Road Map to Peace Essay Example for Free

Road Map to Peace Essay Abstract The main aim of this paper is to focus on the current developments on the peace process in the Israel-Palestinian Conflicts.   This paper also provides some critical insights on the initiatives done by international organizations like the United Nations in dealing with the conflict. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Peace and security is one common measurement of political stability in any country.   This is because developments through economic and international relationship always start with peace and security.   For any country these days security is indeed one of the most important factors in the government.    Actually, there are many ways and means on how to achieve it, first the government should established a strong military forces, secondly, the country must have a strong relationship with international agencies and they must respect it.   One very powerful organization is the United Nations.   Organization like the UN does not only assist the country in providing some clear guidelines but also they are also there to impose military support if needed. And for them, it is always for the good of many and the entire world is what they are always aiming for in every policies or treaties they amend or newly create like in this paper, the Israel-Palestinian conflict has been there more than the Iraq takeover has started, and as based on studies it has been there for more than a century now.   But this conflict continues to provide some security issues in the world and most specially the region around it, particularly Europe and the Middle East.   If this continues, more and more lives will continue to perish and these would create imbalance in our global economy which will lead to issues like isolations, lack of opportunities, poverty and a lot more.   In this paper it will focus mainly of the current status of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.   Knowing what are the latest initiatives and actions that the UN and other allied forces and the US is doing to help at least reduce the tension and move to economic development s and peace for the countries. Israel-Palestinian Conflict – How does it Originated?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Israel-Palestinian conflict has all started in the 19th century, when the Zionist Jews planned to establish a new and modern state in the ancient land of Israel, which for them it is rightfully won by them.   Then the Zionist empire has started to encourage many of its followers to starts to encourage its people to migrate in this land even though they were not still given the full rights of the land.   Then after the first World War, the United Kingdom gas given the rights to own the land and with the Union of Nation which now popularly known as the United Nation, they have approved to divide the land into two, one for the Jews and the other for the Arabs.   But the Arab league and communities would not agree with the agreement and has fought war, which eventually has invaded Israel.   Then by 1948, the Arab-Israel war had exploded as the Israel re-claims its own territory but leaving Jerusalem as a divided city.   But this revolt has become the final measuring stick for the Arab Region of not recognizing Israel instead they have pursued on supporting the Palestinian government. That was some of the main key historical situation in that time that triggers the lack of respect and finding for peace between the Arab adopted Palestinian and Israel government.   With the very deep meaning from each of this country that goes on for more than a century now, it has been a very difficult for both developed countries and international organizations to make both of these countries look for peace and pursue on economic development.   As one of the latest story that were reported in the UN news center, with its current UN Security Council head Ban Ki-Moon, that he calls for end in the Palestinian and Israeli war, as it already killed many lives and will continue to grown on numbers if they will not look into preserving the lives of its own people most specially the young generations who are hopeless.   The Security Council head has also stated that there are still on-going peace treaties that needs to be followed and that will still be applied. This Humanitarian treaty has been there but the problem is that both governments are not respecting it.   This is just a clear showing that even a well respected international organization like the United Nations has already imposed this sanction for the respect and preservation of the lives of the affected families that caught by cross fire between these countries are not enough to prevent them from pursuing their ideology.   With this the council will be expected to visit both countries to further re-iterate and re-establish its global power over these countries and have them respect the Humanitarian Policy of the United nation.   Religious organizations will also be involved in addressing the conflict in order to have one common vision and that is all for peace in both countries.   With the clear guidelines that will be set to re-instated for both governments, the council is very confident that it will at least reduce the conflict.   (Ban Ki-moon calls for end to Palesti nian attacks, restraint by Israeli forces, 2008). The UN Humanitarian Policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main objective of the United Nations, Humanitarian Policy is mainly protecting the victim of war and law governing the conduct of hostilities, which started from 1856 up to the present.   The following are the State parties or countries expected to strictly apply the following International Humanitarian Law and Other related Treaties as of June 2008.   (1) Treaty relating to the Protection of Victims of Armed Conflicts, which is well applied to Israel and Palestinian government, (2) Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, (3) Weapons treaties and last is (4) Environment.   For treaties relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts, the following treaties are applied: Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field Geneva, 12 August 1949 Convention (II) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick in and Shipwrecked members of Armed Forces at Sea Geneva, 12 August 1949 Convention (I) Relative to the Treatment of prisoners of War Geneva, 12 August 1949 Convention (I) Relative to the Treatment of Civilian Person in the Time of War   Geneva, 12 August 1949 These are just some of the most relevant treaties in the International Humanitarian law that the United Nations is applying to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.   These treaties may be so powerful indeed for almost any countries that need to follow, most specially those that are afflicted by war like Israel and Palentine.   But, the only problem is that, just like in local or some international policies, it is not well implemented and even the military forces not also following it.   Some of the main reasons are lack of information being disseminated to the countries and their government.   Second, lack of formal launching and imposing of the law that should have to be formally deal into by affected countries in order for them to know their limitations as well as main obligations.   The organization must have the desire of making it happen by not only imposing by only writing or just amending the law, policies or treaties. There should be constant follow-ups and negotiation in between these times of conflicts which is the main cause of the problem.   