Role of Employees is Formulating Organizational Culture Research Paper

Role of Employees is Formulating Organizational Culture - Research Paper Example The organizational culture of an organization can be defined as the values which contribute to the creation of a conducive psychological and social environment within which to work. These values are based on the previous and existing knowledge of the organization which forms the philosophies that hold the organization together. There may however be many different conflicting cultures within an organization, especially the large ones, due to the different characteristics displayed by the various management teams that work in the organization. Organizational culture may have both positive and negative effects on the individuals involved and these among others will be discussed in this paper. While the management of an organization plays a major role in the formulation of organizational culture, the employees of such an organization also have a role to play in its formulation. According to the book Changing Organizational Culture: The Change Agent's Guidebook by Marc Schabracq, the orga nizational culture involves the social expectations and standards which determine the values and beliefs which hold the people working within an organization together. ... Organizational culture is the single most important thing that determines whether and organist ion will be successful or not. There are four major elements of culture which determine the success of an organization: the values which define the beliefs at the heart of corporate culture; the individuals within the organization who embody its values; the routine interactions between members of an organization which are full of strong symbolic qualities to make them feel like part of a family; and finally, the informal communication system within the organization. Although it is a very difficult thing to happen, the culture of a particular organization is subject to change. This does not come easily and may require a very competent person or people to succeed in changing it. In order to change organizational culture, one has to be aware of what exactly it takes to change the existing culture. Moreover, the ability to change the culture is in the hands of the top management of the organiza tion and it is they who are responsible for the institution of such change. Lastly, organizational structure helps to resolve the dilemma of bureaucracy because although formal procedures are necessary for business integrity, bureaucracy also ends up stifling autonomy and creativity. The organizational culture consists of many subcultures which interact with one another for the sake of the running of the organization. It can be said that this culture is not as homogenous as one would expect and may, in fact, consist of many coexisting cultures which work hand in hand out of necessity.  

Conquering the Incas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Conquering the Incas - Essay Example The History of the Aztecs The civilization that has come to be known as the â€Å"Aztecs† was by no means made up of one, solitary culture. It was first made up of migratory barbarians, called â€Å"the last of the Nahautal-speaking cultures†, that wandered the area from the great migration out of the northern city of Tula, late in the twelfth century2. It is believed that the Aztec originally migrated from the island of Aztlan, which would come to be substantiated by their name, Aztec, meaning â€Å"people of Aztlan†3. Furthermore, they did not call themselves â€Å"Aztecs†, but â€Å"Mexica†, or â€Å"Colhua-Mexica†, in keeping with their lineage4. The Mexica people, or the Aztecs as they are now known, held no friends among their neighbors. Shunned largely because they were not a polite, civilized tribe, but made up of vicious barbarians willing to do whatever it took to survive, they migrated towards the Valley of Mexico and lived on the fringes of society, as they were the last of the peoples to settle in the area and by no means welcomed to it5. It was on the islands of Lake Texcoco in 1345, surrounded by marsh conditions, that they found refuge6. Unfortunately, they had not picked a desirable spot in which to settle. The land itself was fine, and suitable for their pursuits; this was hardly the problem. The issue lay in the fact that they were distinctly in the middle of two kingdoms, Azcapotzalco and Texcoco7. Though the first three kings of the Aztecs ruled as vassals for the despot king of Azcapotzalco, it was in the year 1426, when Itzcoatl, a direct descendent of the first Aztec king, ascended to the throne, the tensions between the Aztec and the Tepanec lords of Azcapotzalco reached the breaking point8. War broke out, though the Aztecs did their best to evade this, both by sending a special messenger and offering diplomatic relations9. The new king, however, possessed the gifts of leadership and speech; he gave one such speech that ignited the passions of his people and led them to war10. When all was said and done, a new alliance had been formed, the Triple Alliance between Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan, which would become the heart of the Aztec Empire11. These acts set the stage for a new way of life for the Aztecs, a life as a warrior people. Though in truth the life that they were now leading had come full circle from the days of their savage barbarism when they first migrated into their lands, it is not hard to imagine the years of subjugated rule taking their toll on such a proud people. It is from Itzcoatl that Montezuma I (Montezuma the Elder), and his son, Montezuma II (Montezuma the Younger) would descend12. The younger Montezuma would meet headfirst the Spaniard contingents, headed by Hernan Cortes, and face the downfall of his empire. Hernan Cortes The man that would cause the downfall of the Aztec empire was born in 1485 in Medellin, a town that was considered †Å"an unimportant town in Estremadura†13. His parents were poor, though able to send him to university at the age of fourteen, where he was prepared for a career in law, due to the fact

