance to excel to their fullest potential in school, in order to prepare for adulthood. Preschool is a pertinent part of a young child’s education, which has been proven successful many times in preparing children for grades K-12, and beyond. â€Å"Practitioners and researchers alike contend that the enrichment of preschool makes a difference especially for children living in poverty† (Loucks, Slaby, and Stelwagon). By providing all children with access to preschool programs, the educational achievement gap can be reduced. Unfortunately, since preschool is not a government mandated educational requirement, preschool must be privately funded, leaving families who are unable to pay tuition costs are. This is an opportunity that Theresa and Rosa would miss out on because Ramona cannot afford the tuition. Because of these lasting cognitive and social development benefits that preschool can provide, it should federally funded educational requirement. Quality preschool education needs to be regarded as a constitutional right, not a socioeconomic privilege. There is an increasing educational achievement gap in the United States, between children of low-income families, and their peers, due to their limited access to a preschool education. It has been proven time and time again, that underprivileged children, who are not provided with the access to a preschool education, perform lower in later academic learning, than those who were afforded a preschool education. One study in California revealed that second and third grade students of low-income families who did not attend preschool were significantly less proficient in English and Mathematics (Loucks, Slaby, Stelwagon, 2005). Another California survey illustrated that poverty stricken children entering kindergarten were six months behind their wealthy peers in pre-reading skills. (Loucks, Slaby, Stelwagon, 2005). Children of low-income families are also much more likely to encounter environmental and health risk factors. (Early Education for All). These risks can potentially impede on a child’s readiness for school. For example, children living in poverty have been proven to begin kindergarten with significantly less mathematical knowledge than their peers. â€Å"This would suggest that the preschool experience is a mechanism to level the playing field and fully prepare students to succeed in kindergarten† (Loucks, Slaby, Stelwagon, 2005). By entering the early grades without having the proper pre-requisite education and skill sets, children run the risk of falling behind in class. When a student enters kindergarten unprepared, the students risk of grade retention increases, not only in kindergarten, but also in the grade school years to follow. Catching up to the required proficiency level becomes harder and harder for the student, and in some cases, the student will simply giv e up and either fail or drop out. Access to preschool education for these children can help to close the educational achievement gap, and prevent grade retention, by providing these children with the tools and skills necessary to prepare for Kindergarten and beyond. The United States of America prides itself on its educational standards, and even has ratified educational laws which require children to meet proficiency standards in reading and mathematics at certain grade levels, as indicated in the No Child Left Behind Act. The law incentivizes those school districts which show improvement in test scores, and enforce corrective actions upon those districts who continuously fail to improve student proficiencies. Still, these underprivileged children are left behind, and find it continually challenging to catch up, as the school grades progress. A child’s odds of academic accomplishment are maximized when attending a high quality preschool program, especially within the lower-income communities. This theory has been put to the test. In New Jersey lays a group of the thirty one most poverty stricken districts in the state called the Abbott Districts. The state of New Jersey granted these districts a program which funds preschool education within the districts to their children in order to close the achievement gap for poverty stricken students. The results were noteworthy, and the funds allocated to this cause were well spent. Children who attended this program improved on their math, language and literacy skills. The kindergartners who had previously attended the program closed the academic achievement gap by a remarkable fifty percent between their own literacy scores and those of the national average (Early Education for All, 2005). These results proved the program to be a great success. Studies have been conducted all over the United States, pertaining to children in poverty and the profound effect a preschool program can have on each child’s continued education. In a fifteen year follow up study in Chicago, Illinois, children who attended preschool were proven to be significantly more academically successful than their peers who did not attend preschool. At the age of thirteen, this group of children’s academic scores was sixty percent higher than those who did not attend. By the age of twenty, this same group who had attended preschool was thirty percent more likely to complete high school, and forty percent less likely to experience grade retention or be enrolled in special education classes (Early Education for All, 2005). It is important to remember, however, that although the strongest support for the advantages of preschool education indicates that underprivileged children benefit most, all children, regardless of socioeconomic status can benefi t academically from a preschool education. When a child has had the privilege of attending a quality preschool program, that child is also much more likely to adjust socially in adulthood, than those who did not attend a preschool program. According to Loucks, Sharon, Slaby and Stelwagon, those who have attended a quality preschool program are also less likely to have long periods of unemployment or welfare, and drop out of school. (â€Å"Why is preschool essential in closing the achievement gap?