Thursday, October 31, 2019
The who, the what, the where research paper on Good to Great by Jim Essay
The who, the what, the where research paper on Good to Great by Jim Collins - Essay Example Involved in the conducted research were the 11 companies from the list of Fortune 500. These companies are Kimberly-Clark, Kroger, Nucor, Philip Morris, Piney Bowes, Walgreen, Wells Fargo, Abbott Laboratories, Circuit City, Fannie Mae and Gillette. To simplify the criteria of the companies' belongingness for such was through the survival of its stock prices in the past 15 years. It relies on the growth and their ability to cope of the changes of economic events. In the book, Collins cited various approaches based on different principles he, along with his team, gathered through their study for the dynamic retort of the business industry. Thus the given principles can answer further the queries that come alongside the main thesis. One is to answer the who and the what of the approach for acquisition of greatness of a company. Quoting Collins, he stated "the main point is to first get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) before you figure out where to drive it. The second key point is the degree of sheer rigor needed in people decisions in order to take a company from good to great." It is suggestive that good companies absorb the right people to work for them. In critical conditions that a company is facing, Collins implies not to sell the best people but to sell the biggest problem. These best people he regarded should be the adaptive ones to be able to cope
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
EMBA 560 Executive Position week 2 exercise 2 Research Paper - 1
EMBA 560 Executive Position week 2 exercise 2 - Research Paper Example He/she also must possess honesty, integrity, character, trustworthiness, and all the personal virtues I would need my VP to have to be able to command the respect of others and for me to repose trust in him/her. Having made this wish list, I shall then analyze the needs of the organization. Where is the organization at this time? What are the more serious challenges that it faces now, and will face in the medium to long-term? How about the engineering department itself, what are its current and medium to long-term requirements? Some organizations have problems dealing with revenues; that is a marketing problem. Others have challenges in controlling costs; that is an operations problem. Still other may have union issues or skills obsolescence, or demotivation; these are HR problems. Several of these may occur simultaneously, so it will be necessary to prioritize and rank them in order of importance to the firm. It is only at this point that one may begin to consider the candidates. Do they all possess the basic attributes? If so, how does hiring each one match the organizationââ¬â¢s needs? For instance, if motivation is an issue, prefer to hire from within, and maybe prefer seniority, because the younger candidate can wait a few more years to be hired. To add inputs to my decision, I will probably invite each one of them to a cordial lunch to discover their own personal disposition and inclination about the position, without necessarily informing them that they are being considered. This may be unethical in the case of Ms Hernandez since she is still connected with the competitor, so in her case the fact finding may be done through a third person. In any case, it is important to know how each would feel about the position, particularly John Adams who is the successor apparent. In making my consideration, I should be aware that since John Adams is the one everyone
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Architecture Design of Religious Temples
Architecture Design of Religious Temples ABSTRACT Over time new inventions and discoveries have taken place in bringing advancement to technology. So the society, people, and their mentality gets adapted to the technological advancement. The things used by them get modified, so do their tastes. Similarly there is also a huge change in the environment, architecture, the spaces they use, the type of food they have, etc. Considering these changes in the society, there is also a huge change in the way a TEMPLE; a place of worship is related to the society. Over centuries the templesââ¬â¢ function changed from a social institution to a place of community gathering, though there is no considerable change in its design. Is it due to imitation of the architectural form from one generation to other? Does this piece of architecture tells us about the society of this period as other pieces of architecture do? Does it still show the advancement in the technology? Is it still run under high patronage? This dissertation attempts to deliberate upon these issues and to arrive on a solution on how a contemporary temple should look like. INTRODUCTION In Hinduism ââ¬ËTEMPLEââ¬â¢ (mandir) is a structure that houses the gods (Encyclopaedia). It was designed to be used as a focus for all aspects of life, namely, religious, cultural, educational and social. It helps a visitor to transcend from his world so that he connects with the supreme authority, the GOD. They are also taken as places of enlightenment and liberation. Hence the principles of designing temples were derived keeping everything in mind. Initially the temple did function the way it was designed to be. A piece of architecture is said to reflect the time and the type of society to which it belongs. There is a change in everything around us. We started living and working in multi storey apartments with glass facades leaving behind the huts and bungalows. But a considerable change in temples is not witnessed. After the development of the temple typology, later was just imitation or embellishment. ââ¬ËIn real world of architectural construction, temples were built by imitation: one generation copying the predecessor or one rival architect, but always with some minor modifications to keep client interest alive.