Composition Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Composition - Annotated Bibliography Example While it may not be as complete and detailed as other biographical accounts of Hoover, it does provide enough information about his disposition and temperament when it comes to individuals whom he considered as enemies of the state. Since the research deals with the government abuse of power while Hoover was in the FBI as described by Stout in The Doorbell Rang, this book would help in explaining the character of the said director. The FBI: A History presents a detailed discussion of the history of the country’s principal crime-fighting force. It also attempts at providing analysis on the key events that occurred during the history of the FBI. It particularly highlights the era when J. Edgar Hoover was at the helm of its organization. This book by Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones is relevant to the research since it helps in clarifying the historical context of Rex Stout’s The Doorbell Rang. Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations. Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans. United States Senate, 1976. Web. 27 January 2012. http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/churchfinalreportIIce.htm This is basically a report submitted by a senate committee headed by Sen. Frank Church in 1976. The said committee made and investigation of all the actions that the FBI did during the time when J. Edgar Hoover was its director. The document was actually one of the very first systematic and comprehensive attempts at exposing the FBI and the CIAs abuse of power, such as the spying conducted on American citizens. This also provides substantial proofs of Hoover’s violations of the privacy of individuals, which is the gist in The Doorbell Rang. Since the research is on the theme of how The Doorbell Rang serves as a critique of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, it is only right that the book become a principal reference. The book written by Rex Stout is part of the Nero Wolfe detective story series. However, unlike the rest of the Nero

Engineering And Construction Parking Demand Assignment

Engineering And Construction Parking Demand - Assignment Example The fulfillment of the desires of the clients is highly recommendable and forms the basis of the primary goal of this designer. A rectangular design enables provision of a well-defined design development will significantly increase the envisaged probability of creating parking areas that gratify this overriding goal. In the process of maximizing the parking zones, critical relevance is placed on the analysis of the presented need, physical requirements need analysis, aesthetics, and safety. From a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the facility or chapel, a transportation plan is highly considered in locating the parking for the vehicles that will be coming inside the compound. The highly detailed and elaborate outline of the parking lot creates an inventory of enhanced parking areas, free spaces, and their employment thus determining the adequacy and effectiveness of present configurations. The parking lot has the ability to amply contain several vehicles collectively for the at tendees of the chapel.The proper shape of parking zone design enables tackling of the poor location and even outlined or inherent deficiencies of chapel or visitors and even reserved parking areas or sections for employee parking. The side location and placement of the parking lot well creates ample times for car parkers to use the exact time and allow for easy turnover rates as it acts a remedy to Identification access difficulties and unfortunate pavement location and other outlined plant material stipulations.

Tawam Hospital History And Background Commerce Essay

Tawam Hospital History And Background Commerce Essay Tawam Hospital is a JCIA accredited hospital and considered to be a training and research hospital linked with UAE University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science. Tawam Hospital was opened officially on 17, December 1979 under the directions of the late H.H Sheikh Zayed who had chosen its location. The hospital is owned by Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) and it is complied with the Health Authority à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Abu Dhabi (HAAD). Tawam Hospital is a Middle East Center of Excellence for oncology care, Neonatal Intensive Care, and general ICU services in addition to outstanding patient care delivery programs in other specialties such as the home care services for elderly in addition to the baby friendly services that is recognized internationally (Docstoc, 2010). Tawam works to provide a quality health care services that meets the expectations of their patients because they promise to treat patients as part of their families as stated in their mission and vision (Tawam Hospital, 2010). The managerial practices At Tawam, the CEO office hold a weekly meeting for the A-Team members to negotiate the overall performance and issues related to all the hospital departments. Medical issues and concerns are discussed to seek a solution and guidance. Administrative issues are also negotiated like promotions, policies transfers and re-structuring. The hospital overall strategy is presented to allow all the departments to do the necessary actions to comply with it. In the past 2 years, the main objective of the A-Team meetings was to negotiate the plans and objectives on the construction of the new hospital building and the alternatives till the project finish. Current problems and difficulties The major difficulty that faces Tawam Hospital is the integration of the new Hospital Information System (HIS) with the