Investigation of outdoor play in early years

Investigation of outdoor play in early years Outdoor Play in Early Years In whose best interest? This review examines the definition of play and outdoor play as well as the perspectives of the early years pioneers spanning over two centuries who has shaped our understanding of outdoor play such as Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, Margaret McMillan, Susan Isaacs and Majorie Allen, better Known as Lady Allen of Hurtswood. It will also seek to address how outdoor play can be optimised in early years setting to improve childrens learning and development outcomes. The scope of this review includes debates surrounding outdoor play, concerns and the advantages of using the outdoor environment. This review would also analysis previous researches on outdoor play and evidence which suggests that outdoor play improves childrens development and well-being. Play is a difficult concept, and by its very nature cannot be pinned down or precisely defined. There is nothing tangible, predictable or certain about childrens play, and this makes thinking about play more difficult and sometimes uncomfortable for those who like things neat and orderly. Play sits uneasily in a culture of standards, measurable outcomes, testing targets and quality control. While most of us know play when we see it, academics have had trouble defining it (Johnson, Christie, Yawkey, 1999). Play involves a free choice activity that is non-literal, self-motivated, enjoyable and process oriented. Critical to this definition is the non-literal, non-realistic aspect. This means external aspects of time, use of materials, the environment, rules of the play activity, and roles of the participants are all made up by the children playing. They are based on the childs sense of reality (Wardle, 1987, p. 27). Children do not play for a reward-praise, money, or food. They play because they like it.(p. 28). Children who compete to make the best wooden ship are not playing. Children who are told they must use the block with an A on it to create a word are not playing, and children who are asked to label the colours of their paints, instead of using them to create a picture, are not playing. Article 31 in the United Nation Convention on the rights of the Child stipulates that play is a fundamental right of all children (Human Rights Directorate, 1991 cited in Steampfli 2008) and that play is essential for children to develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. Through play children learn to express their thoughts and feelings, develop language and social skills and become aware of cultural diversity in their community. Filer, (2008), describes creative outdoor play as play which gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations, helps promote original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. She express play as the most important activity that children will take part in outside as it is a means through which they find stimulation, well-being and happiness in order to grow physically, emotionally and intellectually. She express that the outdoor environment is well suited to meeting childrens needs for all aspects of play and is the most relevant way of offering learning based upon first-hand experiences and individual interests. Waite et al. (2006) cited in Waller, T (2007) journal article point out, outdoor learning is not a single entity but comprises many different sorts of activity with distinct purposes. Outdoor environments afford opportunities for a balance between adult-led structured activities and giving children access to interesting outdoor spaces. Friedrich Froebel(1782-1852) emphasised the importance of the garden and the educational importance of learning out of doors more than a century ago. To Froebel, the garden was both literal and metaphorical. He used the word kindergarten, a garden for children, rather than the word school and saw the kindergarten as a place where the child could develop in harmony with nature. Educators would provide a rich environment for growth, and would tend, nurture and cultivate each child just as a good gardener would tend a young plant. Froebel believed in a divine unity and connectedness between all living things, and it was therefore important for children to be close to nature in the outdoor environment. Through gardening and play outdoors children learnt about nature and about the growth of plants and animals, but they also learnt to care for and take responsibility for nature, and gradually to recognise their own place in the natural world. Childrens freely chosen game games outdoors wer e a source of fascination to Froebel. He saw in such games evidence of childrens growing sense of justice, self- control, comradeship and fairness. (Tovey, 2008). Forest Schools which are closely associated with the Danish early years programme is inspired by the ideas of Froebel, traditionally favoured play, movement and fresh air (Stigsgaard, 1978, cited in Maynard, 2007), while a sense of connection with nature and the environment has been linked to the Danish notion of an ideal childhood (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2001 cited in Maynard, 2007). The development of young childrens understanding about the natural environment is seen as being an important aim of all day-care facilities (OECD, 2000 cited in Maynard, 2007). For Maria Montessori (1869 -1952), working in a poor inner city community in Rome, Italy it was not the garden, but the house that was the enduring metaphor for her approach to early childhood. The environment, she argued, should allow children to be like the masters in their own houses, that is it should be child-sized, offer independent movement and be well organised with everything in its place. It was not nature, but science and her notion of scientific pedagogy, which was a guiding principle. Using Froebels metaphor of the gardener she argued that behind the good cultivatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.stands the scientist. This is a very different philosophy from Froebels garden where weeds were valued as much as the flowers. It was Montessori, who pioneered the idea of open access from indoors to outdoors and free choice and self direction, but choice was restricted. Unlike Froebel, Montessori did not believe the natural materials were educative and, therefore, she made no provision for pla y materials like sand and water. Rather she argued that structured materials, which had been subject to the perfecting hand of a higher intelligence (Montessori 1983 cited in Tovey 2008), were necessary to identify the real or true nature of the child. Margaret McMillan (1860-1931) was a socialist politician. Her experience of running an open air camp for children in the slums of Deptford, South of London, where disease was rife, convinced her that time spent outdoors could dramatically improve childrens health and that the youngest children should be the focus of attention. She developed an open air nursery school for children, and literally designed and built a garden for children. The garden was central and the indoor spaces were merely shelters for use in very bad weather. Everything, she argued could take place outdoors, play, sleep, meals, stories and games. She argued that there was no need for artificial didactic apparatus to stimulate childrens senses in isolation when real first-hand experience offered richer and more meaningful opportunities. A nursery garden must have a free and rich place, a great rubbish heap, stones, and flints, bits of can, and old iron and pots. Here every healthy child will want to go, taking out things of his own choosing to build with. (McMillan 1919 cited in Tovey 2008). Susan Isaacs (1885-1948) worked in a very different social context from McMillan. She opened the malting House School in Cambridge in 1924, a school for highly advantaged children of professional parents. It was an experimental school that had two aims: to stimulate the active enquiry of the children themselves rather than to teach them and to bring within their immediate experience every range of fact to which their interests reached out (Issacs 1930 cited in Tovey 2008:46). Children were given considerable freedom for Isaacs argued that play has the greatest value for the child when it is really free and his own (Isaacs 1929 cited in Tovey 2008:46). The garden included grass, fruit trees, a climbing frame, slides, movable ladders, trees for climbing, flower and vegetable garden with individual plots for each child and a range of animals. The garden provoked childrens curiosity and enquiry. It offered challenge and risk and children had considerable freedom to try things out, to question, to experiment and to follow wherever their curiosity led. However, this freedom also had constraints. Eg. Children were allowed to climb on the summer house roof, but only one child at a time was allowed. Like Froebel and Montessori before her she argued that freedom brought responsibility, but it also empowered the children to develop skills to be safe. Isaac view of childhood is one of passion. Young children had a pas sion for finding out about and striving to understand the world. Although she tried to observe children in free conditions she also recognised, unlike Montessori, that it was impossible to discover the natural child. Marjorie Allen (Lady Allen of Hurtwood) 1897-1976 featured less in education literature but nevertheless deserves an important place as a pioneer of outdoor play areas for young children. She was active in campaigning for better provision for young children and became president of the nursery school association, and a founder member of the worldwide organisation Mondiale Pour LEducation Prescolaire (OMEP). She designed play areas for many nursery schools including gardens with sand pits and paddling pools on roof tops of blocks of flats in Camden, London. She is associated most for bringing the idea of adventure or junk playgrounds to Britain. She argued that children seek access to a place where they can dig in the earth, build huts and dens with timber, use real tools, experiment with fire and water, take really great risks and learn to overcome themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(Allen cited in Rich et al 2005:46) She was damning in her criticisms of conventional playgrounds that are static, dull, unchallenging, and which do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. The tendency for ordering a complete playground from a catalogue is greatly to be deployed: this lack of enterprise spells dullness and monotony and only the manufacturers benefit (Allen 1968 cited in Tovey 2008:50). Lady Allens vision for challenging outdoor play environments, her belief that children with disabilities were entitled to equally rich and exciting environments, and her knowledge, from careful observation, of the impact of design on childrens play is still influential today particularly in the playwork field. These developmental emphasis on play and playgrounds for nursery school playgrounds and kindergartens was later reinforced by the work of early 20th century child research centres and figures such as Piaget (1951), Vygotsky (1978) Bruner, et al (1976), and Huizinga (1950). The developmental emphasis continues in the early 21st century. Until recently, preschools were relatively unaffected by contemporary high stakes testing and continued to focus on play as a primary vehicle for learning and development.(Frost 2006). A research study by Clements (2004) reveals that children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their mothers did as children. The study reveals several fundamental reasons for this decline, including dependence on television, digital media, and concerns about crime and safety. The study also conveys findings related to the frequent use of electronic diversions. Maynard (2007) also linked the growing interest in Forest School to a concern that childrens outdoor play is in decline. Parents, it is suggested, are reluctant to let their children play outside as they once did for fear of strangers, traffic or violence and as a result, it is also suggested, childrens play revolves around organized recreational activities or is home-centred and focused on computers, video games and television. This, it is maintained is having a negative impact on childrens social and emotional competence while also contributing to an epidemic of child obesity. Maynard Waters (2007), in their journal also identified recent years reports about the use and abuse of the outdoor environment have rarely been out of the media. These reports, often backed by the latest research findings, have focused on concerns about environmental damage as well as issues such as stranger danger, childrens lack of physical activity, the rising levels of childhood obesity, as well as a more general lack of connectedness with nature. A view which agrees with Froebel who sees garden as a spiritual place where children could grow and develop in harmony with nature, and begin to sense their own place in the natural world. It was a place for creative and imaginative play. There is growing public policy interest in childrens play. Politicians and opinion formers are interested in exploring how good play opportunities can help improve quality of life and safety in neighbourhoods, tackle obesity and promote childrens well being, support children development and build community cohesion. Alongside, there is a growing view that good play experiences are not only an essential part of every childhood, but also a key public responsibility and an expression of our social obligations towards children. (Filer, 2008:14). Dr Aric Sigman, of British Psychological Society, recommends that children under three should be banned from watching TV, and older children, aged 3-5, should be restricted to viewing one hour a day of good quality programmes. Children spend more time looking at the screens than they do outside doing real things, which is detrimental to their health and well being, particularly in the long term. He recommends that children should be outside experiencing real life and real things (Sigman, 2005 cited in Filer 2008). One way in which government has attempted to address these concerns has been to raise awareness of, for example Healthy Schools programme, Food in Schoool programme, School Fruit and Vegetable scheme, Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links programme (DSCF, 2008) The introduction of Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) in September 2008 in England for children from birth to five (DSCF, 2008) emphasise the need for the provision of regular outdoor experience. However, Waller (2007), in his article identified that a clear pedagogy for the use of the outdoors as a site for learning has not been established and, as (Fjortoft, 2001 cited in Waller 2007) and (Waite et al.2006 cited in Waller 2007) point out, there has been relatively little research on what actually happens in outdoor environments. The EYFS now recognises that the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending childrens development and learning under theme 3: enabling environments which is line with the Macmillans theory which allowed children free access to play areas and gardens and was not predicated upon a fixed time schedule. The importance of outdoor learning is also emphasised in the effective practice: outdoor learning as below: Past generations of children benefited from extended amounts of unsupervised time outdoors, and as adults they look back fondly at these early experiences. Indeed it is widely recognised that