ââ¬â¢ (Oijevaar, 2007) IMPORTANCE OF TEMPLE IN THE PAST A Temple was once the most important building in the society. It proved to be the divine power, the tallest building in the society. The king paid patronage to the construction of it. It also symbolised the power and richness of the kingdom. Hence, a huge land was allocated and a huge amount of money was commissioned in the construction. Lot of masons, engineers, sculptors and labourers were engaged in its design and execution. The making of a temple was a big fair which continued over years depending on the hugeness of the temple. There are temples that were built over the reins of two to three dynasties. The making of temple was also a mode of employment in the kingdom. DESIGN DERIVATION Temples marked the transition of the Vedic religion into Hinduism. The notion of symbolising everything important with a human figure and making idols to worship them led to the emergence of a TEMPLE. Initially the typology was inspired from the Buddhist architecture. The first remarkable temple, the Durga Temple at Aiholi was said to be a chaitya hall with a peek on the top. The notion of ââ¬Ëcave in a mountainââ¬â¢ was imitated by the architects of that period which led to the development of an inner sanctum or garbha griha, a place where the idol was placed. A pillared hall known as mandapa was designed in front of it so that people can stand and worship. Hence the initial temple was just a building made as a replica of a cave in a mountain with just two rooms namely garbha griha for the idol and a mandapa for other activities respectively. These were square rooms (square taken as a holy shape according to vastu shastra) covered with a slab above so that the devotees are not disturbed by any external elements. The examples of such temples are found in various places around Karnataka (Aihole) which was taken as the place of experimentation for temple architecture. After the development of the basic plan type in Aihole, now the problem emerged in giving it a proper shape so that it becomes a magnificent piece of architecture so that it overpowers the society. Hence the need of a dominating feature in the building emerged which later gave rise to a vertical shrine or shikara. In initial examples one can notice shikara only on the garbha griha with a flat roof on the mandapa but in course of time the flat roof on mandapa was also replaced by a shikara (smaller than that on the garbha griha). Slowly the priest started living next to the temple, the school (Veda patashala) where younger boys were taught Vedas also became a function of the temple which led to the development of more number of small rooms around the temple. Also the functions like entertainment in terms of dance or/and music performances for god, the place to feed people with the prasadam led to development of more number of mandapas. The temple with its mandapas, other small deities (generally someway related to the main deity), punditsââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ house, Veda patashala, temple tank, etc. came to be known as temple complex. Finally a huge wall was built around it to safeguard the place allotted to temple with an entrance also known as gopuram. Also the temples were developed in a way that it gives a visual feast to the visitor entering it so that he enters into a different world mentally. This is done by designing the interiors of temple and decorating them with sculptures, paintings and inscriptions from various books like bagawadgita, Ramayana, etc. Though the development seemed to be very common all over the country, the aspect of regionalism has played an important role in the development of a templeââ¬â¢s design. Hence many differences have been noticed in the various temples of different regions. One known as the north Indian or the Nagara had a different approach of designing compared to the one of South Indian or the Dravidian. Still the essential features of design namely garbha griha, mandapa, shikara remain to be present in both the styles though they appeared differently. TERMS: Vimana/ Prasada/ Shrine: ââ¬ËThe shrine proper is termed as Vimana (measured out) in the southern context, the northern equivalent being Prasada (palace; literally seat of the deity)ââ¬â¢ (Hardy, 2007). It contains a sanctum, garbha griha, usually square. While some early shrines seem to have been flat roofed, a Nagara or Dravida shrine has a superstructure as an integral part. The interior of the super structure is rarely accessible, and sometimes filled with solid and rubble. Shrines may be rectangular, apsidal, circular or octagonal. However the garbha griha generally remains in square shape, except for the rectangular shrines. Most of the plans are square or square generated giving importance to the four