The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture

The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture Free Online Research Papers The institute of slavery was a cruel, violent and a heartless system from its starting places in West Africa to its implementation in the cotton fields of the American south. Though we as a nation have abolished slavery and worked to have equality among all races. We have rarely taken the time to realize the extreme mental and physical stress placed upon African-American people by this cruel system of economics we called slavery. A wise man once said â€Å"In order to understand where you’re going, you must understand where you came from† which means in order to understand the African-American psyche, we must take a journey through this ugly piece of American History. During the 17th and 18th century, the demand for slaves was at its peak. Europe slave traders quickly provide the labor needed. This is how the Middle passage started. The potential of earning a small fortune in the slave trading business was enough of a profit for traders to put aside the fact that Africans were human beings.† In the 1760, in some markets, a trader could sell a male slave for 50 pounds, which was enough to live comfortable for one year. With the promise of making more than a decent living from slave trade, it also became profitable. Traders could not have been successful without the formation of a relationship with the Africans who provide them with other Africans to enslave. In return for providing human cargo to the enslavers, African kidnappers received guns, textiles, iron bars, and other products.†(The Middle Passage, http://afroamhistory.about.com, 3/1/08 ) The African slaves were about to embark on the infamous Middle passage, so called because it was the middle leg of a three-part voyage. A voyage that began and end in Europe. â€Å"The first leg of the voyage carried a cargo that often included iron, cloth, brandy, firearms, and gunpowder. Upon landing on Africa’s â€Å"Slave Coast,’’ the cargo was exchanged for sugar, tobacco, or some other product. The final leg brought the ship back to Europe.†(The Middle Passage, pbs.org,3/1/2008). Captains of slave ships were known as either â€Å"loose packers† or â€Å"tight packers†, depending upon how many slaves they crammed into the space they had. Most ships, especially those of the later 18th century, were â€Å" tight packers†, carrying a huge quality of slaves who were often forced to lie in spaces smaller than that of grave, or in some cases stacked spoon-fashion on top of one another.†( Hell Bellow Deck (life on the slave ship), http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu,3/1/2008) Once at sea, the slaves were brought up out of their steamy dungeon each morning. The men’s leg-irons were linked to a chain running down the center of the ship to prevent suicide attempts. On some ship they were made to dance for exercise. The slave would receive their meal, usually the same as the first. While on deck a good captain had the slaves washed down with warm vinegar and scrubbed. Some did not bother and in rough weather the slaves would not be allowe d out at all. â€Å"Shackled in darkness and filth, seasickness and disease were rife. The heat in the hold could be over 30 degrees Celsius and the slaves would have no access to toilets or washing facilities. Extreme foulness was the smell of slave ships that other vessels try to stayed far away from them. In such conditions disease spread, and many slaves died.†(The Middle Passage, headleypark.edu, 3/1/2008) Other deaths can be attributed to the Africans being faced with the horrible conditions of the voyage. The unknown future that lay beyond, many Africans preferred to die. But even the choice of suicide was taken away from these people. From the captain’s point of view, his human cargo was extremely valuable and had to be kept alive and, if possible, uninjured. A slave who tried to starve him or her self was tortured. If torture did not work, the slave was forced fed with the help of a contraption called a speculum orum, which held the mouth open. Eventually, after the hard 3,700-mile voyage, the slave would reach North America. In order to strengthen them before sale, the slaves were normally fed better in the days directly before their arrival in the new world, however their suffering was far from over. Before the could be sold, the slaves would be oiled to make their skin shinny and any imperfections, such as scars from whipping, would be filled in with hot tar in order to improve their appearance and get the best market price. Most slave ship would not be allowed to dock in the ports, which they could not due to their horrible stench and the fear of the spread of any diseases, which had been spread throughout the ship. Therefore, the slavers would drop anchor a few miles off shore and carry slaves to land the slaves in land in smaller boats, which had been stored aboard the ship. After arriving on land, almost all slaves were separated from there loved ones and sold off to different households never to see each other again . Slavery in the south was hard. Over 4 million enslaved African Americans lived throughout the south by 1860. Most of these slaves were agriculture laborers, either on a small farm of large plantation. These slaves worked from sunrise to sunset. Women worked the same hours as the men and pregnant women were expected to continue until their child was born. Most slaves worked in cotton tobacco, or sugar fields. A few slaves held specialized jobs as artisans, skilled laborers, and factory workers. An even smaller number of slaves worked as cooks, butlers, or maids. The law provided slaves with virtually no protection from their masters. On large plantations this power was delegated to overseers. These men were under considerable pressure for plantation owners to maximize profits. They did this by bulling the slaves in increase productivity. The punishment used against slaves judged to be under-performing included the use of the whip. Sometimes slave-owners resorted to mutilating and br anding their slaves. Some punishments were associated with certain areas. According to William Wells Brown, slave owners in Virginia smoked slaves. This involved whipping the slaves and putting them in a tobacco smokehouse. â€Å" Moses Roper claimed that in South Carolina they used to â€Å"drive nails into a coffin like box, so as to leave the point of the nail protruding in the side of the cast. In this he used to put slaves for punishment, and roll them down a very long and steep hill.