such experiences make a positive impact and as adults we are aware that it shaped many aspects of our own development and healthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Despite this cultural shift away from outdoor play and learning, it remains essential to childrens health, development and well-being. Consequently, it is vital that early years settings maximise childrens opportunities to be outdoors: for some it may be their only opportunity to play freely and safely outsideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Outdoor learning encompasses all that children do, see, hear or feel in their outdoor space. This includes the experiences that practitioners create and plan for, the spontaneous activities that children initiate, and the naturally occurring cyclical opportunities linked to the seasons, weather and nature. (DCSF, 2007) It is evidenced that a lot of recent and old research into outdoor play are in agreement that it is beneficial for children to be outside experiencing real life, real things, in order to grow and develop holistically. Most of the researches also concluded outdoor is a place where the child could develop in harmony with nature, a place to begin to sense their own place in the natural world and a place for creative and imaginative play. Good play experiences are seen as an essential part of every childhood which would lead to improve quality of life, tackle obesity and promote childrens well being. However, Majorie Allen criticized the conventional playgrounds seen at majority of the nursery and pre school these days as static, dull, unchallenging, and which do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. Finally, according to the literatures, one of the main advantages of using the outdoor environment is that it provides children with th e space to move freely. (Fjortoft 2001, 2004 cited in T.Maynard et al 2007) report on research from Scandinavia, which demonstrates that children who play in flexible, natural landscapes appear to be healthier, have improved motor fitness, balance and co-ordination, and demonstrate more creativity in their play. It can be concluded based on the literature review above that experiences of the outdoor play and learning suggests that early years practitioners should recognise the significant potentials of outdoor learning highlighted above, in addition to developing outside play opportunities within their gardens; they should also consider giving children regular opportunities to experience wild natural environments. CONTENT Page No ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 2-3 LITERATURE REVIEW 4-14 METHODOLOGY/RESEARCH DESIGN 15-16 ANALYSIS/FINDINGS 17-20 CONCLUSION 21-22 REFERENCES 23-25 APPENDICES NARRATIVE OBSERVATION A-C TRACKING OBSERVATION D-E SANDRINGHAM SCHOOL PICTURES F-J BLOOMING GARDEN PICTURES K-M ABSTRACT: I have worked in different setting during my course and I have noticed that outdoor play is not particularly well planned by the practitioners. It seems to be seen as an opportunity for the staff have a break and for the children to let off steam. Play is childrens natural way of doing stuff to build for children to build self-esteem and social skills and the philosophy behind the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supported this very much. The aim of my study is to look at how children participate in outdoor play in Sandringham school environment compared with regular setting with limited outdoor space with fixed and movable apparatus such as climbing frames, slides and bikes etc as well as to encourage practitioners to reflect on their practices. My research draws on observation (both narrative and tracking method) of one nursery located in London borough of Newham- Sandringham Schools nursery in London and a regular nursery with fixed garden apparatus in Redbridge b orough, Uphall School. My observation was used to find out how children attending both school nurseries react during outdoor session and how practitioners assist the children in extending and stimulating their learning and development. The play experiences of children at my own school Sandringham School nursery in comparison with the children at Uphall Schools nursery clearly indicate that children at Uphall school nursery spend less time playing outdoors than those at Sandringham schools nursery. The study reveals that children at my school at Sandringham schools nursery are engaged in depth active learning with their peers and practitioners, objects, allowing the children to use their imagination more creatively. For example, during my observation, a child uses a tree branch to sweep an area under a large tree, which she described as Goldilocks grandmas house. INTRODUCTION In searching for my research topic, I have drawn on my experiences and interest during my placements. It struck me fairly quickly from observations in my various placement that outdoor play space in most of the settings is still just about physical development and not given the equal status to indoor play it deserves in terms of the planned experiences that are provided for young children. Majority of the settings outside play area are small with static, dull, and unchallenging equipments, and do not allow young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. Practitioners should promote and enhance the development of playground that offer a rich, multi sensory environment that is meaningful, imaginative and stimulating for all young children, providing them with real experiences that help embed their early learning and holistic development and not just their physical development. Parents and practitioners agree from conversation with them that outdoor play is a natural and critical part of childs well being, health and development and the importance of outdoor play is also reflected in recent government policies such as the Every Child Matters agenda (2003) and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2008) curriculum embraces outdoor learning as it enables the children to follow their interest, make choices, forge links between their learning and develop ideas over time. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of opportunities provided for children under five to learn in the outdoors, in a garden, or other open air space e.g. in Sandringham school nursery environment and a regular day nursery setting. The research aimed to investigate the impact that the type of outdoor play experiences in the two settings has on all areas of learning and development for children under five. In this study I will use (Filer, 2008) definition of outdoor play a creative outdoor play as play which gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations, helps promote original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. She expresses play as the most important activity that children will take part in outside as it is a means through which they find stimulation, well-being and happiness in order to grow physically, emotionally and intellectually. Outdoor play also offers play spaces that enable children to create play spaces themselves and to exercise greater choice over materials, location and playmates. Being outdoorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world and offers children freedom to explore, use their senses, and be physically active and exuberant. (EYFS card 3.3 cited in Hitchin, 2007) METHODOLOGY The research takes place in two different borough schools nursery in their early years settings in England over a period of 4 months. Setting 1: This is my own schools nursery based separate building for the infants school building, this is located in a most multicultural state in town in Forestage, London area of the UK. Children aged 3 years to 5 years old attending the nursery on a half day and the next lot come for the afternoon session. The garden is a large part of it concrete and the other part was gated and covered with tree barks, with plastic climbing frame and slide, large tree on the other end of the gated part end bench under the tree and a large plastic turtle shape sand and water tray. On the paved area, there is a large wind chime resting on the fence and the other areas are left free for obstacle activity, easel, construction blocks, bicycles etc. Setting 2: This is a school based in borough of Redbridge, In order to establish childrens involvement levels in the two settings, I considered issuing questionnaires to both parents and practitioners. On discussing this with my School mentor, it transpires that the result will only give parents/ practitioners view on outdoor play and not necessarily give an answer to childrens level of learning and development physically, emotionally, imaginatively, and creatively through outdoor play. In conjunction with the setting staffs, I have collected data using participant observations in the form of tracking observation method which was handed out to the practitioners to follow selected children during outdoor play at each of the setting to find out the childrens interest while outdoor as well as direct observation method conducted by myself in the form of narrative observation to assess childrens involvement levels in two different outdoor environments. Observation is an important, if underrated, form of assessment. It may seem subjective, but it has a great deal of potential. Assessments can be made when the children are actively engaged in outdoor play and therefore the process on interaction with other children and adult can be observed. According to Creswell (2002) observations in a setting requires good listening skills and careful attention to visual detail. It also required management of issues such as the potential deception by people being observed and the initial awkwardness of being an outsider without initial personal support in a setting (Hammersley Atkinson, 1995). ANALYSIS/FINDINGS The results indicates that there is quality adult-child verbal interactions at the sandhringham school than the other setting which was my main concern and according to EPPE (2004) and REPEY (2002) research findings which identified that more sustained shared thinking was observed in settings where children made the most progress. Sustained shared thinking occurs when two or more individuals work together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative etc. For example, a child sat under a large tree with few other children with an adult and she told the adult this is a forest, where the wolf is hiding and waiting me, Ill be the goldilocks and you can be the bad wolf and the adult engaged the child in open-ended questioning which is associated with better cognitive achievement according to the EPPE research findings. The forest was later turned into grandmas house they used drapes and plastic cover and securely pinned and another child sweeping off the dry leaves I am sweeping my grandmas room, because she is unwell and I need to help keep it clean. Where as at my other setting, the adults intervened mainly to ensure the safety of the children by encouraging a child to participate in an activity. For example, during an obstacle activity, the adult encouraged the child to walk on the blocks and offered a hand to boost the childs confidence. An interesting observation is that there are a lot of initiated activities at the Sandringham school with interventions by practitioners when invited by the child to extend the child/rens thinking. Opportunities are provided for adult initiated group activities which according to EPPE (2004) research findings are most effective vehicles for learning. For example, a game of silence ball? hide and seek game where the children have to listen to where the voices responding to their call is coming from to help them locate the people hiding. This game promotes listening skills. However, majority of the activities at the other setting is usually free play with mainly fixed climbing frames and slides, large wind chime, and selection of choices made available by the adult such as sand and water tray, lego blocks on a carpet or tray, writing materials, dressing up clothes, balls and books which is alternated on a daily basis. There is mostly child to child verbal interaction. The children in Sandringham school are engaged in more creative and imaginative play such as finding treasures, digging, treasure hunting lifting logs to look for worms which was in line with Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) who described garden then as a spiritual place where children could grow and develop in harmony with nature, and begin to sense their own place in the natural world. It was a place for creative and imaginative play for investigation and discovery for songs, music and ring games. Froebel was perhaps unique in amongst the pioneers in linking garden design to his philosophy of childrens learning and in recognising the holistic nature of young childrens learning. He saw in such games evidence of childrens growing sense of justice, self- control, comradeship and fairness which I also noticed during my observation at the sandringham, school setting. For example, each child is given opportunity to lead with an adult when doing the head count before entering and leaving the forest school. A child was upset because she wanted to lead on this occasion and the adult explained to her that she has had a turn last week and that everyone has to have a go before it could be her turn again and this helps the children to develop sense of fairness and justice. The staff leading at the sandringham school seemed to have good knowledge and understanding of the curriculum as well as knowledge of child development and they have gained additional training on forest school approach, which I assume has helped the adult in facilitating childrens learning. For example, the children learn to use natural materials such as sticks to make a shelter, two other children uses large paint brushes with water to paint the wooden fence. Another girl went to paint a tree, which a boy was climbing on and he said no Amisha, its going to be slippery. Other activities observed at Sandringham school arethey are climbing, move over obstacles, carrying logs from one area to the other, eating outdoors, getting dirty while digging or hiding, opportunity to wander freely without constant adult supervision in a large space with lots of nature to see and explore at their own pace. All these will support the childrens emotional, social development, environmental awareness a nd spiritual wellbeing. It also encourages active learning, improve creativity and critical thinking. From my observation of children at the other setting with garden equipment from a sale, the older children mostly run around the small garden or climb on the plastic frame and slide which I agree with Allen, M (1897-1976) spells dullness and monotony and only the manufacturers benefit. Marjorie Allen 1897-1976 also criticized the conventional playgrounds seen at majority of the nursery and pre-school these days as static, dull, unchallenging, and do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. However it is interesting to note during each observation at the other school that the tree bark that covers the garden floor offered scope for children with learning difficulty. For example, the children use the tree bark to represent food served by one child to the other children and as they received each said thank you. While at the sandrigham school, a space under the tree was transformed into a Grandmas house, Vygosky (1978) cited in Tovey 2007 argued that such play leads to higher level thinking because children are using objects symbolically. The act of transformatio

