Imagination, Perception and the Experience of Nature in Literature Essa

Imagination, Perception and the Experience of Nature in Literature Works Cited Missing I am a psychology student with an English minor. While the combination seems odd at first glance, the two studies actually compliment each other quite nicely. I have always been fascinated by the way in which writing can reflect the inner workings of an author's mind, by the way it effects the reader in such a profound, defamiliarizing way, as well as by the way that it can be used to explore the many facets of human nature in a much more effective way than any research study. Because of this thought process I have been particularly interested in several of the poets that we have looked at and their exploration of the effects of the forces of imagination and sensual perception on their perception of nature. The debate over how much of our personal experience is based upon what we see and hear and how much is based on what we feel and believe is long standing and crosses many fields of study, psychology being only one of them. William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey", Percy Shelley's "Mon t Blanc" and to an extent Samuel Coleridge's "Chamouny: the Hour Before Sunrise" all represent different stances on the issue and therefore aid the reader in exploring the effects of perception and of imagination on experience. In Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey", the poet explores the experience of nature as collaboration between imagination and sensual perception. He reflects on how the Wye valley has existed for him in his imagination in the years since he first visited the valley, and how now that he has returned to the same site "with gleams of half-extinguished thought, / With many recognitions dim and faint / And somewhat of a sad perplexity, / The p... ... nature is affected by their attitudes and the degree to which their attitudes are in place because of their experiences with nature. Wordsworth seems to hold back from committing himself to any one view of the relationship between experience and attitude, sensual perception and imagination. He seems to best appreciate the two way street that the aspects of unified perception operate on. While there can be no conclusions drawn as to the degree to which our experience of anything is based upon sensual perception or upon our imagination, I think that it is safe to say that our unified perception of the world around us is based upon interplay between the two. Exploration of the nature of experience by the poets discussed in the previous paragraphs further highlights the relationship between psychology and literature and helps to explain my fascination with both. Imagination, Perception and the Experience of Nature in Literature Essa Imagination, Perception and the Experience of Nature in Literature Works Cited Missing I am a psychology student with an English minor. While the combination seems odd at first glance, the two studies actually compliment each other quite nicely. I have always been fascinated by the way in which writing can reflect the inner workings of an author's mind, by the way it effects the reader in such a profound, defamiliarizing way, as well as by the way that it can be used to explore the many facets of human nature in a much more effective way than any research study. Because of this thought process I have been particularly interested in several of the poets that we have looked at and their exploration of the effects of the forces of imagination and sensual perception on their perception of nature. The debate over how much of our personal experience is based upon what we see and hear and how much is based on what we feel and believe is long standing and crosses many fields of study, psychology being only one of them. William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey", Percy Shelley's "Mon t Blanc" and to an extent Samuel Coleridge's "Chamouny: the Hour Before Sunrise" all represent different stances on the issue and therefore aid the reader in exploring the effects of perception and of imagination on experience. In Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey", the poet explores the experience of nature as collaboration between imagination and sensual perception. He reflects on how the Wye valley has existed for him in his imagination in the years since he first visited the valley, and how now that he has returned to the same site "with gleams of half-extinguished thought, / With many recognitions dim and faint / And somewhat of a sad perplexity, / The p... ... nature is affected by their attitudes and the degree to which their attitudes are in place because of their experiences with nature. Wordsworth seems to hold back from committing himself to any one view of the relationship between experience and attitude, sensual perception and imagination. He seems to best appreciate the two way street that the aspects of unified perception operate on. While there can be no conclusions drawn as to the degree to which our experience of anything is based upon sensual perception or upon our imagination, I think that it is safe to say that our unified perception of the world around us is based upon interplay between the two. Exploration of the nature of experience by the poets discussed in the previous paragraphs further highlights the relationship between psychology and literature and helps to explain my fascination with both.