This will not also be a big help for the organization in easing up the load since it just keeps on adding and unloading this issues may also give the council and the entire organization more focus to other issues which are actually same as important as this one, like the global economy and health.   This also need to give a more focus by the organization and these should also be given relevant theories as well.   So for the Security Council, it needs to be aggressive and work its own way within the situation and always find better ways as to how these conflicting government arrived to a common goal of peace and prosperity to its respective countries.   (The ICRC, n.d.). Lost Prospective on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is very important that more and more international involvement and strengthening of position by the United Nation and all its members to help one another in resolving the conflict.   Many countries considers that it is better not to be involved as political issues may only start to affect their local government or sometimes countries would consider that they might only be seen as a follower or supporter for the conflict on hand.   But, in fact there are many ways that countries with the United nation can do in order to settle this conflict.   By only encouraging the Arab Region of reconciliation with Israel and making a promise to support its economy will end the problem.   Or maybe involving the countries of giving both countries the chance by allowing them to enter into business in to the other countries will be the answer as well.   But, it is not that easy, like for the Europeans they have the European Union that even befo re where its main objective is to protect its economic status and be able to work in isolation.   Or in the US, which even though they are one of the most well considered a free country, strictness in security policy automatically rejects bilateral agreement to some but making it all available to those that are from them would not only give them good economic growth but also security for its people.   This is the main issue that is needed to be address by the UN. A commitment that any member must look into more of a long-term peace and security that will not improved the economy but can give more and more opportunity for many people, most specially these afflicted countries that is being studied in this paper.   For countries, that opportunity runs only within their state is a clear as isolating them and making them work in their own.   Same as dishonoring a brother which has been a good one before but due to challenges it turns to be not the ideal one, but time goes by and the brother goes back at home and asking for acceptance.   Acceptance that will change his lives and not anymore go into the dark side and preventing everything he can not to go back from that dark part of his life.   But in the case of the conflict between Israel and Palestinian, recognizing them or telling them that it is ok and not actually performing it in true sense is mush harder to take.   This is the situation that is happening all over the world. There are many leaders that assume that everything is running well, due to the fact that they would understand that their organization is powerful and these countries will follow.   But, it is not, the lives that is wasted and the more and more generations that are not anymore preserved in the future, just add more killings and hatred and this should be the focus on how not only to call for peace but also a true acceptance for its by acting on it the real way is needed.   The United Nations and the Developed countries should be in the forefront of this plan to be able to show how true leadership and finding of true peace must be done.   Like for instance for Israel government preventing mobility by the Palestinian is one seen to be one of the causes that triggers conflicts.   As long as a country like Israel outs on roadblocks instead of giving them liberty in doing what they want is enough to help peace to go on.   Trusting is something that needs to give and should not ha ve any limitations. And these roadblocks also leaves Palestinian government but to retaliate and do what the government finds it necessary and the result bloodshed everywhere and at the end the final loser are the people and not the ideology that either of the country is pursuing.   There are also other conflicting ideas, like the expansion of settlement but certain preventive measures were implemented like putting some fences within the land that were not yet settled as to whom it may be owned is something that the UN and the local government continues to see and observed but no concrete humanitarian settlement are happening.   This will not end the conflict and the promise for peace will just be a dream and will never be realized unless there will be an aggressive act for the parties in achieving it. This is considered a lost perspective for the Israel-Palestinian Peace and prosperity initiative, thinking of the lives of the children, like their education, their social well being and the chance to live the life that they deserve more than all of us here in this world is something that affects the heart deep into our veins.   This is something that the United nations and its member nations should look at, as children may only be sleeping at night but at the next day, not even having given the chance to breath even a fresh air to lived as these children were merciful not to perished but still succumb to the wild and very selfish mind of its leaders that does not think of getting more in to loving to let peace reign over them.   (Ben-Meir, Alon, 2006). Israel-Palestinian Conflict’s Current Situation and Initiatives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As to look at the current situation on this conflict, there are still many talks and initiatives in addressing this issue into the next level.   But even the government and the international group would also find it hard as support and collaborations among them are needed in order to effectively address the issue well.   It was in Jerusalem were supposed to be settlement of the conflict must be conducted, as the Israeli legislators withdrew and leaves the coalition with 67 parliament hundred twenty seats.   This was initiated as it was reported that Israeli forces killed 3 new Palestinian people and what was very devastating for the Palestinian is that one that was killed is a young boy.   Then later it was retaliation for Palestinian forces as it also killed 2 military armed men.   With this settlement it was supposed to work on for the present new year to at least set the issue straight again and form a more detailed plan on ho w the countries can resolved the issue.    But, since Israel has withdrawn its support for this undertaking, it only shows that with their option of doing that, it creates some news that it was the Israel government that are more not focus on the peace treaty and instead it continues to follows its own government direction.   This was also a sign that the country is also finding more reason to operate its military forces and in order not to be out in the hit seat as that meeting will also send some United Nation’s Security Council member to facilitate the talks. Leaving the talks is really hindrance in achieving peace.   This continuously becoming a trend for most peace signing agreement in the world now, as countries should not be attending the said meeting and then follow its own directives on how they can work their way and do not want to be dictated.   Another consideration for most countries is that, they can easily pinpoint that most developed countries are just that opportunist to be involved, because with that they can easily work their business within the country.   