lack of technology of our professional doctors. A comprehensive and planned training program for IT and computer basics was given to all the doctors prior to the implementation of the HIS that led to the success of the initial implantation of the project. Another major problem at Tawam is the conflict with SEHA regarding the internal policies at Tawam that prevent Tawam from taking independent decisions regarding the health care systems or the IT infrastructure. The new evolving role of HRM is the strategic management that is aligned with the corporate mission and goals in addition to performing the basic functionality of HRM. In other words, decisions related to employees should be analyzed to consider their effect on the organizations mission and goal accomplishment (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1999). What is manpower planning? According to BusinessDictionary.com, manpower planning is defined as estimating the required skilled personnel to accomplish work tasks overtime and specifying how and when they should be acquired. People are considered the most valuable assets for any organization, therefore; financial and technological assets cant give organizations a competitive edge without human capital. For our case, Tawam Hospital which is a healthcare organization, planning the human resource is classified according to the job context where there are different classifications like physicians or health care specialists, laboratory technicians and administrative staff. Mainly, for healthcare organizations, the manpower market is similar to other organizations labor market which is based on demand and supply. Healthcare organization demands for workforce are based upon the population demand for health care. Careful considerations of the population size and structure in addition to patients expectation of healthcare services and the society income and living standards should be considered while planning the workforce for any hospital (Bloor Maynard, 2003). Many factors affect the labor supply in healthcare organizations. Most healthcare professionals expect high incomes and have a special perceived social status in the society. Also the relation among healthcare professionals can be controlled by the skill mix they adhere and their usage of complements and substitutes in their work; and this can affect the supply of healthcare professionals based on the current available professionals in the field hospital (Bloor Maynard, 2003). Other factors may affect the supply in UAE like the labor law and the government regulations. At Tawam Hospital, the manpower planning is affected by the rules and regulations of SEHA where the all the departments needs to submit their business plan to HR and then HR sends them to SEHA for analysis, approval and budget estimations. When SEHA approves the business plans and the future positions, it sends them back to Tawam Finance to allocate the budgets for each new positions then the HR Director approves the plan, the manpower planning maintain the new positions in the database of the HRIS for each department. The hiring process cant be processed unless there is a vacant position for that requesting department. Sometimes the need for the position forces the manpower planning to find a way to create the position even if the department doesnt have a vacant position in the database. Sometimes they split/merge available positions to create the required position. For the medical departments, manpower planning used to suggest borrowing positions from department to department under the approval of both parties and the HR Director to cover the need for the new position. Manpower planning gives organizations a value in managing workforce diversity; and also adds an important effect in recruitment, employee retentions and development. Moreover, proper planning for workforce increases the quality of the corporate staff and hence improves the output services or products accomplishment (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1999). At Tawam Hospital, the manpower planning provides a monthly study that identifies the number of filled/vacant positions within each section and department in the organization. Also the monthly report analysis the workforce diversity based on the number of national and non-national employees in each department. This report is sent to SEHA monthly to prepare the plan for the workforce yearly or help to made adjustment to the current plan. HR department is the only department in any organizations that affect all employees in all the different levels, therefore, Human resource planning is considered to be important because it can help organizations be more productive and cost-efficient. Human resource planning can help organizations to forecast their future needs of employees and also the expenses; where tactical plans are set based on long term forecasting that is aligned with corporate strategy to determine the required skills at the right time with the expected costs. Planning workforce helps also to minimize the corporate expenses to cut unnecessary jobs that can be accomplished by the available employees. The hiring process can be improved if HR plans well the recruitment process based on the forecasting and needs analysis, also the communication between HR department and line managers can help a lot in developing a good plan for what skills are required to accomplish the corporate goals (Schwartz, nd). HR planning helps organizations to estimate the types of KSA (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) with their employees and how to utilize them efficiently. Also, good workforce planning helps organization to keep their employees by providing the good career development paths (Vareta, nd). At Tawam Hospital, the manpower