Scholary vs Popular Media Focus on Sexuality Paper

It’s a Quick Way to Get What You Want†: A Formative Exportation of HIV Risk Among Urban Massachusetts Men Who Have Sex with Men(MSM) Who Attend Sex Parties was an article retrieved from the AIDS Patient Care and STD Journal it was published in October of 2010. The authors of this article are Matthew J. Mimiaga, Sari L. Reisner, Sean Bland, Kevin Cranston, Deborah Isenberg, Maura A. Driscoll, Rodney VanDerwarker, and Kenneth Mayer. The main focus of the research was to investigate the HIV sexual risk behaviors of MSM who reported attending and/or hosting sex parties in Massachusetts in the past 12 months. Men who have sex with men at these sex parties are at greater risk of receiving HIV or an STI due to the fact there are other factors involved like alcohol, drugs, higher mean of anonymous partners, and unprotected sex(Migiaga, 2010). This study took place at the Fenway Health a health care and research facility. There were 40 preselected participants who completed an in depth, semi structured qualitative interview and an interviewer-administered comprehensive quantitative assessment series for a hour and a half. The study/interviews were conducted by one of two trained interviewers. That asked questions like†¦ How would you define a sex party? When did you begin hosting/attending sex parties? Describe the sex parties you attended/hosted? Are condoms and lube available at these parties? What kind of sexual behaviors do men engage in and what HIV and STI risk behavior do you see happening? Do you participate or organize these parties? Any rules involved in your parties? While asking these questions they also assessed psychosocial factors like depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol used and history of drug or alcohol abuse, and the trauma history (like childhood sexual abuse). Results/conclusion of the study suggested that the men who attended these parties are at great risk of acquiring or transmitting the HIV due to the reasons explained throughout the article(Migiaga, 2010). â€Å"Party, Play—And Pay† was an article recovered from the Newsweek Journal that was published in February of 2005. This article gives a very detailed brief account of what a sex party full of men on crystal meth is like other wise known as â€Å"Party and Play†, or PnP for short. The authors describe the sex party scene as a room full of about 30 to 40 men paying 20 dollars a piece to the host of this party, they put all their belongs in hefty bags for safe keeping while they walk around in the nude having sex with multiple partners unprotected and using illegal drugs. The authors mention several factors that were putting these men at risk such as drug usage, multiple partners, and unprotected sex. They talk about how one person on meth and having hundreds of unsafe sexual encounters could have been the result in a powerful drug-resistant strain of HIV. Leaving health officials and the community leaders to take a long look on how crystal methamphetamine is playing an enormous role in the spread of the AIDS Virus and HIV(Jefferson, Breslau, Darmen, Childress, & Juarez, 2005). The authors depict how crystal meth leaves its users with a euphoric and hypersexual feeling, leading in binges with multiple partners for several days. In the article, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men that are high on crystal meth are four times more likely to engage in unprotected sex than those who are not high. The article also reveals that many men pop Viagra to counter temporary impotence. This mix of drugs makes users more open to unsafe sex, thus leading to a greater risk of contracting HIV. They concluded the article with an interview on someone who has lived the life of the â€Å"Party, Play—And Pay† and how they lost everything!  Both of these articles are referring to the great epidemic that is infecting the gay community-HIV. They talk about how behaviors like attendance of private sex parties, drug usage, sex with multiple partners, and use of unprotected sex are assisting in the growth of HIV amongst the gay community. Even though these articles are providing a lot of the same information, they are very different. The scholarly article compared to the public media article is a lot more in depth and have factual numbers that were taken from the direct study. The authors of a scholarly article seem to leave â€Å"no stone unturned† and no question unasked. The scholarly article encompasses an abstract-giving a description on the whole study which then leads to the introduction, methods used for example the design and the setting where the study took place and they how data was collected, how the candidates were chosen to participate. It also discussed how the qualitative interview was preformed and they questions that were asked, the article gave a quantitative assessment and the approach that was taken to retrieve the information, thus ending in results, conclusion and the discussion. The scholarly article provided information, numbers, percentages, and averages about the demographics, sexual behavior, and psychosocial characteristics of the men who were interviewed and surveyed in this study. It is written in a very formal tone, in great detail, displayed the authors’ findings to be displayed for other experts and students in a specific field to study and review. All of the authors who wrote on the scholarly were experts with degrees. Most of the scholarly articles found consisted of more then just one or two pages and they have specific guidelines. The authors cite their sources though out the article and they also include a list of references at the very end. Graphs and data were included. Once the study is completed and the article is written it goes through a â€Å"rigorous† peer review process (Unknown, 2009). The public media article gave an informal tone (Unknown, 2009) to the whole â€Å"HIV, drugs, gay men, and sex parties. They used information, facts, numbers, and percentages from different sources like the â€Å"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention† and other various resources instead of conducting their own control study, survey, or interviews researched amongst a trained research team. Scholarly and popular media both provide a great amount of information, just presented differently. Scholarly articles seem to provide you with a more intellectual approach(Unknown , 2009) to the topic or what you are trying to learn and can be used perfectly in an academic environment, but unlike the popular media article its just numbers, demographics, facts taken from a research and its subjects. It lacks the real stories and visual pictures of human beings and how they are being affected by this epidemic. Talking about how some people lost their jobs, homes, family, and life to the life-style that lead them to AIDS or HIV, as a result hitting a little closer to home and how it’s affecting today’s gay community and what they are doing to counter act these behaviors. Professors like to advertise scholarly and peer reviewed articles simply because it is an array of factual information written by the subject matter experts in a very formative way. Sex is something that is not formally studied often and that’s why people have many different perceptions of what sex is really like. Sometimes these perceptions can lead to a lot of misleading information. Sex can be common to some but not so common to others due to the fact there are many aspects to sex like bisexuality, homosexuality, and heterosexuality. No one knows it all when it comes to sex and this is why you should leave it to the experts. This is perhaps why scholarly articles are preferred and â€Å"hyped up† by professors. Scholarly and public media articles can be very reliable depending on the source and their credentials. Conducting this review of the differences of a scholarly/peer reviewed article and the public media had shown me the pros and cons to both types of articles. If you are looking for an article that is reliable academically and that has been reviewed by many of subject experts-scholarly articles are what you’re looking for. If you are looking for informal information with very little statistics but reliable information on the subject matter you can read a public media article. In conclusion, if you really want to know more about the subject, look up both the scholarly and in public media articles just to gather a wide assortment of information from different variable resources.