This is not the way it goes; it is just a starting point to control tragic results of continued conflicts and not letting other countries to sort of involve because of its own personal intentions.   (Kershner, Isabel, 2008). On-Going Financial Aid for the Conflict on Hand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the Palestinian government is the one that is much affected and not Israel, President Abbas is continuously asking for financial aid for some international organization.   This time, he seeks for a double than the same amount that was usually asked for.   This aid will be used from 2008 to 2010 and the amount is 5.8 billion dollars.   This aid will be expected as usual to rich and well developed countries in Europe and in the US.   This will be used for infrastructure projects, but much of the amount will be used for payment for public employees and improving the government system of Palestine.   This is very important in the sense that the government is trying to let conflict go behind them and pursue on developing the economy of the country. These are one of the main agenda of Abbas as he let this conflict behind and call fro change.   This is welcomed by many of his supporters as they are facing a tremendous economic downturn and they need bug support in this situation.   He also considers that the government must look on international trade and enhancing the agricultural business and improving its industrial sector.   But this cannot be sustained or not possible without the support of its local people. That is why the biggest part of the aid, will be allocated to wages of the public employees who will be working in achieving his goal of economic reform.   This was a nice moved for the president since it was almost many times in the past that the government has been focusing on hoe to strengthen its military forces but in fact what is important is the food in the tables of its people and bullets will definitely cannot give that for them.   This time the focus is more on the future and long-term plan for development and progress and it will start after the aid will come into their hands and they count mostly European countries to provide them that needed money.   (The Associated Press, 2007). Future Direction and Goal for Israel and Palestinian Government   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With the United States, both the Palestinian and Israel government has committed to pursue on the peace treaty by the end of 2008.   It was attended by country representatives, most specially the Security Council that is very appreciative about these developments.   Both countries have committed that for the present they have committed themselves to continue developing its economy and would try their best to leave their arms for the sake of its people.   This was also a good moved as the United States also promised that they will always behind in all the development and needed support just in case.   This was one of the best days for the conflict to little bit moved for progress.   Most specially for the Palestinian government where it needs to improved its economic status. This was also a good time for both of the countries since they were given itself an open opportunity to open up its economy with other countries who are also as excited to work with them in improving its own economy as well, like most if its are the developing countries of the world.   This has given both the Israel and Palestinian government a time to look for the much better attention of protecting its lives not by bullets or war but by providing them what their people truly deserve and that is food in their table and opportunity that they have longed for a number of years now.   This is the main key for this agreement signing of having to re-visit the peace agreement.   If this works continues, again there is no question that this will create big impact not only to the global economy but also political sector.   (Myers, S. Lee Cooper, Helene, 2007). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this paper it was very clear that the current Israel-Palestinian conflict continues to move for greater peace.   With their focus on economic progress and improved bilateral relationship,, it will be no doubt that if this continues, the longest day of conflict may come to an end.   In this paper it also showed that there are also some problems that were instigated by both parties that affects the International Humanitarian Law of the United Nation which was the main policy used by the Security Council in order for this conflict be settled.   This paper also provides an importance to political stability to succeed not only in business or economy but also for peace and security.   Also this cannot materialize by just performing local policies and initiatives, the involvement of an international organization and the support of other countries is still needed just trust and respect is needed for it to happen. References â€Å"Ban Ki-moon calls for end to Palestinian attacks, restraint by Israeli forces.† UN News Center. 17 January 2008 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25325Cr=gazaCr1=israel Ben-Meir, Alon. â€Å"Lost Perspective in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict.† The Humanist, Vol. 66 January-February 2006. Goodwin, Jason. â€Å"The Pragmatic Caliphs.† The New York Times 06 January 2008 Kershner, Isabel. â€Å"Hard Line Legislator Quits Israel Coalition Over Talks.† The New York Times 17 January 2008 Myers, S. Lee Cooper, Helene. â€Å"Israel and Palestinians Set Goal of a Treaty in 2008.† The New York Times 28 November 2007 â€Å"SPECIAL SESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ON ISRAELI MILITARY INCURSIONS IN NORTHERN GAZA OPENS.† United Nations Office At Geneva. 15 November 2006 http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/9EE551C649734B07C1257227004AD541?OpenDocument The Associated Press. â€Å"Abbas to Seek Almost Twice as Much Aid From Abroad.† The New York Times 06 December 2007 â€Å"The ICRC: promoter and guardian of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).† ICRC. N.d. http://www.icrc.org/ihl Worth, Robert. â€Å"Al Jazeera No Longer Nips at Saudis.† The New York Times 04 January 2008

What makes an effective learning environment in a Primary Classroom

What makes an effective learning environment in a Primary Classroom Education is the most important shared experience of our livesit is so important and so all pervasive that it is almost impossible to define (Aldrich, 1996) The role of the teacher is an ever changing one; however the proposed goals of teaching have always been the same in relation to bringing about intended learning goals from pupils of all abilities. Berliner (1978) suggests that the effective teacher is one who is able to demonstrate the ability to bring about intended learning goals, the two critical dimensions of effective teaching being intent and achievement. Without intent, the pupils achievements become random and accidental rather than controlled and predictable. The Oracle Study provided a framework for what its research concluded to be the traits of an effective teacher, a high number of interactions with pupils and higher level questioning required of pupils was just two of the behavioural patterns consistently displayed by effective teachers. Branching from the same study Rutter (1979) stated that for a teacher to be considered effective they should consistently give praise to pupils and hold them in high regards, which is especially important for younger pupils in terms of emotional development