Essay about Communication and Child - 2090 Words

CU 1530 PROMOTE COMMUNICATION IN CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S SETTINGS SHC 32 1.1 Identify the different reasons people communicate Examples of why people communicate To gain reassurance and acknowledgement – Giving a child reassurance will help them to develop. To build relationships - People communicate to make new relationships the way we speak to them at first may make them feel welcome or overlooked. To maintain relationships – Each time we talk to a child we are maintaining our relationship with them. To gain and share information – The information you receive and give will help you carry out your work effectively. To share ideas and thoughts – If you have questions, ideas and opinions about work sharing†¦show more content†¦* Phone – When the person is not available for face to face. * Sign language – It allows deaf people to communicate. * Letters – written way of sending information. * Emails – Electronic way of sending letters. * Reports – Formal way of presenting information. * Makaton – Gestures that support the spoken words. * Audio/visual recordings – Can help with understanding. * Visual images – used so parents and others can see and hear child in action. 2.4 Demonstrate how to respond to an individual’s reactions when communicating. Responding to an individual’s reaction when communicating will all depends on the situation. In my placement most of the communication will be done by verbal and touch. For example when a child is having lunch they will use symbols to show me what they want for lunch. I will allow that person to choose from 2 when she points to the 1 she wants we give it to her and I ask her if it’s a drink she want or food. She will repoint and they I will say the words and she will nod to the correct one. 3.1 Explain how people from different backgrounds may use and/or interpret communication methods in different ways When a child is of a different background it might be helpful if you help them settle and encourage of the way things that they can do. They might find it difficult to talk English so you can help them understand and read the language so that they find itShow MoreRelatedThe Presence Of Parent And Child Communication1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe presence of parent and child communication also matters. It is important for parents to discuss sex, love, and relationships directly with their children. 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The learning and teaching methods of citizenship PSHE education

Sample details Pages: 30 Words: 8914 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? This project addresses the problems that are currently being encountered with regard to the delivery of citizenship and PHSE within UK schools. To give emergent themes context an historical review of their academic treatment is presented. This is broadened by considering the United States delivery of these subjects to determine whether the UK can learn anything from the American experience. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The learning and teaching methods of citizenship PSHE education | Education Dissertation" essay for you Create order Documentary analysis and interview schedules are the research methods used to analyse secondary sources and generate primary data. A number of conclusions are drawn namely these subjects must be linked to current issues (e.g. AIDS/HIV, global citizenship etc) of the day to ensure that their content and delivery remain relevant to the needs of young people. Recommendations for a more flexible approach regarding the delivery and assessment of these subjects are made at the end of the study. 1.1 What Does Citizenship Mean? Before it is possible to critically review and evaluate th eeffectiveness of the learning and teaching methods that are used to deliver citizenship and PHSE, it is necessary to begin by analysing their rationale and curricular content. In other words what are these subjects about and what are the benefits that pupils gain by studying them? Answering this question will provide a framework within which it can be determined whethercurrent academic practices are satisfying the aims and objectives ofthese subjects. Citizenship is a concept that can have a myriad of meanings andinterpretations. There is no universally agreed definition. Models of citizenship vary from country to country. The concept is continuously contested by political parties, academics and pressure groups. Despite the many interpretations of the concept that exist, all notions of citizenship imply to a greater or lesser degree, membership of apolitical community that is internally defined by rights, duties, participation and identity. The term Active Citizenship is widely used, but again there is no single accepted definition. The phrase is open to interpretation. From an educational perspective when there is no universally accepteddefinition of a concept, it makes it extremely difficult to transform such a subject into a meaningful learning experience for young people. In other words there are no hard and fast rules which can be appliedby teachers. When a concept has a clear and universally accepteddefinition, it provides the means by which to breakdown the subject into manageable chunks of learning. Thus students become skilled and knowledgeable when applying each component to a given set of circumstances. For example, in Business Studies, if you wish to measure the financialperformance of a company, it is possible to apply a number ofuniversally accepted accounting ratios. This forms a set ofstandards, which are quantifiable and which can be applied in a constant manner to a variety of different situations over a period of time. When it is possible to apply clearly defined and universally accepted standards to a subject or a concept it becomes relativelyeasy to teach and learn. When a student understands how each component of a subject works, it isthen possible to interlink these areas and increase the complexity oflearning activities. Thus over time the student will master each stage(i.e. knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis,evaluation) of the cognitive learning domain (Source:www.businessballs.com, Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Domains).Students will have a holistic view of the subject content and willunderstand how the constituent components interlink. Given that citizenship does not have a universally accepted definition; is it possible to develop a set of standards, which can be constantly applied? Citizenship poses serious problems for educationalists interms of its definition and delivery as a subject to young people throughout the UK. What are the statutory requirements for teaching citizenship? It is a statutory subject at key stages 3 and 4. Apartfrom the absence of an eight-level scale of achievement, it is treatedexactly the same as other foundation subjects in the National Curriculum. Schools are required to establish high standards for citizenship that are comparable with standards in other subjects (Source:www.dfes.gov.uk/citizenship). 1.2 What Are The Similarities Between Citizenship And PHSE? Both subjects are similar in their emphasis on values and attitudes,and in their concern to empower young people to act effectively andwith self-confidence. They are also similar in some of the themes they explore; such drug abuse and equal opportunities and their emphasison active learning techniques like role play and discussion. What distinguishes the two concepts are their focus and content. PHSE focuses on personal and inter-personal decision making, whilecitizenship education deals with public policy. PHSE is concernedwith students choices as private individuals, the other with their rights as citizens. For example, a typical PSHE lesson on smoking deals withlegal rights and responsibilities, whereas a citizenship lesson focuseson the cost to society exploring issues such as legislation onsmoking in public places or tobacco advertising. Thus citizenship canbe viewed as the global or societal perspective on key issues e.g.smoking etc. PHSE, on the other hand, concentrates on the needs, expectations and responsibilities of the individual. 1.3 Why Is It Necessary To Investigate The Teaching And Learning Methods Of Citizenship and PSHE? In 2004 the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) published areport (PSHE 2002/3 annual report on curriculum and assessment, QCA,March 2004) on the delivery of PSHE within schools in England. In thesummary of key findings it was noted that in some schools, there wasconfusion about what the differences and similarities between PSHE andcitizenship. Also even when schools had allocated a significant amount of curriculum time to the delivery of their PSHE programmes, it was rare for the assessment of pupils progress and achievement to take place. Ever since the National Curriculum was launched in 1988 there have been major concerns over the time available to deliver all of the core subjects (e.g. English, Mathematics etc). The introduction of new subjects (i.e. Citizenship in September 2002) places an even greater pressure on school timetables, teaching staff and resources. The major problems may be summarised as follows: a. As explained in section 1.1 there is no universally accepted definition of citizenship. b. There is confusion over the similarities and differences between citizenship and PSHE. c. The lack of quantifiable assessment strategies makes it verydifficult to evaluate the benefits pupils gain from the delivery ofthese subjects. d. Severe timetable constraints and a lack of appropriately trainedteaching staff are hindering the effective development and delivery ofthese areas. Therefore, the objectives of this project are as follows: a. To critically evaluate and review the learning and teachingmethods which are currently being used to deliver citizenship and PSHEin order to determine whether pupils are benefiting from thesestrategies. b. To identify examples of good practice and analyse whether they can be applied elsewhere. c. To analyse how these subjects and their interrelationship willdevelop in the future and determine how learning and teaching methodswill need to change in order to satisfy the new requirements. 