† par. 1). Adults who attended preschool as a child also have been proven to reduce delinquency and crime throughout adulthood (Barnett, 2008). Preschools are not only about cognitive learning, but they give a formal education to pre-kindergarten aged children on the developmental concepts of interaction with their peers. These lessons stay with the children through the remainder of their life. Without those lessons, many do not develop the social skills needed to succeed in our society. Preschool education is not only beneficial to the individuals who attend the programs, but it also benefits community and the local economy as a whole. Funds invested into preschool programs provide a significant return to the community. The RAND Corporation, a non-profit organization which provides objective analysis through surveys and research (The RAND Corporation), recently performed a study which found that for every on dollar invested into quality preschool programs for underprivileged children, two dollars and sixty-two cents was returned into the labor force and economy (Loucks, Slaby, and Stelwagon, Fall 2005). That is a two hundred and sixty percent return on investment. The direct return on this investment alone is more than enough to warrant a universal program. This study does not even include other potential indirect financial returns. Other financial returns from a public preschool investment would also be present in the lowering of state Medicaid costs, law enforcements costs, and other low-income assistance costs, such as food vouchers, homeless shelters and unemployment pay, which cost the government and tax payers a significant amount of money every year. Preschool is a necessary business investme nt for our economy to yield a higher return rate, than the current K-12 requirements today. The concept of a universal preschool program is not unheard of, not even in the United States. Most state government funded preschool programs are targeted toward children of lower income households. These programs have been put into place in a collaborative effort to close the educational achievement gap that exists in our society. However, some states, and even entire countries have already begun governmentally funding preschool programs, not just for underprivileged children whose families cannot afford the tuition, but for all pre-kindergarten aged children. In 1998, Oklahoma legislation ruled to make all four year olds eligible for a universal quality pre-kindergarten program (Sacks and Brown Ruzzi, 2005). Of course, a program as significant as this would not go without continued research and analysis. In a study performed between 2002 and 2003, significant supporting evidence was found which indicated that the program was a success. The study showed increased academic test scor es in the subjects of reading, spelling, writing and mathematics skills (Gormley, Gayer, Phillips and Dawson). Oklahoma is not the only state to equalize education for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status. With the revenues from a state lottery, and the leadership of, then governor, Zell Miller, Georgia was the first state in the United States to offer a publically funded preschool program (Early Education for All, 2005). Similar to the findings in the study of Oklahoma’s program, Georgia’s program was also proven to be successful. A study found that more than eight percent of students who had attended the program ranked average or above upon evaluation third-grade readiness (Sacks and Brown Ruzzi, 2005). A universal preschool program is not just a theory waiting to be tested, it is already in effect in some areas, and is proving its value in this country’s educational achievement. If we do not put into place the appropriate interventions in the society, the educational achievement gap will only widen, costing more and more tax dollars, and most importantly, costing children the equal opportunity of prosperity in this country. This gap can be diminished significantly by providing each and every child in this country with the equal educational opportunity of a quality preschool program. Such a program provides this nation’s youngsters with the skills they need in order to meet the countries educational standards throughout the span of their education. It is unfortunate that in this land of opportunity and prosperity, that in order to grown and succeed; our children are subject to exclusion of such a beneficial educational tool, because of his or her parents’ inability to afford tuition costs. With our current economic status, our children, the future of this nation, must be provided every advantage possible in order to change this economy around. An investment should be made in our future today by providing a constitutional right to a quality and inclusive preschool program to all children. Works Cited Loucks, Sharon, Slaby, Robert, and Stelwagon, Patricia. Why is preschool essential in closing the achievement gap? Educational Leadership and Administration Fall 2005: 47+. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Oct. 2012. Document URL: http://go.galegroup.com.ezp1r.riosalado.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA142874683v=2.1u=mccweb_riosaladoit=rp=AONEsw=w Strategies for Children. â€Å"Early Childhood Education: A Strategy for closing the Acheivement Gap†. Spring 2005. Web. 06 Oct. 2012. Document URL: http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/6research_summaries/07_AchievementGap.pdf Marcon, Rebecca A. Moving up the Grades: Relationship between Preschool Model and Later School Success. Early Childhood Research and Practice 4.1 (2002). 06 October 2012. Document URL: . Gormley, William T., Jr., Gayer, Ted, Phillips, Deborah and Dawson, Brittany. The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development. National Institute for Early Education Research. 06 October 2012. Document URL: http://www.crocus.georgetown.edu/reports/oklahoma9z.pdf Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool educati on and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved 10/06/2012 from http://epicpolicy.org/publication/preschooleducation Sacks, Lynne and Brown Ruzzi, Betsy (2005). Early Childhood Education: Lessons from the States and Abroad: 2005. National Center on Education and the Economy. The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Retrieved 1027/2012. Document URL: http://www.ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Early-Childhood-Education.pdf Lacour, Misty and Tissington, Laura D. (2011). The effects of poverty on academic achievement.. Retrieved 11/03/2012. Document URL: http://www.academicjournals.org/err/pdf/pdf%202011/july/lacour%20and%20tissington.pdf The RAND Corporation. (n.d.). RAND Corporation: Obective Analysis. Effective Solutions. Retrieved November 03, 2012, from The RAND Corperation: http://www.rand.org/