planning performs many activities that serve the organization. One of those activities is called Reporting Structure Hierarchy which aims to identify who reports to whom using the HRIS database to assist in transferring or promotions activities. Another activity is called the Position Master Change PMC where requests for changing the position titles goes under the approval of HR to be reflected in the organization hierarchy in the HRIS. Promotions at Tawam should be identified initially by the manpower planning where they check if there is a vacant position for the department requesting the promotion and if there is a position, the manpower planning approves the promotion to enter the promotions committee; otherwise, the promotion is rejected. When the promotion is rejected, the merging/splitting positions may be a solution if the requesting department has other vacant positions or they can borrow positions from other department within the same divisi on under their approval. Approaches for manpower planning Rationalized approach Organization Strategy Targets Organization Practices Methods Manpower Review and Analysis Forecasting Internal External Demand Supply Adjust to Balance Recruit Retain Reduce Chart 1: The Rationalized Approach to Manpower PlanningPlanning is defined as the outcome of series of processes to find a solution to a problem. Rationalizing HR planning is done to provide easy methods to be followed to take decisions about choices of available alternatives before the implementation. Rational considerations of the issues surrounding the organization are the base for the rational model of manpower planning. In this approach, the organization strategy along with the implemented practices and methods to achieve the goals are considered when analyzing the manpower supply and demand based on the internal and external factors that affect the organization performance. SWOT analysis to determine the corporate strength and weakness and the surrounding market opportunities and threats helps in this approach to forecast future needs. Based on that analysis, decisions related to future recruitment, retention or even reducing the manpower can be taken easily to adjust the balan ce of the skills available(Bratton Gold, 2007). Diagnostic approach Chart 2: The Diagnostic Approach to Manpower Planning Manpower plans and policies Operations Monitored through Qualitative Quantitative techniques Understanding of causes Plan of action to control The diagnostic approach for manpower planning is based on the rationalized approach that aims to identify problems related to workforce using quantitative and qualitative techniques and also identify the causes for those problems. The ideal situation of manpower demands and supply doesnt exist in the real life where continuous imbalance between what skills needed and the market supply faces the organizations. Diagnostic approach of manpower planning can identify such problems with their causes. As illustrated in chart 2, identifying manpower problems is done through monitoring the operations using qualitative and quantitative techniques to understand their causes and prepare action plan to solve those problems (Bratton Gold, 2007). As mentioned earlier, the manpower planning receives the approved planned positions after the approval of SEHA, Finance department and HR director to open the positions in the HRIS only without producing a clear plan on the demanded manpower for the hospital. SEHA prepares the manpower plans based on the business plan developed by all departments of Tawam and after the analysis, they send their approval to the finance department of Tawam for budget allocation and process. Stages for human resource planning The planning for an organizational workforce requires a systematic procedure to be implemented that will assure getting the objectives of the manpower planning which is at the end helping the organization to achieve its goals using efficient human capital and resources. According to Bratton Gold (2007), the planning process for human resources involves four stages. Evaluation of existing manpower resources Estimation of the proportion of currently employed manpower resources that were likely to be within the firm by the forecast date Assessment of labor requirements Measures to ensure the needed resources are available when required The process defined by Bratton Gold, 2007 involves the process of forecasting the supply in the first two stages, and forecasting the demand in the third stage and then developing the plan to utilize the human capital when needed in the past stage. Priyadarshini (2009) had proposed another manpower planning process that has four different stages: Analyzing the current manpower inventory Making future manpower forecasts Developing employment programs Design training programs According to Priyadarshini (2009), the demand forecasting for new skills of workforce should be done after analyzing the overall organization business nature, its department and employees skills and quantities within each department. After analyzing the available human resources and future forecasts, procedures for employment programs can be settled through the prober selection and placement plans. Training programs will be designed and planned according to the new market trends in technology and also based on the available skills that need to be enhanced or developed according to the analysis result of the first stage. At Tawam, the manpower planning produces monthly reports that help SEHA to analyze the business plan of the hospital to plan the required workforce for the next year. At 2008 a complete analysis of the manpower planning was developed by one staff of the manpower section as an assignment for the probation period evaluation. The plan was on the