2.1 The Teaching of Citizenship in UK Schools A Historical Perspective The teaching of citizenship in UK schools has a long and problematicalhistory. Since the beginning of the twentieth century it has undergonea number of transformations. Up to the outbreak of the First World War,the purpose of citizenship education was to generate a sense ofnational cohesion, loyalty and obligation to the nature, as well as asense of pride in the Empire (Oliver and Heater, 1994). The secondphase of citizenship in education witnessed the rise of a more directapproach. That is, the systematic training of young people in deferenceand moral behaviour. Schools were encouraged to promote and cultivatethe simple virtues of humility, service, restraint and respect forpersonality (Ministry of Education, 1949, p.41), in their pupils. The 1960s brought a new emphasis regarding the delivery of citizenshipin schools. Notably that young people needed to become more politicallyaware and more active in their participation of social issues. A morerecent development (1990) witnessed the introduction of citizenshipinto the National Curriculum as a cross-curricular theme. Suchcross-curricular themes have suffered a chequered history and remain atthe margins of school timetables with the main thrust of deliveryconcentrating on core subjects and other academic considerations. This historical perspective of citizenship provides an insight into theproblems the subject has faced because of its poor definition andineffectual delivery. To rectify this situation a government proposalsought to establish more explicit and coherent provision in the areasof personal, social and health education and citizenship (DfEE, 1999,p. 1). The proposal aimed to introduce a framework across all keystages for personal, social and health education and citizenship.Furthermore, this development established a coherent nationalframework which gives schools flexibility to develop their ownapproaches. (DfEE, 1999, p. 13). Whilst this approach raised the profile of citizenship and sought toestablish it as an integral part of the National Curriculum, it createda number of problems. How exactly was it going to fit into a schooltimetable? As outlined earlier, in section 1.3, there have beennumerous problems with the National Curriculum, since its launch in1988. In 1999, there were yet again a number of government initiativesto reduce the prescriptive nature of the National Curriculum andprovide schools with greater flexibility. On the whole these changeslike previous initiatives only resulted in cosmetic changes. The other major problem with the new version of citizenship lay withthe delivery. Who exactly was going to teach this subject? It wasproposed that the knowledge required to teach the subject could begained from the core of an initial teacher training degree orpostgraduate certificate in education. Teachers already delivering PSHEcould acquire the knowledge and skills required to deliver citizenshipthrough continuous professional development. Having analysed the teaching of citizenship within the UK in terms ofthe current situation and from an historical perspective, it isnecessary to explore how this issue is dealt with by other countries.This will provide the opportunity to compare and contrast the UKexperience with other nations and determine whether there are anylessons to be learnt. In other words are there examples of goodpractice overseas? If so, is it transferable to schools in the UK? 2.2 The Teaching of Citizenship in the United States In the United States education for citizenship has been a longstanding goal of schools. To achieve this goal, students must learntheir civil rights and responsibilities in a free society. In 1991 JohnJ Patrick provided a review of why this was necessary and outlined howit could be achieved. Five key points, which are outlined below, formedthe basis of this review. a. The importance of teaching about the responsibilities of citizenship b. Deficiencies in learning about responsible citizenship c. How to improve learning about responsible citizenship at home d. How to improve learning about responsible citizenship at school e. Where to obtain information and materials about how to teach responsible citizenship The rationale for teaching citizenship was based upon the premise thatthe preservation of civil rights and liberties is linked to theperformance of responsibilities. Thus the responsibilities ofcitizenship such as voluntary service to the community, participationin the political system etc were essential to ensure the maintenanceof civil rights and liberties. However, reports on civic learning bythe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), indicated thatthe majority of students in the 12th grade had a very limited knowledgeof government and citizenship in the United States. Furthermore, halfof the students in the 12th grade failed to demonstrate the knowledgeneeded for responsible participation in the political system. Thus in 1991 there was a clear need to improve the learning of youngAmericans about their responsibilities as citizens in a moderndemocracy. In effect Patrick was advocating a holistic approach to theteaching of citizenship within American schools. That is, young peopleneeded to become actively involved in every aspect of American life.Consequently he provided a list of organisations where materials couldbe obtained in order to aid the delivery of this subject. For example,the American Bar Association which operated a Special Committee onYouth Education for Citizenship, the Constitutional Rights Foundation,Council for the Advancement of Citizenship, the Social ScienceEducation Consortium and so on. The approach actively promoted by Patrick failed to have the desiredeffect. In 1991 the NAEP reported poor levels of attainment amongst12th graders with regard to citizenship and its related areas. Theresults of the 1998 NAEP civics examination completed by a sample of4th, 8th and 12th grade students across the United States showed thatstudents were not proficient in the skills that enable citizens to usetheir civic knowledge. The NAEP 2001 History Report Card results alsoshowed a similar lack of proficiency. President Bush launched a number of initiatives in 2003 to improve theawareness of citizenship and associated areas among young peoplethroughout the United States. Some of these initiatives are highlightedbelow: Idea of American Essay Contest: High School juniors nationwide areinvited to submit a 1,200 word essay on the Idea of America andreceive awards. Heroes of History Lecture: An annual lecture that features anacclaimed scholar telling the story of a hero in American life. Theselectures are made available to school libraries throughout the UnitedStates. President Bush participated in Pledge Across America, a nationwidepatriotic observation that invited every school child in America toparticipate in a simultaneous pledge of allegiance at 2pm EasternDaylight Time. The pledge was observed on the 215th anniversary of theUnited States Constitution, the conclusion of the first-ever NationalCivic Participation Week, and the beginning of Constitution Week(Source: https://usinfo.state.gov/usa/edu/fs091702.htm). 2.3 What Can We Learn From The Americans With Regard To Teaching Citizenship? The analysis of the American experience raises a number ofinteresting points. Notably the American educational authorities viathe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are activelyengaged in measuring students attainment with regard to theirknowledge and understanding of citizenship issues. As noted the resultson the whole have been poor. In the UK citizenship is taught throughoutall of the Key Stages of the National Curriculum. However, in Key Stages 1 and 2, there is no requirement for the formalassessment of pupils knowledge and understanding of citizenship issues(Source:www.dfes.gov.uk/citizenship). Progress in this subject issummarised in each pupils annual school report. In Key Stage 3, thereis an end-of-stage assessment. Whilst in Key Stage 4 there is nostatutory requirement for assessment. Three short courses are availablei.e. GCSE Citizenship Studies. The AQA (Assessment and QualificationsAlliance) version of this qualification requires students to undertakea 1.5 hour examination and complete a project. Should the UK adopt the United States assessment model? It wouldprovide the opportunity to quantify each pupils level of knowledge andunderstanding of citizenship issues throughout each Key Stage of theNational Curriculum. Such an approach would provide data which could beanalysed to determine the effectiveness of the teaching and learningstrategies that are currently deployed to deliver citizenship within UKschools. However, such a proposal would be met with stiff resistancefrom a variety of sources (i.e. teachers, parents, educationalistsetc). It is already considered in many quarters that school children inthe UK are already over assessed. Also it is interesting to note that the American model of citizenshipis radically different from the British version. The informationprovided about the American experience includes such phrases as Heroesof History. The British equivalent would mean portraying the likes ofHoratio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington as heroes. Thus theAmerican model concentrates heavily on patriotism (e.g. Pledge AcrossAmerica) and herein lays a broader issue. The United States isuniversally criticised throughout the world for being too insular, tooselfish and is not perceived as accepting its global responsibility tothe non-American citizens of the world. The American version ofcitizenship does not seem to recognise the word global. 2.4 The Future of Citizenship Beyond National Boundaries The European Union has been in existence for nearly 50 years. However,until very recently, education remained untouched by the gradualmovement towards the pan European state. Curricula development andcontent were protected by each member-state. Since the advent of theMaastricht Treaty, the EU has developed and funded a number ofeducational initiatives to promote the concept of a European superstate; largely it must be said, without success. The Commissionsattempts to Europeanise education remained largely ineffective,mostly confined to the recognition of diplomas, vocational educationand the exchange of language teaching programmes (Soysal, 2001). However, a closer look at the way Europe, nation and citizenshipare being represented in school books and curricula, particularly inthe disciplines of history and civics reveals another kind ofEuropeanisation process that is, how European identity is likely toemerge and of significance to this project how it will be taught inEuropean schools. This process is happening through highly active andinformal networks largely unmonitored by formal EU institutions.Teachers unions and associations, academics and scientific experts,advocacy groups etc are busy networking, arranging conferences etc on teaching Europe. Perhaps the most significant development in this process is thedisappearance of the nation state historical events are now retoldwithin a European perspective and a not within a nationalisticstraightjacket. National identities locate their legitimacy in deeplyrooted histories, cultures or territories. But Europe is notpast-oriented: it is future orientated. What does this mean for theteaching of citizenship in schools throughout Europe? It has long beenrecognised that these problems can only be resolved by nations actingas one. This is why the United States receives a lot of criticism, asit constantly failed to sign up to international agreements on carbonemissions etc. Thus the Europeanisation process is merely a steppingstone towards the creation of global citizenship. Learning for global citizenship is about understanding the need totackle injustice and inequality, and having the desire and ability towork effectively to do so: this is referred to as Action Competence(Jensen and Schnak, 1994). An example of a resource that provides aframework for learner-centred delivery would be Get Global! This iswhere pupils are involved in every aspect of their own educationalexperience. The Oxford Schools Catalogue contains a wide range ofmaterials published by Oxfam and others, focused on learning for GlobalCitizenship (Source:www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/teachers/catalogue.htm). 