Monday, November 25, 2019
Free Essays on The Roots And Reason Of Fascism
What exactly is fascism? Where did it come from? What on earth is it good for? Nowadays, fascism is most popularly associated with Mussoliniââ¬â¢s Italy between the years 1922 to 1943, and Hitlerââ¬â¢s Nazi Germany between the years 1933 to 1945. However, making Nazism synonymous with fascism would be a mistake: fascism has spawned into many forms, and although they share similar features, different nations have customized fascism to a point of significant differentiation. Between 1922 and 1945, fascist parties arose throughout the world. They included the Fatherland Front, led by Engelbert Dollfuss in Austria, the Falange founded by Jose Antonio Primo in Spain, the Cross of Fire, renamed the French Social Party led by Colonel Francois de La Rocque, the Gentile National Socialist Movement and the South Africa Fascists, both in South Africa, the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, and the military dictatorship of Admiral Tojo Hideki in Japan (RoSo, 2002). Even Mussoliniâ⠬â¢s and Hitlerââ¬â¢s fascist states - allied Axis forces in World War II ââ¬â were far from identical. Up to and including the year 2002 fascist states and groups continue to exist all over the world. This makes fascism all the more intriguing to study, as unlike Communism, for example, it has no distinct author of one ideological abstraction. There was no Karl Marx of fascism, who exported his theories worldwide. Instead, fascism seems to be a condition that states let themselves fall into, and then upon which they fervently cling. Fascism grows up from out of the ground and is incubated in each nation individually: consequently, the ingredients are the same but the flavor is unique. This phenomenon occurs because fascism, for as long as it has been known, is rightly considered an ideology of negatives. For example, it is vehemently anti-Marxist, anti-democratic, and anti-liberal. This makes it difficult to define what exactly is ââ¬Å"pureâ⬠fascism. Its origins hav... Free Essays on The Roots And Reason Of Fascism Free Essays on The Roots And Reason Of Fascism What exactly is fascism? Where did it come from? What on earth is it good for? Nowadays, fascism is most popularly associated with Mussoliniââ¬â¢s Italy between the years 1922 to 1943, and Hitlerââ¬â¢s Nazi Germany between the years 1933 to 1945. However, making Nazism synonymous with fascism would be a mistake: fascism has spawned into many forms, and although they share similar features, different nations have customized fascism to a point of significant differentiation. Between 1922 and 1945, fascist parties arose throughout the world. They included the Fatherland Front, led by Engelbert Dollfuss in Austria, the Falange founded by Jose Antonio Primo in Spain, the Cross of Fire, renamed the French Social Party led by Colonel Francois de La Rocque, the Gentile National Socialist Movement and the South Africa Fascists, both in South Africa, the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, and the military dictatorship of Admiral Tojo Hideki in Japan (RoSo, 2002). Even Mussoliniâ⠬â¢s and Hitlerââ¬â¢s fascist states - allied Axis forces in World War II ââ¬â were far from identical. Up to and including the year 2002 fascist states and groups continue to exist all over the world. This makes fascism all the more intriguing to study, as unlike Communism, for example, it has no distinct author of one ideological abstraction. There was no Karl Marx of fascism, who exported his theories worldwide. Instead, fascism seems to be a condition that states let themselves fall into, and then upon which they fervently cling. Fascism grows up from out of the ground and is incubated in each nation individually: consequently, the ingredients are the same but the flavor is unique. This phenomenon occurs because fascism, for as long as it has been known, is rightly considered an ideology of negatives. For example, it is vehemently anti-Marxist, anti-democratic, and anti-liberal. This makes it difficult to define what exactly is ââ¬Å"pureâ⬠fascism. Its origins hav...