medical departments to examine the number of patients in each clinic and how many consultants or physicians available and needed in the upcoming year. Indeed, that was an individual effort that doesnt reflect the actual practice because the manpower forecasting and planning is controlled by SEHA not the hospital. Internal external factors affecting healthcare human resource planning Healthcare supply and demand processes for human resources are influences by two factors: the first factor is its narrow approach in its focus that leads to focus only on medical practitioners ignoring the fact of the inter-relations or the substitutions possibilities of other medical fields like the nursing. The second factor is that it had a mechanistic approach with supply side driven (Bloor Maynard, 2003). Healthcare resource planners estimate the supply of medical practitioners graduated from medical schools or migrated to the country ignoring the behavioral changes of their career paths. Chart 3: Healthcare practitioners supply factors Tawam hospital manpower planning is affected externally by the labor low that enforces the approval of the private sector medical center of the new hires to work at Tawam. Also the planning at Tawam is affected internally by the departmental business plans which determine what is requires and by the available allocated budget from SEHA that forces the hospital to freeze the recruitment for a while. Recommendation: Since the manpower planning is controlled by SEHA based on the budget and departmental business plan, Tawam manpower planning can analyze the departmental business plans and provide the complete plan for the required workforce with their budget estimation instead of wasting the time waiting for the approval from SEHA. The monthly report or study should be linked to the HR theory to be more valid and also it should include suggestions on how to re-plan the workforce not just figures and numbers. Resources: Schwartz, Rick, nd. Importance of Human Resource Planning. Retrieved on: 10/April/2010 from: http://www.ehow.com/about_6130541_importance-human-resource-planning.html U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness, 1999. Strategic Human Resources Management: Aligning with the Mission. www. BusinessDictionary.com Bloor, Karen Maynar, Aland, 2003. Planning human resources in health care: Towards an economic approach, An international comparative review. University of York. Vareta, Nyamupachari, nd. Importance of Human Resources Planning in Organizations. Retrieved on: 11/4/2010 from: www.coursework.info Bratton, John and Gold, Jeff, 2007. Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, 4th edition. M Priyadarshini, 2009. Manpower planning in organizations. Retrieved on 24/4/2010 from: http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/manpower-planning-in-organisation-1399674.html#axzz0lxChq8Mf Karen Bloor, Alan Maynard, 2003. Planning human resources in health care: Towards an economic approach- An international comparative review. University of York. Tawam Hospital, 2010. Retrieved from: www.tawamhospital.ae, on1/May, 2010. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/DownloadDoc.aspx?doc_id=29675768, on1/May, 2010.

Fronteir Exceptionalism :: essays research papers

What is exceptionalism? As defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is it: 1) the condition of being exceptional or unique; and 2) the theory or belief that something, especially a nation, doesn’t conform to a pattern or a norm. Some historians credit the terms origins to Alex de Tocqueville, the 19th century French historian. Since colonial times, Americans felt of themselves as the preeminent example of a social and morally advanced society. John Winthrop’s ‘City on a Hill’ illustrated the Puritan religious tones for these ideals. After the Revolution, a combination of secular and sacred ideologies formed that saw the United States as providentially selected to be a ‘divine stage’ for liberty and a new world order. But don’t all peoples of a nation feel an exceptional pride in their nation? Why did/do American’s feel that way? I believe one of the most fundamentally important facets that contributed to the American exceptionalism spirit this time was the frontier. The frontier, whether a place or process, certainly shaped American thought from a ragtag colonial cluster to a hegemon with muscular muster. I disagree with many Turnerian protà ©gà ©s, however, in that the process of settling the frontier was not a series of successes. The new ‘reappraisal’ of western history shows that not all courses of action taken resulted in progress. Patricia Limerick discusses this well in her essay entitled What on Earth is New Western History? In this essay she tries to quell old myths that are celebrated by those who would like to hold on with a blind eye to false stories. But these interpretations of the west are just as vitally important as the Indian and cowboy mystique. The concept of America and what an American is was fashioned from the combination of myth versus reality. Most of my paper will be examining these topics from Limerick, Ridge and Richard White’s When Frederick Jackson Turner and Buffalo Bill Cody Both Played Chicago in 1893. Turner and Cody told the story of the west in two starkly different angles, and with two different approaches. Turner’s narrative was one that told of large, empty expanse of free land that was there for the taking, and was basically free from violence. Cody’s Wild West showed an adventure of conquest and persecution at the hands of the Indians, a ‘correct representation of life on the plains’.(47) But when the two are taken into account together, the biases of each bring to light the complexities that shadowed their explanation for their perspective.

