Principles and Practices of Classroom Management

Principles and Practices of Classroom Management Challenging behaviour children are children that disrupts, annoy or get into a disagreement with other people, be it the teachers or their peers. Some also do not interact with the others (McTiernan, 2011). Positive behaviour is being sociable with peers and being able to listen to instructions. In a class, there are bound to have a mixture of both positive and challenging behaviour. Management of the challenging or positive behaviour of children is not the only influence for the child’s behaviour. The arrangement of the physical space also does matter. Different environment is needed for different kind of activities, when the children is doing languages or maths, a quiet environment is needed as the children needs to think and absorb the information. However, when it is time for play, the environment would be noisy. These two activities need to be put at a separated place as the noisy activities might disrupt the quiet activities. In the childcare centre that I am attached in, the quiet and noisy activities are separated. When they arrange the activities in this way, the children would develop a positive behaviour as they feel comfortable in what they are doing. Shelves used in childcare or kindergartens should be low as it is crucial for the teacher to keep their eyes on the children at all times. Shelves are used as a partition for different learning centres and storage space in a childcare or kindergarten (Hodge, 1997, p.10). The shelves in the childcare centre that I am attached in also has low shelves so that the teacher can always see the children and the children can also reach for the toys easily. When the teacher keep an eye on the children at all times, it would prevent challenging behaviour as the children knows that they are being watched by their teachers. Tapes are also used as a sign for boundaries, some centres also has footprints to show the children some pathways from a certain place to another (Kaiser, Rasminsky, 2007, p.105). However, there isn’t any tapes nor foot prints in the childcare I am attached to. Therefore, it does not seem to have any boundary for any learning corners. This triggers challenging behaviour as children not to know where the different centres are and they will start to be rowdy. Social context is when there is friendliness, cooperation and cohesiveness involved. With this three components, it would add up to a sense of community. A community is where one can feel a sense of belong and they all work towards a goal that they all have. When children are friendly with each other, challenging behaviour will not occur so often. This is so as they feel that they are included and they will feel happy. Cooperation is essential in preventing challenging behaviour as with cooperative activities, children with challenging behaviour would tend to behave not so aggressive and corporate (Kaiser, Raminsky, 2010). Being a teacher would mean that there is a need for one to set a good example for the students. They should be caring and be able to lend a listening ear to the children. When the children see that their teachers are so friendly, they will then feel encouraged to behave positively. When children behave positively, challenging behaviour can then be prevented. A relationship between the teacher and student should also be built up. To do so, one should be fair to each and every student and make an effort to know about each student’s background. As a teacher, it is also very important to listen to every student. It should also be necessary to set out some behaviour that is expected from the children. When the children feels that the teacher has built up a relationship with them, it is less likely for them to have a challenging behaviour. As they feel that you are very friendly, they will build up a positive behaviour. However, being friendly is important but one should be careful about not letting the children think that you are their friend instead of teacher as this would lead to them not taking what you say seriously (Smith, Yell, 2013). In different childcare or kindergartens, different strategies are used by teachers in managing classes. Below are two strategies that I have observed the teachers used. Of which one is a rule and one is a routine. Although strategies are supposedly workable, however, there are also times where strategies does not work. In the childcare centre that I am attached to, there are some unique actions made to catch the children’s attention. One of the strategies I observed is that during lessons or storybook reading time, when the children are getting restless and becoming rowdy, the teacher would clap her hands to any tune and most of the children will mimic what is being clapped. However, the corporation of the children depends on how rowdy they are. If they are really rowdy, only some will clap to the tune while the rest continues to be noisy. I have observed that the â€Å"clap to the tune† method only works for a maximum of two to three times. After that, another strategy must be used to capture the children’s attention. I think that this happens as the children gets bored with the method at the third time. The second strategy is actually a rule. There is a rule saying that after every meal, the floor must be swept and the tables must be cleaned by the students. When it was my first day in the childcare centre, I was actually very shocked to see the children all wanting to sweep the floor and clean the tables. I at first thought that they were rewarded after that. However, they were not. After much thinking, I finally understood why they would be so spontaneous. They already take it as a daily routine, to them, it is like bathing or eating. In independent work, much considerations must be made in order for the children to be interested and thus get the motivation to finish that piece of work. The work should be challenging but achievable. This is so as it is important to let children feel a sense of achievement when they first do it. If they fail at the first time, they will not want to do it again the next time. This means that if the child is 5 years old, do not give anything that a 7 year old would do. This is so as they will not know how to do and would not be motivated to finish the work given when they feel that they do not know how to do. Work should also be given according to the child’s interest. For example, if the child is interested in animals, you could provide the child with some paper and recycled materials for him/her to create an animal he or she likes (Weinstein, Romano Mignano, 2011, p.256). The objectives in a small group activity is to let the children learn how to have teamwork and how to help one another. Therefore, the work given should include factors of teamwork. If possible, create an activity that the factor of teamwork is mandatory. Another considerations that must be made is that to help the children team up, this means that one should make sure that they do not mix with the same group of people all the time. This would lead to segregation in the class as over time, they will not want to mix with the other peers. The aim of a small group work is for everybody to mix around, if they only mix with their peers then it would defeat the purpose of a small group work (Weinstein, Romano Mignano, 2011, p.277). I have observed that in the childcare centre that I am attached to, they would try to mix the children around for group work. The last important thing is to make sure no student tries to free load. It is essential to put different children with different strength together so that all of them would have a chance to do something. For example, put a student with good creative but does not have much of a patience with a student that has patience but not much of a creativity (Weinstein, C. S, Romano, M. E. Mignano, A. J., 2011, pg. 278).

