UAE School Learning System Essay Example for Free

UAE School Learning System Essay The education structure of UAE was formalized in 1953, with establishment of government funded public school system. Since then, this structure has been implemented across all the seven Emirates. Today, there are 780 public schools with approximate strength of 3 hundred thousand students across the entire UAE. The pattern of school system is formulated on standard western approach that consists of primary and secondary schools (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008). Students start their educational journey by enrolling in primary schools, which takes five years complete. The second stage spans over four years followed by the secondary schools that take another three years to complete. During the same phase, the emphasis of education has also shifted underwent a profound change to reflect the advances made in recent years in fields of information technology, shared learning, collaborative participation and leadership development among students. This paper focuses on these changes experienced by UAE education system that have helped to keep it robust and synchronized with evolving concept of education and pedagogy world wide (Felner et al. 1997). Reasons for Change in UAE School System With the advent of information technology, the former isolated model of education faced challenges that have stimulated it to transform side by side with events of rapid globalization, information technology, knowledge-driven economy, international change towards sustainable social and community developments, increased level of international interaction, competition and collaboration (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008).. Under the immense impact of these changes the UAE educational system also felt the need to incorporate numerous educational reforms and to keep it up to date and upgrade. The efforts of UAE policy-makers and educators to reform education and prepare next generations for meeting challenges of the future must be seen and understood in this context. (Cheng, 2003a, b; Hirsch Weber, 1999; Kogan Hanney, 2000; Mingle, 2000). Consistent with this approach in change is also the understanding that in a fast hanging era that educational reforms can not limit themselves to mere incorporation of information technology in its static form, but that they must absorb the philosophy of continuous action learning, creativity enhancement, and multiple intelligence development as the key elements for continued development of entire student community in view of information technology and evolution of a knowledge-based economy ((Samaha and Shishakly, 2008). Therefore, the concepts of organizational learning, collaborative partnership, shared experience, knowledge management and institutional intelligence are being inculcated the institutional level to oversee their effective transformation from confines of board room to class room(Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). Another important facet of latest educational reforms is emphasis on creativity and lateral thinking, which are believed to be instrumental in setting up platform for lifelong accumulation of learning, action learning and continued development of intelligence. It is believed that through assimilation of these new approaches, students could be better equipped to meet with the challenges of globalization and technological changes. As a matter of fact, the major thrust of educators, both in policy and implementation, is towards action learning which is construed as fundamental in increasing the learner’s capacity to take a higher learning curve, both from intelligence and knowledge point of view (Felner et al. 1997). Schools as Learning Communities The concept of schools as learning communities has gained ground internationally where educators have come forward with idea of creating a system that would include a focus on academic achievements along with wholesome development of children, covering their emotional, analytical and personality development to help them attain a productive role in the society (Felner et al. 1997). These ideas have come forward from learning form former educational system, whose curriculum, educators felt, created a gap between intellectual, emotional and interpersonal needs of students and academic education. Thus, it impeded their learning and preparatory abilities for adulthood, along introducing a degree of vulnerability against rapid pace of global technical changes. Collaborative Learning: From the experience gained from various models of teachings practiced around the world, educators have learned that collaborative learning is among the most effective tool for imparting effective and lasting teaching to children. The premises behind collaborative learning is that students learn best when they learn together through active collaboration and participation (Felner et al. 1997). Class room research has shown that collaborative learning, which inspires students to learn in small groups is much more effective than any other form of instruction in helping them understand and retain the content. It also imparts greater degree of satisfaction to students. Adult Learning Theory: Understanding the encompassing role of education, educators have also focused on evolving new models of adult learning, in recognition of the fact that maturity and understanding level of adults sits in a completely different zone as compared to children. According to the rules set by Malcom Knowles, adult learning approaches takes in cognizance of that fact that adults are autonomous and self directed and hence the teachers need to create an expansive environment where adults are able to appreciate their own independent role in directing their course of study. Thus participation, leadership and delegation of responsibilities become effective strategies in course of adult learning models, all which aiming to provide