† ( Slave Punishments (Testimonials), www.spartacus.net,3/1/2008) Lewis Clarke, a house slave in Kentucky, describe in his autobiography the different methods use by his mistress: â€Å"instruments of torture were ordinarily the raw hide, or a bunch a hickory- sprouts seasoned in the fire and tied together. But if these were not at hand, she would use beat him with a chair, the broom, tongs, shovel, shears, knife-handle, the heavy heel of her slipper, and an oak club, a foot and a half in length and an inch and a half square. With this delicate weapon she would beat us upon the hands and upon the feet until they were blistered.† ( Slave Punishments (Testimonials), www.spartacus.net, 3/1/08) Another method slave owners use to control slaves, was what I call the Willie Lynch method. This is a portion of the letter he wrote, to explain his method.† I have a foolproof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee every one of you than if installed correctly it will control the slaves; for at least 300 hundred years. My method is simple. Any member of the family overseer can use it. I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves; and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust and envy for control purpose. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the south. Take this simple little list of differences and think about them. On the top of my list is age but it’s there only because it starts with of plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, east, west, north, south, have fine hair or course hair, are tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action, but before that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger adulation or admiration. The black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self refueling and self-generation for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Do not forget you must pitch the old black male vs. the young black male, and the young black male against the old black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves, and the light s kin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use female vs. male. And the male vs. the female. You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all blacks. But it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect and trust only us. Gentleman, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If use intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you gentleman.† (The Willie Lynch letter (1712),osirisgroup.org,3/1/2008) This method still acted out among some African Americans today. This is called Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder. The Theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is that centuries of slavery followed by systemic racism and oppression have resulted in multigenerational adaptive behaviors, some of which have been positive and reflective of resilience, and others that are detrimental and destructive( Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Leagcy of Enduring Injury and Healing. This is common in African Americans that are 60 years or older or has been spread from generation to generation. What it is, is a slave like mentality, if you have children you treat them according to their color, age and sex. People who have this disorder usually severely beat their children and call them names such as nigger as slave owners did. Willie Lynch’s method is also portrayed in today’s African American youth. By calling each other nigger, which was a word used to degrade the African Am erican slaves. As well as the staggering number of African American men in our prison system compared to our other racial counter parts. As African-American we have been treated as an inferior race for over a decade. Even during the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s, we were still beaten by police and made to sit in the back of the bus. As well, as forced to go to separate schools and to use separate facilities as our white counter parts. Though our generation didn’t have to deal with the extremes of this racism, these stories and hostilities are still passed from generation to generation. In conclusion, the institute of slavery was a cruel, violent and a heartless system from its starting places in West Africa to its implementation in the cotton fields of the America south. Though we as a nation have abolished slavery and worked to have equality among all races. We have rarely taken the time to realize the extreme mental and physical stress placed upon African-American people by this cruel system of economics we called slavery. In order to start the healing process , I feel we must as a people start to recognize this slave like mentality and break threw this state of mind as well as the habits that come with it. Research Papers on The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoDefinition of Export QuotasCapital PunishmentNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of India

What to Do If You Get Rejected From Your Dream College