Early Childhood Education and ‘Kindergarten’

Pre-school education is discussed mainly through the development of a child's personality. The knowledge and practices acquired by children during this stage of learning are embedded with their character. Furthermore development of creative thinking, communication skills and social interaction are a few benefits able to acquire by pre-school children. (Palihakkara, D.W., Premaratne, R.M. 2004, p 36). ‘Kindergarten', is a German metaphorical term referring to a garden, in which children are compared to growing plants. It is used as a common term for pre-school educational institutions, defined in various ways in many countries. The ‘Kindergartens' are recognized educational environments created to motivate and support the mental, physical, emotional, linguistic and social development of children between ages 3-5 years. (Source: â€Å"Friedrich Froebel†, http://www.infed.com/Froebel.html )History of Early Childhood EducationMany contributions are made to the development of theories on early childhood education through the ages in the history of educational philosophy. All theories are based upon the child's psychological background, with various scientific research and interpretations made with time through established contemporary methods. Greek philosopher Plato in 4th Century B.C. was the first to emphasize the importance of education with play and rhythmic movement to improve mental and physical growth during the first five years of a child's life. This idea was further improved by the addition of Aristotle's ideas on practicing good habits and attitudes in children. John Amos Komensky (Comenius) in the 16th Century, expressed ideas of child centered education: he believed children should learn by sensory experiences through activities engineered within their natural environment. He stressed on the child's need for love and Security and the role of a mother as a teacher in the ‘home based' early childhood education. (Dudek.M, 1996, pp30-39) Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) further illustrates that nothing should be forced on the child. He suggests methods of active learning through experience and the enjoyment of work as ‘play'.â€Å"Work or play is all one to him, his games are his work, and he knows no difference.† -Rousseau-The four stages of a child's development described by him are as follows:Infancy – reveals habits and the framing of emotionsChildhood – reveals necessity and training of sensesBoyhood – reveals utility and the training of the intellectAdolescence – reveals mortalityOf these training emotions and the senses was stressed only in early childhood education. Fredrich Froebel (1782-1827) believed that the childhood is a period with its own interests, values and creativity and identifies ‘Play' as the distinctive activity. He established the pre-school system ‘Kindergarten' with the emphasis on ‘Free Play' and child's freedom. (Dudek.M, 1996, p51) Fig.2.01: Freidrich Froebel and his kindergarten tools known as ‘Froebel's gifts' in use with children. Educationist Maria Montessori (1870-1952) focused on the necessity of sensory learning, skill development, the use of materials and comfortable class room environments for children in comparison to Kindergarten method, the Montessori Method focuses more towards the efficiency and speed in making children ready to engage with formal learning. (Dudek.M, 1996, p.58) Fig.2.02: Maria Montessori and pre-school children Psychologists such as Wellman and Piaget during the twentieth century discovered that intelligence levels of children can be manipulated by environmental experiences such as pre-schooling. Also disapproved ideas of fixed intelligence and predetermined development. These findings improved the quality of pre-school education as structured stimulating environments for cognition and skill development. (Dudek.M, 1996, p.65) 2.1.2 Early Childhood Education in Sri Lankan Context Pre-school education has been a key priority of the Sri Lankan Education since the early 1940's. (The Kannangara Report of 1943, Jayasooriya Commission Report on education in 1961). In 1986 the affiliation of powers to the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Childcare enabled to enhance and control the quality and regulations for Pre-schools Island wide. Experts on child psychology and education help to categorize various early educational programs. The management of Pre-school education in Sri Lanka can be identified under three basic sectors:State sector – Managed under the Departments of Social Services, Fisheries, Women's Affairs and Protection and child care, Local Government etc.Voluntary Organizations – Sarvodaya, Mahila Samithi, Religious Organizations, Samurdhi Movement, and Social Welfare Trust Organization (Pre-schools in the Estate Sector)Private Sector – Private Educational Organizations or individuals (Mostly Montessori System Adopted)The two key systems of early education in Sri Lanka are:Nursery ; Kindergarten MethodMontessori Method (Palihakkara, D.W., Premaratne, R.M. 2004, pp54-57).The Nursery and kindergarten method is a combination of the Nursery and Kindergarten systems currently practiced in Sri Lanka.KindergartenThis system focuses a child centered approach which became the inspiration for modern pre-school education. Founded by, Freidrich Froebel, it fosters play, giving precedence f or the growth of children's feelings and their imagination. The objectives focus on