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918 Essay

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the government enacted the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 which led to the suppression of anti-war documents and sentiments, as well as the prosecution of over two-thousand individuals.#   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite earlier resistance to the war by the American people, once war was declared patriotism swept over the nation. However, patriotism rose to it?s peak and quickly turned to an intolerance for any kind of dissidence of the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With a general intolerance for opponents of the war the government began to repress groups advocating against the war, as did private organizations. One such organization created to suppress anti-war ideals was the Committee on Public Information (CPI). CPI was put in place to provide trustworthy information to the public, as well as stifle any misleading wartime rumors. However, the CPI ended up creating propaganda for the government to distort the views of the American people and worked to destroy and discredit all those who opposed the government?s ideology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?The effect of such incessant propaganda was to promote hysterical hatred of all things German.?# Any individual who had the audacity to speak against the war was assaulted either verbal or physically, and on many occasions murdered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the ideals of the government on the war growing in the nation, Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917. After a joint session of Congress, where President Wilson reported on relations with Germany, the first of three bills that would create the Espionage Act of 1917, was introduced. The Congr... ...istory.? 2002. PageWise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). ?Espionage.? 2000-2004. The War to End All Wars. Michael   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Duffy. Original Material. Primary Documents Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). ?Clear and Present Danger? Test. 2004. Exploring   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Constitutional Conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November 2004). ?The U.S. Sedition Act.? 1996. World War I Document Archive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November 2004). ?The Sedition Act of 1918.? 2003. (22 November 2004). ?Espionage Act.? 2004. Education on the Internet & Teaching   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). Stone, Geoffrey. Judge Learned Hand and The Espionage Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of 1917: A Mystery Unraveled. Schenck v. United States; Baer v. United States. Essential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Documents in American History. 1919. Essential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Documents. ?The Sedition Act of 1918.? 1918. From The United States   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statues at Large.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (22 November 2004). ?Text of The Sedition Act.? 2004. Wikipedia, the Free   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Encyclopedia. (22 November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2004). ?The Wilson Administration.? 2002. U.S. History.com.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2004). Zinn, Howard. Progressive. May (2004). 16-20.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Opposing the War Party?.