Buffalo Soldiers :: Blacks Slavery History West Papers

Buffalo Soldiers When someone thinks of the west the first things that probably come to their mind are probably Cowboys, Indians, Gunfights and The Gold Rush. Little to no people think of blacks and their contribution to the expansion of the west. This is due to the fact that even though the west was considered free territory blacks were still enslaved tot a certain extent. What people have to realize is that slavery is more mental than anything. Blacks made contributions in many areas of the west: on the ranch, in wars, and also in commerce. In this paper I plan to bring to light a majority of the many contributions that blacks made to help make the American west what it is today. Many people carry the misconception that the west was only founded and established on the accomplishments of Caucasians. This is primarily because during the time of the expansion of the west blacks were still looked down upon so eve if they made a great contribution they were not given credit for it. Blacks gave many grea t contributions to the west, which aided in the success of the founding of that particular part of America and its history. "During the time period of 1863 approximately 3,120,000 slaves were freed (Blacks in the west pg. 55)" Due to this large influx of free slaves many of them needed somewhere to go and jobs to do. So many of the decided to go to the west were they would be able to receive a new chance and new identities. " Black families coming wets in covered wagons established self sufficient all black towns and filed every job from barber, to teacher, doctor to state legislator. This went to show many people that there stereotype of blacks that they were dumb and less human was extremely incorrect. But the main contributions that I will be focusing on will be that of Black Cowboys and the buffalo Soldiers. When one thinks of the cowboys the first thing that comes to their mind, or at least my mind would be a white man riding in the open parries of the West. But in many cases that was extremely untrue. "Nearly a third of all cowboys who helped build the American west were black (Black Pioneers Pg.16)". Many people do not know about this due to segregation. Mainly if not only white cowboys were given recognition due to the fact that slavery had just ended and many people were getting use to the fact that blacks were free and equal to them.