Free College Admissions Essays: We Are the World :: College Admissions Essays

We Are the World    How will I make the future a better place? By trying my hardest to develop technology to help others. I also will be better equipped because I have seen the world and lived in it from different points of view. (I certainly don't have the answers to all of the world's problems, but hopefully I will be able to help solve a few of them.) When I was an exchange student to Germany I realized that the world is but a tiny island upon which there are billions of people who are all dependant upon one another. Technology has shrunk our world so that a once difficult travel is reduced to a pleasure of flying or one can speak with a loved one on the other side of the planet with clarity such as if they were in the next room. The political situations of the world and the increasing strength of the United Nations has helped prove that we all depend on one another no matter who we are or where we live.    So where do I fit into the grand scheme of things? Well I have often asked myself that exact same question and have thought of many different things that I could do to help promote world peace and prosperity, such as I believe that I would make a great foreign diplomat. I have already been a miniature version of such when I was an exchange student to Germany. I would also like to do this because I enjoy and am good at settling disputes between to warring parties, this I attribute to the fact that I have a total of six siblings. I would love to do such a task where I could actively affect millions of people's lives.    However, I love the sciences and can never turn my head from trying to gain more scientific knowledge. I then thought of a way that I could affect the lives of many in a much more personal way, This is when I decided to attempt to develop devices to help the infirm. I saw that many could not care less about the wealth of nations in our world, but were rather more concerned about matters within their own lives. I hope to one day through becoming a Biomedical Engineer develop new ways for people to have a personal feeling of peace by making their lives more productive or of higher standards.

Representation of Colors in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Essay

Representation of Colors in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Imagine if you can, living in a world that tells you what you are to wear, where to live, as well as your position and value to society. In Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, she shows us the Republic of Gilead does just that. Offred, the main character, is a Handmaid, whose usefulness is her ovaries. Handmaids are ordered to live in a house with a Commander, his wife, and once a month attempt to become pregnant by the Commander. Throughout Atwood's novel, you will notice she uses different colors for her characters clothing that correspond to their position and place in the Republic of Gilead. They become aware of people's statuses by the color of their garments. The colors of dress that have been used are red, blue, green, white, black, and khaki. Going into detail, I will show the social rank that each color represents in the novel, and my interpretation of them. The Handmaids are the only ones wearing red dresses, and several references are made towards the comparison of blood. "When Offred is in the room, which she refuses to call her own, she hears the bell to signal her time to go to the market. Getting up she puts on her red shoes and her red gloves, all the while thinking, everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us. The dress she wears is also red, being ankle-length as well as long sleeve. The only item she wears that isn't red is the white wings around her face to keep her from seeing, as well as from being seen. Leaving the room, she walks down the hall, and heads for the stairs. She knows there is a mirror on the hall wall. If she turns her head so that the white wings framing her face direc... ... responsible for conceiving and giving birth for a Commander and his wife wear red. The Commander's wives wear blue which is the most prestigious color worn by a woman. Guardians, as well as Martha's, wear green, which is not an authoritive color, putting them in a lower class. White is the color to be worn only by the virgin daughters until they are given to a soldier to marry. Econowives are wearing dresses that are mixed colors because they have multiple functions and little value. The Republic of Gilead believes in showing levels of hierarchy, by the color of clothing worn. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1986. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Cliff Notes on Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc., 1994. Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988.