Friday, November 22, 2019
A Critique of a Work of Art. Leonardo Da Vinci Essay
A Critique of a Work of Art. Leonardo Da Vinci - Essay Example For instance, Da Vinci figured out that the earth revolves around the sun long before Copernicus theorized this. His inventions were so sought-after that princes and generals wanted him to build canals, forts and weapons. Da Vinci was also a ââ¬Å"splendid musicianâ⬠(Gombrich, 1989, p. 222). Moreover, Da Vinci conceived of a helicopter, long before man had the technology to actually build one (Ramirez, 1999, p. 50). In other word, Da Vinci was a genius on many, many different levels, creating timeless masterpieces of art while also conceiving of scientific theories that were clearly after his time. Da Vinciââ¬â¢s work is so renowned that his work could be seen in most any art museum, most prominently in the Louvre in Paris, the Guggenheim museum in New York City and the Santa Maria delle Grazie abbey in Milan, Italy, which is where The Last Supper is located. Study of a Womb shows the marriage of Da Vinciââ¬â¢s fascination with science and scientific principles with his meticulous skill in art. The medium used is pen and in. The actual drawing uses lines in a curvilinear fashion, as all the lines in the drawing are curved and rounded. The lines are also used to illustrate the fetus in the womb, as the lines are also used for contrast of the dark and light. The shape of the drawing is round ââ¬â the womb is round, and heart-shaped, with a larger right side than left, and the fetus itself is also rounded. The head is perfectly round, and the body is also rounded. There are no sharp lines on this drawing, just gentle curves. On the left side of the womb, however, there are shapes which illustrate blood vessels, and, although these are not sharply drawn, they are also not perfectly round, either. Thus, this is the only part of the drawing which is not rounded. The texture of the drawing is such that Da Vinci depicts the actual texture of the fetus in the womb, which would be soft and pliable, through his use of light, color and darkness. Da Vinci w as the first artist to describe how the use of light and dark can portray three-dimensional figures, as this figure is (Mamassian, 1998, p. 288). The inside of the womb, which would have a soft texture is portrayed softly as well, and Da Vinci designs his linear formations to reflect this. The flesh of the baby, which would also be soft, but, perhaps, not as spongy as the inside of the womb, is depicted by the use of lines, the light and the dark contrasting to show the softness of the flesh. These lines denote the pliability of the flesh. The value of the artwork also depicts the texture of the subject matter, as the light and the dark are entirely used to depict the texture of the womb and the fetus. The color of the drawing is varying shades of black and grey, with the grey portions of the drawing depicting the light of the drawing, and the black depicting the dark of the drawing. As for the balance of the drawing, it is slightly off balance, in that the right side of the drawing is more pronounced than the left side. The right side has the largest part of the womb and the fetus inside. The left side, on the other hand, only contains a small part
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
British Airways - Essay Example This is according to the chairman of British Airways from 1993 to 2004, lord Marshall of Knightsbridge. While the history of BA in its current structure and name began in 1976, its predecessors can be traced back to the late ââ¬Ë10s. The first British Airlines, Aircraft Transport and Travel, was established in 1919, with the initial scheduled flight taking off on August the 25th from le Bourget to Honslow, its home. Two other airlines, Handley page and Instone, were established using modified bombers. The three companies underwent a period of great difficulty, especially competition from French airlines, which were cheaper. To solve these problems, they merged to be joined later by British Marine Air Navigation, forming Imperial Airways. Imperial Airways began local and overseas flights immediately, flying as far as Egypt and India with a crew of 250 and a fleet of 18 crafts (Gaskell, 2010). This paper is an essay on British Airways. Later, Imperial Airways was a Brisbane, Austral ia route, whose duration would take grueling 12 days. The new airline added new planes such as the short S.23 C-class model, which signified that the airline was growing, as was a new carrier British Airways limited (Gaskell, 2010). After the start of the 1st World War, these two merged to form British Overseas Airways Corporation, which re-started its transatlantic flights after the war ended. In addition, they created the BEA, a new airline to handle the European flights. At this point, the carriers needed to order new and more efficient aircraft. BOAC consequently ordered the Boeing Strato-cruiser, the Lockheed Constellation, and a Rolls-Royce engine equipped version of the DC-4. It did not take long before they ordered a jet plane, the De Havilland Comet, which dramatically reduced the length of trans-Atlantic flights (Marriott, 2010). The early 60ââ¬â¢s saw BOAC order the Rolls-Royce Conway engine driven 707-436 to tide over until the VC-10s were ready. By 1970, with the fir st 747 and rapid growth, BOAC and BAL were ready to merge and work as one, establishing British Airways in 1976. BAââ¬â¢s most crucial year was 1976; it had a partnership with Concorde, coupled with big fleets of Lockheed TriStar and Boeing 747. The early 1980s saw the company face