Motivated by applications Essay Example for Free

Motivated by applications Essay Until the last century, mathematics was always motivated by applications (Kline, 1973: iv); it took humanity an enormous time span to reach the abstraction capacity necessary to become interested in ‘pure’ mathematics. It follows that children take some time to reach the necessary mental maturity to deal with the formalism and type of thinking involved in abstracts and mathematics. It is interesting to note that in many countries, 21 (the end of this 7-year period) is the age for a young person to become legally responsible. It is a recognition, that only at this age are all human capacities fully available, and the individual is able to control and be totally responsible for his or her actions (Steiner, 1982; Talbot, 1995 and Bronfenbrenner, 1995). In conclusion, this paper supported my aim to prove that the extensive implementation of computers in pre-high school education is having a detrimental effect on the development of children. The first argument I presented to support my aim is that computer technology is ecological and like all technology may have long reaching effects on children’s emotional, psychological, spiritual, moral and social sensibilities. Fostering a mechanical, rational view of social relationships. Secondly, I argued that a computer is a tool, and to be effective it is necessary children understand what it is and how it works. Just as a childs physical development is stunted when muscles are not exercised, the development of disciplined thinking is stunted when the computer relieves the child of the responsibility for planning and organizing his/her thoughts before expressing them. It should be kept in mind that tools designed to aid the mature mind may hinder the maturation of the developing mind. Thirdly, I supported my aim by arguing that computers work with an extremely restricted class of children’s thoughts. It was demonstrated that early computer use and an emphasis on computer like thinking, is leading childrens development to be dominated by the rigid, logical, algorithmic thinking, that is characteristic of computer interaction. This accelerated, but isolated intellectual development, brings a childs mental abilities to an adult level long before they have grown strong enough to restrain it and give it humane direction. The fourth argument presented to support my aim was, that how computers are used in education is detrimental to children’s development. Children need time for active, physical play; hands-on lessons of all kinds, especially in the arts; and direct experience of the natural world. The prevalent emphasis on technology is diverting us from the urgent social and liberal educational needs of children. A proper education requires attention to students from good teachers and active parents. It requires commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention to the full range of childrens needs; physical, emotional, and social, as well as cognitive. Finally and most importantly I demonstrated that developmental stages in children are not compatible with computer use. Combining Steiner, Bloom and Krathwohl developmental concepts with the fact that computers are mathematical tools, forcing a purely abstract and mathematical type of thinking as well as use of symbolic formal language. Applying these concepts and properties of computers to proper educational goals we may surmise that they are unsuitable for extensive use by children in any form before approximately age 15, or high school. Convincing arguments have been presented to prove the extensive implementation of computers in pre-high school education is having a detrimental effect on the development of children. Bibliography: Bloom, B. and D. Krathwohl. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook 1: The Cognitive Domain. New York: McKay, 1956. Bronfenbrenner, U. Developmental Ecology Through Time and Space: A Future Perspective in Examining Lives in Context: Perspectives on the Ecology of Human Development, (Moen, Elder and Luscher [Ed.]). Washington: American Psychology Association, 1995. Bowers, C. A. The Cultural Dimensions of Educational Computing Understanding the Non-neutrality of Technology. New York: Teachers College Press, 1988 Coon, D. Essentials of Psychology: Exploration and Application (8th edition). USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 1999 Craig, G. , M. Kermis and N. Digdon. Children Today (2nd edition). Toronto: Prentice Hall. 2001 Kline, M. Why Johnny Cant Add the Failure of New Math. New York: St. Martins, 1973.

Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services

Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services Empirical Work This paper is an empirical study on the strategic significance that Best Value (BV) Procurement adds to Birmingham City Council. The aim of the proposed research is to quantify the strategic link between the BV and the contemporary strategic Procurement. Then to create a model which will evaluate the contribution of the strategy when applied to Birmingham City Council. Best Value was introduced into the public sector in 1998, announced through the government’s white paper â€Å"Modern Local Government in Touch with the People†. This paper introduced extensive reform of local government, including the new initiative of BV. Within this BV is the e-Government, Community Planning, Strategic Partnerships and new political management structures (White Paper 1998). The theory of Best Value was aimed at improving local government services; this was introduced in the Local Government Act 1999. BV replaced the old system of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT), and required local authorities to review over a period of five years, the method in which they conduct all their functions. This would take the form of consultation with the local community to deliver the most effective, economic and efficient services (Local Government Act 1999). The Governments intention to reform local government continued and in 2001 they published a further white paper entitled â€Å"Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services†. Addressed within this paper were issues that included strong community leadership, continuous improvement, comprehensive performance assessment, financial freedom and modernisation of finance systems (White Paper 2001). The report in 2001 Delivering Better Services for Citizens, a review of local government procurement in England was published as a consultation paper. The report included the following recommendation; there should be clear political responsibility for procurement, with elected members taking a strategic role in securing outcomes. Best Value is about breaking down the boundaries between the public and private sectors in local service delivery. (The Byatt Report 2001) This research paper is based on the government white papers and reports which initially defined BV in procurement and established Strategic Management tools used to identify strategic choice within local authorities. The conceptual analysis is based on identifying the congruence of strategic links between the BV definition and chosen Strategic Management tools. The focus of the paper is Birmingham City Councils BV practices, and this will be measured against the resulting model. The output of this research is to measure the strategic worth of Best Value and the strategic worth of Birmingham City Councils delivery of Best Value. The paper will evaluate the relative merits of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Methodology The rationale of this chapter is to compare and discuss the research methods that could be used for this empirical research paper. When researching any paper there are numerous methods for collecting data, they do not always produce workable data that is easy to analysis. Therefore it is vital to review and plan the methods that will be employed. Before beginning any of the research a time scale will be composed, this will plan and set targets for the research. This plan is flexible, to allow for any considerable changes to the project due to unexpected research findings. Theoretically, the proposal should draw attention to any difficulties with the research question and the access to the data. Secondary Research The secondary research will discuss the theories and concepts which exist on the topic and be presented in the literature review. The findings from the primary research are then tested on these theories for validity (Saunders, M. et al 1997). Tertiary data sources will assist in the search for secondary data, this will reveal books, journals, newspaper articles, and Internet addresses on the topic (Bell, J. 2005). This section of the research will present some of the conclusions from the relevant Government’s White Papers as a secondary source of research data. Primary Research Primary research is vital to the project as it produces the raw data on the current situation in the organisations. A consideration when gathering primary research data, is obtaining the consent of both the organisation and individuals prior to initiating the research and this data must remain within the scope of the project (Saunders et al 1997). Primary Research Methods Method Type of Research Characteristics, Benefits and shortcomings Postal survey Quantitative Cost is low Response rate can be poor Answers may be incomplete Responses are pre-coded and simple so people can understand them this can mean the quality of information provided is lower than from other methods Telephone and/or email survey Quantitative Cost effective method of achieving robust sample allowing generalisations to be made Responses are pre-coded Certain groups do not have access to the telephone, so may be excluded from the sample It is difficult to ask sensitive questions over the telephone Works well with employers Face-to-face survey Quantitative includes both open questions as pre-coded Can achieve robust sample allowing generalisations if sufficient numbers are surveyed Expensive and time-consuming to administrator Ideal for gathering sensitive information or exploring complicated issues interview Qualitative In depth and detailed information can be gathered Interviewers are allowed more flexibility Answers to open questions can be difficult and time-consuming to analyse Expensive and time-consuming to administrator Focus group Qualitative A group discussion with around 8-12 people Can lasts up to 3 hours Capitalises on interaction between participants Participants are not representative of wider population which does not allow for generalisation Good method for gathering sensitive data Requires careful and unbiased analysis Case study Qualitative Researcher gains understanding of a individuals experience Provides good quotations and rich data Can bring alive other research, such as survey data Findings cannot be generalised to a wider population Qualitative Research Qualitative research is not just quality, it is the starting point where individuals understand and can talk about their lives. Qualitative studies attempt to explain social phenomena (for example experience, attitudes, behaviour, interactions and belief) in terms of the wider contexts of individual’s lives (Cresswell, J 1994). To gain this type of data methods such as direct, unstructured interviewing, or observation of real-life settings (ethnography) are used. The data that qualitative methods of research collect is usually words, rather than numbers, in the form of transcripts. That data is typically unstructured, and statistical methods cannot be used in its analysis (King, N. 1998). Individuals are surveyed or studied in order to understand their experience from their perspective, that is, what matters to them, rather than from the standpoint of the researcher or the professionals. Observational studies have been undertaken to understand the informal culture, of the organisation (King, N. 1998). Quantitative Research Quantitative research generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers, for example clinical trials or the National Census. Numbers are the main type of data that these methods collect, and those numbers will be analysed using mathematical or statistical techniques. Surveys that take the form of questionnaires are usually quantitative (Cresswell, J 1994). Conclusion This paper will combine both quantitative and qualitative approaches, using a qualitative study to guide the design of a subsequent quantitative study and by mixing elements of the one approach into the other. Questionnaires can contain both quantitative and qualitative questions. This paper will use both a quantitative and quantitative approach to the questions. This will be in the form of a ratings scale (1 to 5), whereas the qualitative questions will present a box where people can write in their own words. To obtain the strategic value in BV, a case study approach will be used; this will gauge the working practices and will enhance the data from the questionnaires. The secondary research will focus on the Governments white papers, and will introduce discussion from books and journals written on the subject. References Bell, J (2005) (4th Edition) Doing Your Research Project,  Open University Press, Buckingham Cresswell, J (1994) Research Design (Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches),  Sage publications, London King, N. (1998) Template analysis in G. Symon and C. Cassell (eds.) Qualitative Methods and Analysis in Organizational Research, Sage London Saunders, M. Et al (1997) Research Methods for Business Students,  Pitman Publishing, London. Papers White Paper (1998) Modern Local Government in Touch with the People,  Accessed through, www.communities.gov.uk Local Government Act 1999,  Accessed through, www.communities.gov.uk White Paper (2001) Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services,  Accessed through, www.communities.gov.uk The Byatt Report (2001) Delivering Better Services for Citizens,  Accessed through, www.woking.gov.uk