and self-efficacy. Rutter also pointed to the ability to provide stimulating educational programmes that would challenge pupils and which requires high expectations from them. Requiring high expectations from pupils is a theme that is common in the Hay Mcber Report (2000) which gives an insight on setting the attainment target high for the increase of motivation in pupils who may find their current level of work below their level. According to the report effective teachers set these high expectations of pupils and communicate them directly to the pupils in a clear and consistent manner so as to broaden their knowledge and interpretation of concepts. The teacher therefore must take into account the differentiation of a mixed ability group when setting such high standards so as to deal with the needs of the less able students, however the effective teacher must be relentless in their strive for high standards expected from all pupils regardless of differing and mixed ability. David Miliband MP during his role at the time as Minister for Schools stated that High expectation of every child, given practical form by high quality teaching based on a sound knowled ge and understanding of each childs needs. It is not individualised learning where pupils sit alone at a computer. Nor is it pupils left to their own devices which too often reinforces low aspirations. Setting such high expectations can also reverberate in a negative manner as it provides students with the need to compete with others in their class which will inevitably affect other pupils self esteem and create a competitive atmosphere in which some pupils will progress or fail under the pressure. Requiring such high expectations provides a counter-argument in relation to what Jean Piagets child development theories detailed. The basis of his philosophy was that all children are only capable to learn new concepts at set stages in which they reach at certain ages and that there are limits on their capacity to learn, meaning that pupils cannot be expected to conceptualize new ideas until they reach a certain stage as postulated by the theory of intellectual development. Alexander et al (1992) suggested that Piagetian theories about developmental ages and stages led to chronologically fixed notions of readiness which depressed expectations and discouraged teacher intervention. Jerome Bruner stated that it was possible for children to learn new concepts at any age in a suitable and intellectual manner. Unlike Piaget, Bruner postulated that learning derives from a pupils ability to actively engage with an interested adult through communication/speech and as such is renowned as a co nstructivist theorist. This model of learning takes a firm assumption that by using connected schemas, knowledge is gained, and that the child is an agent of their own learning. In contrast the transmission model oversees the teachers role as instructor in which the child is seen as a recipient of transmitted values from the teacher. The latter form of teaching is associated with more of a formal didactic model whilst the constructivist theory applies to a more open and active model of teaching. Although the latter theory may still be in its infancy it has proven challenging to develop any form of sustainable pedagogy deriving from its structure in which primary school teachers can use on a large class of 20-25 pupils. In relation to the former, Vygotsky has also given several applicable theories in connection to how children learn. Vygotsky (1978) first showed how speech can be a direct expression of thought, otherwise meaning that children at this particular age (3-7) find it help ful to develop conversational speech with themselves, what Vygotsky labelled as speech for oneself. Whilst Piagets view of this stage would be to explain the withering away and the progression of the next stage, Vygotsky suggested that this speech becomes internalised which develops into inner speech and lastly into internal thought. As Britton (1989) says, if speech in childhood lays the foundations for a lifetime of thinking the implication for pedagogy is enormous, and verbal communication should have a major role in classroom life, particularly at infant level. Vygotksy also postulated the theory involving the zone of proximal development. This refers to The gap that exists for children between what they can do alone and what they can do with help from someone more knowledgeable or skilled than themselves. Vygotsky emphasises the role of the social environment and how the role of the teacher is of vital importance, the effective teachers role to make the learning environment as interactive as possible and through language to lead children into new zones of proximal development (Edwards and Mercer 1989). The learning environment can also refer to the emotional environment that the school provides in ensuring that pupils feel valued and accepted for themselves, without this children will not feel sufficiently secure to take risks and make mistakes which are crucial in the creative process of learning, Mckellar (1957) explains that the arrangement of the physical space can aid concentration, create a mood conducive to creativity and increase motivation. In support of this Jean Piaget explains how interaction with the environment impacts upon progression in learning and it is only through individual interaction that progression will take place; he showed how it is the adults role to provide a stimulating environment and to identify the stage of development individual children have reached so that appropriate materials can be presented, rather than to actively intervene in the learning process. It is therefore the teachers responsibility to select a learning environment which will encour age curiosityto focus the pupils attention on enquiries which will lead to useful discovery (Learning styles and Inclusion p.98). The learning environment takes into account the people and the space in which pupils will progress and be nurtured, a purposeful learning environment is one in which children feel safe, cared for and relaxed. These similarities are summed up by the DFES who explained that an appropriate physical environment offers access to an outdoor as well as an indoor space and should provide a place where children have opportunities to explore, learn and develop with the support of sensitive and knowledgeable adults. Self-esteem can be a critical factor in determining how a child perceives themselves and others, high self-esteem can give a child a sense of security and competence and because esteem is all about perception it can change on a regular basis. The environment of the school and learning environment plays a pivotal role in harbouring self-esteem, the learni ng environment is a seriously underrated concept in the way it shapes pupils learning, for many pupils the learning environment is what is situated inside the classroom, however it can also refer to outside agents such as the library and the pupil home. In terms of behaviour in the classroom and the classroom environment, children cannot feel safe and secure if adults caring for them do not provide boundaries. Learning is thus considered to be significantly determined by an individuals self-esteem, self-belief, expectations and the quality of school-based relationships with adults and peers. These models support a transactional theory of learning as proposed by Vygotsky (1962) and implies that pupils and teachers need to develop appropriate affective, cognitive and social behaviours for effective learning to take place in school contexts. These boundaries that are to be provided take the shape of class rules which are to