its second major threat, economic trouble, although measures were taken to privatize the company, which duly happened in 1987. Increasing competition from US based carriers also forced BAs hand in the merger with British Caledonian, which saw the A320 among other planes enter the fleet (Marriott, 2010). This merger further enabled BA to begin operations at Gatwick Airport. However, its base remained at Heathrow, where BA operates approximately forty percent of the total flights. In addition, the airline has created service stations in Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. British Airways has built its brand around fast travel, which has seen it at the forefront of jet travel. The first jets for short hau l flights were ordered in 1980, with forty four 737-200 planes delivered. New 737s were ordered in the late 80s, most of them being the 400-plane model with increased passenger capacity. Although not a choice of BA, the Airbus A320, entered the British Airways service after it merged with British Caledonian (Marriott, 2010). However, the planes proved quite efficient in their flights and duties. Medium haul flights were performed by the larger Boeing 757 fleet, as well as the 767, which were equipped with engines from Rolls-Royce. A number of Boeing 767-300ER in turn, performs long haul flights, which do not require huge passenger capacity. Most of these carry two hundred and fifty two passengers, with additional Boeing 777-200 and 747-400 complementing this segment. Recently, the company replaced all Boeing
Monday, November 18, 2019
Research literature related to the health needs of this client Essay
Research literature related to the health needs of this client - Essay Example To this end, the reported struggling history of infections is justified by the health profile to compel a strict treatment regime. His reservations leading up to discontinuation of ART cannot facilitate success in the treatment. Such positions will occasion hepatitis liver deterioration that will affect other drug metabolism requirements. The end-stage status of Mr. Xââ¬â¢s liver infection compounds the complexity of therapy requirements needed for the presenting challenges. Assuming that the treatment regime prescribed to Mr. X has both elements for HIV and HBV treatment, the patient must continue with the prescription. The impacts of discontinuation can occasion severe coinfection to the already weakened health status and cause death. According to Carosi et al. (2008), current regimes targeted for HBV reduce progression of related liver complications significantly. The authors held that most coinfections from poor countries progress to mortality due to lack of parallel treatment of both infections and lack of efficient care. The high probability of progression of HBV among HIV patients requires strict treatment regimes that can prevent liver failure and related immunity complications. Appropriate treatment regimes must be continued to prevent the development of drug resistant strains of the virus causing the coinfection (Reiberger et al. 2012). Apparently, discontinuation of drugs before completion of the prescribed dosage presents grounds for the dev elopment of resistance. Since viral susceptibility to drugs remains elusive, patients must be assisted to follow their prescriptions. The healthcare attendant serving Mr. X must help cultivate positivity to support adherence to drug administration. According to Benhamou (2004), the appropriate medical regime to handle Mr. Xââ¬â¢s condition must contain Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). Aware of the vulnerability of the HIV positive patients to HBV, treatment options contain the
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Informal Jobs in Nicaragua
Informal Jobs in Nicaragua Freddy Espinoza Nicaragua is a third world nation located in Central America. The capital of Nicaragua is Managua. It is the biggest country of the region with an extension of 129,442 km2. Nevertheless its population is small in comparison with its size, only 6,071,042 habitants, although some cities like the capital, Managua, and Leà ³n are overpopulated. Nicaragua has had hard knocks in its economic history, but also has had good times. In the 60ââ¬â¢s the economy of the country was good and increasing because of the industrialization but it started to decrease when people started to feel the oppression of the dictatorship. Also the economy was losing power because only the government and its allies had all the money; they were the largest owners of the industries while the rest of the population was poor. Then in 1972 the economy got worst because of the earthquake of that year which destroyed almost complete the downtown of the capital; many business and factories were destroyed so the production of the country decreased. In 1979 started the revolution (civil war) against the dictatorship Anastacio Somoza, causing a very low economic performance. During the revolution people were fighting in the rural areas therefore most of the croplands were destroyed. This caused the production of food to decrease and due to the shortage between the demand and the supply the prices were forced to increase in order to contract the demand. Also the revolutionaries were recruiting men in order to have more power and fight against the National Guard, which was the presidentââ¬â¢s personal army. The reclusion caused a lack of labor for the production of goods because they had almost all their people working in their guard. With this low production the inflation rate reached a percentage of 70% in 1979. The communist