2.5 A Brief History of Sex Education in UK Schools In England from the late 19th century, a number of sex educationpublications were produced, mainly aimed at helping parents toenlighten their children. The Second World War had a huge impact on thepopulation of Europe. Fresh emphasis in sex education was placed onpreventing syphilis and gonorrhoea. In the 1950s and 1960s sexeducation in schools was carried out through the descriptions of thereproductive habits of plants and animals. By the beginning of the1970s, school sex education was beginning to change significantly. Forexample, methods of contraception began to be more widely taught. The 1980s witnesses further developments in sex education. The rise offeminist-thinking led to an increase in the number of programmes thatencouraged pupils to examine the roles played by men and women. Sexeducation programmes began to have such aims as the acquisition ofskills for decision-making, communicating, personal relationships,parenting and coping strategies. HIV and AIDS became a health issue inthe UK just when sex education became a political football. A number ofsituations arose the 1985 Gillick case, which focused on whetherparents always have the right to know if their children are beingissued with contraceptives when under the age of 16 the growingstrength of the lesbian and gay movement, lead to the polarisation ofviews on sex education, among politicians at local and national level. Thus sex education, as was with citizenship, has become politicallycontroversial. Recent school sex education programmes have variedconsiderably in their aims. At one extreme (rarely found in the UK butwell-funded and widespread in the USA), abstinence education aims toensure that young people do not engage in heavy petting or sexualintercourse before marriage. At the other end of the scale, some sexeducation programmes, challenge sexist and homophobic attitudes(Source: www.open2.net/sundaysurgery/thehistoryp.html). 2.6 Summary Of The Key Factors In the UK and USA there is a realisation that young people need tobecome actively in all aspects of national life (e.g. politics, localcommunity, environment etc). However, there are major differencesbetween the two countries. The American approach towards citizenship isbased heavily on patriotism. In many respects the current Americanmodel of citizenship seems similar to the one that pertained in the UKin the early part of the 20th century. Despite Americas best effortsto increase young peoples knowledge and understanding of citizenshipconcepts, the NAEP results show no increase in student attainmentbetween 1991 and 2001. The Americans seem to be ignoring the development of citizenship beyondnational boundaries. In order to solve the worlds problems we need toact as one unified force hence we all need to embrace globalcitizenship. Sex education has moved substantially from its extremelylimited earlier forms to embrace a broader spectrum of sexual andsocial issues (e.g. AIDS/HIV, homosexuality etc). When this is comparedto the American experience, again like citizenship, there are hugedifferences in terms of objectives and content. Many American sexeducation programmes are founded on very conservative moral values. 2.7 Conclusions That Can Be Drawn From The Literature Review In Relation To The Objectives Of The Project a. To critically evaluate and review the learning andteaching methods which are currently being used to deliver citizenshipand PSHE in order to determine whether pupils are benefiting from thesestrategies. The literature review has shown that there are major problems inassessing the benefits that young people derive from these subjects.Formal assessment is broken down into two elements formative (i.e.on-course an assignment etc) and summative (i.e. end-of-the course an exam, a completed portfolio etc). In the USA the NAEP results do notshow an increase in students knowledge and understanding ofcitizenship concepts. Within the National Curriculum, citizenship andPHSE have a minimum of formal assessment requirements. However, are formal assessment methods the best way to determinewhether students are benefiting from citizenship and PHSE? The purposeof these subjects is to help young people become better adults e.g. toact and behave in a morally and socially responsible manner etc. Thusit is reasonable to argue that formal assessment methods can onlyprovide a superficial measure of a young persons knowledge andunderstanding of these concepts. What does measuring a persons abilityto recall facts actually tell us? In reality a person will gain from a well delivered citizenship andPHSE programme in the longer term. They will become a more sociallyresponsible person; they will become a more effective parent and so on.Thus teaching these subjects is in effect an act of faith we hopethat benefits will be produced in the longer term. A longitudinal studyis required i.e. one where a group of students is tracked for a numberof years. However, there are many factors involved when someone turnsout to a good parent etc. It would be extremely hard to isolate theinfluences of citizenship and PHSE from all the other issues that areinvolved e.g. family background etc. Whilst it is nigh on impossible to assess the long-term benefits peoplegain from these subjects it is possible to utilise existing learningand teaching methods to generate immediate benefits for the studentsconcerned. How this can be achieved will be analysed in the latterstages of the project. b. To identify examples of good practice and analyse whether they can be applied elsewhere. Has the literature review identify examples of good practice withregard to the teaching of citizenship and PHSE? Given the politicalcontroversy these subjects generate there can only be one answer tothis question. It depends upon your point of view determining whethersomething is an example of good practice is in the eye of the beholder.The key to progression is to establish and develop a wider audience forthe objectives you are trying to achieve. For example, the Europeanisation process demonstrates how differentorganisations, individuals etc by working together, can create forumsfor discussion and the dissemination of new ideas, materials etc. TheInternet has revolutionised how people communicate and accessinformation. This allows people and organisations to bypass nationalboundaries and work towards the creation of global citizenship. Thus if they are going to be meaningful and allow young people toconnect and become part of global citizenship the academic contentof citizenship and PHSE must reflect current developments. This meansthat learning and teaching methods must continuously evolve to ensurethat the delivery of these subjects reflects current trends anddevelopments. How this can be achieved will be explored in the latterstages of the project. c. To analyse how these subjects and theirinterrelationship will develop in the future and determine how learningand teaching methods will need to change in order to satisfy the newrequirements. A key feature of PHSE is that young people should practice safe sex.In its most literal form this simply means making sure that youngpeople have adequate access to and use of contraceptive methods. Insome quarters it would be argued that safe sex must involve moral,social and emotional responsibilities. Are these areas PHSE orcitizenship concepts? Whatever your view and political stance there isclearly an overlap between the two subjects. Future curricularinitiatives and the development of learning and teaching methods mustembrace the close interrelationship between these academic areas. 3.1 What Must The Research Methodology Achieve? In order to fulfil the requirements of the project objectives the research methodology must address the following issues: a. The analysis of the learning and teaching methods that are beingused to deliver citizenship and PHSE within UK schools in order todetermine their effectiveness. b. The critical evaluation of the assessment strategies that are used to measure pupil attainment within these subjects. c. An evaluation of how learning, teaching and assessment strategiesmust develop to ensure that citizenship and PHSE remain relevant to theneeds of young people. The National Curriculum was introduced in 1988 in order to develop acomprehensive approach to the delivery and development of educationwithin the UK. A number of government departments and agencies areresponsible for managing the content, development, delivery andeffectiveness of the education system. The research methodology mustinvestigate the work of these government departments and agencies inrelation to citizenship and PHSE. This is necessary in order to addressthe issues outlined above. How will this be achieved? The work of three different bodies must be investigated. These are as follows: a. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was establishedwith the purpose of creating opportunity, realising potential andachieving excellent for all. The Qualifications Curriculum Authority(QCA) is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the DfES. It isresponsible for maintaining and developing the National Curriculum andassociated assessments, tests and examinations; and accredits andmonitors qualifications in colleges and at work. It is thisorganisation which is responsible for managing and developing thecurricular content of citizenship and PHSE and providing guidance onlearning and teaching methods. b. The Office for Educational Standards (OFSTED) is the inspectoratefor children and learners in England. Its main responsibility is tocontribute to the provision of better education and care. This isachieved through a comprehensive system of inspection and regulationcovering childcare, schools, colleges, childrens services, teachertraining and youth work. Thus it inspects and evaluates the teaching ofcitizenship and PHSE throughout England. c. The practitioners (i.e. the school managers, teachers, supportworkers etc) are responsible for delivering the curricular content ofcitizenship and PHSE in accordance with the standards and methodsstated and disseminated by the DfES and the QCA. 3.2 What Methods Will The Research Methodology Use? Secondary research is the investigation of data sources which alreadyexist. The main advantage of using such sources is that they arereadily available and can be utilised to develop knowledge andunderstanding of a given situation. Primary research entails generatinginformation, which did not previously exist. This is necessary whensecondary data sources do not fulfil the information requirements of aresearch project. In order to investigate the work of the DfES, QCA and OFSTED, it is notnecessary to conduct primary research. This is because of two reasons.One, the government wants the work of these bodies to be transparentand within the public domain. Two, easily accessible secondary datasources will be sufficient to facilitate the objectives of thisproject. As stated, the websites for the DfES, QCA and OFSTED provideaccess to numerous reports and information on all aspects of theiroperations. Therefore, the research method that will be used to analysethis data is documentary analysis. In effect this involves analysingreports and relating the findings to the project objectives. However, in any given project or area of research different opinionswill prevail. If you like DfES, QCA and OFSTED represent thegovernments views. What does everybody else think? The practitioners as listed above are at the sharp end of the business i.e.delivering the courses to the pupils. Their experiences, views andopinions are important if the effectiveness of citizenship and PHSE astaught subjects is going to improve. Too often in education thepractitioners are the last group of people to be consulted regardingthe development of courses, new initiatives etc. Thus given thisgroups importance their views and opinions re the development anddelivery of these subject areas will be gathered by conducting primaryresearch. How will this be achieved? Since the intention of this research is toelucidate the learning as well as the teaching methods of PHSE andcitizenship education, the starting point of this research isqualitative. It can be stated that the methodological basis consists oftwo parts. One part comprises of the techniques that are used to gatherempirical material. This was achieved by the author of this projectarranging and conducting interviews with the following people: Teachers, Postgraduate trainee teachers Learning support assistants Outside agency professionals (such as the police force, NHS Trust, Borough Council and fire service) The interview schedule was based upon the six questions listed below: Citizenship Report 1. Should PSHE and citizenship education be taught in schools as a combined subject or as individual subjects? 