American English vs. Canadian English (Spelling Differences)

American English vs. Canadian English (Spelling Differences) American English vs. Canadian English (Spelling Differences) If you refer to a Canadian person as being a mix of American and English, they will rightly object (albeit politely). But if you describe Canadian English in those terms, you wouldn’t be far from the truth! What does that mean in practice, though? Let us look at some of the spelling differences. Nice flag, but it could do with more stars Spelling Conventions in Canadian English Canadian English favors a mix of British and American spelling. In Canadian English, for example, the word â€Å"favor† would be spelled â€Å"favour,† which is the same as in the UK. Some key spelling conventions are summarized below. Canadian English: Prefers -ize and -yze word endings (e.g., organize and analyze) Uses -our at the end of some words instead of -or (e.g., colour or favour) Take -re instead of -er at the end of many words (e.g., centre or fibre) Uses -ce instead of se at the end of some words (e.g., defence or offence) Distinguishes between noun and verb forms of some words (e.g., practice and practise) Doubles the final â€Å"l† in words when adding a vowel suffix (e.g., traveller or cancelled) Prefers the British English spelling for terms that contain -ae- or -oe- (e.g. anaesthetic) Uses -ogue instead of -og at the end of certain words (e.g., catalogue) We can compare some of these spelling conventions in different dialects below. Canadian English American English British English organize/analyze organize/analyze organise/analyse colour color colour centre center centre defence defense defence practice (noun) practise (verb) practice (noun and verb) practice (noun) practise (verb) traveller traveler traveller anaesthetic anesthetic anaesthetic catalogue catalog catalogue Other Spelling Issues As you can see, with most of the spellings above, Canadians follow the British example. However, there are also words where Canadian English matches the American English spelling instead. These include: Tire (spelled â€Å"tyre† in British English) Curb (spelled â€Å"kerb† in Britain) Aluminum (spelled â€Å"aluminium† in British English) Consequently, it is wise to check any term you’re unsure about when using Canadian English. Hopefully this has helped you with the basics of Canadian-style spelling. But to make completely sure your writing is suitable for our northern neighbors (or, as a Canadian would say, â€Å"neighbours†), send us your document and select Canadian English as your preferred proofreading language.