The Black Panther Party Fights for Equality :: Race African American History Essays

The Black Panther Party Fights for Equality The Black Panther Party was born to elevate the political, social, and economic status of Blacks. The means the Party advocated in their attempt to advance equality were highly unconventional and radical for the time, such as social programs for under privileged communities and armed resistance as a means of self preservation. The Party made numerous contributions to Black’s situation as well as their esteem, but fell victim to the ‘system’ which finds it nearly impossible to allow Blacks entry into the dominant culture. Thus, the rise and fall of a group of Black radicals, as presented by Elaine Brown in A Taste of Power, can be seen to represent the overall plight of the American Black: a system which finds it impossible to give Blacks equality. Nearly all of the problems the Black Panther Party attacked are the direct descendants of the system which enslaved Blacks for hundreds of years. Although they were given freedom roughly one hundred years before the arrival of the Party, Blacks remain victims of White racism in much the same way. They are still the target of White violence, regulated to indecent housing, remain highly uneducated and hold the lowest position of the economic ladder. The continuance of these problems has had a nearly catastrophic effect on Blacks and Black families. Brown remembers that she â€Å"had heard of Black men-men who were loving fathers and caring husbands and strong protectors.. but had not known any† until she was grown (105). The problems which disproportionatly affect Blacks were combatted by the Party in ways the White system had not. The Party â€Å"organized rallies around police brutality against Blacks, made speeches and circulated leaflets about every social and political issue affecting Black and poor people, locally, nationally, and internationally, organized support among Whites, opened a free clinic, started a busing-to prisons program which provided transport and expenses to Black families† (181). The Party’s goals were to strengthen Black communities through organization and education. The dominant culture perceived the Black Panther Party to be a threat, prevented their success whenever possible, and greatly contributed to their ultimate demise. In 1968 FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover proclaimed: â€Å"The Black Panther Party is the single greatest threat to the internal security of the United States† (156). The Party’s founder, Huey Newton, came to represent â€Å"the symbol of change for Americans, (by) questioning everything scared to the American way of life† (237).

why parrot repeat :: essays research papers

Why Parrots Repeat A long, long time ago before human even roamed the earth animals here alone. There were all different types of them, from big to small, fat to skinny and brave to cowardly. There were also groups of animals, based upon there personalities just like us today. The way that you look made no difference, just the way you acted. For example, the lions were very brave and loyal and the turtles were cowardly and shy. Then there were the parrots. They were also like the turtles because they were cowardly but not shy. They love to make fun of others. They had huge mouths. Every time they could insult one of their fellow animals they would. In this one incidence the warthogs we just minding their own business while playing soccer out in the fields (the warthogs were a sort of uneducated animal, but nice at the same time, as long as you were kind to them they would do anything for you). They parrots saw them playing as they were and immediately started to make fun of them. They called them names like â€Å"fatty† and â€Å"slowpoke.† This upset the warthogs so much that they went to the mammoth, the king animals, and told him what the parrots had done. So at the next town meeting the mammoth talked to the parrots about their behavior towards their fellow animals. The mammoth said â€Å"Parrots why must you be so cruel to all of the animals?† all the parrots did was laugh and then told the mammoth to take it easy because they were just having a little fun. Then the mammoth replied back quickly and said that next time they insulted their fellow animals that he would go straight to Zaron, the god of all the animals. The parrots could only imagine what would happen to them if Zaron found out about this, because all knew about he was the same god would made the flies attracted to feces. After hearing this they seemed to be afraid. The parrots held back their comments for a while but eventually it came back out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On one rainy day the sloths were trying to get to there homes as fast as they could but we know that it would take them a while. Even when all the other animals were safely in there homes the sloth’s still had miles to go before they could get dry.