Audio Visual Technology Essay

When it comes to distance education in middle school, some may think that it is irrelevant for children to learn outside of the classroom. Personally, I believe that distance education is important at every level of school. In middle school, it would be appropriate for students to experience distance education, by requiring your class to log into a class chat room on the weekend, or at a particular time after the normal class hours and discussing the lesson for the day or the week. Also, as the instructor, you can post a topic on a personalized blog, and open it to your student to leave their opinion, or answer certain questions on the blog. These methods, in my opinion, are beneficial for students to explore the many different technologies readily available to them. With every benefit, there can be some limitations. One limitation concerning distance learning is the fact that if a problem was to arise or occur, the teacher would not physically be there to assist and guide the student. A situation like this could result in the student missing out on the assignment or lecture and possibly earning a failing grade. I believe that distance learning is appropriate for middle school students because it teaches them the importance of responsibility. It allows children to think responsibly and complete work on their own without the direct guidance of their teacher. Question 2. The message is the information, attitude, skill, or strategy that we deliver to the students in the classroom. The medium is the tool used in communicating information to the students in your classroom. The method is the way of getting the message across to the students. The message is what is given by the instructor, for someone else, typically the students in your classroom to learn. This message can include words, actions, and in many cases, signals. The message is important in the learning environment because it is what needs to be taught to your students. Teachers must make sure that the message is refined, focusing and compelling to the different types of learners in the classroom. Also, the message must be appropriate for the specific age group of students in your classroom. Using multimedia in your classroom in beneficial because it keeps the interest of the students in your class, as well as it motivates them to become discovery learners. When a teacher uses different types of multimedia in the classroom, it helps to reach the different types of learners that may be in the class. In order for the students to truly understand the information that is being relayed, the method in which it is delivered must be engaging and needs to revolve around the way that the students learn best. For example, some of the students in your classroom may be visual learner, while others may be auditory learners. In order for you to effectively get your message across for the lesson that you are teaching, you may want to present the class with a power point presentation which also has voices and sounds incorporated. Also, another way may be to present the class with an instructional video in order to get the message across. The 3M’s are very important when instructing your class because it ensures that your students are effectively gaining and understanding the knowledge that you are communication to them. Question 3. In today’s society, technology and the different types of media are forever evolving. The incorporation of technology is very important in education, in my opinion, because it motivates students to learn, and engages the student with the lesson that is being taught. Technology and media can be a resource to facilitate instructional strategies in many different ways. For example, a teacher may require her students to use a computer to browse the internet for research on a class project. Another way that technology and media can be used to facilitate instructional strategies is by allowing the student to take notes from a presentation through power point, instead of traditionally taking notes from the black board. Some instructors may have their class view a video on YouTube, in order to give the class a better understanding of a particular subject. These different ways of facilitating instructional strategies are important, in my opinion because they will help students in the classroom with different learning styles to fully understand the information and instruction that is being delivered by the teacher. Question 6. An instructional setting in which I would implement the use of multimedia would be inside of my kindergarten classroom. In order to get my class prepared for a very special trip to the National Aquarium in Downtown Baltimore, MD, I would, first create a weekly lesson plan for my five and six year old students. The daily lesson plans would review the different wild life that could be found at the aquarium. I would allow the students to view videos online of the different habitats the animals and mammals live in. This will give my students the understanding that the animals are not originally from the aquarium, but in fact from different wild life around the world. Also, I would allow the student so play different computer games which would help them to gain better knowledge of the animals they will view at the aquarium. By playing different computer game, the student will learning about different animals and mammals while having fun playing computer games that they are familiar with. Another form of technology that I would implement in my kindergarten class would be different interactive transparencies, in which the class as a whole can view, identify, and label together. For example, the instruction might include the student matching the correct mammal with the correct habitat. Before the actual trip would have even taken place, the students in my kindergarten class would have met the initial objective, which in this case, would be the understanding and the gaining of knowledge of the different animals and mammals in different habitats around the world. My reason for choosing the types of media list is easily accessible by me the teacher, and it is already familiar to the student in my kindergarten class.

Media Deprivation Report

Nghia Le MCOM 1307 Mrs. Krissy Mailman 23 October 2012 Media Deprivation Report I just found out that I am addicted to the Internet and cell phone since I finished the media deprivation challenge. I did not use cell phone, TV, and Internet for a day. No TV is ok with me because I don’t watch TV a lot, but no cell phone and no internet was giving me a hard time. I started the challenge on Sunday, right after I finished all my homework and my exam, because those things really need the Internet to be done.At first I felt kind of weird because I used to connect with my friend by phone or Facebook. For example, I wanted to ask some of my friends to go out to eat, then I had to drive to their houses, knock their doors to ask them out for dinner. It would be much faster if I could use my phone. However, it was fun that I had a chance to see how my friends’ life are going on. We were not used to come home each other for a long time, calling each other to make appointment were a ll we did.In my opinion, technology is great for every one, because make people connect to each other and know information faster and easier. Nowadays, people are familiar with online news, watching news on TV, and connecting to each other by Internet or cell phone. I think that is a great way save time and money. We don’t need to buy newspaper every morning and read, we just only need too open the web browser or turn on the morning news in TV to know all the information that we need for a day.