be enforced by the teacher and act as an important reminder to keep social contexts in order, however rules could hold a negative connotation as it creates a constricted feeling of powerlessness and conformity. The idea behind rules is to make the environment safe and consistent which is important in learning enviro nments. The teacher controls the flow of the classroom and will often use non-verbal language, even when not intentionally meaning to convey a message through non-verbal ways a smile to an individual pupil could increase their self-esteem more than that teacher will know, in contrast a fixed stare could have the desired effect on a misbehaving pupil and evoke a sense of shame. In contrast, the giving of rewards and punishments in a more physical manner can create a more conscious feeling within the pupils as it more obvious of how the teacher is reacting to their behaviour. Furthermore it is important to acknowledge that when discussing the behaviour that it does not simply apply to a pupil who is rated as good or bad but that it materializes into other concepts of a pupil who demonstrates being of a shy nature or who withdraws themselves from activities due to confidence issues. Teachers can sometimes contribute to the causes of bad behaviour. Unfairness, impatience and poor lesson preparation can create the conditions for resentment and discontent to occur. The end result is deterioration of the atmosphere, control problems and a negative impact on learning. When difficulties arise trainee and some experienced teachers tend to blame the children (Jacques 2007). Florian (2005) suggested that inclusive education is not a denial of individual difference, but it is an accommodation of it within the structures and processes that are available to all learners. Inclusion is an ever changing process rather than a sudden change and a process that will take time to achieve, all too often the term inclusion is often associated and linked with the term Special Educational Needs, however inclusion is a broad concept and takes into account not only pupils with special educational needs but those students with additional educational needs also, which may take into account pupils with social and economic issues and also pupils who exceed their set targets e.g. Gifted and Talented pupils. Great emphasis is placed on tailoring education to reflect childrens individual needs, interests and aptitudes. In order for children to thrive and to reach their full potential it is essential that they feel secure, valued and settled. Learning opportunities need to be pl anned that reflect the diverse learning needs of the pupils in the class. The national curriculum inclusion statement outlines how school will be able to alter the National Curriculum programme for the purpose of providing all students with substantial and suitably challenging work at each stage of learning. This statement acknowledges that schools have an accountability to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum is provided for all students. Although the National curriculum initially sets out a structure for teachers to enable them to know what pupils should know at each stage, all pupils need to experience success and achieve their individual potential. Pupils with learning difficulties are no exception, even though their individual potential may be different from others of the same age. Expecting all pupils always to do the same work means that some will find the task too easy, whereas for some the challenge will be about right. There will still be a significant group in any class that will not understand the task, and which will fail. If failure occurs regularly pupils stop caring and begin to lack motivation, become disillusioned and are more likely to be disruptive. It is a teachers responsibility to ensure that all pupils succeed, and a test of their professional skills is to modify activities and resources to that end. A childs sense of belonging in the school community is a vital element of inclusion; belonging is fostered by attitudes of staff and other pupils to individual difference and additional learning needs (Gray 2002). According to the DFES website a Pupils social development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of being members of families and communities and to work with others for the common good to display a sense of belonging and willingness to participate. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to make an active contribution to the democratic process i n each of their communities. http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/learning-across-the-curriculum/spiritual-moral-social-and-cultural-development/index.aspx. Published in 2005 the Every Child Matters paper documented 5 outcomes as being important to a childs well being in school and later in life. Two of the proposed headings were to Be Healthy and Enjoy and Achieve. These sums up of the true meaning of education, a child cannot learn to their potential unless they feel safe on an emotional and physical level and the effective teacher should ensure that every child reaches their full potential regardless of their ability in class.

Women and Divorce in the Victorian Era Essay -- Victorian Era

Women and Divorce in the Victorian Era â€Å"There's a sanctity in this relation of life," said Mr. Bounderby, "and - and - it must be kept up." --Hard Times, 73 Once married, only one in ten women divorced. --â€Å"Life for Women† For Victorians, divorce was not only extremely expensive, it was very hard to do. Women and men stayed in unhappy marriages for numerous reasons. Many stayed away from divorce because of the stigma attached to divorced women. It was also considered a societal taboo. â€Å"Prior to 1857 England was the only Protestant country in Europe that did not have provisions for civil divorce. Divorce could only be obtained through private Acts of Parliament† (â€Å"Divorce†). Divorces were very hard to attain because there was no civil divorce. Private Acts were inconvenient and extremely costly. The poor had no way to attempt divorce under these circumstances. Just 322 divorces were approved prior to the passing of the 1857 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act. Subsequent to this Act passing, divorce rates rose to about 369 in 1890, and 560 in 1900. (â€Å"Divorce†). Divorce laws highlighted the unequal status of women to men through the unequal circumstances which divorce was granted. A man could divorce a woman merely on the grounds of adultery. Yet a woman had to prove her husband guilty of adultery â€Å"†¦combined with cruelty, bigamy, incest, or bestiality† (â€Å"Marriage†). The unequal status of women to men was also evident through how the courts classified married and single females. When a Victorian man and woman married, the rights of the woman were legally given over to her spouse. â€Å"This suspension of the married woman’s legal personality was known as â€Å"coverture†. An unmarried woman was known in the law as a feme sole (... ...n before and during her marriage. * 1883: Custody Acts: allowed for women to be awarded custody of children up to the age of 16 (Moore par.4-5). Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Pearson Education. 2004. â€Å"Divorce.† The 1890’s, An Encyclopedia of British Literature, Art, and Culture. New York. Garland Publishing, INC. 1993. â€Å"Interesting Facts.† 5 November 2004. . â€Å"Life for Women.† 2004. 7 November 2004. . â€Å"Marriage and Divorce.† Victorian Britain, An Encyclopedia. New York. Garland Publishing, INC. 1988. Moore, Melissa. â€Å"Women’s Issues Now & Then, A Feminist Overview of the Past 2 Centuries.† 2004. 6 November 2004. .