Atmospheres Unlimited in Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

Atmospheres Unlimited in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare becomes a master of diverse atmospheres in his tragedy Macbeth. We shall examine closely the changing, more forcefully developing atmospheres here.    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson explains why the atmosphere is so important in Macbeth:    Macbeth is a play in which the poetic atmosphere is very important; so important, indeed, that some recent commentators give the impression that this atmosphere, as created by the imagery of the play, is its determining quality. For those who pay most attention to these powerful atmospheric suggestions, this is doubtless true. Mr. Kenneth Muir, in his introduction to the play - which does not, by the way, interpret it simply from this point of view - aptly describes the cumulative effect of the imagery: "The contrast between light and darkness is part of a general antithesis between good and evil, devils and angels, evil and grace, hell and heaven . . . and the disease images of IV, iii and in the last act clearly reflect both the evil which is a disease, and Macbeth himself who is the disease from which his country suffers."(67-68)    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" mentions equivocation, unreality and unnaturalness in the play - contributors to an atmosphere that may not be very realistic:    The equivocal nature of temptation, the commerce with phantoms consequent upon false choice, the resulting sense of unreality ("nothing is, but what is not"), which has yet such power to "smother" vital function, the unnaturalness of evil ("against the use of nature"), and the relation between disintegration in the individual ("my single state of man") and disorder in the larger social organism - all these are major themes of the play which are mirrored in the speech under consideration. (94)    Charles Lamb in On the Tragedies of Shakespeare comments on the atmosphere surrounding the play:    The state of sublime emotion into which we are elevated by those images of night and horror which Macbeth is made to utter, that solemn prelude with which he entertains the time till the bell shall strike which is to call him to murder Duncan, - when we no longer read it in a book, when we have given up that vantage-ground of abstraction which reading possesses over seing, and come to see a man in his bodily shape before our eyes actually preparing to commit a muder, if the acting be true and impressive as I have witnessed it in Mr.

Final Draft of Argument Essay: Traffic in Chicago Needs to be Solved Essay

Traffic in Chicago is a big problem, so the mayor should take it serious and solve it by build new roads or creating new traveling methods. Traffic jam is a long line of vehicles in which many vehicles get stuck in jam. Although there are many causes of traffic jam, the main cause of traffic jam is the narrowness of roads in proportion to the large number of vehicles. Traffic is a very big obstacle in reaching where we are heading to. It brings great suffering to us, and kills our valuable time. We can not reach school, college, office and hospital in time. Sometimes ambulance and fire brigade can not go hurry up due to traffic jam. In result, this problem should be solved. Traffic during the rush hours is the worst. We are in about to be in Summer time, where Chicago receives millions of visitors. In that time that’s where people lost a lot of things. If you have a flight in that period, you better take a train because it will take long to get the airport. Responsible should take the traffic jam seriously, and must be solved. Solutions like using public transportation in better way to travel, and it is the most convenient method. Also, creating new bike lanes encourage people to ride bikes rather than driving which help decreasing the traffic. By informing the drivers that leaving their vehicles and take other traveling methods is only way to reduce traffic. In conclusion, traffic jam can be solved by some actions. Solutions to small road capacity should be the improvement of road condition. More roads even underground railways and tunnels should be laid down to relieve traffic congestion. At the same time, better public transportation systems are also needed, including bus, CTA, Pace and many others.

Gestalt Psychology Reflection Essay

At almost the same time the behaviorist revolution was gathering strength in the United States, the Gestalt revolution was taking hold of German psychology. Gestalt theories followed the basic principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The main founders of Gestalt Psychology are Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang KÃ ¶hler. Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler worked in establishing theories of Gestalt Psychology. Kurt Koffka His main focus was in the field of cognition and psychological development. Wolfgang KÃ ¶hler also journeyed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands off Africa’ s, to study chimpanzees. KÃ ¶hler suggested that Gestalt theory was a general law of nature that should be extended to all the sciences. The six perceptual organization principles are as follows: Chapter 12 Figures 12.1 (a) (b) (c) (d) 1. Proximity: Parts that are placed close together, they tend to be perceived as a group (a), the circles in three double columns rather than as one large collection. 2. Continuity: There is a tendency in our perception to follow a direction, to connect the elements in a way that makes them seem continuous or flowing in a particular directions. (a) you tend to follow the columns of small circles from top to bottom. 3. Similarity: Similar parts tend to be seen together as forming a group. (b), the circles and the dots each appear to belong together, and you tend to perceive rows of circles and rows of dots instead of columns. 4. Simplicity: A good gestalt is symmetrical, simple and stable and cannot be made simpler. (c) are good Gestalt because they are clearly perceived as complete and organized 5. Closure: There is a tendency in our perception to complete figures, to fill in gaps. (c), you perceive three squares even though the figures are incomplete. 6. Figure/Ground: We tend to organize perceptions into the object being looked at and the background against which it appears. (d) the figure and the ground are reversible, you may see two faces or you may see a vase, depending on how your perception is organized. References Schultz, D. (2011). A history of modern psychology (10th edition) Chapter 12