cardinal directions. Generally square generated orthogonal plans undergo maximum number of projections and evolve towards a more pronounced central emphasis. Garbha Griha: The inner sanctum is known as garbha griha. The garbha griha is a small dark room in which the idol is placed. Derived from the concept of ââ¬Ëcave in a mountainââ¬â¢. It is generally square or derivative of square in shape. Not accessible for general public, private space of god. Mandapa/Jagmohana: All the shrines have a porch which allows people or the god servants to carry out their activities known as mandapa. A mandapa might be a closed one or an open porch. The closed mandapas get light through the door ways. The number of doorways to the mandapa may vary from one to three. In addition to it the thick walls of mandapas have bright holes of stone traceries as windows for the light to penetrate inside. Sometimes light pouches are also given in the roof of the structure. The light entered here reflects from the floor and reaches the ceiling creating a divine effect inside the mandapa. Hence the ceilings are carved in most of the mandapas. The mandapas were constructed in post and beam construction simply imitating the wooden architecture that existed before. The distance between the columns depended on the length of the stone which itself is dependent on the grade and distance of the quarry. Spans hardly exceeded 2.5m. The initial mandapas (6th -7th centuries) had flat roofs where a stone was laid out as a ceiling with a few carvings from inside so as to create a sophisticated effect. From 8th century onwards the mandapas started reflecting the shrine itself though in a comparatively smaller scale. A central bay started dominating the plan which also acts as the axis. ââ¬Ëcorbelled construction- the method of stepping horizontal courses progressively forward to cover a space, prevented from toppling by the weight of masonry pressing down at the rear- developed considerably from the 10th centuryââ¬â¢(Hardy, 2007). Pradakshina patha: The circumambulatory path one takes around the temple in a clockwise direction is termed as pradakshina. Here the exterior of the sanctum conveys the idea of an inner temple. For this especially a path is built around the temple with stones and this path is known as pradakshina patha. It is believed to be a scared path. It is taken in clockwise direction as suns path is clockwise. Natya mandapa: In later time there were a numerous editions in a temple. The temple started developing more as a social institution; hence things like entertainment also became the part of its rituals. To continue these rituals a different mandapa, generally connected or a stand-alone structure in front of the jagmohana was built. This mandapa is known as natya mandapa. There is a huge change in the way the natya mandapa was built when we compare from lingaraj to konark. It has seen a huge development due to the increase of the project size or patronage. Bhog mandapa: A mandapa was also designed in the later temples where people can sit and have the prasadam of the temple. Basically they are pillared halls with beautifully carved pillars where people sit and eat. Bhog meaning prasadam is how the name of it has been arrived. This is not usually found in large number of temples. A feature present in developed Nagara temples from lingaraj to puri. It disappeared after puri in konark. Gopuram: The entrance gateway of a temple is known as gopuram. It was initially a mark able structure, smaller than the shrine proper to mark the entrance to a temple. Over time it evolved to be the most important structure and hence its size increased. The tallest and the most magnificent gopurams are seen in meenakshi temple Madurai, where the gopuram looks like commanding the nature around. Gopurams are generally found in Dravidian temples. Coming to Nagara temples, a gopuram was found in mukteswar, but in further development it just disappeared. NAGARA: This typology is basically defined to possess curvilinear spires with square plans. After the experimentation of the basic design in Aihole, the further development of this typology happened in Odisha near Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar became the experimentation ground. The first notable temple here is known as parasurameswar, a temple devoted for the god Shiva built in 7th century AD. ââ¬ËThe temple has a flat roofed rectangular pillared hall known as jagmohana attached to a tri-ratha deul (sanctum), which carried a squat heavy- shouldered shikara. The carvings are known for their charm and static volumeââ¬â¢ (ASI). Next remark-able development is marked by the temple of mukteswara, built in 10th century AD with the introduction of a gopuram and a boundary wall to the temple. Mukteswara is defines as ââ¬Ëa dream realised in sandstoneââ¬â¢ (Ganguly, 1961), ââ¬Ëa gem in Odishan architectureââ¬â¢ (ASI). Elegantly decorated from top to bottom it is designed with a low heighted boundary wall and an entrance torana. This temple is known for its sculptural beauty and also its archaeological advancement. From the flat roof over the Jagmohana it is developed into a pyramidal deul. This was achieved by slight corbelling of the stones, yet it was an achievement thinking of the time it was designed. The deul is pancha ratha on plan and stands on a low platform. The peda deul (pyramidal shikara) has two latticed windows on north