maximum degree of self control and reliance (Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). Meanwhile, educators have also learned to take in the life experience and knowledge factor of adults to further the goals of learning. One of the great benefit with adult teaching is that each adult has, at one point or other, something relevant to share with others, drawn out by his/her own experience pool and knowledge. Thus, the learning gets more effective and comprehensive. Also, adults are very goal oriented and practical (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008).. The time they are investing in education is either their productive time or time away from their family and hence they want maximum utilization and returns for their efforts. Educators, who have learned to appreciate these facts, have truly provided a very meaningful angel to concept of adult learning philosophy (Felner et al. 1997). Community: The present educational model lays a heavy emphasis on concept of community and shared learning. Information technology and internet has played fundamental role in furthering the concept of community where people with similar interest areas, like thinking and shared concepts get together to felicitate each other’s learning in a collaborative approach. Community is a inclusive approach in educational field where one to one instructional approach is replaced by learning through group interaction and active participation and sharing of knowledge among the members of the community. Even the role of educator, at times is not more than a member of the community. Community is an extremely useful concept in field of adult learning, specially for young adults who have high degree of familiarity with informational technology tools. Leadership: Modern educators have shed the ideas of passive education and pedantic teaching. The dynamics of global change have impressed them with creating leadership potential in every student. While certainly, there are no definite copy-book rules to construct a leader (Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). The difficulties, complexities, and challenges associated with a situation give impetus to leadership qualities in otherwise ordinary people who believe in themselves that they are capable of rising up to the difficulties as well as helping others out of it. Therefore although it might be difficult to ‘teach’ a person quality of good leader, yet one can expect to inculcate leadership qualities by observing styles and principles of successful leaders. Leadership is then about inspiration, motivation, encouragement and direction that pulls people to accomplishments that they would not had managed if left alone (Felner et al. 1997). However, effective leadership is a very challenging domain as it requires some impeccable personal and organizational traits that can be developed and realized through considerable experience, knowledge and self- discipline. There are no fixed guidelines, set of rules and laws that exactly prescribe the traits, qualities and attributes of a successful leader. Quite often the leadership is situational and the leader is required to act purely through intuition and circumstantial requirements. However there are certain essential skills and characteristics that are rather mandatory for effective leadership are (Day and Halpin, 2004)

Why Ireland is not Free Essay -- Essays Papers

Why Ireland is not Free Ireland has been in a civil war for hundreds of years with Northern Ireland because of Britain taking their independence. In the middle 19th Century the United States was also in a civil war. The Unites States civil war lasted for four years, 1861-1865, while Irelands has been going on for over a century. The United States civil war was quick and to the point, the United States knew what had to be done and they did it. While over in Ireland and Northern Ireland the civil war has been just an on going bickering for who deserves what and whether Britain should leave their land. When over in the United States they got an army, took their land, and didn’t have time to bicker. While in Ireland it’s just terrorist attacks they are dealing with. They won’t just settle the problem with Britain to make their land free again until they get back the money they think they deserve. This has all been going on because Britain was given Irelands land back in the 12th Century. Ireland has been struggling for freedom throughout history. Britain will not leave the nation of Ireland until it gets back what remains of British economical investments in the northeast of Ireland (Metress 149). Ireland had always been ruled by Britain but it wasn’t until Ireland voted to be a free nation, they were denied, and they started to fight back on Easter in 1916. According to Golway, James Connolly, the leader of the Irish labor movement, â€Å"demanded an end to mere talk of revolution† (224). This did not help the Irish like they attended it too. This only made the split of the two nations worse. Britain still thinks there are many things in the nation of Ireland that are still theirs, and believe ... ...en wrote and spoke out against Britain and thought it was not worth the time (Liam 242). Even with British troops siding with the Irish saying it is not a big deal, many Irish are wondering when they will take a stand and help them gain their independence. Throughout all history the motivation and inspiration has always been able to be seen in the Irish people. For one country to give so much dedication for their independence and to keep being overthrown time after time really shows how much one loves their country. This also shows how much Britain does not want to lose their land and shows the stubbornness by both sides of the continent by not just sacrificing a little to try to please both sides. But one thing is for certain throughout all of these conflicts; Ireland will not rest any time soon until they get the freedom they feel they deserve.