the child's development which includes social skills and sensory development.Sociability and care within a group of childrenProblem solving ability based on individual and group activitiesAccomplishment of sensory motor coordinationUnderstanding basic concepts necessary for latter learningAppreciation of beauty in all formsSocial maturity and self-awarenessProgress of creativity(Palihakkara, D.W., Premaratne, R.M. 2004, pp37-38.)Nursery SchoolsA more recent education system based on the Kindergarten system, which functions on a nonprofit basis through churches, homes and charitable organizations . Its objectives are:Child socialization and the use of Fantasy Play – promotes sensory motor and emotional development.Attachment between teacher and child – brings out self-confidence, security and spontaneity within the child.Creating a learning environment free from restrictions and directionsEstablishment of good parental relations(Palihakkara, D.W., Premaratne, R.M. 2004, p38.) Organized and free play is believed to help the child realize his true capacity through aesthetics and self-expressive qualities of play. Nursery schools limit each group to a maximum of twenty students with a minimum of two teachers to maintain good child-Teacher relationship where the teacher is only a guide, selecting music, materials for play discussion or art activities.  MontessoriAn early education system that combines both the psychological concepts and academic techniques was established by Maria Montessori. She believed in creating a core environment based on love, care, co-operation, patience, self control and responsibility to be the main feature of the system. The system aims skill development of children through activities such as:Practical life exercises and occupational skills – Ex. Carrying and using objects, buttoning, folding linen etc. as practical life skills and sweeping, washing, brushing as occupational skillsSensory exercises – Sensory discrimination skills and conceptsDidactic exercises –understand shape, size, colour, texture, temperature etc.(Palihakkara, D.W., Premaratne, R.M. 2004, pp39-40.) Fantasy Play of the Kindergarten has been substituted in the Montessori system by the organized activities that contribute to self-discipline and the course of work.‘Learning through Play' MethodAs Friedrich Froebel believes ‘play' as the most distinctive activity of children. Apart from bringing joy to the child, ‘play' also evokes the inherent spirit that children possess which symbolizes the character of each individual. (Dudek M. 1996, p.47) Research on human behavior has revealed that children learn efficiently from ‘seemingly-random' play as from the formal classroom. Play gives children the opportunity of firsthand experience to discover things through exploration: it motivates them to take risks and challenges to explore the world further. (McConnell.J, 1989) Piaget describes the basic types of play a child progresses through in his/her developmental stages as Pre-Social and Social play.Pre-Social Play: The infant take on play with hands, feet, bells, rattles and dolls at six months.Social Play: Is a more intricate and social in character as it occurs with both individual and physical development.Category 1: Social play is in relation to the activity, such as:Free Play: The basic kind of social play that involves physical play activities with other children. This enables them to control their demeanor.Formal Play: Play with formal rules, but turns out to be flexible when children become more verbal.Creative Play: Defined as the ‘pinnacle' of all types of play by Piaget: the child learns to operate with symbols rather than objects.Category 2: play can be classified under the point of social contact it offers. the curriculum of a Kindergarten encourages the following types of play:Solitary Play : children playing alone, independently, of their own interest.Parallel Play : playing beside each other, but not with each other.Associative Play : children playing with each other, communicating, sharing materials and activities in an unorganized pattern, without an overall goal.Corporative Play : children organizing themselves in a group, with a common goal or purpose.(Malone. K, Tranter. P, 2003) Category 3: Any activity of play can be viewed in different stages of complexities of activity.Stage One: Simple exploration of play material – feeling sand, pouring water back and forth, scribbling with colour pencils etc.Stage Two: Symbolic Play – Use of objects as symbols for some other object. Takes place during the Preoperational stage mentioned byPiaget, a play very frequently used by kindergarten children. Stage Three: When Kindergarten children are able to interact in co- operative play, they devised flexible rules to their games. (Malone. K, Tranter. P, 2003) The three categories of social play are effectively practiced in Kindergarten programs facilitated by teachers without restricting child behavior. Fig.2.03 :Children engaged in learning Fig.2.04: Children engaged in play Researchers have distinguished three main categories of play in relation to child development. These are summarized below with its characteristics.Physical/motor skill play activities – playing on structured games, using free equipment (e.g., bat ; ball). A natural way through which, children's physical growth, agility and endurance is improved. These are essential to a healthy childhood and later life.Social/non social play activities – Talking with