Winning the Vote for Women Around the World

Winning the Vote for Women Around the World When did various nations give all women the right to vote? Many granted suffrage in steps some locales gave the vote for local elections first, or some racial or ethnic groups were excluded until later. Often, the right to stand for election and the right to vote were given at separate times. Full suffrage means that all groups of women were included, and could both vote and run for any office. 1850-1879 1851: Prussian law forbids women from joining political parties or attending meetings where politics is discussed.1869: Britain grants unmarried women who are householders the right to vote in local elections1862/3: Some Swedish women gain voting rights in local elections. 1880-1899 1881: Some Scottish women get the right to vote in local elections.1893: New Zealand grants equal voting rights to women.1894: The United Kingdom expands womens voting rights to married women in local but not national elections.  1895: South Australian women gain voting rights.1899: Western Australian women were granted voting rights.   1900-1909 1901: Women in Australia get the vote, with some restrictions.  1902: Women in New South Wales get the vote.1902: Australia grants more voting rights to women.1906: Finland adopts woman suffrage.1907: Women in Norway are permitted to stand for election.1908: Women in Denmark some women granted local voting rights.1908: Victoria, Australia, grants women voting rights.1909: Sweden grants vote in municipal elections to all women. 1910-1919 1913: Norway adopts full woman suffrage.1915: Women get the vote in Denmark and Iceland.1916: Canadian women in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan get the vote.1917: When the Russian Czar is toppled, the Provisional Government grants universal suffrage with equality for women; later the new Soviet Russian constitution includes full suffrage to women.1917: Women in the Netherlands are granted the right to stand for election.1918: The United Kingdom gives a full vote to some women over 30, with property qualifications or a UK university degree and to all men age 21 and older.1918: Canada gives women the vote in most provinces by federal law. Quebec is not included. Native women were not included.1918: Germany grants women the vote.1918: Austria adopts woman suffrage.1918: Women given full suffrage in Latvia, Poland, Estonia, and Latvia.1918: Russian Federation gives women the right to vote.1921: Azerbaijan grants woman suffrage. (Sometimes given as 1921 or 1917.)1918: Women granted limited voting rights in Ireland. 1919: Netherlands gives women the vote.1919: Woman suffrage is granted in Belarus, Luxembourg, and Ukraine.1919: Women in Belgium granted right to vote.1919: New Zealand allows women to stand for election.1919: Sweden grants suffrage with some restrictions. 1920-1929 1920: On August 26, a constitutional amendment is adopted when the state of Tennessee ratifies it, granting full woman suffrage in all states of the United States.1920: Woman suffrage is granted in Albania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.1920: Canadian women get the right to stand for election (but not for all offices - see 1929 below).1921: Sweden gives women voting rights with some restrictions.1921: Armenia grants woman suffrage.1921: Lithuania grants woman suffrage.1921: Belgium grants women the right to stand for election.1922: Irish Free State, separating from the UK, gives equal voting rights to women.1922: Burma grants women voting rights.1924: Mongolia, Saint Lucia, and Tajikistan give suffrage to women.1924: Kazakstan gives limited voting rights to women.1925: Italy grants limited voting rights to women.1927: Turkmenistan grants woman suffrage.1928: The United Kingdom grants full equal voting rights to women.1928: Guyana grants woman suffrage.1928: Ireland (as part of the UK) expands womens suffrage rights. 1929: Ecuador grants suffrage, Romania grants limited suffrage.1929: Women found to be persons in Canada and therefore able to become members of the Senate. 1930-1939 1930: White women granted suffrage in South Africa.1930: Turkey grants women the vote.1931: Women get full suffrage in Spain and  Sri Lanka.1931: Chile and Portugal grant suffrage with some restrictions.1932: Uruguay, Thailand and Maldives jump on the woman suffrage bandwagon.1934: Cuba and Brazil adopt woman suffrage.1934: Turkish women are able to stand for election.1934: Portugal grants woman suffrage, with some restrictions.1935: Women gain right to vote in Myanmar.1937: The Philippines grants women full suffrage.1938: Women get the vote in Bolivia.1938: Uzbekistan grants full suffrage to women.1939: El Salvador grants voting rights to women. 