Health, Safety and Nutrition Essay -- Health Nutrition Pyramid Diet

The reason I chose to do my project on a game that can hit all three areas safety, health, and nutrition, is because all three areas are important to children and their families. As a parent I can easily justify the role a teacher has on the lives of our children. It is usually a parent does not know anything and the teacher is always right. In the eye’s of a child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many times well most of the time what you teach a child it usually stays with them, and if it is presented in a fun way it is almost certain that to stay with them longer. More important children like to share their new information with their families, some of the information may be new. So not only are you teaching their children you are also teaching them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before I introducing this game I would send out information to each child’s family so they will be familiar with some of the questions. Of coarse it is important not to send to much information so it will not become overwhelming. It is also important to get the families input, any way to get parents involved is important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why safety? Safety is important no matter where your child may be. Any information that a child learns in safety can easily be reinforced. From talking to strangers to playing with fire. This is important everywhere, not only in school but at home or in public places. Many times parents as well as teachers tend to overlook simple things like how unsafe playing with sharp objects, can be, such as pencils. Also taking simple precautions, as covering outlets, or not leaving cords hanging from drapes. This is why safety is important and why it can be life saving to many families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not long ago, many safety issues were not addressed the way they are now. Why has it changed so much in the past several years? I stop and look back at my life as an infant and a child many things have changed drastically. When I was a infant car seats were not required, to think the safety of my life was at risk, I can recall a time being involved in a accident and I was lucky I did not fly out of the windshield, being that I use to like to stand up o... ...e a good choice or a family member makes a good choice. Sometimes it takes something like a game with fact to have families more aware of the choices that they make the good and the bad. We are only human and we can easily fall off track, I know that I am thankful when my children put me back on the correct track. It is also a good feeling to know that they are aware of their choices and that sometimes we don’t always make the correct ones. It also reassures our children that we as parents, grandparents, and teachers, also make mistakes and sometimes bad choices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Still I feel that the most important thing is to model for children, take the time to talk to them and of coarse to listen to them. We all like to be heard at some point in our lives even when were small. Work Cited http://www.llu.edu/lluch/safekids/safek4.html 5/2/05 http://www.cdu.gov/nccdphp/hnpa/5aday/faq/important_3.htm 5/2/05 http://www.nut.safe._heatlh/faq/safe4ki.html 5/2/05 http://ific.org/publications/bro/tentipkids.cfm 5/7/05 http://safeforchildren.families/ 23.htm Http://www.llu.edu’‘lluch/safekids/safek8.html 5/7/05 Robert Gonzales 5/9/05 Dorthoy Aguilar 5/9/05

The Era of New Technology Essay -- Business, Sony Products

::: INTRODUCTION ::: Many people cannot visualise the period of time when technology begin to develop incredibly fast day by day. By innovating products which never have place before people started to purchase the novelty as well as enjoy the revolution. The era of new technology also increase the market research as more people wanted to expand and invent different ideas to become competition. In addition the modernisation started to bring huge amount of profits so people begin to formulate more and more companies to come up with better inspiration as well as to beat the competition. In 1946, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita establish company called Sony. The company created and launched the first magnetic tape recorder called the G-TYPE recorder in Japan. From that day he expands and invents new ideologies to his company as this was the first profitable product to the company. Next stage of Sony was receiving licensing rights to transition in 1953 from Western Electric. Furthermore, the release of the world’s first pocket transistor radio in 1955 which ascertain a market leadership position for the company. Sony was one of the first companies which arise on global market. As Christophe Catesson states â€Å"Since Sony does arise, it has been noted for manufacturing some of the best in-house standards for new storage and recording technologies as a substitute of adopting those products manufactured by other companies.† (2008) The establishment of Sony Corporations in United States occur in 1960. The creation of the company name â€Å"Sony† was inspired by merging two words. The first one is â€Å"sonus† in Latin, which means â€Å"sound† and the other is â€Å"sonny† which means little son. â€Å"The words were used to show that Sony is a very small group of... ...many profits as until now. As Sony has in plans to invent the multi device which be combined of phone, console and notebook. Another creation which has to bring on the market is Bright Era projectors. New invention like that will keep the Sony brand on the top of the list as well as getting the bigger profits. In 1955, Morita prediction to the Sony Company states â€Å"that Sony would be famous around the world within 50 years† For instance it develop more rapidly as he thought. The impact of Sony on the marketplace worldwide is very strong as well as has many followers in their innovations. Finally summarise the all undertakings that Sony have made by these days is â€Å"company culture and widely acclaimed by customers of all ages and in all parts of the world.† (2011) Sony creators should be proud of themselves and feel the satisfaction of the benefits to the future.

Analysis of Priceline

Priceline Inc. is an online travel booking site that helps customers worldwide purchase airfare, hotels, rental cars, and much more. The three categories I chose to analyze are business model and strategies, business finances, and expansion of the company through acquisitions. For Priceline to have success, I believe the business model and how the company builds its model is extremely important. Next, it is crucial that we look at the finances of the company to ensure it is profitable. The finances of the company are tied to the various acquisitions Priceline has acquired in the past few years. By looking at the companies Priceline has acquired, I strongly recommend investing in Priceline based off of the record earnings posted by the company. Not only is Priceline profitable, the corporation also has an unique business strategy to make money. When assigned this paper, I began to use databases and Factiva to search for information about Priceline. I used the information found from da tabases and used them as research to support my report. I then researched Priceline’s marketing techniques as well as stock prices in order to elaborate on the company’s finances. Finally, I learned about the companies Priceline has acquired over the years to expand its market presence. To figure out the formatting and structure of this paper, I used other people’s reports as guidance.IntroductionPriceline’s business model includes value proposition of connecting vendors and customers. It consists of a revenue model where there