and south, where the outer most part of the window depicts humorous scenes of a monkeyââ¬â¢s life. The ceiling of jagmohana is deliberately carved in the form of a blown lotus. The pillars of this temple are very much notable. The introduction of snake pillars, relief figures and figurines, gaja simhas on pilasters was all new. The torana, known as makara torana has two crocodilesââ¬â¢ heads both towards two different sides and their tails meeting each other. The carvings of different goddess also present on it. The basement of the pillars supporting the arch, square in section contains on each face a miniature temple flanked at the top by gaja simhas. The sixteen- sided shafts consist each of four blocks of stone of which the topmost has loops of pearl strings hanging down from the mouths of row of kritti mukhas above. The next temple that marked a remarkable development is the temple of Raja- Rani. Though it went a little off in the development process, it still has its own contribution in the development of Nagara typology. The entire Shiva temples end with the name of ishwar ex. Parasurameswar, mukteswara, etc. there is a story behind the name of this temple. This temple was expected to be a pleasure resort for the king and the queen as the idol is missing but M.M.Ganguly rightly rejects it by talking about the absence of the stables, out houses, etc. ââ¬Ë The name Raja-Rani has been derived from very fine grain yellowish sandstone known as Raja Rani in common parlanceââ¬â¢(Ganguly, 1961). Due to the missing of the deity inside the temple, there are still confusions if the temple was dedicated to lord Shiva or lord Vishnu. ââ¬ËThe later milestone in development, the temple of Ananth Vasudev being a Vaishnavite temple and on the examination ââ¬Ëkhura pristhaââ¬â¢ or the upper plinth carved as it is with the petals of lotus it appears that the temple was meant for being dedicated to Vishnuââ¬â¢ (Ganguly, 1961). Hence there is no confirmation on the deity of this temple. The torana that appeared in mukteswara was lost by the time Raja Rani was made. There is not much difference in the plan form. The deul is a pancha ratha plan that stands on a certain plinth. In line next is the Vaishnavite temple, the temple of Vishnu in the form of lord Krishna known as Ananth Vasudev. Here two new mandapas have seen to be emerged in the regular plan form. By then the role of temple in a society has drastically increased. The more now became more of a social institution rather than just a religious place. Hence the functions like entertainment, donation, etc. have come into the temple premises increasing the scale of the temple and giving rise to the natya and Bhog mandapas. All these mandapas were covered by a pyramidal deul (pida deul), except for the rekha deul on the garbha griha. Rekha deul is tallest of all with decreasing height of each deul in order. In plan Lingaraj temple was very similar to Ananth Vasudev but it is a shaivite temple. The plan form has evolved to the proper extent in Ananth Vasudev and as time passed the hugeness of the temple increased. Lingaraj is the most notable temple all over Odisha. It stands a mid of a numerous small shrines. Like Ananth Vasudev it has a three chambers frontal part consisting of jagmohana, natya mandapa and Bhog mandapa. There are clear evidences that the other three mandapas are later addition to the existing structure though there is a continuation of sculptures found. Shifting from Bhubaneswar the next remarkable temple was built in puri commonly known as jagannath mandir. For the first time a temple was designed in the form of a chariot. Chariot being the vehicle of god, the temples also have taken the form of a chariot. This temple has a garbha griha, jagmohana, natya and Bhog mandapas placed on a ratha. The ratha was basically a raised platform with wheels carved on it. The scale of the temple was huge compared to Lingaraj, though the plan form remained the same. A complex was designed for it with boundary walls and a proper entrance way was provided. Inside the complex were numerous small shrines dedicated to different gods along with the main shrine. Konark temple defined as the ââ¬Ëblack pagodaââ¬â¢ (Behra, 2007) is situated in Konark, a place near Bhubaneswar. The scale of the temple is very huge compared to the rest of the buildings of that era. It is considered as one of the best in terms of technological advancement of that time. Coming to the plan form, this templesââ¬â¢ form is a little different compared to the jagannath mandir, though it is also designed to be a chariot. A chariot of the sun god which had 12 pairs of wheels carved out on its plinth. Over the chariot are the garbha griha and the jagmohana. A natya mandapa remains to be a standalone structure in the complex. The complex contains other smaller shrines along with the main shrine. All these temples represented the time in which they were built. They represented the society, the richness of the kingdom, and the technological advancement of that time which is not exactly what the temples of day-to day represent. Further I would like to go through the development in Dravidian typology, refer to the designing of temples today and there relation with society and technology and would like to end with the parameters required in designing a contemporary temple. REFERENCES Online dictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Temple) Oijevaar K.J, sept 2007, The South Indian Hindu temple building design system on the architecture of shilpa shastra and the Dravidian style, Delft University of technology, Netherlands, pg.4 Karuna Sagar Behra, 1993, Temples of Orissa, Orissa sahitya academy Krishna Chandra Panigrahi, 1961, Archaeological remains at Bhubaneswar, Kitab Mahal, pg.87-101 Adam Hardy, 2007, The temple architecture of India, John Willey and Sons ltd. Britain, pg.90-105 Karuna Sagar Behra, 2005, Konark ââ¬â The Black Pagoda, Publications Division, Ministry of Information Broadcasting, Government of India