government of Daniel Ortega overthrew Somoza but they didnââ¬â¢t do something good for the economy. They stayed in the power by imposing strength and controlling the imports and exports, so the other countries with different thinking couldnââ¬â¢t export to Nicaragua because the government would not let their products come i nto the country. Due the political and economic crises in those times, Nicaraguaââ¬â¢s external debt increased excessively, even more than its gross domestic product; being the debt impossible to pay. Since that time, government companies have been privatizing in order to reduce the external debt. Nowadays the economy has improved but there are still delimited works and unemployment creating a social-economic problem because many people have opted for informal jobs. Informal jobs are a type of work that occurs mostly in developing countries, these are characterized by employments that donââ¬â¢t comply with legal formalities. They are divided in two: wage employment and self-employment. In Nicaragua informal jobs are considered as peopleââ¬â¢s works which are not in the formal sector of the economy. These jobs are not recognized by the INSS (Instituto Nicaraguense de Seguridad Social) which control the requirements and rights of workers, or are people who decides to work by themselves and they donââ¬â¢t inscribe their business in the corresponded institution. In Nicaragua 63% of the population is considered poor, of that 63% the 43% is considered extremely poor and the 20% is considered poor. The education and sanitary conditions have increase but no too much, and almost the half of the population is unemployed. Half of the population doesnââ¬â¢t finish their studies. The level of education sometimes is until 6th grade but in rural areas it hardily reaches 4th grade Every company wants the best for its economy so they try to look for the best level of workers that they can have, thatââ¬â¢s why everybody needs a curriculum is they want a job in a formal company and have a good salary. The relation of this whit informal jobs is that in Nicaragua many people donââ¬â¢t have a good grade of education and if they donââ¬â¢t study a major they are not going to be able to compete for good works because their lack of knowledge is going to impede them get a work that another person with a major in that work knows how to do it. We see that every time it is more important for a person to study a major and get degrees in it because in that way they can win the competition against others and get a better job. Unfortunately unemployment is everywhere and Nicaragua does not offer too many good works and they are many college graduates who are looking for a job or working in a different area of what they studied. When people donââ¬â¢t even find a job in another area, sometimes they are forced to work in the informal sector and it get worst for people who donââ¬â¢t have a major thatââ¬â¢s why we see a lot of immigrants working in our neighbor country of Costa Rica and The United States. Sometimes the companies get advantage of this situation paying less or disrespecting the rights of workers. However they are people who look these problems and they decide to have self-employment because they prefer to earn their own money and work hard for a better future than feel their selves disrespected by someone else. In 2003 the INEC (Instituto Nicaraguense de Estadisticas y Censo) calculated that the amount of people working in informal Jobs according to their education was: 4% from college g raduates, 27% from high school, 46% from primary and 23% from any grade of education. Nowadays 79.2% of homes in Nicaragua have people working in the informal sector; and in many they are the principal income for the family. This information was given by the recent survey prepared by the firm M R, which by face to face interviews consulted 1,600 people over 16 years in all regions of the country. The rural population forms the biggest amount of people working in this sector; the cause of this is almost in its totality due the education because in rural areas the education is difficult because the teachers have to travel through difficult paths where the communication is difficult and in some places it does not even exist yet, the students have to walk large distances sometimes confronting dangerous rivers in order to get education but sometimes it is impossible to get in some days because in winter because the lack of communication routes and the river flow increases donââ¬â¢t let the student go to his destiny. Informal jobs in urban areas: Urban areas like Managua are characterized because you can find people from all the areas of the country that have come to the urban areas looking for a best future and good opportunities of work. Usually people from rural areas are the principal ones who emigrates to the urban areas looking for a best income but sometimes what they find is not what they thought. Due to their lack of education people hire them just like gardeners, guards, and mates earning a low salary and sometimes they donââ¬â¢t know their rights and are overexploited or they just do not denounced their bosses in order to donââ¬â¢t lose their jobs. In urban areas the biggest amount of informal jobs are seen in their local markets. Managua has 8 markets, being ââ¬Ëel Mercado orientalââ¬â¢ the biggest market in the country and in Central America the new official data of the Corporacià ³n de Mercados de Managua (Commema) indicates that ââ¬Ëel Mercado orientalââ¬â¢ is officially composed of 91 blocks. In these markets are estimated 35 thousand fixed traders and a