are transaction fees and spread earned by the company between vendor and customer price. Launched in 1998, Priceline Inc. does not directly supply travel services, but rather they bring buyers and sellers together to complete a transaction. Priceline saves consumers money by trading travel flexibility of brands and product features for sellers’ lower prices. Business Model and StrategiesEver since the development of the inte rnet, dot-com companies have been booming left and right. One of those companies founded during the dot-com boom was Priceline Inc., an online travel booking site that revolutionized the way consumers purchased air tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and much more. Priceline Inc. developed and innovated a new system of â€Å"Name your own  price† for customers to finalize their travels. They were able to turn excess inventory otherwise not sold by the airlines to consumers while at the same time price discriminate in order to maximize profits. In the airline industry, it is estimated that only 65% of the seats on a plane are occupied on a daily basis.Airlines definitely were looking a way to vend the rest of the inventory. However, they could not advertise these excess seats with special discount because in doing so, it would destroy its retail fare structure. Priceline was the solution to this as they are able to help shield airlines branding in two different ways. First, w hen consumers try to name your own price on Priceline, they must choose travels between two cities. In this case, the airlines’ branding and product configurations are protected as customers have no idea which airline they will be selecting. Only after a bid is accepted will they learn their exact flight information and itinerary. Secondly, Priceline protects those who are considered free riders. These are people who would receive the benefit of a discount but they are already willing to pay for an air ticket at a higher price (Eisenmann 47-48). Name Your Price GuaranteeFigure 1.1Source: (Priceline.com) Revenue Generation: Priceline is able to effectively generate revenue one of two ways. First, it calculates a spread between the lowest prices offered by the Airline partner and the highest prices a customer is willing to pay. In this scenario, neither party the airline partner nor the customer have the option of knowing the asking price or the bid price. A customer has no ide a what unpublished rate the airline is offering. Only Priceline would have this secret information. On the other hand, the airline does not get to see how much the consumers bid on the air ticket. For example, if a customer bids $300 on a ticket from LAX to JFK and the lowest unpublished rate for any given airline is $200, then the spread would be $100, which Priceline retains as its earnings. As seen from this model, profiting from the spread is highly successful given the economies of scale from customers (Eisenmann 47-48). Adaptive Marketing and Cross Subsidy:Furthermore, Priceline also offers consumers to bump up their bids by participating in â€Å"adaptive marketing† and â€Å"cross-subsidy† promotional programs. For instance, Priceline could add $50 to an existing $100 bid to make it more likely that a ticket will be sold if one signs up for a credit card. If that is the case, the credit card company may pay Priceline $75 for every referral that signs up for the card. In this case, Priceline would simply pocket the difference. If the asking price for the ticket was already under $100, then Priceline would keep all of the money coming from credit card sponsorship (Eisenmann 48).Business Finances Early Stages of Priceline: At the beginning of year 2000, Priceline had a market share of 3% of all airline tickets sold in the U.S. Attracting over 3.8 million unique visitors, Priceline sold tickets for all eight domestic airlines as well as 20 international carriers. One year after its establishment in 1998, Priceline’s revenue was $482 Million in 1999 and $1 Billion in 2000 (Eisenmann 48).However, the dot-com bubble would halt Priceline’s success only temporarily. 1999 was a tough year for Priceline as it stated a $1.1 Billion loss on its financial statement. Stock prices plunged from $974 to $7 a share. According to Walker, â€Å"there was a credibility issue† within the organization and investors did not completely trust t he dot-com industry. Priceline’s financials would improve slowly. In 2002, Priceline reported a net loss of $19 Million. When CEO Jeff Boyd took over the company in 2002, Priceline stocks had suffered one of the worst drops in its brief history. But soon enough, Priceline was able to make a turnaround when it introduced William Shatner as the negotiator character out of the blue to help consumers save money. Instantaneously, people remembered the advertisements put up by Priceline and associated with Shatner, a former Star-Trek star’s self-parody. William ShatnerFigure 1.2Source: (Thepenaltyflagblog.com) From Loss to Profit: Priceline started making a profit in 2003, but it wasn’t until 2004 and 2005 when Boyd bought two European hotel reservation sites—the U.K.'s Active Hotels and Amsterdam-based Booking.com that Priceline hit a turning point. â€Å"Priceline's earnings growth and stock market success since then have been attributable largely to those t wo acquisitions—Booking.com in particular. It would be tough to argue that there's been a better acquisition in Internet history,† says Thomas White, an analyst at Macquarie Securities. â€Å"It's why the stock has been such a home run,† says White.Thomas White and Barclays' DiClemente would agree that investors lack the knowledge that most of the revenue come from overseas. Since Europeans have many more vacation days as Americans, it is not surprising that more revenue is inflowing from Europe. Jeff Boyd, the CEO of Priceline, was smart about targeting such a market in Europe. â€Å"Moreover, the growth of discount airlines in Europe such as EasyJet and Ryanair have increased the popularity of â€Å"city breaks†Ã¢â‚¬â€the European equivalent of a weekend getaway,† states Birger. Earnings Report in 2012:In 2012, Priceline continued to post better than expected earnings reports. In the third quarter of 2012, Priceline reported third quarter revenue s of $1.71 Billion, up 17.4% from a year ago in 2011. Also, Priceline beat the estimate of $1.65 Billion projected revenue determined previously by analysts. Non-GAAP profits stood at $12.40 a share, ahead of the estimate of $11.81 a share. Gross bookings came in at $7.8 billion, elevated 25.2% from a year ago. For quarter four in 2012, Eric Savitz of Forbes magazine states â€Å"Priceline projected revenues to be up 21-28% or 22%-29% in local currency; revenues are expected to improve 15%-22%, with non-GAAP profits of $6.12 to $6.57 a share. Consensus has been for $6.34 a share.†Continuous Growth: In the mean time, CEO Jeff Boyd continues to have high hopes for Priceline. â€Å"Globally our hotel business grew room nights by 36% over the same period last year, compared to 39% growth in the second quarter,† he said. â€Å"Our rental car business grew rental car days by 35% over last year, an acceleration from 29% in the second quarter, led by improving results at Pric eline.com and continued strong growth from Rentalcars.com. While we remain concerned about economic weakness across Europe, Asia and the U.S., the [company] intends to focus on solidifying its position as the world's largest and most profitable online hotel reservation service by continuing to add hotels and other accommodations and better servicing our customers through constant innovation in our mobile and desktop sites.