Friday, October 25, 2019
Russo Japanese War Essay -- Russian Defeat, Distance
Is distance an insurmountable problem, judging from the Russian Experience in this conflict and the British experience in the War of American Independence? In order to clearly understand the points presented, insurmountable must first be clearly defined and understood in relation to the case. For this essay insurmountable means that Russia and the British were unable to overcome distance. Distance was the single factor that led to their inability to successfully wage war and defeat their opponents baring all other difficult matters were achievable. In the Russo-Japanese War, distance from theater and within theater was not an insurmountable problem for the Russians. In contrast, distance from and within theater proved an insurmountable problem for the British during the War of American Independence. The Russianââ¬â¢s defeat was a combination of a unaffectionate value of the object (government & people), inadequate leadership (government & forces), and a poorly trained and equipped force that could not t unite their land and sea forces (government & forces). However, the British were severely handicapped by vast area of operations; this impacted their ability to receive supplies, guidance, and reinforcements, as well as project its sea power effectively. By the late 1800ââ¬â¢s Russia had infiltrated the Far East, with two naval stations, Port Arthur and Vladivostok, forces based in Manchuria as well as the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Russia military desires in Asia were not of national security importance but that of imperialism and wealth, the former was most important to Nicholas II and the latter of Witte. The Far East expansion would allow Russia to initially capitalize on Manchuria and Koreaââ¬â¢s resourc... ... the war (Fuller, pg. 406). The trading capacity of Russia was also in shambles. Domestic trading and trading with Siberia was halted to support the sole use of Trans-Siberian railway for military transport (Warner and Warner, p.317). Revenue was down and the hatred for Nicholas II had increased. Nicholas II was warned that an object so remote and out of touch with the national spirit would only fan the flames of revolution (Koda, p.397). The Revolution was fully blown and the political and economic reform was being demanded. Boycotts and attacks on public officials were common. Nichols II content to lead a nation without the interest of his people, led Russia into war with itself. Russia was losing face value with the world. Matters on the home front needed immediate attention and the war was a distraction that could no longer be afforded or tolerated.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
An Appreciation of a Dill Pickle
Sometimes I will think that if a loving pair, who have been apart for many years, meet again, what will happen? Will they hug tightly, crying, or will they pour out things happened these years to each other? In this article, I find the answer. After they reunited, they only recollected and sighed with emotion. I think the title has implied everything: the taste of the dill pickle is acerb and it stands for that the love between Vera and her past love is also acerb; they are destined not to live together; meanwhile, it symbolizes Veraââ¬â¢s feeling about their love: acerb rather that sweet.Many details in the article are meaningful, especially the body language. The moment Vera met the man, ââ¬Å"she raised her veil and unbuttoned her high fur collarâ⬠. It explains that she unloaded her defense, wanting to chat with him. However, during their conversation, she found that after six yearsââ¬â¢ suffering, the indecision on him had faded out and he had been a person who deeply knew the rule of society.Vera felt that they had nothing in common with each other and she didnââ¬â¢t like listening to his showing off, so ââ¬Å"she buttoned her collar again and drawn down her veilâ⬠, coming back to the appearance as she turned up because the man was not deserved to believe any more. Besides,the manââ¬â¢s action as ââ¬Å"snapped the cigarette caseâ⬠also indicated that the love between them should be stored in the case and become the past.Vera had ever doubt that if it was right to abandon their love because sometimes she would still beat her heart for him. However, at last, she went away, leaving in a hurry and making people puzzled. She let everything go to start a new life. I think she would never regret. The dill pickle is forever a side dish rather than an entree, so is Vera. Maybe Vera could accompany him temporarily, but she could not keep him company all the time.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Issues in Scottish Curriculum Design Essay