Navigating Early Essay

* Summary: * After his mother’s death the young Jack Baker is uprooted from his home in Kansas and is placed in a boarding school in Maine. At the boarding school he feels lost and out of place. While trying to impress the boys and find a place in his school, he can’t help but be drawn to one of the misfits, Early Auden. Early is one of the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains. When Early decides to set out to find Pi and the black bear in his brother’s boat, the legendary â€Å"Fish†, Jack decides to join him. Through the course of their journey the boys begin to realize that Early’s story for Pi is starting to become reality as they come in contact with characters like pirates searching for treasure, a Norwegian still pining for his first love, and a 100 year old women still waiting for her son to come home. The irony of the story is that all 3 boys, Jac k, Early and Pi, lost their direction in life and through their journeys they find a way to navigate their way back. Why this book is a good choice for math? * The number PI is one of the most common constants in all of mathematics. It is an irrational number, which means that its value cannot be expressed exactly as a fraction (when the numerator and denominator are integers). Nobody knows its exact value, because no matter how many digits you calculate it to, the number never ends. In math it’s obvious that we use PI in calculations for finding the circumference of a circle and finding areas of circles, cylinders, cones, and spheres. What most people don’t know is that PI is also used to calculate numbers that are used in different jobs: for example electrical engineers used pi to solve problems for electrical applications, statisticians use pi to track population dynamics and biochemists see pi when trying to understand the structure/function of DNA. * In the novel, Navigating Early, Clare Vanderpool introduces the mystery  of PI in a fun creative way that has the reader egger to find the answer of PI. In the beginning, she has a Math teacher, Mr Blane, introduce his course by explaining the number PI as the Holy Grail of mathematics, in other words it is the mysterious number that has entranced mathematicians for milenia. â€Å"Why do I mention this today? Because this year, we are going to embark on a quest of our own to expand our minds, to challenge what we think we know, and push the boundaries of mathematics. If pi, the most venerable number, can be proven to end, what else are we blindly believing that might be put to the test?† The way Mr. Blane introduces Pi in the start of his class is a great way to have students use their critical thinking skills as to what Pi really is and get them prepared to what they will encounter in the course. The book, Navigating Early is a great tool for any lesson to get the students excited to learn formulas that incorporate PI. It also teaches the students, to always keep going even when you feel like you want to give up. Inquiry Circle Design The book will be divided up into 6 sections. Section 1-3 students will use the role sheets. Each student will switch roles within each group every week. * Section 1: Pages 1-50 * Section 2:Pages 51-109 * Section 3:Pages 110-150 Section 4-6 Students will use the organizers. * Section 4:Pages 151-198 * Section 5:Pages 199-253 * Section 6:Pages 254-295 1 section per week, Meet once a week for 20 minutes. Monday| Tuesday| Wednesday| Thursday| Friday| | | | | Section 1| | | | | Section 2| | | | | Section 3| | | | | Section 4| | | | | Section 5| | | | | Section 6| What will occur in the meetings: * Go over role sheets * Discuss essential questions Materials: * Book * Role sheets Inquiry Circle Performance Task For Early, creating a story about the character Pi with the numbers of Pi helped him remember the numbers of Pi. For this assignment you are asked to create your own story to remember the first 15 digits of Pi. 1. You should first brainstorm ideas for your story. The best way to do this is to create a web of ideas. Start with your character, Pi, in the middle of your web and clockwise write ideas for your plot. Make sure you include the numbers of Pi for each idea. You can use either single digits or multiple digits. (NO MORE THAN 2 DIGITS GROUPED TOGETHER!!!) 2. Using your web you should create a rough draft using your ideas. You should double space your rough draft so you will have room for corrections. 3. After writing your draft, find a partner to correct your paper. Make sure when you are correcting your partner’s paper that you look for grammatical errors, digits of pi used correctly, and their ideas make sense. 4. Once corrections are made, type out your final draft with your name and title at the top. You final paper should be single space, sized 12 font, and in times news roman. Your paper should be AT LEAST one page! You can certainly write more pages, but again it has to be at least one page. Don’t forget to include all the digits and that your story makes sense. 5. Once you have created your story, fill out the H chart comparing and contrasting your story to Early’s story. When contrasting, think of the differences of the journeys, what did Pi encounter, and how Pi became a better man from his journey. When comparing the two journeys, think of the plot of the stories: Does Pi in Early’s story face the same problems in your story? For example: There once was a boy named Pi who had 3 older sisters, Alpha, Beta, and Omega. They all lived under 1 house and split the bills by 4’s. They were always happy living with each other until 1 day at school 5 boys we’re making fun of Pi. They bullied Pi saying because he didn’t have a father and lived with all girls he will never grow up to become a man. One boy piped up and said he killed and skinned 9 deer’s and 2 raccoons in the same night. â€Å"I’ll show you!