Predestination and Freewill Essay

Predestination does not interrupt free will. Actually the two go hand in hand. Our God is such a loving God that through his divine will he gave us free will. God did not predestine anyone to salvation or damnation. He has the Divine foreknowledge of who will live a righteous life and who will follow the path to damnation. Knowing this, He gave us the option to choose our path in life, therefore, placing our salvation in the decisions that we choose throughout our lives. Christians believeâ€Å"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.†1 This is why we are called Christians due to Christ. God gave the ultimate sacrifice so that mankind can choose his own destination. . In my opinion, Christians of, all people, should believe that free will and predestination are not separates entities. The first question that one should ask is what is predestination? Predestination to some is the belief that God, who has sovereignty over all creation, uses His divine foreknowledge to predestine some humans to receive everlasting salvation and some to suffer an eternity of damnation. In comparison, the Christian belief is that God does have foreknowledge but does not use this knowledge to save or condemn –God does not predestine. Therefore, the next question should be â€Å"how does God determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?† Well the one true Christian answer is that no one, not even the elect, gets into heaven without Christ. So does Christ choose you or do you choose Christ? A Christian must know Christ prior to choosing Him. There are two categories of theologians that argue how we come in contact with Christ, the monogistic and synergistic view. The bible verse Isaiah 53:1 â€Å"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?†2 can be used as an example. The monogistic view is that God reached out his arm to save the people that he foreknowingly knew would choose Christ and predestined them to have eternal salvation. This view of salvation removes humankind’s gift of free will. The other part of humanity, however, would be left to receive eternal suffering. The synergistic view is that God â€Å"offers† His hand out to the true belie ver to save them and in return they have the free will to choose it, accept Christ and receive eternal salvation. The monogistic position defines predestination. The  controversy of predestination started with St Augustine’s interpretation of Apostle Paul’s bible verse Romans 8:29: â€Å"29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.†3 True Christians interpret this verse believing that when Paul speaks of foreknew, he is referring to God’s divine foreknowledge of sight. Christians believe that God is able to look through the windows of time and foresee those who will use the free will given to walk with him throughout their life. He did not predestine, as in verb form, but he has always known the path of our destination, â€Å"pre† mankind. God would like for all of His children to conform to the image of Christ and become eternal brethren and even though God knew each individual person’s choice, He still gave us the option to choose our path in life. Hence, God placed humanity’s salvation in our own individual hands through the grace free will. Augustine’s interpretation, in contrast, was translated as â€Å"For God knew his own before ever they were, and also ordained that they should be shaped to the likeness of his son, that he might be the eldest among a large family of brothers.†4 This interpretation, accepted by many and also scorned by many, revealed a different God than Paul referred to. Augustine believed God’s foreknowledge and predestination was not centered upon the deeds of humanity. Instead, he believed that God, who has Divine autonomy to do as he pleases, selected his chosen at his discretion and predestined them to eternal salvation. Through this monogistic view, the gift of free will is nonexistent, therefore removing any chance of humanity’s’ ability to save itself from reprobation. Augustine centered this monogstic view on Adam’s fall from grace. Adam’s fall from God’s grace resulted in humanity’s fall as well, thereby removing the gift of free will, leaving humanity totally dependent upon God’s â€Å"merciful grace†. Free will to make righteous choices throughout one’s life is not a consideration. He centers his belief around grace not free will because he believed that none of humanity deserved redeeming and it is only through God’s grace that some are predestined for salvation . Only the elect will receive God’s grace and salvation and no one knows the number or names of the elect but God himself. In other words man does not need any type of religious order, because, according to Augustine, we are to live throughout our lives hoping that we are one of the â€Å"elected† that God decides to â€Å"grace† with exaltation. John Calvin, another theologian, also preached predestination. John Calvin, however, sermonized on double predestination. He stated that â€Å"out of the common multitude of men some should be predestined to salvation, others to destruction.†5 According to Calvin double predestination is when God predestines humanity to salvation and also to damnation. He believes that not only does God predestine the elect to receive his grace and know Christ for an eternity, but he also predestines those he will not allow to know Christ and sentence them to eternal suffering. His deduction for this belief, as was Augustine’s, was Adams fall from grace. Calvin expounds on the belief that God only creates perfection, thereby, Adam created in God’s image, was created perfectly. However, through Adam’s gracious gift of free will, Adam chose unwisely and â€Å"since in Adam all are sinners, deserving of eternal death, it is obvious that nothing but sin will be found in menâ € 6 causing the whole of humanity to suffer the loss of God’s grace. In other words, Calvin’s view is God does not condemn man to damnation; man condemned himself through God’s grace and free will. Calvin believes that humanity does not deserve God’s grace and it is not for us to reason why or how God decides who receives redemption and who reprobation. Therefore, to answer the questions afore mentioned, God does not determine who will receive salvation or damnation: we do. God does not autonomously destine a chosen few elect to know and love Christ because in 1 Timothy 2:4 it is written that God † desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.†7 He gave us free will to live our lives as we please. God reaches out his hand to every soul on earth but it is ultimately our choice to reach out and grab it. Through God’s merciful grace of free will, he has foreknowingly placed us in charge of our own destiny. WORKS CITED http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV 1 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+53%3A1-12&version=NIV 2 Preaching, predestination by Mathis Lamberigts page 6783, 4, Institutes of the Christian Religion Book III by John Calvin Chapter XXI page 9215 Commentaries Election and Predestination by John Calvin page 2546 http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/whatismonergism2.html http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/2-4.htm7

The Positive Part Social Networking Web Sites.

THE POSITIVE PART Social networking Web sites are helping businesses advertise, thus social networking Web sites are benefiting businesses – economically. Social networking Web sites are helping education by allowing teachers and coaches to post club meeting times, school projects, and even homework on these sites. Social networking Web sites are enabling advancements in science and medicine. Job hunting Stay in touch with friends Positive causes/awareness THE NEGATIVE PARTThe very nature of such sites encourages users to provide a certain amount of personal information. But when deciding how much information to reveal, people may not exercise the same amount of caution on a Website as they would when meeting someone in person. This happens because: * the Internet provides a sense of anonymity; * the lack of physical interaction provides a false sense of security * they tailor the information for their friends to read, forgetting that others may see it.Sharing too much informa tion on social networking sites can be problematic in two ways: firstly, it can reveal something about you that you’d rather your current or future employer or school administrator not know, and second, it can put your personal safety at risk. Another potential downside of social networking sites is that they allow others to know a person’s contact information, interests, habits, and whereabouts.Consequences of sharing this information can range from the relatively harmless but annoying—such as an increase in spam—to the potentially deadly—such as stalking. Another great issue of concern with social networking web sites is that of child safety. Research has shown that almost three out of every four teenagers who use social networking web sites are at risk due to their lack of using online safety. Joly, Karine, 2007) A lot of the web sites do have an age requirement but it is easily bypassed by the lying about of one’s age. Even if they donâ €™t lie about their age the average age requirement is around fifteen years old. Predators may target children, teens, and other unsuspecting persons online—sometimes posing to be someone else—and then slowlyâ€Å"groom† them, forming relationships with them and then eventually convincing them to meet in person.

How to Increase Your Happiness by Giving Gifts

How to Increase Your Happiness by Giving Gifts I saw a post on Facebook this week from a mom who is advocating that all families get inexpensive gifts for their children so that kids with less aren’t â€Å"heartbroken.† I’m no social economist, but I’m pretty sure if this mom got her way, it would not be good for the global economy. And, while I’m also not a huge fan of conspicuous consumption and I’d like to see everyone getting meaningful gifts for their children, something struck me as â€Å"off† about trying to protect poor children from the pain of seeing other children get big fancy gifts. Isn’t it more important that we all appreciate the value of the gifts we are given? And that we put care into the gifts we give? Studies have shown that giving gifts is a source of happiness even more than receiving them. As reported by Harvard-trained researcher Shawn Achor in his Success Magazine article, â€Å"How (And Why) To Give The Perfect Gift,† â€Å"people who are constantly giving to their families and friends are significantly happier than those who are not.† Regardless of the gift, says Achor, it’s the thoughtfulness that counts- not only for the receiver, but for the giver too. Increasing the anticipation and time put into gift choice and, when applicable, gift creation, gives more joy to the person giving! Even if the recipient doesn’t appreciate the gift as much as the giver desired, the giver has had weeks or months of joy leading up the moment of giving. That’s worth a lot. Choosing the Right Gift I’m in a leadership group where we throw birthday parties for every member of the group and purchase gifts for the birthday boy or girl. The process of choosing a gift is always enlightening. We want it to be something they’ll enjoy, that they wouldn’t get for themselves, and that they won’t throw in the corner and never use. We prefer not to default to Amazon gift cards since we want to show that thought was put into the gift- even if the person has been in our group for only a week! To jump start the process, we get a list from the recipient of things they would want, and we collaborate from there. Gifts have included energy healing sessions, movie popcorn machines, shirts and ties, cologne, and tickets to Disney World. Without fail, the gifts we give hit the mark and we all get to watch birthday person’s excitement when they discover what we’ve given them. When we know people well, it’s usually easy to choose a gift that will light them up, whether that’s something we make by hand, a computer-generated photo album, or an expensive electronic gadget (drone anyone?) I recently discovered the â€Å"subscription-box† option where you can give someone a monthly box of something they will love! In particular, BetterBox seems like a thoughtful choice: a service which delivers monthly boxes with themes like gratitude, creativity, better sleep, and paying it forward. What a great gift for someone who can use incentive for self-care or slowing down! If are close to someone, you’ll probably be able to find the perfect box subscription for them- and it will last all year! Creating Satisfaction There are all kinds of ways to make gift-giving satisfying and joy-inducing for everyone involved. Choosing a charity to give money too has become another popular, and fulfilling, option. One thing’s for sure: Throwing money at a last-minute gift won’t produce a lot of joy- while regardless of cost, a thoughtful gift will bring light to both the giver’s and the recipient’s lives. To the mom on Facebook, I say this: Instead of trying to limit the types of gifts other people give to their kids, how about starting a campaign for all of us to be thoughtful about our gifts, and to value thoughtfulness over price tag, no matter what our budget? Now that would be a cause I could support with gusto.

Diet Pills essays

Diet Pills essays SPECIFIC PURPOSE: The specific purpose is to persuade the audience not to use diet pills that contain ephedrine because of the adverse health problems that it causes. THESIS: Ephedrine is a great supplement for losing weight but the side effects caused by taking ephedrine are not worth the weight loss. I. Today, I am going to warn you about the consequences of taking diet pills containing ephedrine. Ephedrine is the active ingredients found in popular diet pills, over the counter decongestants, allergy medications, herbal energy boosters, and asthma remedies. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of San Francisco and California Poison Control System, of the adverse events reported form the use of ephedrine, 47% involved cardiovascular symptoms, while 18% involved the central nervous system. Hypertension was the single most frequent adverse reaction, followed by tachycardia, stroke and seizures. In total, the FDA has reported over 40 deaths and over 800 serious side effects linked to ephedrine. As an over the counter herbal supplements, the FDA does not regulate ephedrine. The FDA received testimonies of over 800 adverse events associated with the use of the diet supplement that contained ephedrine (Smith, 4). II. Ephedrine is a great supplement for loosing weight; however the risks that are involved with ephedrine are not worth the weight loss. III. We will examine the risk and effects that one takes by taking ephedrine and some ways to prevent and treat these effects. (First, let me tell you what ephedrine is.) I. Originating from the ephedrine plant, ephedrine has been advertised as a time-tested Chinese herb (ma huang) that will relieve asthma and allergy symptoms, as well as enhance athletic performance an ...