The way that any curricula is broken up into is two main ways; one being the curriculum in action, where the aims, content and experiences of the curriculum on paper are implemented in practice. The other is the curriculum on paper which is the ideology of what should be implemented in education across the board. The ideology in curriculum can be split up into four main categories. Most papers on this topic, agree to an extent what the four ideologies constitute of, but Schiroââ¬â¢s (2008) ideologies are the most commonly known. The ââ¬ËScholar Academicââ¬â¢, the ââ¬ËSocial Efficiencyââ¬â¢, the ââ¬ËLearner Centredââ¬â¢ and the ââ¬ËSocial Reconstructionââ¬â¢ ideologies are the four main categories explained in the Curriculum Theory that will be discussed in this paper in relation to The Curriculum for Excellence, the current curriculum in Scotland. The oldest of the four ideologies is the Scholar Academic ideology which focuses on the accumulation of knowled ge and understanding. The aim of this ideology is to pass on the knowledge of certain disciplines (subject areas), to allow there to be future scholars in that particular area and therefore, further develop understanding. The academic disciplines are the result of the cultureââ¬â¢s compiled knowledge and understanding of each area, and with this in mind, the purpose of education is to assist pupils to learn this knowledge. The next ideology is Social Efficiency. This is pretty dominant in our curriculum today and means to prepare the learner for becoming an efficient and contributing member in society. The learnerââ¬â¢s objective is to learn certain skills that will in turn achieve certain objectives that benefit society (Lorrie A. 2000). The individual will learn a mixture of knowledge and skills that can be put together, therefore making the skills more efficient and more beneficial to society. The learner centred ideology focuses more on the needs and interests of the individual rather than the c ontent they are to learn. The idea behind this theory is that learning will take place due to the interactions between the individual and their environment, therefore being more down to the experiences rather than the content. The newest of these ideologies is Social Reconstruction. This is where the social reconstructionists are aware of the problems in society and see the job of the educator to correct these problems in the classroom, hoping that it will reconstruct their society as it is (Groenke, S. 2009). The focus of the curriculum would not be based on knowledge but more of values and opinions that would benefit the society and make it attain the greatest satisfaction of its members. In ââ¬ËBuilding the Curriculum 3: A framework for learning and teachingââ¬â¢ it has examples of all four of the classifications of the curriculum ideology provided by Schiro (2008). It has examples of Academic ideology as it discusses the importance of knowledge and the ability and opportunity to increase the depth of knowledge already acquired as it states ââ¬Å"Throughout a young personââ¬â¢s learning there will be increasing specialisation and greater depth, which will lead to subjects increasingly being the principal means of structuring learning and delivering outcomes.â⬠(page 20, Building the Curriculum 3). From this quote we can relate the academic ideology through the concentration on developing knowledge further to specialisation in certain subjects, therefore being able to pass on the knowledge and allow it to grow from there. There are many examples of ââ¬ËThe Social Efficiency Ideologyââ¬â¢ in the paper as it focuses on health and wellbeing experiences and outcomes where the individualââ¬â¢s get the opportunity to gain skills that benefit the individual in life and work, but also the community around them. This is to help them become effective contributors in society: â⬠¦support all children and young people in developing skills which they will use throughout their life and in their work, including the development of pre-vocational, enterprise and employability skills, personal skills, high levels of cognitive skills and the opportunity to put learning into a practical context. (page 15, Building the Curriculum 3) This example shows that the curriculum is aiming to encourage the learning of certain skills that will improve chances of employability and life skills that will help the young people settle into society and be able to play their part within it. The Curriculum for Excellence sees itself as being centred on the learner, and their individual needs. There are plenty examples throughout the paper of this ideology where the child is involved in what they are learning and setting themselves goals to achieve and having choice in what they learn within the curriculum, ââ¬Å"All children and young people should experience personalisation and choice within their curriculum, including identifying and planning for opportunities for personal achievement in a range of different contextsâ⬠(page 17, Building the Curriculum 3). This quote shows that the idea of the curriculum is to give young people freedom to make their own decisions in what they are learning and at their own level. There are four capacities that make up the purpose of the curriculum that are described in this paper. ââ¬ËSuccessful learnersââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëconfident individualsââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëresponsible citizensââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëeffective contributorsââ¬â¢, are the capacities that the curriculum aims to enable young people to become. ââ¬ËResponsible citizensââ¬â¢ is a good example of The Social Reconstructive ideology as it explains how they will learn respect and about different cultures and how to behave responsibly within the community in all aspects (political, cultural or otherwise). As Building the curriculum states: â⬠¦able to develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotlandââ¬â¢s place in it, understand different beliefs and cultures make informed choices and decisions evaluate environmental, scientific and technological issues develop informed, ethical views of complex. (page 22, Building the Curriculum 3) Here in this example, it shows that the curriculum wants to provide young people with varied knowledge so that the decisions they make in the future will help to create a better society. The idea is to teach them about values and respect so that they may make better informed decisions as to what is best for the society around them. Building the Curriculum 3 contains examples of all four of the ideology categories, but there are two that are most prevalent, ââ¬ËLearner Centredââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËSocial Efficiencyââ¬â¢. Upon examining the evidence in more depth it seems that the ââ¬ËSocial Efficiencyââ¬â¢ ideology is the most dominant within this paper. Its main focus is on preparing and equipping individuals for future endeavours. For instance, the skills needed for future work prospects upon which Kridelââ¬â¢s (ed.2010) summary, of David Sneddonââ¬â¢s idea of social efficiency, explains the curriculum as a way to make individuals efficient for work. As discussed by Arnoldy (online), social efficiency in education is more for the benefit of the social economy than for the individual, but contradicting that theory in this paper, are the examples of learner centred ideology that is dotted throughout. Though, combining these two theories, Valadesââ¬â¢ (online) talks about the idea that to help out society, educating young people to learn and improve their skills and capabilities to help the community in the future, is the way forward. From Building the Curriculum 3 and having summarised that the main ideology behind it is focusing on preparing the individuals to become more efficient and productive for contributing to our society, we can see that there will be some implication for teachers. Teachers who have been teaching for years under the same curriculum will struggle to accept the new curriculum, if it is as completely different way to how they have been teaching before. Although the main focus of the curriculum in Scotland has been focused on preparing individuals for the future, it has not been focused on the more individual level. This may cause implication for teachers as they only have specific allocated times to be with classes and it will be hard to offer each individual, the time and attention they need to develop specific skills to the point of being efficient. The teacher will have to focus more on the experiences and outcomes the learners are objected to, to develop the skills needed for the real world. This causes some problems as it depends highly on what the school can afford to give in ways of experiences, as most of these will probably be met outside of school. So, teachers need to find a way of achieving the outcome of making the individual a more effective contributor to society by combining what they learn in and outside of the classroom. This would be a task for teachers, as the environment each individual they teach will be different and this therefore means that the teacher will have to find a way to combine these different environments or find a similarity and focus on that. Building the Curriculum 3 has some implication for teachers, but the focus being on social efficiency means that in some ways there are not so many changes from the past as at least for the last hundred years the school curriculum has been focused on making learners that will have skills that will help them achieve objectives that will make the society a more efficient place. A Comparative Overview of the Curriculum Ideologies ââ¬â Chapter 6 http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/47671_ch_6.pdf (visited 29th dec 2012) Critical Pedagogy and Teacher Education in the Neoliberal Era: Small Openings pp 3 Springer Netherlands, 2009 volume 6 Susan L. Groenke http://www.geocities.ws/rf_valades/index2.htm Social Efficiency Theory ââ¬â SAVE SOMETHING TODAY Rodrigo Valades visited 29th dec 2012 The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture Lorrie A. Shepard Vol. 29, No. 7 (Oct., 2000), pp. 4 American Educational Research Association http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/47671_ch_6.pdf Chapter 6 ââ¬â A Comparative Overview of the Curriculum Ideologies visited 29th dec 2012 Encyclopedia of Curriculum Studies edited by Craig Kridel SAGE Publications Inc 2010 Pg 4-7 Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns, Schiro, M. (2008a) SAGE Publications, Inc Pg 199-245 Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns Second Edition, Schiro, M. (2012b) SAGE Publications, Inc Building the Curriculum 3: A framework for learning and teaching, The Scottish Government, 2008
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