Management Robert Owen and Richard Branson

Intoduction It is said that management principles can be traced back as far as 5000 years, which has provided considerable amount of time to refine and develop these principles into efficient and successful ideologies. Throughout history, management practise has evolved thanks to a number of pioneers who have veered away from the norm to revolutionise views on what it means to be a good and efficacious manager. Both Robert Owen and Richard Branson can be seen as frontrunners of their time, performing feats in the realm of management that nobody before them would have dared to have even considered.Robert_Owen? Robert Owen was born in Newtown in Wales, United Kingdom. During his life he managed to improve well-being, education and rights of the working class. His driving ambition to create a better society made him a successful manufacturer and an important pioneer of Modern Management. ?†The most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been institut ed in any part of the world†1 [Owen, 1801] started when Robert Owen bought the New Lanark Mills in 1801.Under his management the New Lanark became a model community which was driving towards prosperity and making progress through the new technology. He was considered a kind man, who treated his employees very well. Owen highlighted the importance of education; he believed that knowledge is a useful skill that could release working class children from hunger and poverty. Thus New Lanark was the first place in the world that had an Infant School. This allowed parents to keep on working and created the opportunity for wider education provision, including evening classes for workers.He also introduced better working conditions for children; children under ten were not allowed to work in the village and no children were allowed to work for longer than 10 hours a day. Moreover he raised the minimum wage for child labour, raised wages for adults, reduced working hours and provided al l the employees with free medical care. Robert Owen always kept proper business records; these included daily and weekly measurement of productivity, output and stocks. A novel technique was used to control the employees; multicolored pieces of wood hung beside every worker.Each color indicated the previous day's quality of work. Everyone around was able to see this measure of employees performance, this piece of wood works as a good motivator towards quality performance, as people did not want to be embarrassed by everyone being able to see that they had worked to a poor standard. ?Even though Robert Owen had no formal university education his progressive moral views and entrepreneurial skills made his contribution to the modern management theory inestimable. What ideas individuals may attach to the term â€Å"Millennium† I know not; but I know that society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold; and no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance to prevent such a state of society from becoming universal. †2[Owen, 1816] Sir Richard Branson Sir Richard Branson was born in Blackheath, London in 1950.He studied at Stowe school and throughout his childhood struggled with dyslexia, and failed to do well at school, but by the age of 16, after dropping out of school, and a few failed attempts at selling Christmas trees and budgerigars, he had already taken his first steps to becoming a successful pioneer when he launched a magazine called ‘Student’ 3[Ahmed, 2011], which ran articles about prominent politicians, famous rock stars and different celebrities of the time.This turned out to just be the start of a successful entrepreneurial career, and he has now founded ‘Virgin Group Ltd. ’ which consists of more than 400 companies, ranging from airlines to mobile phone networ ks, employing over 50,000 people. Having started as a teenager, struggling to find his way into the business world, he is now worth about three billion pounds sterling, and is one of the most outstanding innovators in the world. Despite being renowned for promoting an extremely tranquil working environment, Richard Branson is a follower of F.W. Taylor, who proposed the ‘Scientific Management Theory’, which attempts to increase economic efficiency and productivity in the workplace by applying a scientific element to management, and Sir Richard Branson is known to apply some of Taylors ‘Scientific Management’ theories to his own style. Taylor was also known to reward staff with higher payment based on results, as an attempt to boost motivation, which Branson has also exercised by paying and rewarding employees based on performance and their ability to show signs of creative thinking. [Anon] Sir Richard Branson implements a style of a Theory Y manger in Dougla s McGregor’s theory5 [McGregor, 1960] which states that there are two types of manager: Theory X styled manager- Believes that the average employee dislikes works and only works because they have to earn money, therefore they need to be threatened with punishments in order to be motivated, and directed strictly, without any room for delegated responsibility.A Theory X styled manager believes that money is most important