2. Who should teach the subject, for example, a teacher or another professional i.e. policeman or firewoman? 3. Should citizenship and PHSE be classroom based? 4. Are there any advantages or disadvantages between a teacher thatteaches citizenship and PHSE, rather than a professional from anoutside agency? 5. How is it monitored that a child has understood the subject content of citizenship / PHSE? 6. How much input into the citizenship / PHSE does the child have? The second part of the methodological basis consists of the method thatis used to analyse the empirical material. This material was collectedduring school lunchtimes, some appointments were arranged before andafter school. Other outside agencies were approached via the steeringcommittee of the Wordsworth Junior Citizenship Project. A total of 15people participated in the study, 9 were teachers and 6 were fromoutside agencies. The head teachers as well as the coordinator of theWJCP were informed of the study orally and in writing, theirinvolvement in the study was voluntary. Why use an interview schedule? Why not use questionnaires? The lattermethod of collecting primary data has a major advantage in that it isnot necessary for the researcher to actually be in the presence of thepeople participating in the survey when they complete thequestionnaire. Such an approach is appropriate when a large number ofrespondents are required to provide primary data. However, as thenumber of respondents for this project was only 15 it was moreapplicable to the nature of the areas under review to use an interviewschedule. The initial reply to a question could be explored further byasking supplementary questions. This allowed the researcher to gain amore detailed insight into how the respondents viewed the delivery ofcitizenship and PHSE. 3.3 Implementing The Research Methodology The websites for the DfES, QCA and OFSTED are as follows: www.dfes.gov.uk www.qca.org.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk The DfES website provides extensive information about every subjectwithin the National Curriculum. The section relating to citizenship isbroken down into three main sections teachers / pupils / parents andgovernors. Each of these sections is subdivided into sub-headings. Forexample, the teacher section is divided into the sub-headings listedbelow: What is citizenship? Whole school issues? Curriculum Post-16 Issues for discussion Teaching resources Training and development Assessment Recognising achievement Ofsted Case Studies Each of these sub-headings provides access to an extensive amount ofinformation. Investigation of the section for PHSE revealed a similartype of structure, again adequately provisioned in terms of resourcesfor teachers, pupils, parents and governors. Investigation of the DfESwebsite reveals that schools are provided with an extensive range ofadvice and guidance about how learning and teaching methods can bedeveloped in order to ensure the effective delivery of citizenship andPHSE. Given that there is adequate access to learning and teaching resourcesthrough the DfES website, the next stage of the research processinvolves investigating how the effectiveness of learning and teachingmethods used to deliver citizenship and PHSE are measured. Thisinvolves analysing the content of the OFSTED website. Again theinformation on this website is extensive. The information that is mostrelevant to this project is the breakdown of how OFSTED conducts schoolinspections. Why do we have school inspections? Inspection reports provide anindependent and external evaluation of the quality and standards ofeducation and whether pupils are achieving as much as they can. Theyalso provide a measure of accountability and should promote theimprovement of the school. In other words inspection reports provide aquality assurance framework which allows the effectiveness of learningproviders to be analysed and critically evaluated. Each inspection is based upon the following framework: Description of the school Overall effectiveness of the school o Effectiveness and efficiency of boarding provision o What the school should do to improve further Achievements and standards o Personal development and well-being Quality of provision o Teaching and learning o Curriculum and other activities o Care, guidance and support Leadership and management The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy The extent to which providers ensure that they stay safe The extent to which learners make a positive contribution (Source: www.ofsted.gov.uk/howwework/index.cfm) Schools are graded on a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 = outstanding and 4 =inadequate. Depending upon the grade a school receives OFSTED canrequire a school to take remedial action in order to improve itsperformance. For example, schools require Special Measures when theyare failing to give learners an acceptable standard of education, andwhen the people responsible for leading, managing or governing theschool are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessaryimprovement. Notice to Improve is another category of measures OFSTED can imposeupon a school. A school which is currently failing to provide anacceptable standard of education, but has demonstrated the capacity toimprove, will be in this category. Schools that require significantimprovement receive a notice to improve. As explained earlier, thereports produced by OFSTED are in the public domain and can be accessedfrom its website. OFSTED provides inspection reports on all types of learning providers ranging from nursery and primary school provision through to adulteducation. Whilst this is of interest and indicates the extensivequality assurance standards learning providers have to comply with ofgreater relevance study is the fact that OFSTED provides subjectreports on an annual basis. For example, in November 2002 it publishedthe following report PHSE and Citizenship in Primary Schools itprovided a review of the main issues affecting the delivery of thesesubjects. These reports are in effect work-in-progress reports. These reports provide the information that is required to facilitatethe objectives of this project. However, the documentary analysisrevealed that the information contained in these reports is toodetailed. As they concentrate on one specific section of theeducational system e.g. primary schools etc. What this project requiresis a more holistic view of each subject as delivered by all learningproviders covering the range from primary schools to secondaryschools. The QCA website was the last one to be investigated. Again an extensiveamount of information about citizenship and PHSE is freely accessible.However, QCA provides reports which cover the effectiveness of alllearning providers delivering citizenship and PHSE. In effect they drawupon the information provided by OFSTED reports (and also use othersources) and provide a holistic view of the current status of anacademic subject as taught in schools in the UK. The reports detailed below were identified as the most relevant to the needs of this study. QCA Citizenship 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment December 2005 QCA PHSE 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment December 2005 Subsequently the information contained in these reports was subjectedto documentary analysis. That is, it was analysed, filtered andsummarised. This was done in order to achieve the objectives of theproject. The result of this work is presented in section 4 of thereport i.e. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION. 1. Should PSHE and citizenship education be taught in schools as a combined subject or as individual subjects? Of the 15 respondents 9 of them considered that it would be moreeffective if the 2 subjects were combined. 4 people thought that theseareas should remain as separate subjects. The remaining 2 thought thatwhere appropriate the 2 subjects should be combined. 2. Who should teach the subject, for example, a teacher or another professional i.e. policeman or firewoman? This question produced a variety of responses. In the main it wasrecognised that the teacher should be primarily responsible fordelivering these subjects. However, it was also noted that whereappropriate a professional could help to make the issue beinginvestigated more interesting and relevant to the pupils. In essence,it was considered that hard and certain rules should be applied, aboutwho delivers citizenship and PHSE. Flexibility should be maintained toallow pupils to take full advantage of learning opportunities as andwhen they arose. 3. Should citizenship and PHSE be classroom based? The answers generated by this question seemed largely dictated by theteaching experiences of the respondents. The classroom was a popularplace for delivering the core principles of these subjects. Again itwas recognised that certain facets of these subjects were better suitedto delivery outside of the classroom. For example, parenting issueswould be more relevant if visits to crches could be organised. Thiswould help to enhance and develop the learning experience of thepupils. 4. Are there any advantages or disadvantages between a teacher thatteaches citizenship and PHSE, rather than a professional from anoutside agency? From the responses to this question it is possible to identifyrecurring themes. Notably it is recognised that it is the teacher thathas the long-term relationship with the pupils. The teacher can use hisor her experience and knowledge of the pupils to plan the delivery ofcitizenship and PHSE to ensure that their needs and expectations aresatisfied. When feasible (given time and financial constraints) thehelp of professionals should be enlisted. This can be achieved in anumber of ways i.e. school visits by the professionals, school visitsto different establishments e.g. care homes etc. Such activities allhelp to put citizenship and PHSE issues into context and help toincrease the learning and knowledge of the pupils. 5. How is it monitored that a child has understood the subject content of citizenship / PHSE? This question produced a wide variety of answers, largely based uponthe teaching experience and knowledge of each respondent. A variety oftechniques (e.g. observation, record cards, group work, worksheets,role play, score cards etc) were used to record the knowledge achievedby each pupil. Essential to developing the awareness and understandingof citizenship and PHSE issues amongst pupils is the need to use avariety of stimulating learning and teaching methods. 