Biography of Fred Hoyle, British Astronomer

Biography of Fred Hoyle, British Astronomer The science of astronomy features many colorful characters throughout its history, and Sir Fred Hoyle FRS was among them. He is best known for coining the term Big Bang for the event that birthed the universe. Ironically, he was not a big supporter of the theory of the Big Bang and spent much of his career formulating the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis- the process by which elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are created inside stars. The Early Years Fred Hoyle was born on the 24th of June, 1915 to Ben and Mable Pickard Hoyle. Both his parents were musically inclined and worked various jobs during their lives. They lived in the small town of West Riding, in Yorkshire, England. Young Fred attended school at Bingley Grammar School and eventually moved on to Emmanual College at Cambridge, where he studied mathematics. He married Barbara Clark in 1939, and they had two children. With the onset of war in the 1940s, Hoyle worked on various projects that benefitted the war effort. In particular, he worked on radar technology. During his work for the British Admiralty, Hoyle continued to study cosmology and made trips to the United States to meet with astronomers. Creating the Theory of Elements in Stars During one of his astronomy tours, Hoyle became acquainted with the idea of supernova explosions, which are catastrophic events that end the lives of massive stars. It is in such events that some of the heavier elements (such as plutonium and others) are created. Yet, he was also intrigued by processes inside ordinary stars  (such as the Sun) and began looking at ways to explain how such elements as carbon could be created inside those. After the war, Hoyle returned to Cambridge as a lecturer at St. Johns College to continue his work. There, he formed a research group focused specifically on stellar nucleosynthesis topics, including the formation of elements inside all types of stars. Hoyle, along with colleagues William Alfred Fowler, Margaret Burbidge, and Geoffrey Burbidge, eventually worked out the basic processes to explain how stars synthesize heavier elements in their cores (and, in the case of supernovae, how catastrophic explosions played a role in the creation  of very heavy elements). He stayed at Cambridge until the early 1970s, becoming one of the worlds foremost astronomers due to his work on stellar nucleosynthesis. Fred Hoyle and the Big Bang Theory Although Fred Hoyle is often credited with the name Big Bang, he was an active opponent of the idea that the universe had a specific beginning. That theory was proposed by astronomer Georges Lemaitre. Instead, Hoyle preferred the steady state universe, where the density of the universe is constant and matter is constantly being created. The Big Bang, by comparison, suggests that the universe began in one event some 13.8 billion years ago. At that time, all matter was created and the expansion of the universe began. The Big Bang name he used came from an interview on the BBC, where he was explaining the difference between the explosive nature of the Big Bang versus the steady state theory he favored. The Steady State theory is no longer taken seriously, but it was vigorously debated for years. Later Years and Controversies After Fred Hoyle retired from Cambridge, he turned to science popularization and writing science fiction. He served on the planning board for one of the most famous telescopes in the world, the four-meter-wide Anglo-Australian telescope in Australia. Hoyle also became a staunch opponent of the idea that life began on Earth. Instead, he suggested it came from space. This theory, called panspermia, says that the seeds of life on our planet may have been delivered by comets. In later years, Hoyle and colleague Chandra Wickramasinghe advanced the idea that flu pandemics could have been brought to Earth in this way. These ideas werent very popular and Hoyle paid the price for advancing them. In 1983, Fowler and astronomer and astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the stellar nucleosynthesis theories. Hoyle was left out of the prize, even though he was an important pioneer in the subject. Theres been much speculation that Hoyles treatment of colleagues and his later interest in alien life forms may have given the Nobel Committee an excuse to omit his name from the prize. Fred Hoyle spent his last years writing books, giving speeches, and hiking on the moors near his final home in Englands Lake District. After a particularly nasty fall in 1997, his health declined and he died after a series of strokes on August 20, 2001. Awards and Publications Fred Hoyle was made a fellow of the Royal Society in 1957. He won several medals and prizes over the years, including the Mayhew Prize, the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Medal, and the Klumpke-Roberts Award. Asteroid 8077 Hoyle is named in his honor, and he was made a knight in 1972. Hoyle wrote many science books for public consumption, in addition to his scholarly publications. His best-known science fiction book was The Black Cloud (written in 1957). He went on to author another 18 titles, some with his son Geoffrey Hoyle. Fred Hoyle Fast Facts Full Name: Sir Fred Hoyle (FRS)Occupation: AstronomerBorn: June 24, 1915Parents: Ben Hoyle and Mabel PickardDied: August 20, 2001Education: Emmanuel College, CambridgeKey Discoveries: theories of stellar nucleosynthesis, the triple-alpha process (inside stars), came up with the term Big BangKey Publication: Synthesis of Elements in Stars, Burbidge, E.M., Burbidge, G.M. Fowler, W.A., Hoyle, F. (1957), Reviews of Modern PhysicsSpouses Name: Barbara ClarkChildren: Geoffrey Hoyle, Elizabeth ButlerResearch Area: astronomy and astrophysics Sources Mitton, S. Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science, 2011, Cambridge University Press. â€Å"FRED HOYLE.† Karl Schwarzschild - Important Scientists - The Physics of the Universe, www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/scientists_hoyle.html. â€Å"Fred Hoyle (1915 - 2001).† Careers in Astronomy | American Astronomical Society, aas.org/obituaries/fred-hoyle-1915-2001. â€Å"Professor Sir Fred Hoyle.† The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 22 Aug. 2001, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1338125/Professor-Sir-Fred-Hoyle.html.

Journal questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal questions - Article Example Stories are an excellent way of attaining management objectives; however, the managers must use different narrative patterns for different aims. Discuss this statement while giving examples of occasions when managers will use a particular narrative pattern? I believe that question one provides the historical perspectives and characteristics of stories. Question two is more detailed since it requires one to understand the purpose of stories and factors that may impact on the success of the story. Question three is a better question than two since it considers the use of stories in business organisations and narrative patterns of stories. Question four is an application question that requires the learner to utilize the knowledge of use of stories in inspiring values and beliefs in organisation. Question five is also an application question that tests the overall understanding of storytelling in organisation. Personally, I believe question three is more academic and

Impact of Social Heterogeneity and Population Size and Density on Essay

Impact of Social Heterogeneity and Population Size and Density on Social Relations - Essay Example Heterogeneity leads to gradual breaking down of rigid customs and social structures causing increased instability and insecurity. The city being the hub of economic, political and cultural life, human beings from different areas are attracted to it. These human beings come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. According to Wirth, "69.2 per cent of the total population of those countries that do distinguish between urban and rural areas is urban" (Pearson, cited in Wirth 1938, p.2). Moreover, the growth of the cities is far greater in areas where industrialisation is more advanced than those where it is not as progressive. This transition from a rural area to an urban city has impacted every phase of social life. A city is a product of evolution rather than spontaneous creation, and hence it is only natural that "the influences which it exerts on the modes of life should not be able to wipe out completely the previously dominant modes of human association" (Wirth 1938, p.3). Moreover, a great section of the inhabitants of a city, who have moved in from different and most probably rural areas, bring with them i nfluences of their own cultural backgrounds and previous modes of lives. Such influences leave their imprint on their personalities also. From a sociological perspective, urbanism refers to the characteristic mode of life of the aggregation of human beings living in the city. The dominance of the city is the result of its concentration of industrial and commercial, financial and administrative, transportation and communication, cultural and recreational, healthcare and hospital facilities along with its professional and educational, and religious and welfare institutions. Urbanisation, thus, is the mode of life distinctive to the city as well as the changes that it causes to modes of lives of the people who are under the influences of the predominant features of the city (Wirth 1938, p.5). The social aspects of a city depend on the essential characteristics of the city. For example, an industrial city is significantly different in social respects from a commercial, mining, fishing, resort, university or capital city. Similarly, the social characteristics of a single-industry city differs significantly from a multi-industry city as do that of a residential suburb from an industrial suburb and an old city from a new city, etc. A city, for sociological purposes, may be therefore defined "as a relatively large, dense, and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals" (Wirth 1938, p.8). Hence the social relationships between individuals in a city are influenced by the population size, density of settlement and the heterogeneity of its inhabitants. Large numbers are naturally consistent with a great range of variation among individuals in human interactions. Therefore the personal traits, the beliefs, the ideas, the cultural lives and occupations of individuals in an urban community are spread over a far wider range than those of individuals in a rural community. In such a setting, human bonds of kinship, neighbourliness and sentiments "arising out of living together for generations under a common folk tradition are likely to be absent, or at best, relatively weak" (Wirth 1938, p.11). In such a situation, formal control systems take the place of

Environmental issue in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental issue in Business - Essay Example Resources may be available in abundance but they are not limitless. To cope up with the growing demand of energy consumption, alternate ways of energy are used and these nuclear plants are costly but give more energy than common fossil fuels. Also, generally they are less hazardous than fossil fuels which emit higher levels of C02. Here are a few benefits in comparison with fossil fuels. The paper discusses in detail the various elements of fossil fuels along with the benefits that can be derived from nuclear forms of energy. Fossil fuel plants emit higher amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It leaves trails of soot and arsenic which are poisonous to humans as well as to other forms of living beings. If compared the process of mining to the exhaust material generated by a nuclear plant, the mining process emerges as a filthy process with higher emissions of CO2 due to the burning of coal. The cost of a nuclear plant is high than a coal mine but the raw mat erial used to produce electricity is barely minimum. The uranium needed to get a nuclear reaction is less than the amount of coal or gas needed to heat up turbines to produce friction and generate electricity. Also, nuclear plant can run aircraft in minimum resources. The nuclear energy is generated internally in the raw material and thus can be used successfully to generate large amount of electricity as needed. The nuclear power consumes fewer resources. As a result, it is assumed as the safest form of power generating technology as compared to uranium that has limited usage in generation of electricity. Another big question that is looming large is the possibility to benefit from the renewable technology to achieve efficiency in energy consumption. However, the technology to generate renewable energy is still in its nascent stages of development. Until it is developed and made fully functional, the levels of CO2 needs to be kept at low and at the same time, cater to the needs of the society. Thus, ensuring that the CO2 gas emissions are restricted from further damage to the Ozone layer that gives rise to global warming (Storm van Leeuwen, 2007). Nuclear power can be used as a mode of transport, to generate electricity, to run ships, to generate and distribute electricity with minimum resources involved. This is going to help in the long run as fewer resources will be exhausted and the fossil fuels that are not much in quantity can be saved. The area of using nuclear energy has been explored to the very minimum and is an area that can help the world in conserving the already limited resources that we have. The Nuclear Power Plants have countless benefits. At the same time, it poses serious challenges to the economies. For instance, the primary by-product of the nuclear energy is the production of radioactive material which is in large quantity. When the atom is split, it creates isotopes as well as plutonium that is a heavier form of atom. Importantly, the p rocess of formation of nuclear energy does not require these atoms which makes them nuclear waste (Greenpeace International, 2009). Furthermore, the nuclear waste is highly radioactive even though its quantity is less than the quantity of the waste of a Fossil Fuel Plant. This radioactivity can be dangerous to human kind much more than the waste material being left over and being emitted by fossil fuels therefore, it becomes a question as to how this radioactive mater