to the employee. Theory Y styled manager (Sir Richard Branson)- Believes that employees are more motivated when they have more self-control and can apply their own skills and creativity in the workplace. States that most employees want to do well and self-actualisation what motivates them, as oppose to financial gain. [Taylor, 2013] Richard Branson believes that by creating a relaxed working environment, and by trusting his managers and employees with responsibility, that his staff will consequently be enjoy their work, work better as a team, and therefore be more motivated as they will be achieving the Self-Actualisation level and Social level on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and therefore enhance the performance of the workforce, and resultantly the performance of Virgin.In the advancement of his management thinking, Virgin Group Ltd created a centralised website which endeavoured to link up all of the Virgin Group companies, and created a central hub, as previously they worked separately, so he therefore attempting to promote teamwork and build human relationships within the firm, allowing employees to communicate and information to be pooled and collected. Comparison and Contrast between Owen and Branson Despite being from entirely different eras, Owen and Branson exude many similar qualities; most notably in that they both believe that the key to success lies in the treatment of their employees. Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them. †7[Branson, 2011] It is clear that both men care greatly for their employees; Branson gives all employees his personal phone number, so that should they have any problems they can contract him directly, rather than having to go through Human Resources. Many managers would not identify with this and would rather their employees suffer in silence. Branson also claims to attempt to respond to as any emails as he can every day, â€Å"Recalling a time when [he] was just starting out and needed advice, [he tries] to respond to as many reader emails as [he] can. †8 . [Branson, 2011] Branson claims: â€Å"People don’t leave their jobs through lack of pay – they leave because they aren’t valued. Many companies leave people in boxes; encourage them to be adaptable and innovative. †9 [Branson, 2011] Owen exhibited his consideration for his employees in a very different way, but with the same aim of achieving employee happiness.Having to work in a grocery shop himself from the age of 8, Owen realised the harm of child labour and seeked to stop it in his later life. In 1815 he persuaded supporters in parliament to put forward a bill on child labour. While this bill did not have as much success as Owen hoped, as many mill owners fought against the proposition, Owen was an instigator in improving the lives of child workers. He also improved welfare standards for older workers, shortening working hours and increasing wages. Eight hours' daily labour is enough for any human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep†. 10[Owen, 1833] Branson and Owen’s methods of achieving employee happiness were highly influenced by the times they were working in. In Owen’s time, most working conditions were poor and wages were low, so simply by improving these factors employees would instantly become happier.In the current day there is a huge range of jobs with all ranges of wages, and many regulations in place to ensure employee welfare. Therefore, to appeal to his employees, Branson realised that a more personal approach was necessary, hence allowing his employees to contact him directly. Companies are a lot larger these days than in the early 19th Century when Owen was working, so being able to have a personal relationship with the head of a company is much rarer in this day and age.Both pioneers identified the most effective way of attaining contentment from their employees in the environment they were living in. Both Branson and Owen were pioneers of their time, achieving what many believed impossible. Despite leaving school at the age of 16 and being diagnosed with Dyslexia, Branson has risen above the odds and is responsible for starting over 400 companies, most famous for establishing Virgin, which ranges from record shops to airlines.No other manager in history has been at the helm of such a large business empire, and before Branson, it is doubtable that anyone would have thought it possible. Owen, on the other hand, was more of a pioneer in the domain of welfare than the extensiveness of his company, providing above and beyond what would be expected of a manager of his time, from nurseries to children to evening classes for adults. While, at the time, most managers would see these initiatives as an unnecessary expense, Owen’s cotton mills became very successful businesses with healthy, content employees.Quite possibly, were it not for Owen identifying how much success can come to a manager who treats his employees well, Branson may not have realised the importance of having such good relationships with his employees which could be seen as the key to his success. One of the main contrasts between Richard Branson and Robert Owen are their view s on education. Owen believed that education was one of the most important factors in a company; the better the education of the employees, the better employees they are. To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate†. 