6. How much input into the citizenship / PHSE does the child have? Again this question produced a variety of answers. It is recognised bythe respondents, that for citizenship and PHSE concepts and issues tohave meaning for the pupils, there needs to be interaction. Thesesubjects cannot be delivered in a theoretical manner. In many of thesituations described by the respondents, the pupils did not dictate thecontent of the lessons. However, they were provided with theopportunity on occasion to determine how issues should be dealt withe.g. through role play etc. Overall the researcher was pleased with the information provided by therespondents and would like to thank them for their contribution to theresearch project. The information collected helped to facilitate thesuccessful completion of the final report. 4.1 Analysis and Evaluation of the QCA Citizenship 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment December 2005 In the Literature Review, section 2.1, it was identified thatteaching of citizenship in UK schools, in a variety of guises, hadalways proved to be problematic. The citizenship concept and itsdefinition is still a matter of concern. This issue was highlighted inthe above report regarding its delivery at Key Stages 1 and 2. Putsimply citizenship in many schools is not sufficiently distinguishablefrom PHSE. Part of this problem arises from the specification of thetwo subjects as contained within national standards. There are manyareas where the two subjects overlap. Appreciably this can happen withquite a number of subjects (e.g. Economics and Business Studies).However, with citizenship and PHSE, the problem of the overlap iscompounded by the lack of specified skills in the current framework.This makes assessing and monitoring pupil progress and achievement moredifficult. A number of primary practitioners have expressed a view that thereshould be a separate programme of study for citizenship at Key Stages 1and 2. This approach would generate a number of benefits. For example,it would raise the status of the subject of citizenship in primaryschools. This would also help to clarify how citizenship is differentand distinct from PHSE. It would help to improve quality by ensuringthat progress in citizenship can be assessed and reported. This insightinto the views of people responsible for delivering citizenship isrevealing and it returns us to an earlier theme. In section 3.2 it wasstated that educational developments often ignore the views of staff atthe sharp end of the business. Too often in education, the development of new subjects, changes inassessment methods etc, are introduced by theorists or put more simplypeople who have forgotten how to teach. The history of education islittered with failed initiatives and so on. This happens because inmany respects all of the relevant issues and the views of all theinterested stakeholders are not taken into consideration. This isevident with regard to the development and delivery of citizenship. Asstated, in section 1.1, this question was asked What does citizenshipmean? Well it depends upon what you want to achieve. However, it isevident that the teaching of this subject is hampered by a lack ofconcise and definable standards, which means that there are no hardand fast rules. As this information contained in the QCA report,alludes to, there are major problems with the definition of the subjectand the standards which are used to assess pupil progress. This is further evidenced by the summary provided in the reportregarding the current state of citizenship as taught at Key Stages 3and 4. Problems of definition and discernable standards remain. Alsothe question of who teaches citizenship is also causing complications.Some schools use discrete teaching whilst others deliver citizenshipthrough other subjects. The application of documentary analysis to thisQCA report has identified a number of problems that link directly tothemes that were established in the earlier sections of this projecte.g. issues concerning definition of citizenship, content and delivery.However, contained within the report there were some very good examplesthroughout all of the key stages of how citizenship has been deliveredin a very effective way and is producing major benefits for the pupilsconcerned. Thus if this was an end-of-year school report for a child, it would bea mixed bag. OFSTED inspections identify poor teaching practice andother failings that occur throughout the education system. However,many of the problems that associated with the teaching of citizenshipare concerned with the definition of the concept, its overlap withPHSE, how it is taught and who teaches it. On the positive side thereare many good examples of schools being proactive and developing a veryeffective learning programme, which has produced numerous benefits fortheir pupils. In the final section (5. Conclusion andRecommendations) of the report, recommendations for developing acoherent strategy for the delivery and assessment of citizenship willbe outlined. 4.2 Analysis and Evaluation of the QCA PHSE 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment December 2005 In section 2.3 the possibility of adopting the American model forassessing pupils progress was rejected on the grounds that it wasbased on the ability to recite facts. The purpose of PHSE is toinfluence minds, attitudes and how young people behave. This theme wasfurther developed in section 2.7 where it was stated that the long-termgoal of citizenship and PHSE must be developing young people intosocially responsible citizens. Is it working? The above reporthighlights a number of very interesting issues. It states that there isa need to place personal development at the heart of the curriculum.Why? Many aspects of PSHE have become focused within the minds of thegeneral public and have initiated a national debate. The campaign ledby Jamie Oliver has raised great concern over the unhealthy state ofschool meals. This has led to the Government changing its policy andproviding more money per pupil per meal and the drive to remove junkfood from schools. The teenage pregnancy rate in the UK remains thehighest in Europe there is a growing awareness for emotionalliteracy, with national initiatives focusing on the social andemotional aspects of learning in the primary phase and social,emotional behavioural skills in secondary schools. From the information presented above, it can be seen that young peopleare faced with a variety of issues, which have major implications fortheir quality of life and future expectations. To address these issuesand help young people to become socially and emotional responsiblecitizens, the content and delivery of PHSE must be give greateremphasis. Consequently in the subject and teaching communities thereare calls to consider making the delivery of the PHSE frameworks astatutory requirement. Previous monitoring investigations have revealed that teachers andpupils have lower expectations for what could be achieved in PHSE thanin other subjects and that assessment is underdeveloped. In response,QCA has developed a number of materials to support planning, recordingand assessment. However, the issues (e.g. teenage pregnancies etc) thathave been highlighted, there is a need to beef up PHSE and raise itsprofile and delivery throughout all Key Stages of the NationalCurriculum. How this can be achieved will be explored in section 5 ofthis report. 4.3 Analysis and Evaluation of The Interviews With the Practitioners. The interviews that were conducted produced a mixture of results,primarily based upon the teaching or professional experience of thepeople involved. Certain themes did emerge. For example, theinteraction between school and outside agencies has an important partto play in ensuring that the delivery of citizenship and PHSE remainrelevant to the needs of pupils of all ages. There cannot be aprescriptive approach with regard to determining what the most learningand teaching methods are. The educational authorities (DfES, OFSTED andQCA) need to encourage the notion of most effective practice given thecontext of the educational and local school setting. In other wordsgreater flexibility in developing the content and delivery ofcitizenship and PHSE must be encouraged. On reflection the feedback from the interviews concentrates almostexclusively on operational issues i.e. who should teach these subjects,should they be classroom based etc. On reflection it would have beenbeneficial to ask questions which raised questions about the strategicimplications of these subjects. For example, what benefits shouldpupils gain from studying these subjects? How can the content anddelivery be developed in order to meet the many emotional, social andmoral issues which confront young people today? Some of these factorswere alluded to during the interviews with the respondents. Herein lieswith the problem with educational issues too often it becomes tooeasy to become bogged down in operational details as with most thingsin life if you want to solve a problem you must begin by looking atthe bigger picture. Thus what is purpose of teaching citizenship andPHSE? 5.1 Conclusions The information produced from sections 4.1 and 4.3, in many respectslinks to the themes and issues that were raised in section 2 (i.e. theliterature review). Notably there are major problems with defining theconcept of citizenship, the nature of its relationship with PHSE, howit should be assessed and it should be delivered. As section 4.2 hasrevealed, the delivery of sex education and related areas, has moved ondramatically. However, its delivery in its current form (i.e. PHSE),needs to reviewed and modified to meet modern challenges (e.g. teenagepregnancies, obesity etc). In effect the issues and factors revealed in section 4 have raised thedebate beyond the stated objectives of this project. That is, thelearning and teaching methods used to deliver citizenship and PHSE. Youmust begin by stating exactly what you are trying to achieve throughthese academic formats. In order to complete this process successfully all of the relevant stakeholders must be involved. When this hasbeen done then and only then, can the objectives of this project beaddressed. 