others, observe others activities, daydreaming (includes onlooker play). Children must play with others, share and cooperate, respect other views, express their ideas, feelings and needs without the involvement of an adult. A child constructs identity which suits him. Learns to negotiate with others, and interaction with their peers allows to acquire social skills and emotional well-being essential for child's development.Cognitive play activities – (includes imaginative and creative play) building with materials and engaging in imaginative activities enables children to discover, explore and develop an understanding of the environment around them. They become familiar with the patterns and systems of life and connections with the experience. Therefore, play being a stimulant of physical, emotional, social, intellectual and cognitive development of the child plays a key role in early childhood education. (Malone .K, Tranter. P, 2003)Spatial quality of a KindergartenThe Nursery and Kindergarten method encourages freedom for the child to self-explore and experience his world. The psychological need for freedom is given priority in child centered education. A Child requires the freedom to experience childhood to its fullest potential. It is a key feature that enables him to successfully deal with future endeavors in life. (Selmer – Olsen I., 1993) The spatial quality depends on the quality of activity, physical and psychological requirements of the users etc. A Kindergarten facilitates the main function of ‘Learning through Play'. The space and spatial quality of such institutions is the tool which moulds the ambiance required for the activity. The environment of a kindergarten should be organized, supportive and inspirational with desired freedom for the child to explore within the defined limitations of safety. Thus an ideal environment would cater to the requirements of a child's intellectual, social, linguistic, aesthetic and physical development. It will incorporate spatial variety with quiet spaces for solitude and security, more opened social spaces for group activities and exciting outdoor spaces for exploration. The sensual variety in light, colour, texture, and sound, would intensify the spatial quality to motivate children to engage positively with the kindergarten activities. (Bettelheim. B, Annalia. G, (1992), Dudek M. 1996, p.06). The objective of kindergarten architecture should be to create stimulus and secure learning environments that celebrates the characteristic activity of childhood – ‘play'. (Dudek M. 1996, p.06). Kindergarten environments should consider ‘Learning and Play' as a synchronized, series of simultaneous learning and play activities. The spatial quality of a dynamic nature for stimulation of Play should be controlled to achieve levels of concentration required for learning. This aspect should be addressed by using architectural elements such as form, scale, proportion, colour, texture, pattern, light and views. (Dudek M. 1996, p.06). 2.2.1 Colour as a spatial quality in Kindergartens Amongst architectural elements that stimulate space for humans, colour plays a vital role with direct impacts on mind and body. The sensation of colour enables to communicate between natural and manmade elements in architecture. The Three Elephants kindergarten designed by Knafo Klimor Architects in Caesarea, Israel. It is a testimony of the above statement as arrangements of dynamic spaces with a series of geometric wall planes are emphasized by colour. Fig.2.05: Interaction with Nature: Kindergarten in Caeserea, Israel â€Å"The natural contrast between light and shade creates a new range of form and colour. Two –dimensional architecture will eventually create a richer composition of colour, which, in turn, will enrich the child's experience.† (Eylon.L, 2003) The constant interaction with the surrounding environment draws in the light and colours of nature to animate the visual ambiance for the child; it is a dynamic experience of life. The vibrant application of colour highlights and symbolizes the abstract built forms of nature. The forms and colours with resemblance to a toy, encourages the child's imagination to visualize ‘a herd of elephants' and further explore activities of play through his imaginary world. Fig.2.06: Light provides visual depth to Form and Colour: Kindergarten in Caecerea, Israel and Kindergarten8units in Spain Natural light is a source which enhances the spirit of spatial quality. Kindergarten8units in Spain is an example for its execution in enhancing colours. Fig.2.07: Eye level views for children: The window is used as an activity space against the wall. Therefore, the activities can have a pleasant bright setting and a close view of the outdoor environment. Bringing the window heights to child's eye level provides them with visual continuity from indoors to outdoors. Fig.2.08: Spirit of light and colour Use of colour with natural illumination energizes space and brightens the mood. The brightness of natural light floods into the corridors (common spaces) from the sky lights above and spreads into the classes arranged around it. Natural light and colour cooperate and works by changing light and the colours of the views of outdoors. This provides children a sensual understanding of time, nature and natural phenomena. Hence, colour becomes a vital spatial character in a kindergarten as it stimulates the child to positively communicate with its activity and the environment.