One Thousand Words †Visual Culture Essay

One Thousand Words – Visual Culture Essay Free Online Research Papers One Thousand Words Visual Culture Essay Some time ago our culture realized that our eyes are much quicker at processing images than they do words. This realization has saved many from countless hours of paying attention to words and to then having to interpret such words. After all, â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand words† (Arlen, 1067-1). Some time ago the film industries realized that if they could take a thousand words and turn it into a single picture, perhaps even a motion picture, and distribute it on a massive scale, countless individuals would tune in to view it. And so it began, â€Å"The Tyranny of the Visual†, as Michael J. Arlen so delicately put it. It seems people are no longer interested in the long, romantic soliloquies of the Shakespearian era, but rather they want fun, adventure, pretty lights, bright colours, dark villains (preferably with horns), etc. But, most importantly, no one wants to think when they sit down to be entertained; they don’t want to interpret and rate the believability of any one picture, thus, the assumption is made that the work must be accurate with history, literature, or just life in general. And so, it is these assumptions that are responsible for the intell ectual depletion of recent culture. Though visual effects began as an intriguing new medium, it has somehow monopolized into a culture with little or no verbal intellect. It is so easy to be dazzled by flashy images, which either take us to a happier place or remind us that our own lives are not all that bad, that we rarely bother to weigh the quality of the information being conveyed. Take for instance the film, Zoolander, which actually came with a recommendation to set your brain aside for the duration of the film. The film constituted of a harebrained male model (Derek Zoolander) out to save the Malaysian president from an assassination plot by the corrupt model industry. To demonstrate: after carefully securing the computer with all the information that would provide all the evidence necessary to prove there case against the evil modeling empire, Derek’s counterpart, yet another moronic male model, attempted to retrieve the information from the computer by dropping it a few hundred meters from a second- storey balcony. Needless to say, he was at a loss when the information could not be found amidst the wreckage. Though such blatant stupidity cannot act as a reasonable basis of comparison for all films, the fact that it still grossed 43 million dollars does indicate certain standards among individuals. However, a much more formal movie, Gladiator, which won the Best Picture award, had much more of the heart-stopping, pulse racing, and edge of your seat flashy images and minute dialogue that captivates an audience. Aside from a great deal of yelling and blood, there was little to interpret from this movie. As a matter of fact, half way through the movie, it was all but forgotten how the leading man ended up with such a thirst for vengeance. The director seemed to have forgotten what relevant role the earlier slayings of his wife and child played in the plot. But the audience was still never at a loss because they instinctively knew that a good cause was being fought for and it was well worth every molecule of blood. But, at the very end, there was a small reminder of the worthy cause which the late grieving husband and father died for; and with this new information in-hand, the audience was able to give a well-informed standing-ovation. While directors and producers seem to get away with shabby original works and can even gloss over historical details at whim, as they did in Arlen’s example of The Deer Hunter, there are special considerations to be made when dealing with literary works. In The Deer Hunter the events of the Vietnam War are blemished with more contrived information that would best suit the director’s â€Å"visual effect† pattern; one which would elicit the most â€Å"automated† responses from the audience (be it a yelp or a wince) (Arlen, 1068). However, this technique grows increasingly bothersome when it comes to literary works. Perhaps it is because historical data is there to be manipulated by the most unintelligent of people, but a work of literature is a single idea created by a single person. It conveys with it an individual’s feelings, opinions, and visions; in effect, it is much more personal. To manipulate even a single word would perhaps result in a w hole new meaning from what was intended by the author. In contrast, even if a novel is brought to film production and is accurately laid out word for word, it is considerably difficult to pluck the corresponding thoughts from a writer’s mind and plot them into neat little visuals. Such is the case with Toni Morrison’s, Beloved. The director obviously never anticipated the difficulty a picture to have eliciting sympathy for a woman sawing off the head of her children. How does one use visually convey the severity of slavery to such a degree that any reasonable person could understand an act of infanticide? While the film centered on a single gruesome act and the mother’s subsequent regrets, the literature provided an idea as to the hardships and degradation black slaves endured. This film demonstrated that words cannot always be translated into pictures, for words carry with them ideas which require further interpretations; and when turned into pictures, ideas lose their potential for further interpretation. A good visual masterpiece will leave no room for interpretations. It will say in a single frame what a thousand words would convey. But, is that really so, or are individuals just too lazy to analyze what their eyes perceive? Can a single picture really say a thousand words? It would indeed be unreasonable to blame directors for people’s poor taste; after all, if there was no audience for a film, then that film would most likely not have been developed. So, even though visual effects aid and abet the deterioration of cultural intellect, if people would show some form of discretion the damage could surely be minimized. Furthermore, although it may seem easy to turn words into images, a great deal is often lost in the translation. Words tend to bring with them an influx of new ideas, but a film is generally the idea, it offers few discourses or channels of thought. In essence, while visual effects tend to nourish aesthetic values, words are intended to nourish verbal int ellect. Arlen, Michael J. â€Å"The Tyranny of the Visual.† The Norton Reader: AANP. Ed. Arthur M. Eastman, et al. New York: Norton 2000. 1067-1074 Research Papers on One Thousand Words - Visual Culture EssayWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionMind TravelResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