What to Do If You Get Rejected From Your Dream College SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve sent out your applications and can't stop envisioning yourself at your top-choice school. But then the unthinkable happens: you get a college rejection letter.You start to wonder: what went wrong? What do I do now? Is it still possible to attend my top-choice school? The truth is that I've been in this exactsame situation. In 2008, I got rejected from my top-choice school, Stanford.Though the rejection letter hurt, on the plus side, it taught me a lot about what I did wrong, both in my application and my overall high school career. In this article, I use my own rejection experience as a guide to explain how likely a college rejection is for you, how to avoid getting rejected from college, and the steps to take in case your top-choice school just isn’t that into you. How Likely Is It That You’ll Get a College Rejection Letter? First things first, how likely is it that you’ll actually get rejected from college- more importantly, from your top-choice school? The answer to this question varies depending on two main factors: How competitive your top-choice college is How strong your college application is How Competitive Is Your Top-Choice School? As you might've guessed, your chances of getting rejected from college depend a lot on how hard your top-choice school is to get into. Many students’ top choices are Ivy League institutions, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, or other prestigious, top 25 schools, such as Stanford, Rice, and the University of Chicago. Now, what do many of these schools have in common? That's right:extremely low acceptance rates.These rates dramatically affect your likelihood of getting accepted (or getting rejected). Below are the acceptance rates for the top 25 universities, as determined by the most recent US News rankings for 2018. All schools are listed in order of ranking. (Pro tip: click the school name to learn more about its admission requirements!) School US News Ranking Acceptance Rate Princeton 1 7% Harvard 2 5% University of Chicago 3 (tie) 8% Yale 3 (tie) 6% Columbia 5 (tie) 6% MIT 5 (tie) 8% Stanford 5 (tie) 5% University of Pennsylvania 8 9% Duke 9 11% Caltech 10 8% Dartmouth 11 (tie) 11% Johns Hopkins 11 (tie) 12% Northwestern 11 (tie) 11% Brown 14 (tie) 9% Cornell 14 (tie) 14% Rice 14 (tie) 15% Vanderbilt 14 (tie) 11% University of Notre Dame 18 (tie) 19% Washington University in St. Louis 18 (tie) 17% Georgetown 20 17% Emory 21 (tie) 25% UC Berkeley 21 (tie) 16% UCLA 21 (tie) 18% USC 21 (tie) 17% Carnegie Mellon 25 (tie) 22% UVA 25 (tie) 30% As you can see, your chance of acceptance to top-tier colleges ranges from just 5% to as much as 30%.Your chance of college rejection is highest for schools ranked in the top 10. At these colleges, the typical applicant has a whopping 90-95% chance of getting rejected. These are very, very general estimates, though.How high or low your chances of rejection are will ultimately depend on the overall strength of your application (we discuss this more below).To get a slightly more accurate idea of your admission chances to a particular school, use our college admissions calculator. Still, the point is clear: most applicants to highly selective schools get rejected.Your chance of getting a college rejection letter will be less likely if your top-choice school is ranked lower and has a higher admission rate. You have a lower chance of getting rejected from NYU than you do from Columbia. (jpellgen (@1179_jp)/Flickr) How Strong Is Your College Application? The other major factor that affects your chances of getting rejected from college is the strength of your application. A strong college applicationusually has the following features: A high GPA and rigorous, challenging course load High test scores on theSAT/ACT,SAT Subject Tests, AP exams, etc. A compelling personal statement Cogent letters of recommendation An impressive resume/CV- particularly one that showcases your ongoing commitment to a particular field A highclass rank (if your high school calculates rank) For the Ivy League and other highly competitive schools, you’ll definitely need to stand out from other applicants.And the best way to do this is tocreate a big spike in your application. A spike is essentially something you’re passionate about and have continuously striven to master. It could be anything from a love of writing short stories to a passion for chemistry. Most importantly, your spike should be a field you’re truly committed toand for which you have sufficient evidence to prove your commitment. If you have a spike as well as high test scores, a high GPA, etc., you’ll have a much better chance of being a top-choice candidate for your school. All of this also means that you should avoid aiming for a well-rounded application. This can put you right in the crapshoot of college applications, significantly reducing your chance of acceptance (and thereby increasing your chance of rejection). For more tips on how to put together a strong application, look at a real Harvard application and acceptance letter, supplied by our resident perfect SAT/ACT scorer. My Experience: I Got Rejected From Stanford Some of you reading this might be wondering why I’m writing this article. Well, let me start with some facts. Rejection is nothing new to me. I applied to college in 2008 (yeesh, I’m getting old!). At the time, Stanford was my top choice, so I applied restrictive early action, meaning that my application was due earlier (by November 1) and that Stanford was my #1 pick for college. A little while later, I received a rejection by email. It was the first university I heard back from in the application process, and its letter was by far the most painful.I remember bursting into tears as soon as I finished reading it and then running to my parents for comfort. So many questions ran through my head: how come they didn’t like me? What did I do wrong? Did I mess up my application somehow? Was I simply not good enough? Months later, I got accepted to USC and decided to attend that school instead. And I had a blast: I joined a couple of clubs, wrote for the school newspaper, worked on-campus, made good friends, and had an overall fun and eclectic experience I’d never trade for anything. Sometimes, though, I think back to that initial college rejection and wonder: how did I manage to get through such a difficult, stressful time in my life?And how can I use what I know now to help other students in the same position I was once in? Here’s why I’m telling you all of this: I want you to know that I’m speaking from experience:This is not an article coming from one of those top students who got into every Ivy League school and has never dealt with the crushing pain of rejection. Trust me, I’ve been there- and I know exactly how it feels! It’s important to know that you’re not alone:Lots of students get rejected from college- honestly, more than you might think!