Descartes Views on God Essay

From reading some of his works, one might assume that Rene Descartes does not believe in the existence of a heavenly being, a God that presides over humans and gives us faith. I do not believe this to be the case. I believe that Descartes is simply trying to destroy all of the uncertainties that have come about do to inadequate explanations of such a supreme being. For Rene Descartes and all of the other believers in the world, the existence of God provides a convenient answer to unexplained questions, while never providing answers to the questions about God himself. This is evidenced a great deal in the circular argument made by Descartes in the Meditations on First Philosophy. What follows is a brief account of the third and fifth meditations, which provide Descartes’ response to the masked question, â€Å"What is God? † Can one perceive or confirm the existence of an idea that is external to him, an idea such as God? In order to determine the answer we must start by understanding the ways in which we can conclude an objects’ existence. Descartes explains three ways in which a person might come to such a conclusion ?the first, through nature; the second, through feeling a value that is independent of the will of the object; and the third, the objective reality of an idea, or the cause and effect profile. Descartes drills us with the idea that an object will have an effect when it stems from a legitimate cause, or an initial idea that precedes with equal or superior properties in one’s intellect. In other words, the mind generates thoughts and ideas about a physical form, and develops a reality for this form, through previous schema and beliefs. â€Å"And although an idea may give rise to another idea, this regress cannot, nevertheless, be infinite; we must in the end reach a first idea, the cause of which is, as it were, the archetype in which all the reality that is found objectively in these ideas is contained formally. † The only problem with Descartes’ argument is when the existence of God arises as a notion, for there is no sustenance or idea for the notion of God to originate from. Is it possible, then, to create the idea of a finite being from an infinite existence, outside of the physical and mental, in a state all of it’s own? Descartes quickly answers that the response would be that a finite being cannot completely, if at all, comprehend the ideas that would cause God to exist, and therefore the basis for doubt is lost in an intangible proof. Additionally, the mere fact that he believes that there is a God provides yet another piece of proof towards His existence. This must be true, according to Descartes, with the provision that the idea and belief must have been placed in his consciousness by an outside factor. The final factor that convinces Descartes that there is a God is the fact of his own existence, along with the fact that he, himself, is not a God. This belief stems from the theory that if a man is independent from all other existence and ideas about forms and matter, then he has the ability to become infinite. Descartes says that if he himself were the â€Å"author of his own being† and independent of all existence, then he would attain a Godly level of existence. Ultimately, it is his own dependence on another being that proves to him that there is a God. Many people are bred into religion, or borne into a set of ideas about a particular infinite being. The interesting problem with most types of faith in this manner is that the scripture that has been deemed to come from your god is also the proof that God exists. This is the type of circular definition that Descartes is trying to avoid at all costs. Basically, it’s like using a word in it’s own definition, or ? the definition of an apple is an apple. ‘ The argument begins to get a little bit ambiguous when he begins discussing the uncertainty of his beliefs. He is, as he claims, as certain of the idea of the sun, the moon, the earth, even his own rational thought, as he is certain of God’s existence.