† says Pi and leave that night to go into the woods. Pi has never hunted before but with a knife at hand he was willing to try. 6 birds overhead gave warning calls to the rest of the wildlife throughout the woods. Then behind a nearby tree 5 black bear cubs crawled to Pi. Pi laughed and played with the little cubs until suddenly 3 momma bears ran to attack Pi. Pi thought he was a goner until 5 grey adult wolves came and save Pi’s life. When Pi arrived home, he was bombarded by 9 of his friends and family asking about his journey in the woods. Pi has learned that being a man doesn’t mean going off and killing animals, It means having ethical principles and sticking by them, and protect your family. * The fifteen digits of Pi:3.1415 9265359 Organizer Word WizardThe words an author uses are important to the author’s craft. Your job is to be on the lookout for at least one word that has special meaning to the selection for today. Include the word, the page number, the definition, and the reason why you chose the word| Quotations Locate at least one quotation in the text you have read that would be beneficial for your group to discuss. You may look for quotations that are puzzling, interesting, powerful, funny, or those that contain literary devices. Include the quotation, the page, and your reason for choosing the quotation. | IllustratorGood readers make pictures in their minds as they read. This is a chance to share some of your own images and visions with the members of your group and use these images to participate in the conversation. Your picture can take a variety of forms but should represent your thinking. | Essential QuestionsEssential questions are critical to promoting deep and interesting conversations. Write at least one good, quality essential question that you can pose when talking with your group about the passage read.| Literature Circle Role Sheet Summarizer Name _____________________________ Circle _____________________________ Meeting Date _______________________ Reading Assignment ________________ Book ___________________________________________________________________ Summarizer: Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. Your group discussion will start with your 1-2 minute statement that covers the key points, main highlights, and general idea of today’s reading assignment. Summary: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Key Points: 1.________________________________________________________________ 2.________________________________________________________________ 3.________________________________________________________________ 4.________________________________________________________________ 5.________________________________________________________________ Connections: Did today’s reading remind you of anything? Explain. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ————————————————- ____________________________________________________________ Literature Circle Role Sheet Questioner/Discussion Director Name _____________________________ Circle _____________________________ Meeting Date _______________________ Reading Assignment ________________ Book ___________________________________________________________________ Questioner/Discussion Director: Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about the small details; your task is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read. You can list them below during or after your reading. You may also use some of the general questions below to develop topics to your group. Possible discussion questions or topics for today: 1.__________________________________________________________________ 2.__________________________________________________________________ 3.__________________________________________________________________ 4.__________________________________________________________________ 5.__________________________________________________________________ Tips: Consider †¢ A discussion of a work’s characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based? †¢ What motivates the characters or leads them to make the choices they do? †¢ An in-depth discussion of the work’s events †¢ A discussion of any confusing passage or event †¢ Literature Circle Roles Connector Name _____________________________ Circle _____________________________ Meeting Date _______________________ Reading Assignment ________________ Book ___________________________________________________________________ Connector: Your job is to find connections between the book and you, and between the book and the wider world. Consider the list below when you make your connections. †¢ Your own past experiences †¢ Happenings at school or in the community †¢ Stories in the news †¢ Similar events at other times and places †¢ Other people or problems that you are reminded of †¢ Between this book and other writings on the same topic or by the same author Some connections I made between this reading and my own experiences, the wider world, and other texts or authors: Literature Circle Roles Illustrator Name _____________________________ Circle _____________________________ Meeting Date _______________________ Reading Assignment ________________ Book ___________________________________________________________________ Illustrator: Good readers make pictures in their minds as they read. This is a chance to share some of your own images and visions. Draw some kind of picture related to the reading you have just done. It can be a sketch, cartoon, diagram, flowchart, or stick-figure scene. You can draw a picture of something that happened in your book, or something that the reading reminded you of, or a picture that conveys any idea or feeling you got from the reading. Any kind of drawing or graphic is okay – you can even label things with words if that helps. Make your drawing(s) on any remaining space on this side and on the other side of this sheet. If you use a separate sheet of paper, be sure to staple it to this role sheet. Presentation Plan: Whenever it fits in the conversa tion, show your drawing to your group. You don’t have to explain it immediately. You can let people speculate what your picture means, so they can connect your drawing to their own ideas about the reading. After everyone has had a say, you can always have the last word: tell them what your picture means, refer to the parts in the text that you