11[Owen, 1826] Owen provided schooling for employees and their children, putting children’s education ahead of their contribution to his company. Branson, on the other hand left school himself at 16 and hasn’t looked back. ‘Richard Branson, founder and chairman of London-based Virgin Group, didn’t breeze through school. In fact, school was something of a nightmare for him. His scores on standardized tests were dismal, initially pointing to a similar future.Despite the difficulties and challenges posed by his acknowledged dyslexia, his gifted interpersonal and business talents drove him to succeed. ’12[Anon] In contrast to Owen’s belief s, Branson is proof that education is not necessarily an important factor in success. Furthermore, Richard Branson believes that â€Å"work should not be a chore and should be fun. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work†13[Branson, 2011]. Owen also considered leisure and recreation important. He arranged concerts and dancing evenings for the benefit of community.However, even though both pioneers think of fun as an important part of working life, Robert Owen used a stricter approach to management and was a strong believer in discipline, for example by keeping track of employees behaviour by the aforementioned multicolored pieces of wood and disciplining those who repeatedly showed low performance. To conclude, Branson and Owen are and were strong pioneers of their time, who shared many values. Managers could learn ample from both men, especially when it comes to employee relationships.In general, it is indispensable that modern day managers consider how successful pioneers such as Owen and Branson apply and practise management theory, as it shows the outcome of different particular methods and techniques, in this pairs case; high levels of success. For example, Douglas McGregor stated that he believed that a Theory Y manager would be more successful at motivating their employees than a Theory X, and Sir Richard Branson was almost certainly a Theory Y manager, so a modern manager can consider whether the method that pioneer practised was positively effective or not.President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: â€Å"It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who laboured so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries † [Ensign, 1984]. 14

Witches Essay - 1357 Words

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: A Review Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. New York: Vintage, 1987.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen takes a closer look at the females being accused of witchcraft in colonial New England. American history has few subjects as interesting as witchcraft, because it confronts us with many different ideas about women. It confronts us with fears about women, the place of women in society, and with women themselves. Also, it confronts us with violence against women and how the problems of society were often blamed on women. Even though some men were executed during periods of†¦show more content†¦Most of the society believed in witches, and those who did not were usually suspected of being witches. Some colonists believed that witches were simply criminals that worked in supernatural ways and that were threats to their neighbors. But more interesting, was the view of the clergy, and specifically the Puritan church. They saw witches as not only enemies of their neighbors, but also enemies of God. They believed that witches had ent ered into an evil contract with the Devil, in which they would recruit others to destroy the Puritan churches. Without significant support for at least one of the views, the accuser in some cases could be brought up on slander charges. When both views had support, the accused person was likely to be declared a witch. Then they were considered an enemy of the New England society and the Puritan Faith. Additionally, when both of these views were very intense, the accusations would multiply and would effect the lives of not just one or two, but many. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;According to Karelsen, many of the society’s problems were often blamed on witchcraft. The witches in New England were said to be able to harm others in supernatural ways, so major illnesses were often blamed on them. Also, people believed witches had powers over animals and crops. They were often accused for bad harvests and livestock dying. They were also commonly blamed for miscarriages,Show MoreRelatedFate : Witches Or Macbeth?1039 Words   |  5 PagesCayde Hamilton Ms. Crowe English IV 11 December 2015 Fate: Witches or Macbeth? Many people in this world would argue that every one has free will, that the choices they make will determine their path in life, but some would argue that everything comes down to fate. People who believe solely on fate believe that their future is already determined, and they can do nothing to change it. 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