†As promised by Boyd, Priceline continued to show tremendous growth. On November 1st, 2012, Priceline stock was up $12.22 in regular session trading and jumped another $52 a share in after-hours trading to close at $638.95 (Savitz). Since then, Priceline sustains its momentum by reporting record earnings in the preceding quarters. Today, stock price for Priceline is even higher than few years ago. It currently trades at over $1,000 a share and constantly out competes against their rivals Expedia and Orbitz (Birger).10 Year Graph of Priceline (PCLN) Figure 1.3 Source: (Yahoo Finance) Acquisitions and Expansions Booking.com: Priceline is on track to make a very good move because it is believed that the online travel reservation market still has room for expansion in Europe. Priceline typically takes 15% of every transaction done on Booking.com; in return, the hotels have a much better chance to market and advertise to potential customers. After Priceline’s acquisition of Booking.com in July 2005 for $135 Million, its profits skyrocketed from $10 million in 2003 to $1.1 billion in 2011. No other acquisition has proven to be that successful in the 2000’s (O'Neill). Agoda and TraveljigSaw:In addition, Priceline is increasing its brand in Asia via its Agoda brand and it is growing its rental cars division as well, aided by a 2010 acquisition of global car-rental site TravelJigsaw. Ever since these acquisitions of smaller travel companies, Priceline is able to expand its market cap while its stock prices surged over 500% in the fo llowing five years (Birger). Kayak:In 2012, Priceline Inc. continues its acquisition practice with the purchase of Kayak for $1.8 Billion. Shareholders of Kayak received $40 per share. Kayak is successful in that it raised $91 Million in the July 2012 IPO through selling of 3.5 Million shares at $26 apiece. It has processed 302 million queries across its web. Kayak and Priceline are â€Å"two of the largest online-travel companies and it makes sense that these two companies would want to work together, of course, because they do have different strengths and different objectives,† said Dan Marcec, an analyst at Emarketer. With the acquisition of Kayak, Jeff Boyd states that â€Å"Priceline’s intention is for Kayak to be operated independently under the leadership of existing management, as with our other hands, with a primary focus on building value for its customers and advertising partners† (Levy).Conclusion Priceline Inc. operates as one of the biggest travel booking sites in the world. Its global presence in Europe and Asia as well in the Americas cannot be ignored. Priceline Inc. should be a company that is to be heavily invested in because of its revenue and profit posted by the corporation. Its record breaking earnings in the billions should easily attract the eyes of a savvy investor. Priceline will continue to post earnings through the way it does business by matching consumers with vendors and earning the difference in prices. With its continuous acquisitions of smaller booking sites, Priceline is set on par to be the dominant and primary go to website when it comes to travel bookings. Without a doubt, its stock prices will continue to soar as it expands its presence in Asia.

English will eventually become the dominant world language

English has without doubt achieved some kind of global status as many countries adopt the language they consider to be synonymous with economic success and a cosmopolitan culture. However, factors such as the increasing numbers of speakers of other languages, including in English-speaking countries, an increase in bi-lingualism and growing anti-American sentiment in some parts of the world, all indicate that English may not occupy an entirely stable position in the world.This essay explores some of the reasons why English has become so widespread and then argues that global domination of English, despite its current position as a medium of international communication, is unlikely to take place. According to Crystal, (1987, cited in Pennycook, 1994, p. 8) â€Å"English is used as an official or semi-official language in over 60 countries†¦it is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, tech nology, medicine, sports, international competitions, pop music and advertising†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .It is the working language of ASEAN, the Asian trade group, and the official language of the European Central Bank, even though none of the member countries has English as its first language (Wallraff 2000, p. 3). The extensive economic power of the United States has also influenced many countries to view English as the â€Å"key to economic empowerment† (Guardian weekly 2000, p2). English has also become dominant because it is regarded as cosmopolitan and the way of the future.According to Cohen (2000, p. ), the dominance of American popular culture has influenced many young Europeans who aspire to the â€Å"unfettered, dynamic, creative culture of California† rather than the â€Å"rigidity† of many European societies. Volkwagon in Germany called their car the â€Å"new beetle† rather than the German equivalent neuer Kafer because advertisers believed it sounded more â€Å"hip†. Similarly in Asia, English is associated with the glamour of block-buster movies and the pop industry. However, despite these factors English is unlikely to dominate the world.English speakers are still the minority of the world's population with 372 million speakers, well behind Chinese languages which have 1,113 million speakers (Wallraff, 2000 p. 5). Within fifty years English is likely to lose even second place to the South Asian linguistic group which includes the Hindi and Urdu languages. Spanish and Arabic will also become as common as English. There are also increasing numbers of bilingual and multilingual speakers, even within English-speaking countries.Currently about one in seven American citizens prefers to speak a language other than English at home, including 2. 4 million Chinese speakers. (Wallraff 2000, p. 3). This suggests that the future of other languages is guaranteed despite the popularity of English. Another reason why English will neve r dominate is because of a growing anti-American sentiment. Wallraff (2000, p. 5) suggests that there may be â€Å"†¦a backlash against American values and culture† and that this could lead to a resistance to learn the language of the United Sates.In post-September 11 times this seems a very real possibility. In Europe France and Germany have also held a conference focused on defending Franco-German culture against the cultural pull of America (Cohen 1998, p. 2). Afrikaaners in South Africa are also leading a passionate fight to gain equality with English as are many other indigenous languages (Alexander 2000, p. 2). Still further reasons that may prevent a world take-over by English include political, economic and technological factors.Political factors include the potential formation of new alliances between non-English speaking countries and the probable rise of regional trading blocks in Asia and the Middle-East. It is also possible â€Å"that world-changing technol ogy could arise out of a nation where English is little spoken† (Wallraff 2000, p. 4). This could tip the scales away from English to the use of another language. Finally, in a world of rapid technological change and increasing political instability it is difficult to predict what the future may hold.Although English has enjoyed a period of great expansion as a language of international communication, it is unlikely it will eventually dominate the world. The sheer numbers of non-English speakers, the potential of new political trading partnerships or new technological developments as well as the possibility of a rejection of the â€Å"cultural imperialism† of the West may in fact contribute to a decline in the spread of English. Perhaps English speakers should be a little less complacent about learning other languages themselves.