Important of Education Essay

Education means considerably more than just teaching a student to read, write, and manipulate numbers. Computers, the Internet, and advanced electronic devices are becoming essential in everyday life and have changed the way information is gathered. How this new technology is utilized in the curriculum and managed by teachers will have an important role to play in widening the resource and knowledge base for all students. Technology affects the way teachers teach and students learn. To make the best use of information technology (IT), schools need a workable plan to fully integrate it into all aspects of the curriculum so students are taught how, why, and when to use technology to further enhance their learning. If a school does not have a clear plan of how and why it wishes to implement IT, then it runs the risk of wasting money. In schools today, nearly all classrooms have access to a computer. However, many schools mistake this as incorporating information technology into the curriculum. School staff need to research what IT is available and what would best serve the school’s purpose, not simply purchase the latest equipment. There should be a policy stating how IT is going to assist pupils’ development and what teachers want pupils to achieve (Reksten, 2000). Staff members need to be clear about what they want IT to do for them before they can start incorporating it into their lessons. The only way information technology is going to be useful to schools is if all staff members are well-informed and fully supported. It is the principal’s responsibility, and should be part of the school’s plan, to ensure that all staff are consulted about the changes, and that the change is carefully organised. Some teachers may be resistant, especially if they have not had much experience with computers, so training teachers is essential in implementing IT into the school curriculum. Staff members must feel involved in the process of acquiring technology, and in learning how to operate it, in order for them to increase their confidence in using IT as a curriculum tool. Teachers are only going to be able to incorporate IT into their lessons if they are competent users themselves (Reksten, 2000). In addition, teachers need to be aware that IT within the classroom is extremely flexible, but that they need to plan what purpose IT serves in each lesson. The skills a child learns are the important part of any lesson, and it is the same with technology. IT needs to be used and understood in all subjects in the same way as the ability to read is necessary for all subjects, and â€Å"must be used across the curriculum, in the same way that a pen and pencil are used in most subject areas† (Ager, 2000, p. 15). The best way to plan the use of IT in the classroom is to approach it as simply a learning tool that is more advanced (and more exciting) than the traditional pen and paper. It is vitally important for students to be taught the strategies for using IT. Children also need to be fully informed about the capabilities of IT before being asked to use it. Pupils should be aware that the contexts in which they use IT will change, and they need to know what the appropriate use of IT is and what is not. Whilst it is important that children learn to use IT effectively, teachers must emphasise that IT is not always suitable. According to Apter (1968), the danger is that the â€Å"computer dehumanizes people and inevitably leads them to act like machines themselves† (p. 58). Teachers must make sure they plan to use variety in their lessons. Too much IT instruction may be just as harmful to a child as not enough. The usefulness of IT in the classroom, as with any learning tool, depends on the innovation and imagination of the teacher. It is imperative, though, that the implementation of IT into a school is carefully planned. The current information explosion makes it essential that IT be used extensively within the classroom so children know how to use IT appropriately and effectively. Teachers must, therefore, be fully informed about what kinds of IT are available and whether or not they are appropriate for classroom use. School boards and teachers must therefore ensure that all staff have a clear plan about what they want their students to achieve through IT. The appropriate incorporation of IT into the classroom will broaden the minds and skills of students, allowing them to be better prepared for further technological advances.