similar amount of informal workers who works with baskets, wagons, and some ones who carry their products; these people are called itinerant workers. Meanwhile the itinerant workers work by themselves they are others who prefers to work for somebody else in the business of the markets, but the problem is that they also get in the informal sector because almost in all the cases they donââ¬â¢t get a formal contract and they are not inscribe in the INSS. These markets have a committee named CONMEMA which collect leases but they donââ¬â¢t collect any money f rom itinerant workers. Also they are many people who decided to create their own business at home and they create a ââ¬Å"pulperà aâ⬠, this is basically a minimarket where you can find basic things that you forgot to buy in the supermarket commonly normal goods and inferior goods. In Managua and Masaya you usually are going to find ââ¬Å"fritangasâ⬠at night, fritangas are small restaurants where you can find typical food and their food is characterized for being unhealthy but delicious; the fritangas are not registered or controlled by the ministry of health in the majority because they have emerged spontaneously and they are not famous enough to attract the attention of the institution, even though they are some others which comply with all the requirements and licenses. Actually fritangas have taken part of our culture and if you are a foreign you should try it when you visit Nicaragua. In the semaphores you will see the different products that the itinerant workers sell to the cars since fruits of the season until covers for cellphones and exotic animals like parrot. Government institutions like the MARENA (Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) have taken rules against the sale of exotic animals but they are still people selling. Also they are people who are glass cleaners, so they wait the semaphore to turn red in order to start working but sometimes they donââ¬â¢t get even a Cordoba. In these places we can even see the influence of child exploitation in informal jobs and homeless. Actually they have appeared women carrying newborn children and they ask for money to the cars and pedestrians, they do all these under the shining and hot sun of the tropic. They are other parents who came with their children to work and their children wait in the boulevard while the parents work, or they help their parents. The child exploitation also is reflected with paren ts that wait and watch their children since the boulevard, observing that they are working constantly either selling a product or begging. Child exploitation is common in informal jobs because it is the only place where children can work. According to Nicaraguan laws their age donââ¬â¢t let them work even they want to work because it is considered child exploitation so if they get a job in a formal business or company this can be demanded, meanwhile the informal sector is not controlled or regulated by any organization so they can work there with any problem while there is not an investigation. The situation in the semaphores is sad to see. Even though it has being show in national television programs and television reports, it is still seeing clearly that they are not changes and the situation continues. Informal jobs in rural areas: Rural areas have the biggest rate of informal jobs the causes are their level of education and the developed of the region. Because of the limited accessibility and the lack of infrastructure the economy activities are limited and it is based in agriculture and animal husbandry. In the most remote rural areas, people mostly harvest for their own consumption and the animal husbandry is scarce. Their income is only from the little amount of product that is left after they save enough products for consumption. The little money that they earn is used to buy clothes or a tool to improve their harvest. Commonly these people have only a cow and two chickens; although it is hard to believe they have learned to subsist just with that limitations some people continue doing it and they have family and are able to raise their children.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Essay --
Where is the line drawn between empowerment and objectification? Do women want to be viewed as objects rather than equals? According to Cameron Diaz.Female sexuality in media continues to be a heated and divided debate between people with conventional and progressive views. The media and various female artists have forced us to repeatedly question whether pushing boundaries is liberating or insulting. Those with traditional values believe that objectifying women sets a negative example for the youth of today. While modern audiences believe that women should choose to empower themselves by pushing the envelope and promote the youth to follow their own path in life. Women in the music industry today are empowering themselves, rather than being objectified, through their music by encouraging individuality and embracing their sexuality. Many with traditional values argue that the objectification of female artists in music media is sexist and demeaning. Breines, a postdoctoral fellow at Brandeis University, believes. This media imagery shapes how society views women and young girls see themselves. As a result, this leaves women are more prone to low self confidence and eating disorders. This self-objectification shown by oversexualized artists perpetuates the ideal that a womanââ¬â¢s character is solely based on her appearance. Nowadays, teenagers are becoming more and more influenced by social media and have an easier