Educational stages Essay Example for Free

Educational stages Essay Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, research, or simply through autodidacticism. [1] Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. Systems of schooling involve institutionalized teaching and learning in relation to a curriculum, which itself is established according to a predetermined purpose of the schools in the system. Schools systems were also based on peoples religion giving them different curricula. [edit] Curriculum Main articles: Curriculum, Curriculum theory, and List of academic disciplines School children in Durban, South Africa. In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses and their content offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults. A curriculum is prescriptive, and is based on a more general syllabus which merely specifies what topics must be understood and to what level to achieve a particular grade or standard. An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is formally taught, either at the university–or via some other such method. Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines or branches, and distinguishing lines are often both arbitrary and ambiguous. Examples of broad areas of academic disciplines include the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, humanities and applied sciences. [5] Educational institutions may incorporate fine arts as part of K-12 grade curriculums or within majors at colleges and universities as electives. The various types of fine arts are music, dance, and theater. [6] [edit] Preschools Main article: Preschool education The term preschool refers to a school for children who are not old enough to attend kindergarten. It is a nursery school. Preschool education is important because it can give a child the edge in a competitive world and education climate. [citation needed] While children who do not receive the fundamentals during their preschool years will be taught the alphabet, counting, shapes and colors and designs when they begin their formal education they will be behind the children who already possess that knowledge. The true purpose behind kindergarten is â€Å"to provide a child-centered, preschool curriculum for three to seven year old children that aimed at unfolding the child’s physical, intellectual, and moral nature with balanced emphasis on each of them. †[7] [edit] Primary schools Main article: Primary education Primary school in open air. Teacher (priest) with class from the outskirts of Bucharest, around 1842. Primary (or elementary) education consists of the first 5–7 years of formal, structured education. In general, primary education consists of six or eight years of schooling starting at the age of five or six, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, around 89% of primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proportion is rising. [8] Under the Education For All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to achieving universal enrollment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. Schools that provide primary education, are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior school. In India, compulsory education spans over twelve years, out of which children receive elementary education for 8 years. Elementary schooling consists of five years of primary schooling and 3 years of upper primary schooling. Various states in the republic of India provide 12 years of compulsory school education based on national curriculum framework designed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training. Students working with a teacher at Albany Senior High School, New Zealand Students in a classroom at Samdach Euv High School, Cambodia In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises the formal education that occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, post-secondary, or higher education (e. g. university, vocational school) for adults. Depending on the system, schools for this period, or a part of it, may be called secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. In the United States, Canada and Australia primary and secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand Year 1–13 is used. The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession. The emergence of secondary education in the United States did not happen until 1910, caused by the rise in big businesses and technological advances in factories (for instance, the emergence of electrification), that required skilled workers. In order to meet this new job demand, high schools were created, with a curriculum focused on practical job skills that would better  prepare students for white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be beneficial for both employers and employees, for the improvement in human capital caused employees to become more efficient, which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a higher wage than employees with just primary educational attainment. In Europe, grammar schools or academies date from as early as the 16th century, in the form of public schools, fee-paying schools, or charitable educational foundations, which themselves have an even longer history.

Vonneguts Cats Cradle: Exposing the Folly of Humanity :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle Essays

Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle: Exposing the Folly of Humanity In an interview published in The Vonnegut Statement, Kurt Vonnegut states that one of his reasons for writing is "to poison minds with humanity. . . to encourage them to make a better world"(107). He uses poison, not in the context of a harmful substance, but as an idea that threatens welfare or happiness. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut strives to disturb the complacency of his readers by satirizing humanity and its institutions, such as religion, science, and war, to name a few. If Vonnegut is successful in his endeavor, he may disturb some enough to make them see the folly of what humanity has achieved, and attempt to make some meaningful and positive changes. In some instances, however, Vonnegut hedges his bets by not relying entirely on the perception of humanity, and succumbs to the temptation of plain speaking. Julian Castle, physician and philanthropist, offers this opinion about his fellow man, "Man is vile, and man makes nothing worth making, knows nothing worth knowing" (116). Yet even with this opinion, Castle removes himself from the civilized world, and serves the mankind for whom he expresses so much contempt by building a hospital in the jungle and tending to the medical needs of the natives. Perhaps in Castle, Vonnegut is attempting to show how one person can make a difference. Another example of plain speaking is seen in Horlick Minton's address honoring the Hundred Martyrs to Democracy. He states his feeling that rather than the "manly jubilation of patriotic holidays," the day would be better spent "despising what killed them. . . the stupidity and viciousness of all mankind" (170). As Minton himself points out, this is not the type of speech expected of an ambassador. Still, he is compelled to speak what he feels almost as though he has a premonition that his time is short and he may never have another chance to make people see what they are doing to themselves. It should be remembered that Cat's Cradle was written in a time when the fear of man's stupidity leading to his annihilation was not so far fetched. After all, the Cuban Missile Crisis was still fresh in everyone's minds, the cold war with Soviet Russia was ever present, and bomb shelters were naively considered to be the hope of man's salvation.