Small Business Review Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Small Business Review - Case Study Example Whilst this may seem like a relatively simple task to orchestrate, it is actually a difficult task considering that most SMEs are family owned businesses (Bowman-Upton 1991). Lassini (2005) found that family businesses are unlikely to survive after the third generation with only 30% of these businesses successfully handing over leadership to the second generation and 12% handing over to the third generation. Lassini (2005) also found that nearly 2-3% of family businesses progress to permanent development, compared with approximately 97% that either close down or are sold. There are a variety of reasons for these statistics, some of which include the fact that some of these businesses are started by immigrant populations. As their children get older, they can lose interest in the family business and develop a preference for integrating with other members of society by attending university, or moving into mainstream employment. Some of the businesses may not be owned by immigrant populations but the younger generation are constantly under pressure to take on employment offers in the more seemingly attractive areas of technology, media and other more glamor ous occupations which offer bigger pay packets and benefits. This demonstrates the importance of manageme... These organisations tend to have personalised management which results in the identification of the business with the owner/founder; they have a small market share which means they cannot dictate the price and have to rely on the numbers of goods sold; they occupy a niche market with heavy reliance on customer loyalty; and they also find it difficult to raise the finance to grow (Bartol and Martin 1998). Whilst SMEs have favourable characteristics which include having a dependable culture and strong commitment, their nature leaves them vulnerable to succession issues and dilemmas, and is often the main reason why they find it difficult to survive throughout generations. For example, the Hilton hotel chain was founded during the Great Depression in the US and it is currently in its second generation; however, the succession into the third generation does not seem clear as there is no apparent heir to the hotel chain. Traditional management succession models cannot be easily applied to SMEs because they are more relevant to larger corporations. For instance, traditional methods include employee motivation and rewards through promotions, higher salaries and incentives (Mullins 1999). However this can only work in an organisation a tall hierarchy and more layers of management which are lacking in SMEs. This paper shall analyse the issue of succession in a SME and consider future options for the business. The Business Case Study Stop N' Shop Supermarket has been chosen as the SME for analysis for this paper. This business has been selected based on the definition of an SME which stipulates that it has at least one employee and no more than 50 employees in order for it to be included in this paper. This business is family owned

New German Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New German Cinema - Essay Example Finally, the films shared a concern with contemporary West German fact on the one support and search for public and markets on the other1. In an international view, the German Cinema was taken as the most encouraging development in German cinema since German assertions, and a handful of its directors who have won national reputations. The film developed in other countries like Britain and US during the mid 1970s through various magazines and television announcements. Many observers of the films focused on the characters of the new directors, discussing them as creative geniuses, artists with something to say and determined the films almost incompatible in terms of their personal visions of the directors. Thus, the New German Cinema in Britain and America was initially discussed predominantly as a â€Å"cinema des auteur.†2 Although the New German Cinema directors were undisputedly highly gifted, there were a number of historically particular influences that set up essential pre-conditions for the occurrence of the New Cinema. Of particular significant was the way in which Allies handled the fledging West German Film industry in the years promptly after the World War II. When the war was moving towards the end, the western Allies felt that it was vital to re-inform the German people in order both to declassify Germany and to assemble up the western zones of Germany as a barrier to the influence of the Soviet in eastern Europe and American films were recognized fast as an effective measure of disseminating western notions of freedom, democracy and capitalist enterprise. Before the distributors of America agreed to send their films to the FRG for this reason, however, they forced that they should be permitted to transfer any benefits made in Germany back to America. Since the market in the German was clo sed to America during the World war II, once this situation

Human-Resource Management Interview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Human-Resource Management Interview - Assignment Example   Rao (2009) defines a group as a team of members who influence one another towards the accomplishment of organizational objectives. A group comprises of a smaller number of people equipped with complementary skills and committed to the common purpose, performance goals, and the approaches that they hold themselves mutually accountable (Chiarini, 2012). Groups are highly effective in the marketing department, just as they are in other departments of organizations. The first step in understanding the functionality of groups in human-resource management requires interviewing a person who holds a leadership position in an organization, especially in the marketing department. The Interviewee The name of the person interviewed is Harrison. Harrison is an overall marketing manager of the leading banking organization in Europe. Harrison holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. The company hired Harrison in the year 2003; he has ten years experience in the company , but fifteen years in the marketing department.  Ã‚  Harrison’s Experience with Utilizing Groups Harrison has used groups two times during his time as a marketing manager. Harrison was first involved in developing a marketing group, where he headed the formation process. The stages of team development that Harrison oversaw included forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming involved orienting and acquainting with the team members, which was characterized by uncertainties and stress (Chiarini, 2012). The primary role of Harrison in this stage was to recognize that team members were struggling to adjust to their new functions and the environment. Harrison had to remain tolerant of lengthy interactions probing team specifics, facilitating role clarity and emphasizing the need for customer focus. The stage of storming involved encouraging open discussion, developing interpersonal competence and urging group members to arrive at agreements that will help the group to ac hieve its objectives. Norming was another critical stage where Harrison was involved in encouraging the group towards developing team norms and values, and the process of determining unacceptable behaviors that are significant for the future productivity of the organization (Rao, 2009). The last stage of group development was performed, which involved recognizing the accomplishments of the group and the desired behavior of the team to ensure sustainability and continuance of the team for an unforeseeable future. The second time that Harrison involved himself with groups was when hired to evaluate group performance.  Ã‚  

New German Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New German Cinema - Essay Example Finally, the films shared a concern with contemporary West German fact on the one support and search for public and markets on the other1. In an international view, the German Cinema was taken as the most encouraging development in German cinema since German assertions, and a handful of its directors who have won national reputations. The film developed in other countries like Britain and US during the mid 1970s through various magazines and television announcements. Many observers of the films focused on the characters of the new directors, discussing them as creative geniuses, artists with something to say and determined the films almost incompatible in terms of their personal visions of the directors. Thus, the New German Cinema in Britain and America was initially discussed predominantly as a â€Å"cinema des auteur.†2 Although the New German Cinema directors were undisputedly highly gifted, there were a number of historically particular influences that set up essential pre-conditions for the occurrence of the New Cinema. Of particular significant was the way in which Allies handled the fledging West German Film industry in the years promptly after the World War II. When the war was moving towards the end, the western Allies felt that it was vital to re-inform the German people in order both to declassify Germany and to assemble up the western zones of Germany as a barrier to the influence of the Soviet in eastern Europe and American films were recognized fast as an effective measure of disseminating western notions of freedom, democracy and capitalist enterprise. Before the distributors of America agreed to send their films to the FRG for this reason, however, they forced that they should be permitted to transfer any benefits made in Germany back to America. Since the market in the German was clo sed to America during the World war II, once this situation

Different Kinds of Joy Essay Example for Free

Different Kinds of Joy Essay The pursuit of happiness is a reoccurring theme in numerous novels. In the novel, Their Eye’s Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, what brings happiness differs to each character. To the main character Janie, happiness is found in love, but to her grandmother Nanny, happiness is found in security. At first, Janie does what Nanny wills her to. At the age of 16, Janie marries into security. She is safe, but unhappy. Still yearning for love, Janie runs away with Mr. Starks. With Starks, Janie is once again safe, but unhappy. Starks then passes away, and Janie finds her true love, Tea Cake. Through Tea Cake Janie re-realizes her dream of love and abandons Nanny’s dream of security, she descends into the muck with Tea Cake, learning to love life too. To find happiness, Janie has to step down from her pedestal and into the muck. Hurston efficiently uses this reverse metaphor to convey that happiness comes from mutual love, and that this can be found anywhere, even from the muck of society. Nanny’s ideals in life and Janie’s are different. To â€Å"take a stand on high ground† (p16) is the ideal for Nanny. Nanny wants Janie to marry into security. With security, Janie could be safe from the abuse that her grandmother and mother had experienced. At first, this is what Janie does even though it is not what she wants. She wants to be in love, â€Å"to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom! With kissing bees and singing of the beginning of the world! † (p11). When Janie finds this, she realizes what Nanny’s dream had done to her. She realizes that her dreams had been â€Å"pinched it in to [into] such a little bit of a thing that she could tie her grandmother’s neck tight enough to choke her† (p89). With this realization, Janie’s dream rekindles. She realizes that mutual love, him loving her, and her â€Å"wants (wanting) to want him†, is all she needs to find love in life and herself. Janie’s search for love ends with Tea Cake. Janie and Tea Cake are at opposite ends of the social spectrum when they meet. Janie is known as Mrs. Mayor Starks, while Tea Cake is known as a â€Å"player. † Even though Tea Cake can offer her no security, he can offer her love and acceptance. When first meeting, Tea Cake asks Janie to play checkers. Janie â€Å"found (finds) herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted (wants) her to play. Somebody thought (finds) it natural for her to play† (p96). Tea Cake sees Janie as woman, not a trophy wife. And because of this, Janie sees Tea Cake as a lover, not a lowlife. Once Janie is able to love Tea Cake, she learns to love the muck as well. Janie thinks, â€Å"if people think de same they can make it all right. So in the beginnin’ new thoughts had tuh be thought, and new words said† (p115). Janie has to experience new things with Tea Cake, like the muck, in order to love and understand him even more. Once she accepts the muck, she becomes a part of it. Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself† (p134). This is because like Tea Cake, the muck accepts her. â€Å"Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk sometimes herself if she wanted to† (p134). Being in the muck is like being in love, except with place, and eventually with life. Even though the muck has no riches and is the lowest aspect in society, it doesn’t matter to Janie. In the muck, Janie is poor but she is accepted. Janie is loved, and Janie is happy. Janie has a dream of love and happiness, but her grandmother also has a dream of security. At first Nanny’s dreams overpowered her own, leading Janie into a secure but loveless marriage. Janie then becomes Mrs. Mayor Starks, which Nanny would have loved, but joy still eludes her. To find this joy, Janie has to find love. Then Tea Cake appears in her life, becoming her one and only. He gives her what she wants, a mutual love. Janie then moves to the muck with Tea Cake and learns to work. She is no longer Mrs. Mayor Starks, she is Janie. In the muck, she learns that love is trust and acceptance. She learns to find love in everything, even herself. Janie is now truly happy. Even in the lowest part of society.