access to images that are not necessarily appropriate. The female artists are promoting stories of female servitude rather than of female equality. Female artists promote a tasteless lifestyle through overtly sexualized imagery. Suit, a representative from Safermedia, stated that, The song lyrics to ââ¬Å"Pour It Upâ⬠include.... ... during this debate is self respect. Traditional audiences see a provocative performance or song and assume the female artist lacks self respect. But what must a male artist do to lack self respect? As a result, the youth today pay the ultimate cost by emulating a bad example in their everyday lives. Regardless the message given from both of these artists, no matter how provocative, the empowerment of women and being an individual is evident. However, modern viewers might question why society forces women to be ashamed of their bodies rather than empowered. Audiences can come to their own conclusions, after seeing something provocative, based on appearances. However, regardless of controversial themes explored, only female artists can determine their own self respect and whether it is lost by embracing their bodies and inspiring other females to do the same.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Practical Life Exercises Montessori Free Essay
DMT 104 Practical Life (Assignment One) Montessori in the Absorbent Mind writes that ââ¬Å"the hands are instruments of manââ¬â¢s intelligenceâ⬠. It is therefore critical that children develop the ability to control and coordinate their hand muscle so that these can come into contact with the environment in intelligent ways. Discuss the principles underlining the practical life exercises and how it fosters independence in children. Introduction A child in the first six years becomes a full member of her particular culture and family group absorbing language, attitudes, manners and values of those in which she comes in daily contact.A child develops properly if they are in an environment full of affection, love, caring and support. They feel comfortable and safe when they find a secure and lovable environment. Children learn according to their abilities. In the first six years of life they do this by imitating those around them. To support this we should provide them a physic al and social environment suitable for them. We should provide the children with the tools they can create by themselves.Children are able to explore, investigate and fulfil the natural curiosity about the world around them. The child's purposes are not to complete the task as much as to construct the self. In addition, Dr Maria Montessori developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. She said children prefer work than play, and they can only be in their natural self, when their natural self is satisfied through work. Itââ¬â¢s also through work they acquire independence, order, the power of concentration and be normalized.Exercises of Practical Life were introduced and were recognized at the very heart of Montessori Education for it provides the opportunity for the childââ¬â¢s development of physical co-ordination, social skills, emotional growth as well as cognitive preparation. Practical Life Activities are the first activities the child i s introduced to within the Montessori environment. These exercises are prepared based on activities children witnesses in their day to day life. That is why children can immediately satisfy their inner needs and desires by mastering these exercises independently.Also Practical Life area allows children to do the things what adults do every day, for example cleaning, dressing or greeting people. As we know that children construct their knowledge by themselves through their life exercises. Motive of Practical Life Exercises Practical Life Curriculum area has four main direct aims; Order, Co-ordination, independence and Concentration. Dr Maria Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. I f not provided during this period the opportunity is foregone. A routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place.This offers the child for orderly self construction. Co-ordination refers to coordinating large and small muscle movements as well as eye-hand co-ordination that reflect the respective development of childââ¬â¢s mental life. In the practical life exercise of Montessori they learns to concentrate, to develop the fine-gross motor skills-i. e. controlling the muscle, to develop language, to develop the mathematical concepts, they will be good in care of environment, they will be good in logical steps and they are ready to complete the cycle of activity.This is will be the good basement for the children not only in the early childhood, but throughout in life. ââ¬Å"If teachingà is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities, which they can perform themselves. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence. â⬠ââ¬â TheDiscovery of the Child by Maria Montessori MM, pg. 56~57 By giving the exercise of practical life in his early years of the child, he goes through a period when he wants to or likes to learn to do all the work he sees the adult doing. At first, he likes to learn the works at home. This age will pass, but if it is used, the child will know how to do everything well in the home environment. He will grow intellectually. It requires real intelligence to run a modern home. The indirect aim of Practical life exercise is to meet the childââ¬â¢s needs, to encourage and facilitate development, and to facilitate the child's adaptation to the world.It is very important that the child is given freedom to do these exercises at a time the child pleases; he should be allowed to try, make mistakes and correct his mistakes by himself without any help. The satisfaction of completing an activity drives the child towards independence. ââ¬Å"Man achieves his independence by making efforts. To be able to do a thing without any help from others: this is independence. If it exists, the child can progress rapidly; if it does not, his progress will be slowâ⬠The Absorbent Mind, chapter. XIV, pg 155 The power of Concentration is one of the most calming activities for a child.This is something which is controlled by the child and it challenges his body and his mind. With concentration the child is able to focus on purposeful work. Iââ¬â¢ve witnessed to the concentration that my 3 and half year old niece had for folding her little brothersââ¬â¢ nappies. The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. Within the Montessori classroom deep concentration can be acquired through the ââ¬ËSilence Gameâ⬠.To achieve silence requires effort and the attention of the will, and maximum control of self-consciousness of every movement. Montessori thought of the silence lesson as a means for bringing children to this higher level of spiritual awareness. Practical Life Exercises aid the child in his journey towards normalization As a result of learning Practical Life Exercises in the Montessori environment, the child starts to develop confidence, self-esteem, he grow towards independence, mutual aid and co-operation, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality and most importantly child's joy of learning is supreme.All these help the child to lead towards normalization. The normalized children possess a unique character and personality not recognized in young children. Children needs a carefully prepared environment It is important to provide the child an environment to work on activities of their own choice at their own p ace experiencing freedom and self discipline while developing towards independence. Even though materials in Practical Life area are the least standardized, exercises needs to be carefully thought and designed. A prepared environment should consist of purposeful and meaningful materials and properly trained instructors.When preparing materials the teacher needs to consider few principles of the Montessori Practical Life materials which satisfy Childsââ¬â¢ development needs. Firstly she needs to make sure that each material we give the child should have a definite purpose, for an example the mat is laid to mark the area of his workstation, handling the spoon develops childââ¬â¢s skill of spooning which leads to independence. Secondly materials should progress from simple to more complex design and usage. As a preliminary exercise for transferring solid objects we could give the child a spoon and later, it could progress to tweezers, chopsticks.Also it should be designed to prep are the child indirectly for future learningââ¬â¢s such as writing, mathematics and scientific concepts. We prepare the child for wiring by teaching them the pincer grip, using thumb, index and middle fingers to hold objects and by left to right and top to bottom concepts, so that these orders naturally incarnates in the childââ¬â¢s mind. The mathematical concepts such as judgement of capacity and volume, division, calculation and exactness includes in activities of spooning, pouring and sweeping.The activity, transferring water using a sponge gives the child the scientific concept of weight. The child could feel the weight of the sponge defers when the water is absorbed and when the water is released. Dr. Maria Montessori said, ââ¬Å"Each individual should become aware of his own errors. Each should have a means of checking, so that he can tell if he is right or not. â⬠Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, pg 247 So she included the path to perfection, which she called ââ¬Å" the Control of Errorâ⬠within the materials itself so the child would be able to observe the activity he completes and understand his own mistakes.If a child has finished working on the dressing frame with large buttons, and he can see that buttons has gone through wrong buttonholes or buttoning halfway or seeing only half of the button come up the flap, these would be his control of errors. He has the opportunity to guide himself to correct his own mistakes. ââ¬Å"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. â⬠-Maria Montessori. Furthermore when preparing the activity in the Montessori classroom the directress need to make sure that all materials are kept together in a basket or a tray and grouped accordingly to the level of development.The activity should have its unique location and be reachable to the child so that the child could use the materials of their own choice and return the exercise, leading to independence and self-discipline. Also it is important to be providing attractive and clean child friendly and child size materials. Each activity should be limited in quantity. In a Montessori classroom the directress plays a major role. She needs to be properly trained, be a good role model and she should be able to develop and maintain a happy and rewarding teacher-child relationship. The first essential is that the teacher should go thru an inner, spiritual preparation ââ¬â cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order. â⬠Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, pg 298 The teacherââ¬â¢s prime objectives are to maintain order in the prepared environment, facilitate the development of the child, and encourage independence and self-sufficiency. Practical