5.2 Recommendations There must a national debate about what citizenship and PHSE should beabout and what benefits young people should gain by studying thesesubjects. All of the relevant stakeholders i.e. DfES, QCA, OFSTED,teachers, NSPCC, other charities concerned with the welfare of youngpeople, parenting groups etc need to be involved. This process wouldprovide the following: Clear, concise and meaningful definitions of these subjects andtheir curricular content (this would be linked to major issues of theday e.g. global warming, political issues, AIDS/HIV etc) A statement of the benefits pupils should achieve by studyingthese subjects (this would cover all four Key Stages in the NationalCurriculum) As this project has revealed the definition of these subjects is opento interpretation. Therefore, the definitions and content would have tobe reviewed on a periodic basis. This happens anyway with all academicsubjects and qualifications. However, it would be important to retainthe influence of the stakeholders as listed above. This would help tokeep these subjects within the mind of the general public. Given the overlap between these subjects and the confusion thiscan cause, it may be simpler in the long-term to combine them in orderto form one academic subject. Appreciably this would mean a large amount of content to get through.This would not resolve the current timetabling problems that have beenhighlighted in this report. Thus the new academic subject would be broken down into a numberof core and optional units. Common themes would be established (e.g.How To Be A Responsible Citizen) and would be presented throughout allKey Stages of the National Curriculum. Schools would be required to deliver the core units (statutoryrequirement) but if they wanted to build a more substantial programmethey could add optional units. This would allow learning providers to mix and match units to suittheir individual needs. This would avoid the problem of aprescriptive approach being dictated by a centralised governmentbody. A flexible assessment framework would be created. This wouldprovide pupils with the opportunity to gain accreditation for theirwork in a number of ways e.g. through academic study, a school project(e.g. recycling household waste), volunteer work, work experience andso on. This in itself would broaden the appeal of the subject to moreschool pupils. It could be possible to create a Citizenship Awards Programmesimilar to the Duke of Edinburghs Award. This would mean that othergroups and organisations e.g. the YMCA etc could become involved indelivering this new combined programme of study. Citizenship Awardscould also be delivered by youth and community providers. The delivery of the new award would also be flexible and theoptimum combination of teachers and other professional staff would beemployed to suit the local conditions. The above recommendations would address the weaknesses that have beenidentified and analysed in this project e.g. the lack of definition,timetabling problems etc. By developing a more flexible delivery andassessment framework, learning providers would be provided with muchmore choice on how they delivered the core units and optional units, ifso required. Thus it naturally follows that schools would make maximumuse of those learning and teaching methods, which best suited theirneeds and which generated the greatest number of benefits for theirpupils. Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Project (2005) Democracy through Citizenship Institute for Citizenship www.businessballs.com Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Domains www.dfes.gov.uk/citizenship Section 3: Citizenship in Secondary Schools QCA (March 2004) PHSE 2002/3 annual report on curriculum and assessment. Dean Garrett Manchester Metropolitan University (2000) DemocraticCitizenship in the Curriculum: some problems and possibilities Pedagogy, Culture and Society, Volume 8, Number 3. Oliver, D. Heater, D. (1994) The Foundation of Citizenship Hemel Hampstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf. Rees, A. M. (1996) T. H. Marshall and the Progress of Citizenship, inM. Bulmer A. M. Rees (Eds) Citizenship Today the contemporaryrelevance of T.H. Marshall London: UCL Press. Ministry of Education (1949) Citizens Growing Up London: HMSO. DfEE (1999) The Review of the National Curriculum in England the Secretary of States proposals London: QCA. Patrick, John J (1991) Teaching the Responsibilities of Citizenship ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science EducationBloomington IN www.ericdigests.org/pre-921-teaching.htm U.S. Department of State (17 Sept 2002) Fact Sheet on Teaching AmericanHistory and Civic Education www.usinfo.state.gov/usa/edu/fs091702.htm Soysal, Y (2001) Teaching Europe www.openDemocracy.net Briefing Paper for Trainee Teachers Of Citizenship Education (2004) Global Citizenship www.citized.info Oxford Schools Catalogue Global Citizenship www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/teachers/catalogue.htm Onelife Sunday Surgery A Brief History of Sex Education www.open2.net/sundaysurgery/thehistoryp.html OFSTED (February 2005) Citizenship in secondary schools: evidence from Ofsted inspections (2003/04) OFSTED (November 2002) PHSE and Citizenship in primary schools: evidence from Ofsted inspections (2001/02) QCA (December 2005) Citizenship 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment QCA (December 2005) PHSE 2004/5 annual report on curriculum and assessment OFSTED How we inspect state schools? www.ofsted.gov.uk/howwework/index.cfm

Biography of Anne Bonny, Irish Pirate and Privateer

Anne Bonny (1700–1782, exact dates uncertain) was an Irish pirate and privateer who fought under the command of Calico Jack Rackham between 1718 and 1720. Together with fellow female pirate Mary Read, she was one of Rackhams more formidable pirates, fighting, cursing, and drinking with the best of them. She was captured along with the rest of Rackhams crew in 1720 and sentenced to death, although her sentence was commuted because she was pregnant. She has been the inspiration for countless stories, books, movies, songs, and other works. Fast Facts: Anne Bonny Known For: For two years she was a pirate under Jack Rackham, and as a rare female pirate, she was the subject of many stories and songs and was the inspiration for generations of young womenBorn: About 1700 near Cork, IrelandPiracy Career: 1718–1720, when she was captured and sentenced to hangDied: Date and place unknownSpouse(s): James Bonny Early Years Most of what is known about Anne Bonnys early life comes from Captain Charles Johnsons A General History of the Pyrates which dates to 1724. Johnson (most, but not all, historians believe that Johnson was actually Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe) provides some details of Bonnys early life  but did not list his sources and his information has proven impossible to verify. According to Johnson, Bonny was born near Cork, Ireland probably sometime around 1700, the result of an affair between a married English lawyer and his maid. The unnamed lawyer was eventually forced to bring Anne and her mother to America to escape the gossip. Anne’s father set up in Charleston, first as a lawyer and then as a merchant. Young Anne was spirited and tough: Johnson reports that she once badly beat up a young man who â€Å"would have lain with her, against her will.† Her father had done quite well in his businesses and it was expected that Anne would marry well. Instead, at about age 16, she married a penniless sailor named James Bonny, and her father disinherited her and cast them out. The young couple set out for New Providence, where Annes husband made a meager living turning in pirates for bounties. Sometime in 1718 or 1719, she met pirate Calico Jack Rackham (sometimes spelled Rackam) who had recently wrested command of a pirate vessel from the ruthless Captain Charles Vane. Anne became pregnant and went to Cuba to have the child: once she had given birth, she returned to a life of piracy with Rackham. A Life of Piracy Anne proved to be an excellent pirate. She dressed like a man, while she fought, drank, and swore like one too. Captured sailors reported that after their vessels were taken by the pirates, it was the two women—Bonny and Mary Read, the latter who had joined the crew by then—who urged their crewmates on to greater acts of bloodshed and violence. Some of these sailors testified against her at her trial. According to legend, Bonny (dressed as a man) felt a strong attraction to Mary Read (who was also dressed as a man) and revealed herself as a woman in hopes of seducing Read. Read then confessed that she was a woman, too. The reality may have been that Bonny and Read most likely met in Nassau as they were preparing to ship out with Rackham. They were very close, perhaps even lovers. They would wear womens clothes on board  but change into mens clothes when a fight was in store. Capture and Trial By October of 1720, Rackham, Bonny, Read, and their crew were infamous in the Caribbean and in desperation, Governor Woodes Rogers authorized privateers to hunt and capture them and other pirates for bounties. A heavily armed sloop belonging to Captain Jonathan Barnet caught up to Rackhams ship when the pirates had been drinking and after a small exchange of cannon and small arms fire, they surrendered. When capture was imminent, only Anne and Mary fought against Barnet’s men, swearing at their crewmates to come out from under the decks and fight. The trials of Rackham, Bonny, and Read caused a sensation. Rackham and the other male pirates were swiftly found guilty: he was hanged with four other men at Gallows Point in Port Royal on November 18, 1720. Reportedly, he was allowed to see Bonny before his execution and she said to him: Im sorry to see you here, but if you had fought like a man you need not have hanged like a dog. Bonny and Read were also found guilty on November 28 and sentenced to hang. At that point, they both declared that they were pregnant. The execution was postponed, and it was found to be true that the women were pregnant. Death Mary Read died in prison about five months later. What happened to Anne Bonny is uncertain. Like her early life, her later life is lost in shadow. Captain Johnson’s book first came out in 1724, so her trial was still fairly recent news while he was writing it, and he only says of her, â€Å"She was continued in prison, to the time of her lying in, and afterwards reprieved from Time to Time, but what is become of her since, we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed.† So what happened to Anne Bonny? There are many versions of her fate and no truly decisive proof in favor of any one of them. Some say she reconciled with her wealthy father, moved back to Charleston, remarried and lived a respectable life into her 80s. Others say she remarried in Port Royal or Nassau and bore her new husband several children. Legacy Annes impact on the world has been primarily cultural. As a pirate, she did not have a large impact, because her pirating career only lasted a few months. Rackham was not an important pirate, mostly taking easy prey like fishing vessels and lightly armed traders. If not for Anne Bonny and Mary Read, he would be a footnote in pirate lore. But Anne has gained great historical stature in spite of her lack of distinction as a pirate. Her character has much to do with it: not only was she one of only a handful of female pirates in history, but she was one of the die-hards, who fought and cursed harder than most of her male colleagues. Today, historians of everything from feminism to cross-dressing scour the available histories for anything about her or Mary Read. No one knows how much of an influence Anne has had on young women since her days of piracy. At a time when women were kept indoors, barred from the freedom that men enjoyed, Anne went out on her own, left her father and husband, and lived as a pirate on the high seas off and on for two years. Her greatest legacy is probably the romantic example of a woman who seized freedom when the opportunity presented itself, even if her reality was probably not nearly as romantic as people think. Sources Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas. Arcturus Publishing, September 1, 2003. Johnson, Captain Charles. A General History of the Pyrates. Kindle edition, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, September 16, 2012. Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2009 Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004. Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Mariner Books, 2008.