Evolution Of The Concerto Grosso Music Essay

Evolution Of The Concerto Grosso Music Essay Describe the evolution of the concerto grosso from its origins up to the time of JS Bach and Handel. Include references to specific composers and works. The concerto grosso is an early form of concerto which is distinguishable from other types of concerto by its two groups of instrumentation, the continuo and the repieno. Concerto grosso translates roughly as great concerted performance. Late in the renaissance period composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli were using methods of contrast and opposition in their works, evident in Gabrielis polychoral canzonas, which were so effectively developed in St marks Cathedral, Venice. The use of St Marks many choir lofts brought new timbres and techniques to such composers, which would develop further in the Baroque era. As in the polychoral music of Gabreili, the concerto grosso would set a concertino small group of solo instruments against the ripieno a full string orchestra. Typically there would be a basso continuo which would be a harpsichord or an organ which would add texture to the ripieno and would support the continuo with harmonies. Ritornello form will typically be found in the faster movements of concerto grossi, the ritornello will start, played by the ripieno, the concertino will then join in stating the main theme. The ritornello and concertinos episode will then alternate with the main theme being reintroduced shortened, altered or in full. TUTTI SOLO TUTTI SOLO TUTTI RITORNELLO CONCERTINO RITORNELLO CONCERTINO RITORNELLO This pattern would happen many times and in different keys, but the main theme wouldve been likely to be repeated in full, and in the tonic key, only at the end. Although this form looks to be quite clear cut, there were many variants, composers such as Corelli, Handel and Vivaldi experimented with the form. The origins of the concerto grosso can be found around 1675, one of the first concerti grossi is by Alessandro Stradella (1642-82), but some of the more celebrated early works are the twelve concerti grossi of Corellis opus six. These works of Corelli seem to have been key in the emergence the concerto grosso. Written in 4, 5 or even six movements and alternating between fast and slow, Corelli based his musical ideas on dances of the baroque period like the allemande, the courante and the gigue. In these compositions Corelli had started to define a strong contrast between soli and tutti, which may have developed from his church sonatas. The development of the orchestra during this period had an effect on the evolving concerto grosso. The relatively new violin family had replaced that of the viols and players were becoming specialists, giving composers more flexibility when writing. Whilst there was no standardisation of the baroque orchestra, it would consist predominately of stringed instruments of the violin family which would double on parts as the colour of timbre was quite limited. The three keyboard instruments of the time, the clavichord, the organ and the harpsichord all benefited from the now commonplace tempered tuning technique. This era started to see virtuosic performers arise in musical schools, mainly in Italy. For example, in the church of San Petronio, Bologna, there was a regular group of performers who became accomplished in there fields, but when the occasion suited ensembles were increased in size by the use of more modestly talented instrumentalists. This created a different standard of difficu lty between the concertino solo passages and the fuller repieno episodes. One of the most notable figures in the Bologna School was Giuseppe Torelli (1658 1709), Torelli contributed a lot to the development of the concerto grosso. It was he who settled on a three movement, fast slow fast structure. In his opus eight concerti, he has developed a distinctive style with a very clear use of the ritornello form in his allegro movements. It is here in the time of Torelli that the markings of a typical concerto grosso start to emerge with its allegro adagio allegro structure, the strong and strict use of ritornello form and then the use of more virtuoso writing for the continuo instruments. With this three movement structure becoming almost standard it is by the works of Antonio Vivaldi that it becomes established. Vivaldi shows a development of melody and rhythm, writing in distinct form which had grown to be expected of a baroque concerto, but at the same time he enhanced the writing of solo lines in a way seen previously by Torelli and Albinoni. Vivaldi started to introduce wind instruments such as flutes, bassoons and horns to the orchestra and sometimes to the continuo, which, in turn led to a more colourful demonstration of timbre. The adagio movement became just as important to Vivaldi as the allegro movements, gaining equal importance; this is something which other composers such as Johannes Sebastian Bach took into their works. Around 1720, Johannes Sebastian Bach wrote a set of six concerti of which three were concerto grosso, numbers 2, 4 and 5. Bach was influenced by the works of Corelli, Albinoni and Vivaldi but started to create more complex texture with counterpoint and sonority. Although developing the style of writing, he largely conformed to the structure set before him. George Fredric Handel (1685 1759) differed here, whilst still writing with the newer, more complex techniques his concerti grossi were more in keeping on a structure basis with those of Corelli. In his concerti he uses more movements and relates them to the baroque dances, for example, opus six, concerto grosso no six. Within this work there is an opening larghetto e affettuoso, a fugal allegro, a pastoral in the form of a musette en rondeau and a minuet like allegro. The concerti of Handel show diversity and variety, which may be due to the fact he was more travelled than other composers of his time. It was during the period of Vivaldi, Bach and Handel that the concerto grosso was to become less popular amongst composers, the writing of virtuoso lines leant itself better to the solo concerto, although the term concerto grosso has still been used in the 20th century by composers such as Bloch and Vaughn Williams. Word Count 992 SUBMISSION 1 ASSIGNMENT TWO Assignment 2A Question 2 Discuss the variety of instrumentation in Bachs Brandenburg Concertos. Johannes Sebastian Bach used an extremely varied combination of instruments in his set of Brandenburg Concertos. For the period, late baroque, it was almost experimental, leaving no stone unturned as he searched for the sonority to compliment his distinctive counterpoint. Because the instrumentation is so varied I will describe each of the concertos separate scoring before discussing the many combinations and instruments. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major Instrumentation Concertino Two Corni da Caccia (Natural Horn), Three Oboes, Bassoon and a Violino Piccolo (Small Violin). Ripieno Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Basso Continuo (Harpsichord). Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (Concerto Grosso) Instrumentation Concertino Tromba (Trumpet), Recorder, Oboe, Violin Ripieno Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Basso Continuo (Harpsichord). Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major Instrumentation Concertino Three Violins, Three Violas and Three cellos (split into three groups of equal instrumentation). Ripieno Basso Continuo (Harpsichord). Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major (Concerto Grosso) Instrumentation Concertino -Violin and Two Flauti decho (Recorder). Ripieno Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Basso Continuo (Harpsichord). Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (Concerto grosso) Instrumentation Concertino Harpsichord, Violin and Flute. Ripieno Violin, Viola, Cello and Violone. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major Instrumentation Concertino Two Violas and a Cello. Ripieno Two Viola da Gamba (In unison), a Cello, a Violone and Basso Continuo. There are many things which strike you about Bachs instrumentation when you see it classified in this way. Firstly, for the period, it seems to be quite experimental and certainly in Concerto No. 6, the use of the Viola da Gamba, a somewhat dated instrument of the time, could suggest Bach was searching hard for exactly the texture he wanted, or that in fact Concerto No. 6 predates the other five and is not as the date on the presentation score. This concerto also displays a lack of treble instrumentation, creating a much darker timbre. Also on show is Bachs exposition of wind ensemble, Concertos No. 1 and No. 2 display wind groups as the concertino, adding a real sense of colour and texture to the works. The Harpsichord makes an appearance as the soloist in Concerto No. 5, showing a reluctance to conform to the standard practise of keeping the keyboard instrument in the continuo. Amongst the scoring of the Brandenburg concertos are some Instruments which may be unfamiliar to todays audience. In Concerto No. 1, the only brass instruments are the two Corno da Caccia. Now this is not the Horn that we know today, but would have been a small, natural, valve less horn, not to dissimilar to a hunting horn. This instrument allowed Bach to write the same virtuosity as for a trumpet, but would have given slightly less edge to the sound. The Flauti Decho of the fourth concerto stirs up a lot of debate as to exactly what instrument Bach actually meant. Malcom Boyd, in his book Bach, The Brandenburg Concertos discuss the possibility of the Flauti of the second concerto, the recorder, being the same instrument as the Flauti Decho and in fact not a different version at all. This is a matter that many academics are yet to agree on. The Violin Piccolo is scored in the first concerto amongst the concertino, this instrument, as the name would suggest, is a smaller version of the violin we know today. The violin piccolo is recorded as being pitched either a minor third, or a fourth above the concert violin, but as Malcom Boyd writes in his book It is doubtful whether one can really speak about the violin piccolo as one might about the violin or the viola. Concerto No. 6 gives us the Viola de Gamba, An older instrument, the viola de gamba is a member of the viol family, a six string instrument played with a bow and held between the legs, equivalent to todays double bass. Also required in each one of the six concertos is a violone, this would have been similar to the viola de gamba, a bass like instrument used in the basso continuo. Bachs treatment of concertino and ripieno differs somewhat to that of other concerto composers such as Vivaldi, as he treats the concertino as not just a solo group but likes to bring different instruments to the fore, and create unusual pairings of different instruments. As referred to in The Cambridge Music Guide, in concerto No. 2 the solo instruments are paired in every combination, this makes me wonder if there was also some mathematical logic behind this sort of scoring. Every soloists performs on there own and with the group, and lines are passed seamlessly around the ensemble. Throughout the Brandenburg Concertos, Bach uses the instrumentation to such effect, that there are so many colours and textures on display. However, with the ambiguity of what some of the instruments were it is impossible to recreate the colour and texture that Bach himself was looking for. Word count = 826 SUBMISSION 1 ASSIGNMENT TWO Assignment 2A Question 3 Give a detailed analysis of the first movement of Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F major. Include a brief background to this work. It is widely believed that much of the music that Bach wrote during his years as the Kapellmeister in Cothen has been lost, fortunately amongst the surviving works are the celebrated scores of the Brandenburg Concertos. Due to the complex contrapuntal nature of the six instrumental works, they could possibly be classed as chamber works rather than orchestral works. All six concertos are written for differing musical combinations, combinations which show a desire to create new sounds but also celebrate sounds of the period. These six concertos were dedicated in a presentation score to Christian Ludwig, The Margrave of Brandenburg, with the year 1721 as the year on the manuscript. It was whilst on a trip to Berlin during the year of 1719 that Bach met the Margrave, Bachs musicianship as a performer had interested the Margrave so much that he invited Bach to write him some compositions for his extensive library. It was two years later that Bach obliged the offer of the Margrave, sending him the scores to what are now known as The Brandenburg Concertos. This gesture by Bach is widely suggested amongst scholars of the musical world to be Bachs way of submitting his CV, in the hope of earning a job in the court of Christian Ludwig, a job which never materialised. The now labelled Brandenburg Concertos are amongst Bachs most celebrated works, performers, composers and academics regard them as some of the finest musical output of the baroque era. This idea of writing for various combinations of instruments was a new concept in Germany; Bach however had studied the published works of composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, and wrote closely to the Italian style with the use of a clear ritornello form. With the six concertos having mainly a three movement structure of quick slow quick, as per the concertos of Bachs Italian counterparts, it is the varied instrumentation that sets these works apart. Brandenburg concerto No.2 could be said to be one of the more colourful concertos of the set. Written in F major and scored for a concertino of trumpet, recorder, oboe and violin, supported in tutti sections by the typical ripieno section of strings and continuo (commonly a Harpsichord). It is the wind ensemble that delivers the richness of sound yet has the sensitivity to explore the fine counterpoint which so effortlessly flows through the parts. The set of six concertos are some of Bachs most famous works and I now aim to deliver a detailed analysis of the first movement of his Brandenburg Concerto No 2. in F major. Bachs Brandenburg concerto no 2 was written in three movements as follows: Allegro Andante Allegro assai The concerto is written in the key of F major and conforms to the style considered a Concerto Grosso. The composition uses the following instrumentation: Strings, Trumpet, Flute (originally a recorder), Oboe with strings and basso continuo (commonly a Harpsichord). The continuo is never omitted from the movement as it provides the harmonic foundation of the whole movement. This first movement of Bachs Brandenburg Concerto No 2 is written in ritornello form as is his Brandenburg concerto No 5. Example 1 below shows the opening eight bars which I consider to be the ritornello theme, in the tonic key of F major it is written for all instruments throughout the movement. Example 1 Bars 1-8. This ritornello theme is never repeated in full and can be broken down into 6 smaller motifs, shown below in Example 2, as the movement evolves these motifs are introduced at different points. Example 2 The solo subjects can also be split down into their own theme being called S1 and a countersubject called S2. These two lines are shown below in Example 3. This Solo line could be considered as a second ritornello as it is a recurring theme which can be heard to a total of eight times throughout the movement. Interestingly, this theme is only scored to be played by the concertino, unlike the main ritornello theme which passes through the solo and ripieno instruments. As we will see throughout this analysis a large percentage of the melodic material written is manufactured from the two themes that I am calling S1 and S2. Example 3 On completion of the ritornello theme the concertino violin plays a solo (S1) for 2 bars and then it returns back to the ritornello (R1) theme for the following 2 bars. This solo is accompanied by just the cello and is then joined by all the ensemble instruments to play the ritornello theme as in the opening. Bar 13 has the oboe playing a solo (S1) for 2 bars with the violin playing the solo counter subject (S2) once again accompanied by the cello. There is then a modulation for the first time into the dominant key of C Major for 2 bars of the ritornello (R1) theme. This sequence then continues until bar 23, with the flute and then the trumpet each playing solos (S1) for 2 bars with oboe, whilst the flute then plays the solo counter subject (S2). In Bar 23 it is back to the ritornello theme for 6 bars but this time it is with the introduction of the R4, R5 and R6 motifs in the dominant key. The movement then modulates to B flat major (the sub-dominant) and the trumpet plays a small s olo (S1) for 2 bars. This solo is not accompanied by the normal counter subject (S2) as heard previously, but the violin continues to play a semi-quaver rhythm which is leading us on to different ideas. This solo is also harmonised with the other concertino instruments and the cello of the ripieno, Bach is gradually building the instrumentation of the solo lines in comparison to what was heard at the beginning of the movement. At bar 31 the ritornello theme (R1) begins to move the music in the direction of the key of D minor, this is done using a cycle of fifths, the chords are as follows; D Minor G Minor Cdom7 Fmaj7 Bbmaj7 E Minor Adom7 D Minor. The texture within this cycle of fifths becomes very thick and extremely complex, with the flute and cello playing together in thirds at bars 33-35. The solo violin can be heard playing a pulsating and energetic chordal harmony figure in a virtuosic style whilst the trumpet and the oboe are pigeon stepping from the end of bar 32 until bar 35 (See example 4). This pigeon stepping technique is also written in the viola and violone from bar 33 until bar 35(See example 5). These ideas are used to give a sense of direction and it also helps to disguise the circle of fifths, stopping the idea from becoming a simple clichà ©. Example 4 Bars 32 35. Example 5 Bars 33 35. This cycle of fifths leads the music back to the ritornello theme (R1) at bar 40 for two bars in D Minor and then it begins to travel back to the tonic key, through another cycle of fifths; D Minor G Minor C Major F Major. Throughout this cycle of fifths the ritornello theme (R1) can be heard to pass through the trumpet, flute and lastly the oboe lasting for two bars in each line. Whilst this ritornello theme is passing around the concertino instruments the other solo lines are accompanying it with a fluid semi-quaver rhythm, with the trumpet and then the flute moving in contrary motion against the oboe and violin. There continues to be heard the ritornello theme from bar 46 in the tonic key but it is abruptly interrupted at bar 50 owing to the fact that if the theme was to be heard again here in full, in the tonic key, then you could expect that movement would have had to finish at this point. Bar 46 sees the continuo and cello take over the fluid semiquaver rhythm which seems to be in support of the solo violin this however only lasts for 2 bars until the reintroduction of this figure in the flute and oboe, along with Violin 1 of the ripieno. It is at this point (Bar 50) we can see that Bach begins to introduce a V-I rising sequence with a very strong 7th feel to each of the chords. Beginning with the chord of F7 at bar 50 moving to D7 (V) at bar 51 G7 (I) at bar 52 E7 (V) at bar 53 Amin7 (I) at bar 54 F7 (V) at bar 55 Bb7 (I) at bar 56. This rising sequence starts to move the music away from the tonic key so as not to give the feeling that the movement is coming to the end. This time, however, the ritornello theme R5 is heard to be played in this sequence by the Violin, Oboe, Flute, Violin again Oboe again and then lastly the Trumpet, each for 1 bar at a time. Whilst this theme is being passed seamlessly through the concertino the underlying moving semi-quaver idea is also being passed through the concertino instruments, cleverly intertwining with the ritornello theme R5. Bar 56 sees the continuo and Cello now playing the theme R5 with the Trumpet decorating it in the treble. The end of this section is announced wi th the introduction of the ritornello theme R6 which is an ending theme. At the introduction of this ending theme, R6, we are in the key of B flat (sub-dominant) for 4 bars and a reversion back to the now seemingly solitary solo (S1) and counter subject solo (S2), from the flute and Violin respectively, with just the continuo adding a simple harmonic accompaniment the music can then be heard to modulate to G minor at bar 62 for two bars, with the solo lines reversing and the Violin playing the Solo (S1) and the Flute playing the counter subject (S2). The Oboe then takes over this Solo line (S1) with the violin playing the counter subject (S2) but there is a modulation once again, this time to E flat major, at this point Bach begins building the harmony and texture again, introducing the flute playing an interrupted quaver rhythm. For the final time in this sequence the music modulates once again to C minor, with the Trumpet playing the Solo Line (S1) and the Oboe playing the counter subject (S2).There is a definite feeling of rebuilding of the texture her e again as the flute and solo violin, playing the interrupted quaver rhythm, are heard together at bar 66. All throughout this, from bar 60, it has remained a simple accompaniment from just the continuo with the tutti strings tacet. This idea is the same as in bars 9 23 but without the fragments of the Ritornello theme. Again can be heard the ritornello theme from bar 68, still in the key of C Minor (dominant minor), however, this is soon interrupted by a rising sequence of V I at bar 72. This time it begins with C Minor (V) at bar 72, moving to F major 7 (I) at bar 73. Bar 74 is in D major 7 (V) leading us back to the ritornello theme at bar 75 in G Minor (I). This rising V-I section once again uses the idea of passing the ritornello theme R6 around the concertino instruments, with the fluid semi-quaver movement flowing effortlessly through the solo lines. This ritornello theme modulates to G minor using another cycle of fifths, the chords it uses are as follows; G minor C minor 7 F 7 B flat major 7 E major A minor 7 D major G Minor. In bar 72 there ios a very subtle use of syncopation in the tutti violin part which seems to bind the ripieno ensemble. Bach again uses the pigeon stepping device, but this time it is heard in the trumpet and the oboe from the end of bar 76 up until bar 79. There is also another example of the pigeon stepping in the viola and continuo from bar 77 until bar 79 along with the Cello and Violin playing in 3rds. This again has disguised the circle of fifths and made the texture very rich and extremely complex. In bar 86 I get a very definite feeling that the movement is heading to its climax, the long sustained chords, lasting up until bar 93, within the violins and the viola of the ripieno are something new, seeming to create a different texture and binding to the intricate figures of the concertino and the harmony of the continuo. Bar 94 sees another return of the ritornello theme in A minor, however this time it is introduced by the flute and the violin for two beats, and then the trumpet and oboe join in with an echo effect, maybe a hint of Bachs fugal ideas. This ritornello theme is extremely short lived as once again there is more use the cycle of fifths from bar 96, D minor G7 C Major F Major B minor7 E Major 7 A minor. Heard again is the same idea as previously heard with the Flute and Violin pigeon stepping from bars 95 99, this pigeon stepping is also displayed in the Viola and Violone whilst the Oboe and Cello play the fluid semi-quavers in 3rds. The music stays in the key of A minor for 3 bars and the final ritornello theme is stated, in unison and in octaves, back in the tonic key of F major. This is a sudden change back to the tonic key with the whole ensemble having a quaver rest before. This idea is a stylistic/form aspect from another type of composition the da capo aria. It is with this sudden change back to the tonic and with the ensemble playing in unison that you are tricked into thinking its the end of the movement, but Bach leads off again with another rising V-I Sequence. Beginning this V-I sequence in F Major (V) moving to B flat major 7 (I) at bar 107. Bar 108 moves to G dominant 7 th (V) and leads onto C dominant 7th (I) at bar 109. A dominant 7th (V) begins bar 110 resolving to D dominant 7th (I) at bar 111, and then to finish the sequence it is a diminished 7th on B leading in to C major. This diminished 7th on B natural strengthens the return back to the tonic F major. The rising V I section uses the idea which is previously heard of weaving the ritornello theme R5 through the concertino instruments. Heard then is the ritornello theme R5 played by the Violone and Cello at bar 113. Bar 115 sees the music return to the tonic key of F major and the ritornello theme is stated for the very last time, however, Bach does not write the ritornello theme in full as you would expect with ritornello form, it is left to ritornello theme R5 for 2 bars and then the ending theme R6 to finish the movement. Although this movement can be recognised as being in ritornello form It has become clear during my analysis, that it is very hard to distinguish between the solos and ritornello theme. This is because Bach has used material from the original ritornello theme throughout the whole of this movement and integrated them so seamlessly and subtly into the solo passages. Word count = 2,576