1940-1949 1940: Women of Quebec are granted voting rights.1941: Panama grants limited voting rights to women.1942: Women gain full suffrage in the  Dominican Republic.1944: Bulgaria, France and Jamaica grant suffrage to women.1945: Croatia, Indonesia, Italy, Hungary, Japan (with restrictions), Yugoslavia, Senegal, and Ireland enact woman suffrage.1945: Guyana allows women to stand for election.1946: Woman suffrage adopted in Palestine, Kenya, Liberia, Cameroon, Korea, Guatemala, Panama (with restrictions), Romania (with restrictions), Venezuela, Yugoslavia, and Vietnam.1946: Women allowed to stand for election in Myanmar.1947: Bulgaria, Malta, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, and Argentina extend suffrage to women.1947: Japan extends suffrage, but still retains some restrictions.1947: Mexico grants the vote to women at the municipal level.1948: Israel, Iraq, Korea, Niger, and Surinam adopt woman suffrage.1948: Belgium, which previously granted the vote to women, establishes suffrage with a few re strictions for women. 1949: Bosnia and Herzegovina grant woman suffrage.1949: China and Costa Rica give women the vote.1949: Women gain full suffrage in Chile but most vote separately from men.1949: Syrian Arab Republic gives the vote to women.1949/1950: India grants woman suffrage. 1950-1959 1950: Haiti and Barbados adopt woman suffrage.1950: Canada grants full suffrage, extending the vote to some women (and men) previously not included, still excluding Native women.1951: Antigua, Nepal, and Grenada give women the vote.1952: Covenant on Political Rights of Women enacted by the United Nations, calling for womens right to vote and right to stand for elections.  1952: Greece, Lebanon, and Bolivia (with restrictions) extend suffrage to women.1953: Mexico grants women the right to stand for election. and to vote in national elections.1953: Hungary and Guyana give voting rights to women.1953: Bhutan and the Syrian Arab Republic establish full woman suffrage.1954: Ghana, Colombia, and Belize grant woman suffrage.1955: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Peru, Honduras, and Nicaragua adopt woman suffrage.1956: Women given suffrage in Egypt, Somalia, Comoros, Mauritius, Mali, and Benin.1956: Pakistani women gain the right to vote in national elections.1957: Malaysia extends suffrage to women.1 957: Zimbabwe grants women the vote. 1959: Madagascar and Tanzania give suffrage to women.1959: San Marino permits women to vote. 1960-1969 1960: Women of Cyprus, Gambia, and Tonga get suffrage.1960: Canadian women win full rights to stand for election, as Native women are also included.1961: Burundi, Malawy, Paraguay, Rwanda and Sierra Leone adopt woman suffrage.1961: Women in the Bahamas gain suffrage, with limits.1961: Women in El Salvador are permitted to stand for election.1962: Algeria, Monaco, Uganda, and Zambia adopts woman suffrage.1962: Australia adopts full woman suffrage (a few restrictions remain).1963: Women in Morocco, Congo, the  Islamic Republic of Iran  and Kenya gain suffrage.1964: Sudan adopts woman suffrage.1964: The Bahamas adopts full suffrage with restrictions.1965: Women gain full suffrage in Afghanistan, Botswana, and Lesotho.1967: Ecuador adopts full suffrage with a few restrictions.1968: Full woman suffrage adopted in Swaziland. 1970-1979 1970: Yemen adopts full suffrage.1970: Andorra permits women to vote.1971: Switzerland adopts woman suffrage, and the United States lowers the voting age for both men and women to eighteen by a Constitutional amendment.1972: Bangladesh grants woman suffrage.1973: Full suffrage granted to women in Bahrain.1973: Women permitted to stand for election in Andorra and San Marino.1974: Jordan and the Solomon Islands extend suffrage to women.1975: Angola,  Cape Verde, and Mozambique give suffrage to women.1976: Portugal adopts full woman suffrage with a few restrictions.1978: The Republic of Moldova adopts full suffrage with a few restrictions.1978: Women in Zimbabwe are able to stand for election.1979: Women in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia gain full suffrage rights. 1980-1989 1980: Iran gives women the vote.1984: Full suffrage granted to women of Liechtenstein.1984: In South Africa, voting rights are extended to Coloureds and Indians.1986: Central African Republic adopts woman suffrage. 1990-1999 1990: Samoan women gain full suffrage.1994: Kazakhstan grants women full suffrage.1994: Black women gain full suffrage in South Africa. 2000- 2005: Kuwaiti Parliament grants women of Kuwait full suffrage.