NASAs Changing Problem Essay - 613 Words

NASA’s Changing Problems Has anyone ever realized that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is slowly getting shut down for the whole world to see? This is changing NASA very much. It lost its shuttle program, it had budget cuts to missions to earth, and even a cut in education. NASA was founded by Dwight D. Eisenhower. NASA is most known for being the first company to send a person to the moon. It is easy to tell that NASA’s changed and is changing right now. The big question is what the change is happening to. One thing is for sure. This changing in NASA is definitely for the worst. The shuttle program has very drastically changed. The shuttle program is a program of reusable space ships. These shuttles saved The†¦show more content†¦Now NASA’s education budget has been drastically. NASA can no longer sponsor a lot of these things, which, in turn will slow down the process of getting kids interested in space and space exploration, so the USA will have to do that w ithout the helpful monetary support of NASA. This is what is concerning many people at NASA about what the future might hold for NASA. Missions to earth have been slowed down over the years. Missions to earth are when NASA sends a probe into space to look at the earth. This is significant because it helped us know more about how the cloud systems work and how storms work. The missions to earth have started to slow down. The missions to earth in the 1990’s were everywhere and for everything. Today, the Missions to earth are not so common. Many are done with, twenty-nine to be exact, twenty-seven are still operating, watching the earth, nine are under development still, and only five are being studied. This change means that NASA will not have as many missions to earth as before, maybe not any in a few years. This is concerning because it means that there could be something very alarming going on above the earth that might be very serious. NASA is ready to do amazing things. They plan to send astronauts to the moon for six months in only six years from now, 2020. NASAShow MoreRelatedNASAs Future Essay845 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Obama’s plan would change not only NASA’s objectives but also its budget – turning NASA’s sights towards Mars and near-by asteroids (Malik) and increasing its budget nearly 6 billion dollars over the next five years (Foust). This new plan has aroused both praise and criticism from the public and many key politicians and astronauts. Unfortunately there continues to be ample time to debate the subject. Since Congress yet to settle on a 2011 budget, NASA’s new course has not been legislated. 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Rabindranath Tagore Contribution Towards Education Free Essays

What are the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi in Education? SWASTIK Historical Development of Basic Edcuation Mahatma Gandhi explained the concept of Basic Education through a series of articles in his Harijan magazine in 1937. In the conference at Wardha after a detailed discussion about Gandhiji’s articles the scheme of Basic Education took shape under the leadership of Dr. Zakir Hussain. We will write a custom essay sample on Rabindranath Tagore Contribution Towards Education or any similar topic only for you Order Now The following four resolutions were passed. (i) Free and compulsory education should be given to all children for a period of seven years. (ii) The medium of instruction should be the mother tongue, iii) The process of education should be centred round some form of manual production work in the shape of a craft. (iv) This education should be self-supporting to some extent. The Central Advisory Board of Education set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Sri B. G. Kher to suggest measures for implementing these resolutions. Then another Committee was appointed under the same Chairman to recommend action coordinating the Basic Education with higher education. The recommendations of both these Committees were approved by the CABE and included in the Report on Post-war Educational Development in India. Also read: Woman Unknown by Rabindranath Tagore In 1944, although Govts, both at the national and state levels accepted Basic Education as the national pattern, progress in its implementation was not satisfactory. Merits of Basic Education (1) Work as a central place: Since work occupies a central place in life, it had an important place in Basic Education. Dignity of labour was emphasized by him and work was made an integral part of this education. (2) A new method of teaching: Through Basic Education Gandhiji introduced a new method of teaching. This method is to teach all subjects through crafts and taken as activity-centred meant to free children from tyranny of words and cramming. 3) Self-supporting education: As a corollary to craft-centred education, it was visualized by Gandhiji that schools need be self- supporting. The carfts organized scientifically would result in more production and the sale-proceeds must fetch a good income. (4) Socially sound system of education: Basic education was sound sociologically. The then cl ass-labour and chasm between mental and physical labour and the spirit of dependence on others were required to be removed from the society. In short, Basic education was intended to eradicate many ills of the society. 5) Training for Citizenship: Basic education was providing for training students in democratic living and practices. It was aiming at forming positive attitudes, creating interests and appreciation, developing understanding and imparting skills in citizenship. On the whole, it was a training citizenship. Drawbacks in Basic Education (1) Selection of Crafts: Since craft was occupying an important place in Basic school curriculum, selection of a suitable craft was determining the success and efficiency of Basic Education. But most of the schools followed the trodden path or tereotyped process without bothering for the local conditions and needs. For example, in the areas where cotton was not grown and had to be brought from a long distance, weaving was introduced as a c raft even in those areas. (2) The Principles of Correlation: In Basic schools every subject was being taught through a craft. The principle of correlation was tried to be adopted in all subjects, but in real situation it was done as a ritual without any sincerity or seriousness. In fact, correlation was a slogan and fiction. (3) The Idealism of self-sufficiency: It was complained that the schools cannot be made self-sufficient with the production by children. The concept of self-sufficiency was thought to be idealism and was not emphasized by most of the teachers and inspecting officers. Products by unskilled hands were not selling well and fetching adequate income. Rather Basic Schools were more expensive than traditional schools. (4) The Principles of Equality: Although Basic Education was visualized to be socially sound for removing the existing disparities, it was rather aggravating the situation. It was tending to be meant for the children of poor labourers and farmers only and children of high class families were not going to these schools. The gulf between poor and rich classes rather widened due to Basic Education. (5) Proper Orientation and Understanding: Basic schools called for highly qualified and well-equipped teachers for properly teaching subjects through correlation and organizing crafts with efficiency. But in fact many teachers employed in such schools were lacking proper understanding of the Basic Education principles and desired orientation with the idealism or values impregnated in the system. Present Condition Although Basic Education faced a sorry state of affairs many of its principles are still appreciated for their practical value and psychology as well as sociological importance. The Kothari Commission, 1964-66 endorsed a large number of its essential features like work experience, community living, community service, citizenship training, world brotherhood, social and spiritual values and integrating knowledge with experience and so no. After a lapse of more than three decades a National Education conference was convened by Shriman Narayan at Sevagram in 1972 where Basic Education was praised by many. A resolution was passed with consensus of all Education Ministers and Vice Chancellors who attended the conference, â€Å"education at all levels should be imparted through socially useful and productive activity, linked with economic growth and development in both rural and urban areas†. The Iswarbhai Patel Committee supported most of the principles of Basic Education with great stress on work education or socially useful productive work. The UNESCO Commission Report â€Å"Learning to Be† also used the term Basic Education for Primary Education and laid emphasis on many forms of social and economic activities to be organized in the schools. The Basic Education system has been hailed as â€Å"the ideal solution for the reform of teaching methods in Indian Schools† by Dr. Gunnar Myrdal, the celebrated author of â€Å"Asian Drama† and as â€Å"one of the most interesting and promising developments in Indian Education† by Prof. Castle the renowned writer of â€Å"Education for self-help†. It goes without saying that India would have been a happier place at present, if the useful features of Basic Education had been given effect to with sincerity of all concerned. How to cite Rabindranath Tagore Contribution Towards Education, Essay examples

PGCE Lifelong Learning

Question: learning theories as supporting evidence and the curiculum should be based on different range of maths level and what inpacts it has on the learners for the functional and life skills. Answer: Curriculum Theory Curriculum theory is primarily an academic discipline that is mainly concentrated on the examination and shaping of the educational curricula. The study of curriculum theory is very wide and it includes the historical analysis of the curriculum methods and the methods to view the contemporary educational policies and curriculum. Many scholars have presented different views on the curriculum among which the views of the scholars Herbert Kliebard and Michael Stephen Schiro are considered to be very significant. On one hand when Kliebards view regarding curriculum theory has an inclination towards the historical approach Schiros theory has a more philosophical approach. The historical approach given by Kliebard examines the forces which are at work and that shaped the American curriculum. It was more prevalent during 1893 and 1958. Schiros theory examines the ideologies of curriculum that influenced the American curriculum. This practice was prevalent during the 1890-2007 (Pinar, 2004). In this theory Kliebard has discussed four curriculum groups which are called humanist, developmentalist, efficiency and social meliorists. On the other hand, the theories of Schiro are social efficiency ideology, learner-centered ideology, social reconstruction ideology and scholar academic ideology. John Dewey's curriculum theory Proceeding to the curriculum theory of another scholar John Dewey it can be noticed that his theory is such that the students are able to deal efficiently with the contemporary world. Hence, he stated that curriculum should have unfinished abstractions however, they should include the preconceptions of the children and should also include the childrens views of their personal world. According to Dewey, there are four instincts that can describe the characteristics of any childs behavior. These four instincts are social, constructive, expressive and artistic. The curriculum theory should be made in accordance to the logical sense of the child and the surroundings. Dewey further stated that the curriculum should be such as to present the capacity level of the child. The primary task is then to find the level, to motivate the material, to allow the routine to make appropriate learning experience for ordinary activities that is not connected to any prior knowledge of the students. Dewey gives an elaborate definition of curriculum theory as a summary or a map or a view of experiences that has been arranged previously to serve as a guide for future experience and give direction. It also enables control, save efforts, prevent aimless wanderings and also point out the ways to lead more quickly and certainly to get a desired result. Further according to Dewey the curriculum theory can be summarized as an organizational plan that can guide and also be adaptable. It takes into consideration the present knowledge level of the student and also figures out the appropriate path. These occupations were used by Dewey to connect with the small versions of the basic activities of classroom life. Among the theories of curriculum the educational theory is one where apparently all the levels of education would be concerned in providing a liberating experience since the education would emphasize in promoting freedom of thought, independence, political and social empowerment, acceptance of opinions with no discrimination based on caste, creed, race, sex or nationality (Paraskeva, 2011). The total curriculum theory is significant and it is the rationale of this curriculum that is of priority. The total curriculum is one that includes the total programme of the educational institution. It is not restricted to the syllabus of the school. The next curriculum is the hidden curriculum that includes those things that the students learn at the schools depending on the way in which the school is organized and planned and also by the materials