Barriers to Learning Essay

The main object of any educational system is to create equal opportunities to provide quality education and effective learning so that all learners can reach their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to their future and participate in our society throughout their lives. It is imperative that the educational system is able to prevent learning breakdowns and exclusions. Barriers to learning can be found within the learner, be located within the centre of learning, found within the educational system or located within a broader social, economic or political context. Sometimes it is possible to identify these barriers which can then be addressed appropriately. The key to preventing barriers from occurring is the effective monitoring and meeting of the different needs amongst the learner populations and within the educational system as a whole. But the current focus of school improvement policies and practices are too limited to ensure that all students have an equal opportu nity to succeed at school. Socio-Economic Barriers Effective learning is influenced by the availability of educational resources to meet the needs of all the learners in the educational system. The lack of numbers of learning centres does not meet the learning population number. Inadequacies in resources and inequalities of discrimination in gender, race and disability found in our society result in forming barriers. The discrimination of the race factor was influenced by the apartheid era where the black population received a poor quality of education and even today non-urban districts are more marginalised with the educational system then urban-based districts that achieve higher exam marks. The inability to pay school fees will lead to the total exclusion of learners from the educational system due to the socio-economic barriers that further include; serve disabilities, living in poor communities and high areas of violence and crime. Basic Services With the inability of learners to access services or the non-existent services that are linked to educational provisions that contribute to the  learning processes, learners can not gain anything from the educational system. If learners are unable to reach the learning centres due to there being inadequate transport facilities, the roads being poorly developed or the learners are disabled and the transport is unwilling to transport them to the learning center, they will be excluded from the educational system. Clinics also affect the learner being involved in the educational system as the learners either have to get regular treatment that will leave the learner experiencing long periods of absence or if learners are unable to acquire the necessary treatment, will decrease their concentration, their capacity to learn and increase impairment. The lack of access to other services such as communication services and welfare also hinders the learning process. Educational systems are also largely inaccessible to deaf learners due to the lack of sign language interpreters. The lack of and distribution of different resources creates barriers to learning. With no money; no books, no human resources or writing material, the learners will not benefit from the educational system. Poverty and Underdevelopment The inability of families to meet their basic needs such as shelter and nutrition, effect the learning process of learners as there is increased emotional stress and under-nourishment that leads to a lack of concentration. Communities in poverty are also poorly resourced with limited educational centres and the learners are more likely to leave school and find a job to provide an income for their family. Disable learners are more easily excluded from the educational system and labour markets as able-bodied siblings have been accommodated first. Environment conditions can form barriers to learning through economic deprivation, community disorganization, violence, drugs and the rural people being in the minority. Attitudes Negative and discriminatory attitudes on the basis of prejudice towards gender, race, class, culture, disability, religion, ability; remain a critical barrier to learning. The negative attitudes and the stereotyping of learner’s differences due to poor knowledge as well as from fear and lack of awareness are easily picked up by other children who further alienate other learners. These attitudes result from traditional and religious beliefs. Disturbances Disturbances that arise within a social, economic and political environment can affect the social and emotional well-being of learners. A learner who is abused emotionally, physically or sexually, can be physically and emotionally damaged. Other factors that influence learners are substance abuse, conflict within the family, young girls being raped and falling pregnant, the lack of a support system and the lack of infrastructure that could lead to the learner’s breakdown or dropout of the educational system. In the wider parts of the African society, civil war and other forms of political violence can lead to trauma and emotional distress in learners. Some families that are evicted become refugees and the learning process is disrupted while the family seeks a safer environment. A safe environment for the educators and the learners cannot be guaranteed and this can prevent effective teaching and learning taking place. An unhealthy environment with a lack of electricity and toilets places learners at risk to diseases. Natural disasters and epidemics such as HIV/AIDS result in the learners having to deal with the loss of family members and making them vulnerable because they might have to fend for themselves. School and Peer Influence Learners who drop out or who are going through a learning breakdown can further manifest their negative behaviour to become disruptive and self-destructive. This negatively influences the other learners and may result in resistant and harmful attitudes in the classroom. Learners may have a negative encounter with a teacher or their peer and a mental block can be formed towards the educational system. Inappropriate teacher and peer role models cause a critical barrier in the learning process. Curriculum The curriculum itself creates barriers by being inflexible in the style and tempo in which teaching and learning takes place, the way in which the classroom is organised and managed as well as the availability of materials and equipment as it prevents, the needs of the diverse learners, from being met. The way in which assessments are designed can form a barrier between the learners who can memorise a certain amount of information and the learners who understand the concepts that are involved. The teachers need to  be enthusiastic about their teaching subject and get the learners more engaged and active in their lessons. Language and Communication Barriers to learning arise when the medium of teaching and learning takes place through a language that is not the learner’s first language. It places the learners at a disadvantage. Different Abilities Learners with disabilities may not be able to have effective learning taking place nor have their particular needs met due to the fact that their impairments may prevent them from learning and developing which results in barriers being met. Some learners will more easily experience a learning breakdown. Unsafe Environment The majority of learning centres are physically inaccessible to a large number of learners. The amount of learners in an area compared to the amount of schools is a shocking comparison, creating a barrier for learners to eventually get accepted into a school or to go to a school with many learners in the one class and have no one-on-one attention and it becomes difficult to meet the different needs of the diverse learners. Many schools are not built for the accessibility of blind, deaf and wheelchair bound learners, with these disabilities, and the environment becomes unsafe. Lack of Family Care and Involvement The parents and community’s active involvement is central to the effectiveness of learning and developing. Learners need to get recognition from their parents because without support and encouragement learners become insecure, have a low self-esteem and lack innovation that leads to the learning process being hindered. Individual Conditions All learners come from different backgrounds and have grown up in different environments but in the African context we have generalized their situation. An individuals barriers could include; medical problems, inadequate nutrition, underdevelopment, psycho-physiological problems and having a difficult temperament and adjustment problems. â€Å"If the education system is to promote effective learning and prevent learning breakdown, it is imperative that mechanisms are structured into the systems to break down existing barriers.† These mechanisms must be able to recognise the different barriers, overcome the barriers that occur, prevent barriers from occurring and promote the development of effective learning and teaching environments. It is important to have the ability to recognise, identify and understand the nature of the barriers at hand. There must be dedicated commitment to develop those mechanisms which will then allow diversity to be accommodated in the educational system. The enforcement of positive behaviour as well as the challenge to overcome negative attitudes must be effectively monitored to ensure that there are results. The promotion of mental and physical health to all the learners will help them become more aware to how they can improve their learning process. These mechanisms include: the improvement of protective legislation and policies, innovative practices for recognising and accommodating the continent’s diversity, government and non-government owned organizations aimed at including learners that were previously excluded from the educational system, activities that challenge attitudes against discrimination and curriculum restructuring. It is most important to work towards the involvement of the learners, parents, educators and community members, in the process to govern centres of learning and create training programmes that are equipped to deal with diverse needs. These mechanisms need to be supported in order to organise and d evelop teaching and learning environments as well as to help transform the economic, political and social environments.