Analyzing The Journeys End Of Regeneration English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Journeys End Of Regeneration English Literature Essay In the two works that I will be analysing, ‘Journey’s End’ and ‘Regeneration’, class refers to the social values that distinguish between the lower, middle and upper class men. The theme of class is central to both of the works and is personified in two predominant characters, ‘Trotter’ in ‘Journey’s End’ as well as ‘Prior’ in ‘Regeneration’, they will both be fundamental subjects in my essay; in which I will discuss how ‘Sheriff’ and ‘Barker’ explore this theme of class, concerning similarities and differences in the various methods employed. Three palpable contrasts between the works should at the outset be mentioned. Firstly ‘Journey’s End’ was written by a man, ‘Sheriff’ who had firsthand experience of the war, himself being a captain in the East Surrey Regiment. Therefore, we can assume that some events in ‘Journey’s End’ and characters used are most likely influenced by genuine soldiers. Thus themes of class and the harshness of war are even more authentic and realistic; â€Å"How awfully nice – if the brigadier’s pleased† – is a typical, if not sarcastic, response from a proverbial soldier; Stanhope, concerning Osborne’s death, showing little respect for those in higher command and also his repression of emotion. Sheriff explores the theme of class through the effects on the characters; how differing people handle the constant stress of war, for Stanhope, it is to â€Å"drink like a fish†, in contrast to Trotters circle drawing, perhaps showing a lack of imagination. On the other hand the writer of ‘Regeneration’, ‘Barker’ is a woman and more importantly a lot younger than ‘Sheriff’ with no direct experience of the war. ‘Regeneration’ seems to focus more on the aftermath, which allows a broade r sense of themes such as roles of women and the altered mental states of the class men. â€Å"You seem to have a very powerful anti-war neurosis†, is Rivers’ reply to Sassoon, who asks if he is mad, it shows the effect of the war, that it can make an educated and brave man question his own sanity. It also explores the theme of class; Rivers and Sassoon immediately create a bond with one another, coming from similar backgrounds and viewpoints, as opposed to the perpetual antagonism between Prior and Rivers. Secondly ‘Journey’s End’ is a play, as opposed to a novel, and ‘Sheriff’ employs staging. This coupled with the need for a play to be entertaining, does not give ‘Sheriff’ the luxury of including pages full of background conversation which allow subtle character progression. ‘Barker’s’ work in general could be seen as symbolically internal with the characters thoughts and deep emotions shown through i ntrospection, â€Å"†¦ and thought oh God, it’s going to be another one of this†, this allows the audience to understand the characters in greater detail, to relate to them based on our personal experience, perspective and class. Whereas ‘Sheriff’s’ is driven by actions, and what other characters say. â€Å"(He puts the box on its side and sits on it. It is too low for the table, and he puts it on its end. It is then too high†¦)†, When ‘Trotter’ is first introduced the stage actions show him to be a comical character, at odds with the more serious Stanhope or the â€Å"hard as nails† Osborne, however ‘Trotter’ is a much more deep individual below the surface, which is shown by the end of the play with his promotion to second in command; Similarly ‘Prior’ in ‘Regeneration’ is first introduced as a mute, with a case of ‘dumbness’, differing to the other characters , but throughout the novel he conveys himself to be highly intelligent and profound.

The impact of Japanisation, lean production and high performance work Essay

The impact of Japanisation, lean production and high performance work practices in the UK Workplace - Essay Example The effectiveness of these techniques in practice has led many managers internationally to adopt these techniques; in this way the so-called ‘japanisation’ has become a common phenomenon within modern firms (referring to the management styles used throughout modern organizations). In most cases, the effectiveness of Japanese management techniques is based on the radical increase of employees’ performance; lean production as developed primarily by Toyota is extensively used by firms within the modern market in order to support the improvement of organizational performance: a target that is being achieved in most cases. On the other hand, because there are cases where the adaptation of Japanese management techniques do not lead to the increase of the employees’ performance (and the following increase of the firm’s profitability) it is necessary to identify the key elements of the Japanese techniques’ potential failure ensuring at the same time t hat alternative management techniques – effective ones – will be available to managers worldwide. The design and the development of management practices in workplace should be decided taking into account the cultural and social characteristics of the specific region. The culture of the particular organization should be also taken into consideration. The specific issue was examined by Soutar et al. (1999, 203) who noticed that ‘culture is an important idea as it deals with the way people live and approach problem solving in a social and organizational context’. In accordance with the above view, management practices in countries around the world are expected to present significant differences; however it has been proved in the literature and the empirical research that in modern workplace the practices followed by managers are similar; it’s just the fact that this similarity is further increased when referring to firms established in the same country.