provided (Pratte, 1981). Sometimes these things are not included explicitly in the planning and are generally communicated to the pupils in an accid ental manner. The planned and received curriculum can be divided to mean the ones that lay down the prospectus and syllabuses for planned curriculum and the one that is the reality of the students experience is the received curriculum (Schiro, 2008). And finally the formal and the informal curriculum which is primarily a distinction between a formal activity which the time table of the school states for specific studies and informal activity that includes sports, excursions, societies or clubs which are together generally termed as extra-curricular activities. Source: (infed.org, 2013) The above diagram depicts the Aristotles knowledge of three disciplines based on the study of curriculum. Here the body of knowledge is transmitted as canon, the process and praxis are the practical part and the technical part is the product model. Critical Analysis of a particular aspect of Curriculum In order to analyse a particular aspect of curriculum, the researcher has chosen the different levels of math to study this aspect of curriculum. In the present times, the education of mathematics may be considered as the practice of teaching and learning different aspects of mathematics and also the scholarly research. The levels of mathematics are different at different times, depending on the different cultures, and different countries with the aim to achieve a number of objectives (Davis, 1967). These objectives are as follows: Teaching and learning the basic skills of numerical for the students; Teaching practical mathematics including arithmetic, elementary algebra, plane and solid geometry and trigonometry to the students; Teaching mathematical concepts such as set and function at an early age; Teaching selected areas of mathematics such as axiomatic system or deductive reasoning; or calculus as an instance of intellectual achievements; Teaching advanced mathematics to those who wish to have a career in Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Technology fields; Teaching heuristics and problem solving strategies. These different levels of mathematics are taught at different ages and different sequences in various countries. Sometimes class is taught at an early age and typical in any honors class. Elementary mathematics is taught is most countries in the same manner with minor differences. For instance in the United States fractions are taught from 1st grade and in other countries it is taught much later. This is primarily because the metric system in their countries does not require the young to be familiar with such things (CHOPPIN, 2009). Generally the countries require very few topics to be dealt in depth unlike United States. These include topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and also pre-algebra (Davis, 1967). In some countries the maths subjects such as geometry, analysis and algebra are taught in separate courses in separate classes in the high school. This subject is integrated in most countries as all branches of the subjects are taught in each year to the students (CHOPPIN, 2009). Sometimes the students are given an option to choose between courses of mathematics. Further students who take up science as their curricula they need to study calculus and trigonometry that includes integral calculus, complex numbers, exponential functions and logarithms and analytical geometry. Also generally probability and statistics was also taught in the secondary classes along with infinite series. Students of science and engineering in various universities and colleges need to take up multi-variable calculus, linear algebra and differential calculus. In the study of majors applied mathematics is studied and in computer science mathematics includes graph theory, probability, proofs and permutations (Schiro, 2008). Innovative programmes in mathematics will necessarily change the contemporary practices and thoughts on the present perception of knowledge and the professional strategies of teachers. This learning and teaching need to occur in a proper social context. Hence construction of knowledge of children must be in an appropriate integrated and holistic fashion (Mathematics learners and mathematics textbooks: a question of identity? Whose curriculum? Whose mathematics?, 2010). So the social context in which the child learns and the teacher teaches becomes extremely significant. The implementation of the mathematics curricula should be in a local context since this implementation is dependent on the high adoption rates by the schools and results of examinations. The economic and the political aspects of the mathematics curriculum must also be considered. It is interesting to know that mathematical relationships can be used responsibly to address certain human rights issues such as the economic al and political relationships. Learners when they develop mathematical sense to represent and misrepresent trends, manipulate data, critically analyse data, make predictions and interpret chance variations. Hence this allows the learners to not only learn mathematics but also utilize these learning in meaningful social, political and economic activities (Mathematics learners and mathematics textbooks: a question of identity? Whose curriculum? Whose mathematics?, 2010). These curriculums happen to be a critical part of mathematics curriculum. This acts as a challenge in the mainstream mathematical education and likewise new and innovative curricula are developed in order to give mathematics a new dimension based on social, political and economic aspect. Evaluation and quality access process for mathematics curriculum In the present times, curriculum evaluation has become increasingly popular generating a lot of interest. There are a number of evaluation models which exist in recent times such as the Bradleys Effectiveness Model, Scrivens Goal-free Model, Stakes Responsive Model and Eisners Connoisseurship Model. The Effectiveness Model is based on the vertical and horizontal curriculum, broad involvement, long-range planning, decision making clarity etc. The objective centered Model is an early curriculum evaluation model which focuses on strength and weaknesses of curriculum. However, the problem is that this model focuses on the assessment without the suggestions. The next model which is the Context, Input, Process, Product Model is more relevant for the educational leaders as this model gives assessment data and makes evaluation much easier for decision making. In this model there are a number of steps that needs to be followed. These include identification of the decisions, identification of the data, collection of the data and determination of the quality. The goal free model aims to divert the attention of the administrators and evaluators to the significance of the unintended effects of the evaluation program. The next model which is the responsive model stresses on the responsibilities of the stakeholders on whom the evaluation effects. The last model is the connoisseurship model which is based o criticism and appreciation. According to this model the evaluation process should be based on these two vital aspects of criticism and appreciation. Other than these models there are more models present for curriculum evaluation. However, there are very few that could be effectively applied to the development projects of mathematics curriculum. Mathematical projects can be evaluated based on the structuralist project. This approach is based on the analysis, creative and systematic application of social interactions and structures in classrooms. Mathematics curriculum can also be based on the new-math approach. This approach of evaluation is based on content evaluation. This particular method of teaching depended on the factual information and performing on the routine calculations. This approach of evaluation was not very effective for mathematics curriculum as there were deficiencies seen in the standardized test performances. Another evaluation procedure on which the mathematics curriculum can be based is the behaviorist approach. Eisenberg had argued that this approach of evaluation since it equates education with evaluation generally miss the spirit of the actual discipline of mathematics. Even this approach of evaluation has been widely criticized by the scholars. Yet the objective model of this behavioral approach gained significance and has also been used in mathematical assessment of curriculum. In this particular approach of evaluation study it was observed that the degree of individualism was high. Observation and interview studies made children more aware than evaluations based on paper and pencil. Another evaluation procedure was the formative approach. This particular approach based on mathematical curriculum focuses on the fact that school education should aim at incorporating personality traits in students. These personality traits include cognitive and motivational activities, affective attitudes or intelligence and performance motivation. Hence the curriculum developer needs to search and match properly the contents which develop these personality traits. The projects which are based on this formative approach would be more illustrative and suggestive instead of being more definitive and comprehensive. Finally the last approach for mathematics curriculum would be the integrated-teaching approach. This approach analyses the particular problem in hand and also tries to erase the boundaries existing between mathematics and other disciplines. This can become a challenge for teachers if they are trained properly in this discipline. This can be considered as the most successful evaluation procedure since it was observed that students who were taught under this procedure showed very good growth than those students who were not taught under this approach. Criticism of the Mathematical Curriculum The modern day mathematics education is based on the investigation on numbers, data and space, connected mathematics etc. In the present days children are explicitly being taught formulas and algorithms which more of an inquiry based approach. The advocates of the modern mathematics state that children should focus on the development of conceptual understanding of the problems rather than just drill on formulas and algorithms. If the understanding is clear then students would develop fluency in the understanding of the concept and calculations. However, this present day approach of mathematics curriculum is facing a lot of criticism from different corners. Scholars state that students must primarily develop skills on computation before they are made to understand the deep concepts of mathematics. Proper practice and memorization of these skills are necessary before they become automatic for the students. When time is spent in practicing skills it is more worthwhile rather than spendi ng time in investigating on mathematical concepts. In order to estimate answers it is essential to have very strong foundational skills. To understand the concepts of mathematics it is essential to have a solid base of mathematical knowledge of the various tools of subject. In the world of academia the traditional methods of mathematics is still used widely. Further, modern mathematics excessively depends on the new technologies such as calculators. Use of such technologies needs to be restricted to some extent till a particular age. Constructive methods when used for children make it unfamiliar with the adults hence making it difficult to work on or help with home work of the children. Students are required to learn the skills of flexible thinking in order to develop the practice to solve problems. Critics state these methods of flexible thinking can be developed only after they have mastered the foundational skills of mathematics. Recommendation and Conclusion As concluding remarks it can be stated that this research study based on the curriculum theory shows the different aspects of the theories and also gives an elaborate analysis of a particular curriculum based on the level of mathematics. Throughout the study it can be observed due to the contemporary changes in the mathematics curriculum the study has become vastly different from the traditional approach. However, even now the involvement of mathematics and education researchers is limited in most cases and also is the examination on curriculum. Teachers should engage more in lesson study and that should be utilized to have a feedback mechanism and that would focus on the school mathematics curriculum. References CHOPPIN, J. (2009). Curriculum-Context Knowledge: Teacher Learning From Successive Enactments of a Standards-Based Mathematics Curriculum.Curriculum Inquiry, 39(2), pp.287-320. Davis, R. (1967).The changing curriculum: mathematics. Washington: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, NEA. infed.org, (2013).Curriculum theory and practice. [online] Available at: https://infed.org/mobi/curriculum-theory-and-practice/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. Mathematics learners and mathematics textbooks: a question of identity? Whose curriculum? Whose mathematics?. (2010).Curriculum Journal, 21(2), pp.235-235. Paraskeva, J. (2011).Conflicts in curriculum theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Pinar, W. (2004).What is curriculum theory?. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum. Pratte, R. (1981). Metaphorical Models and Curriculum Theory.Curriculum Inquiry, 11(4), p.307. Schiro, M. (2008).Curriculum theory. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sage Publications.