life activities can be divided into the following 4 categories: Exercises in each of these categories provide the opportunity to do purposeful work and are designed to teach the child life skills, so that they may become confident to do their daily chores at home. Care of the self: includes activities such as hand washing, dressing, and personal hygiene. These activities embody the foundations of self-esteem. The exercises are designed to provide the child skills need for his sole independence. In order to gain independence, the child needs to establish will and discipline in order. The child needs to build himself and learn to take care of himself * Care of the environment: includes activities such as washing chairs, dusting, raking leaves, cooking, feeding animals, watering plants, composting, recycling and job time at the end of the day.These activities promote the beginnings of community awareness and embody the foundations of an ecological ethic. They learn that they are a part of the environment and learn to respect and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also the child will gradually learn how to gain greater control of his gross motor movements so that he would be able perform more complex tasks later on. Some of th e activities such as washing of a table can be carried out as a group task, which helps the child to be socialized. Social relations and courtesy: Maria Montessori called these exercises Grace and Courtesy. They include developing skills in greeting visitors, participating in a conversation, self-assertion, resolving conflicts, initiating and maintaining friendships. These exercises are focused on developing will power, establish a proper posture, greet people, excuse one and interrupt when necessary. Maria Montessori considers the Social Grace and Courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum.She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises. * Development of Motor Skills: this includes many exercises involving hand/eye coordination, carrying objects, self-expression through movement as well as initiating and inhibiting actions and impulses. The Silence Game is an examp le of a group activity in which children have to restrain impulses to speak or move for a short period of time in order to report on what they may have experienced in the interim.The particular exercise will be appropriate for any particular child will depend on that childââ¬â¢s individual development and interest. ans it is only possible to give a very general indication as to whether an exercise is ââ¬Ëearlyââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëimmediate or ââ¬Ëlaterââ¬â¢. So each and every activity indirectly helps them to develop the language, mathematics movements and social awareness. To give an opportunity to exercise and co-ordinate body movement is one of the aims of the exercises of Practical Life activity.Movement is so important for the young children; children need to move. Movement is very important to the child; because it contributes not only for the physical growth also intellectual and spiritual development of the child. ââ¬Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external en vironment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciousness, since it is the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality. The secret of childhood by Maria Montessori pg-97 Conclusion Practical Life exercises teach children to care for themselves, for others, and for the environment. They involve a wide variety of activities such as carrying objects, walking, polishing, sweeping, dusting, lacing, mainly activities that are done in day to day living. It is divided into four major areas namely: movement, care of self, care of environment, and grace and courtesy.These activities are Montessoriââ¬â¢s response to the childââ¬â¢s need for movement, order, independence, among many others; they are basic activities that enable the child to explore his environment and eventually make him one with it. Through practi cal life exercises, he learns to refine his movements, becomes conscious of his body and of what his body can do. He learns how to move and act in a socially accepted manner, thus helping him in his task of adaptation. He learns the ways of social living and becomes comfortable and confident in his society.These exercises also teach the child to complete a task following a step-by-step procedure. This sequential ordering of tasks prepares him for the logical task that awaits him in mathematics. Likewise, activities in these areas are presented in isolation in order to help the child focus his attention only on a particular task. Practical Life Exercises refines movement, providing a foundation in early learning, attitudes and dispositions. Practical life exercises also provide children a sense of accomplishment as they engage in real, meaningful work with tangible results.The familiar home-like environment of the practical life corner allows children to gain independence, order, con centration and confidence as they carry out thoughtfully prepared activities. This leads to normalization. BIBLIOGRAPHY Montessori, Maria, The Discovery of the Child, page 56-57, published 1967 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, page 247, published 1967 E. M. Standing, Montessori, Maria, Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, page 298, published 1998 Montessori, Maria, The secret of childhood, page 97, published 1966 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Page 155, published 1967
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