Blood Diamon

Delilah Crespo Mr. McParland English 101 October 24, 2010 In the article â€Å"I’m Happy with an Arranged Marriage† by Gitangeli Sapra it discusses her view of arranged marriages. Ms. Gitangeli is for arranged marriage, she stated that people who get married for â€Å"love† has a 40% rate of divorce. She also states that arranged marriages have a lower rate of divorce for the fact that the couples do not want to start a wrath between their families. I disagree; I believe that families should not have the right to set up their children with who they think best suits their child. I personally would not prefer my parents to set me up with someone who they think is a great person, because I have different standards then they do. If parents were to choose who they want their child to marry then they will be involved in the couple’s lives, therefore if the relationship is not working out the couple would be too scared to get a divorce because of what their family might do. Some countries make arranged marriage mandatory, and some people actually agree with it but others such as me do not. Fatma Uncon was a twenty year old female who was forced into an arranged marriage, which she did not want. Since she was forced she decided to commit suicide by shooting herself with her father’s handgun. Another female named Gulbahar Karokoyn was also forced into an arranged marriage, which she did not want. She was forced into marrying her uncle’s son, therefore she also committed suicide. These two young females committed suicide because they felt pressured and forced into something which they did not want. They felt that by ending their life they would finally be free. I asked one of my friend if she was for arranged marriage and she stated no, â€Å"I want to fall in love with the person before I get married not my parents, they are not the one’s who has to stay with this specific person their entire life so why should they choose who I marry†. I completely agree with her because it is true why should anyone tell me who I should marry. Altogether, as I stated before I do not think arranged marriage is a good idea. I believe that people should decide who they want to be with. Their parents should not force you to choose who you want to make your life long partner, because you will be the one who has to be with that person for life. Also arranged marriages might make people feel too trapped and that might cause them to do something to harm themselves or their partner. Therefore I believe the choice should be yours.

Auroch Prehistoric Mammal Facts and Figures

Name: Auroch (German for original ox); pronounced OR-ock Habitat: Plains of Eurasia and northern Africa Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-500 years ago) Size and Weight: About six feet high and one ton Diet: Grass Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; prominent horns; larger males than females About the Auroch Sometimes it seems that every contemporary animal had a plus-sized megafauna ancestor during the Pleistocene epoch. A good example is the Auroch, which was pretty much identical to modern oxen with the exception of its size: this dino-cow weighed about a ton, and one imagines that the males of the species were significantly more aggressive than modern bulls. (Technically, the Auroch is classified as Bos primigenius, placing it under the same genus umbrella as modern cattle, to which its directly ancestral.) The Auroch is one of the few prehistoric animals to be commemorated in ancient cave paintings, including a famous drawing from Lascaux in France dating to about 17,000 years ago. As you might expect, this mighty beast figured on the dinner menu of early humans, who played a large part in driving the Auroch into extinction (when they werent domesticating it, thus creating the line that led to modern cows). However, small, dwindling populations of Aurochs survived well into modern times, the last known individual dying in 1627. One little-known fact about the Auroch is that it actually comprised three separate subspecies. The most famous, Bos primigenius primigenius, was native to Eurasia, and is the animal depicted in the Lascaux cave paintings. The Indian Auroch, Bos primigenius namadicus, was domesticated a few thousand years ago into what are now known as Zebu cattle, and the North African Auroch (Bos primigenius africanus) is the most obscure of the three, likely descended from a population native to the Middle East. One historical description of the Auroch was written by, of all people, Julius Caesar, in his History of the Gallic War: These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise. Back in the 1920s, a pair of German zoo directors hatched a scheme to resurrect the Auroch via the selective breeding of modern cattle (which share virtually the same genetic material as Bos primigenius, albeit with some important traits suppressed). The result was a breed of oversized oxen known as Heck cattle, which, if not technically Aurochs, at least provide a clue to what these ancient beasts must have looked like. Still, hopes for the resurrection of the Auroch persist, via a proposed process called de-extinction.