Creative Inspiration from David Bowie

Creative Inspiration from David Bowie The news of David Bowies death reverberated through the world and caused an outpouring of words of affection, admiration and grief at the loss of such an incredible artist. Bowie was known for his creativity which included not only his music and lyrics but his physical appearance and the personas he created. Any individual seeking creative inspiration can find a gold mine of it in Bowies life and work. Here are some ways David Bowie manifested as a creative genius. Keep Ch-ch-ch-ch-changin Bowie was famous for his ability to constantly reinvent himself. Even in the early days of his fame in the late 60s early 70s, he experimented with different styles from hippie-folk to heavy metal. Perhaps his greatest transformation was the invention of the rock persona Ziggy Stardust. At the time, many felt that Bowie could have ridden the fame and popularity of his Ziggy persona to the end of his career, but at the height of his popularity, he decided to kill Ziggy and move on to other experiments. In America, he explored funk and soul music and then released his most popular album â€Å"Lets Dance† which was the ultimate ode to rock and the most popular of his career. But even the popularity of this album didnt tempt him to ground his artistic vision and his next phase was a Berlin-inspired industrial and house/electronica experiment. Bowies ability to keep moving forward and constantly explore new artistic styles are what made him the icon he became. Indulge in Artistic Angst but Dont Self-Destruct Bowie had some dark moments in his career. One of his most successful and yet darkest phases was during the time he spent in LA. The glamour and glitz of LA stardom, the parties and cocaine-fueled recording sessions sent him on a tailspin into darkness. Unlike other stars riding their fame into self-destruction, like Iggy Pop, Bowie was able to put an end to that phase when he left LA and moved to Berlin. Change of Scene Can Be Inspiring Just as his move from the UK to LA proved to be an enormous boon to his career, his decision to leave LA and station himself in Cold-War Berlin was another artistically driven choice. The grit and realism of Berlin was the complete opposite of the surreal opulence of LA. The experience grounded him as he moved into yet another creatively experimental phase. Collaborate with Other Artists Bowie enjoyed working with other artists and some of his greatest creative endeavors were the result of these collaborations. Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, Brian Eno and Iggy Pop were included in some of his most successful team projects. He once famously called the then virtually unknown guitarist Phil Palmer at his mothers house to ask him to collaborate on an album since he felt his own guitar skills were subpar. He was known for being generous and respectful of other peoples work and didnt let fame or ego get in the way of his artistic vision. Set Your Standards and Stick to Them No matter how famous he became, Bowie didnt abuse his fame. He held himself to a strict work ethic. Though he had a phase where he lost himself in drugs, particularly cocaine, he always managed to pull himself together to perform, record and give interviews. His foil during his LA years was Iggy Pop, who became known for his unpredictability and where Iggy allowed himself to be dragged under by his drug addiction, Bowie set limits for himself and maintained his professional ethics. Dont Be Afraid of the Unknown Bowie was always pushing the boundaries of his art. He was never repetitive or boring. Each album was borne of a daring new journey into unknown waters as he constantly sought to find a new voice and a new inspiration. He explored with musical technology and was known for being fearless and pioneering. His natural curiosity allowed him to follow many different artistic paths to the delight of his fans and music lovers. Bowies artistic vision was fueled by his constant striving for newness. He never allowed himself to settle into one style or voice and as a result, his lifes work is rich and diverse.