A History Of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

A History Of Flexible Manufacturing Systems Now once you have a Flexible Manufacturing System in place, it cannot function in isolation. The department has to make its other processes and work conditions conducive enough to take full advantage of FMS. There are a lot of other design variables involved in the decision making process. It is very important for every manager in charge of FMS to address the question â€Å"What are the activities an FMS adopter has to carry out in order not only to implement an FMS but also to realize the requisite organizational conditions; and what are the possibilities for the adopter to organize this manufacturing innovation process effectively?† Stating a few examples of the extraneous factors: Maintenance Department Process planning, Production planning, and quality control processes The people carrying out these processes and production resources used to make these processes feasible The organizational arrangements used to divide and coordinate the processes Introduction A Flexible Ma nufacturing System (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is a certain degree of flexibility that allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. According to Maleki   [ 1 ]   , flexibility is the speed at which a system can react to and accommodate change. To be considered flexible, the flexibility must exist during the entire life cycle of a product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. Flexible Manufacturing System is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts or products in any order, without the time-consuming task of changing machine setups. The flexibility being talked about is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain numerous subcategories   [ 2 ]   . The first category, Machine Flexibility, covers the system’s ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of operations executed on a part. The second category is called R outing Flexibility, which consists of the ability to use multiple machines to perform the same operation on a part, as well as the system’s ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability. The main advantage of an FMS is its high flexibility in managing manufacturing resources like time and effort in order to manufacture a new product. The best application of an FMS is found in the production of small sets of products like those from a mass production. FM systems are supposed to provide the manufacturer with efficient flexible machines that increase productivity and produce quality parts. However, FM systems are not the answer to all manufacturers’ problems. The level of flexibility is limited to the technological abilities of the FM systems. FM systems are being used all over the manufacturing world and though out industries. A basic knowledge of this kind of technology is very important because FM systems are involved in almost every thing that you come in contact with in today’s world. From the coffee maker to your remote control FM systems are used all over. History of Flexible Manufacturing Systems At the turn of the twentieth century, FMS did not exist. There was no pressing need for efficiency because the markets were national and there was no foreign competition. Manufacturers could tell the consumers what to buy. During that period, Henry Ford had been quoted as saying â€Å"People can order any colour of car as long as it is black.† All the power remained in the hands of the manufacturer and the consumers hardly had any choices.