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation on Special Education Essay

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation on Special Education - Essay Example The thrust of the special education movement has been to give students with disabilities access to a general education, remove the stigma of being labeled, and create methods to monitor and measure the success of these programs. The 1975 act was originally known as the Education for the Handicapped Act (EHA) and was designed to give students with disabilities a free education in the least restrictive environment possible (Special education laws, 2005). Subsequent amendments have been aimed at broadening the definition of disabled to include visual impairment and making provisions for including these students in regular classes when possible. Physical and mental challenges have historically been stigmatized and labeling has often been used as a detrimental tool to exclude students from normal activities. The 1975 Act was passed to reduce these social consequences and provide a system that was more fair in its treatment of the disabled. Prior to any legislation regarding special education, disabilities were generally viewed as a negative and the students were often shunted to areas outside the mainstream school system. One of the issues that have framed the special education debate in the last 30 years is the move towards inclusion. ... "outright denial of disability in some cases, illustrated by the contention that disability exists only in attitudes" (Kauffman, McGee, & Brigham, 2004, p.615). This has had the counter-productive effect of making a disability seem as something that does not matter. While this has had the positive effect of making regular classrooms more accessible to students, it has also minimized the challenge that faces these students. In many cases the past 30 years have seen attitudes change from discriminatory to indifference. The long-term outlook for special education in its current form could produce results that are the opposite of what it hopes to accomplish. Pratts (2000) states that " race and social class are being related to levels of academic achievement". This is only logical as we see poverty and family history placing many students at a disadvantage. This impacts the makeup of special education classes because "academic achievement is a strong predictor of referral and eventual placement in special education" (Hosp & Reschly, 2004, p.187). This has the potential to place a disproportionate number of students into special education based on socio-economic class. If the current movement of inclusion creates an environment of indifference, these students may become isolated and neglected. Public awareness of the realities of being disabled needs to be continually addressed. Without creating a proper public attitude towards special education, we may create a system that is less restrictive and mor e fair, but we also may cultivate an atmosphere of injustice. Feelings of awkwardness have often been a part of my own personal reaction to students with disabilities. In the past I was uncomfortable confronting their disabilities due to my confusion about whether or not they

Development of Teaching Strategies Research Paper

Development of Teaching Strategies - Research Paper Example While developing a teaching strategy, some of the points that must be considered include but are not limited to the objectives of teaching and its learning outcomes, the needs of students, the desires of students, the previous experience of the students as learners and the strategies of teaching that they are used to, the expertise of the teacher, the resources available to the teacher, and the possible impact of the adjustments made in the teaching method on the teacher. This paper discusses the development of teaching strategies. Fundamentals of Effective Teaching Significance of subject in the teaching strategy Developing an effective teaching strategy is integrally linked with the subject that needs to be taught. Learning needs differ from one subject to another. On one hand, there are subjects that are entirely theoretical e.g. history, politics, and philosophy whereas on the other hand, there are subjects that are mathematical e.g. math and physics etcetera. There is also a thi rd category of subjects that are both theoretical and mathematical simultaneously depending upon the course selected for that subject e.g. risk management. To be able to impart maximum knowledge to the students, it is imperative that a teacher assesses the individualistic needs of the subject being taught. For instance, developing a teaching strategy for the subject of â€Å"History† might not require a teacher to take the students on a field visit because most of the knowledge is essentially gained merely by reading the books whereas for the subject of â€Å"Geology†, a teacher might never consider the job done unless the students have been taken to a field visit and have been provided with an opportunity to see, touch, and feel the rocks, minerals, and metals that constitute a particular strata of Earth. Equal attention While teaching, it is the moral and ethical responsibility of a teacher to provide all students with equal attention. Disparity in the division of at tention of a teacher among the students is one of the causes of poor academic performance of certain students; the ones that are neglected or not sufficiently attended to. â€Å"In this task, teachers are crucial because of the central role they play in promoting participation and reducing underachievement, particularly with children who might be perceived as having difficulties in learning† (Rouse 1). (McGhie-Richmond, Underwood, and Jordan) carried out a study to investigate the skills required for effective teaching in the elementary teachers in the inclusive classrooms. The researchers’ objective was to find out if the appearance of the constructivist skills follows from or is independent of the mastery of more transmissive behaviors of teaching. The researchers found that the patterns of behaviors of teaching were consistent across the students, though the academically ‘at risk’ students were found to be receiving differentiated instruction and less a ttention of the teacher as compared to other students. Differentiated teaching The term â€Å"differentiated teaching† means planning of ways by the teachers to address differences in such factors as age, culture, profile of multiple intelligences, ethnicity, temperament, personality style, development and possible delays in development, and styles of learning of