- and it’s a totally normal part of the college admission process. Yes, some lucky people will get accepted to all the schools they apply to, but the fact is that most students will get rejected from at least one school, especially if they're applying to highly competitive ones. Rejection is part of life:It sucks to admit this, but it's the truth. The better you can learn to handle rejection, the easier it'll be to move on and look for new (and better) ways to achieve your goals. (As a bonus, I’ve also gotten rejected from grad schools, so once again I’m pretty experienced at this rejection thing!) Now that you know my story, let’s start with the positives: how to avoid getting rejected from college in the first place. If this doesn’t work out for you, no worries- I’ll also give you advice on what to do if you do get rejected. Unfortunately, my tips for avoiding rejection don't apply to asking people out on dates. How to Avoid Getting a College Rejection: 6 Tips Since getting my first college rejection from Stanford, I can tell you this: I’ve learned a lot about what I did wrong in my application. For one, my application wasn't unique enough.I didn’t have a "spike" that made me stand apart from other applicants; instead, I naively believed in the misconception that well rounded was what all top schools wanted the most. (Hint: it’s not!) In addition, my SAT score wasn’t up to par. At the time I thought I'd done fairly well on the test, but I didn’t realize that pretty good isn’t usually good enough for top schools like Stanford. These days,you'd need to score around 1520 (or in the top 1%) just to meet the average at Stanford! Finally, I didn’t take advantage of the AP/honors classes available at my high schools (I moved and attended two schools). I remember thinking that two or three AP classes and a couple of high AP scores would be good enough. Again, though, this isn’t that impressive to top-ranked schools. So what can you do to ensure that you have a better chance of getting into your top-choice school? Here are my top six tips: #1: Maintain a High GPA While Also Challenging Yourself Most students probably know this, but you’ll need a pretty high GPA to keep from getting rejected. Why? Well,a high GPA proves that you’re not only responsible and studious but also capable of performing consistently well in a variety of disciplines. By excelling in several classes, you’re providing direct evidence of your deep commitment to learning and academic success. So what constitutes a high GPA? The answer to this will depend on the school you’re applying to.If you’re aiming for a top 25 school such as Stanford, aim for a 4.0 (unweighted) or pretty close to it.If you’re not sure how high of a GPA your school expects, try looking on the school's website for any information or data about the average GPA of admitted applicants. That being said, getting a high GPA alone isn’t as important as getting a good GPA and taking a challenging course load. Here’s what I mean by this: when applying to top colleges, a 4.0 unweighted GPA is no doubt great. However, you’ll be a much more competitive applicant if you have, say, a slightly lower 3.8 GPA and have also taken loads of challenging AP/honors courses. This means that you could get mostly As and a couple of Bs in challenging AP courses and still have a higher chance of getting accepted over someone who got all As but took only easy classes. This is because colleges like to see that you’re continuously challenging yourself. For me, this was a critical point I didn’t get at all in high school. I took a few AP and honors courses, but I didn’t take nearly as many as I should have.Instead, I stuck mostly to classes I knew I’d get As in and refrained from truly challenging myself by taking harder ones. This is probably part of the reason Stanford rejected me. #2: Get a High SAT/ACT Score Like the tip above, this is kind of a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how little I thought of it when I applied to college back in 2008. While colleges understand that the SAT/ACT is just one part of your application, it’s still pretty important to get a high score on one of the two tests- especially a score that sets you apart from other applicants. A good SAT/ACT scorewill vary depending on the schools you're applying to.For example, if you were applying to Harvard, you'd want to aim for a perfect 1600 on the SAT or a 35 on the ACT. These are the 75th percentile SAT/ACT scores for admitted applicants to Harvard. In other words, get this score level and you’ll have a higher score than 75% of applicants. Even if you got slightly lower than this- such as a 1570 on the SAT or a 34 on the ACT- you'd still be in relatively good shape. The point, however, is that you want to shoot as high as possibleso you can give yourself the best chance of admission. On the other hand, if you were applying to a less selective school like the University of Houston, you'd only needan SAT score around 1320 or an ACT score around 28. Again, you could still get accepted with slightly lower scores than these, but aiming high ensures you'll have a great shot. As you can see, what’s considered a high SAT/ACT score will depend greatly on where you’re applying.If you can hit (or almost hit) your top-choice school’s 75th percentile score, you’ll stand out and lower your chances of rejection. To find your school’s test score information, search for â€Å"[School Name] PrepScholar" on Google. Click our link to the school’s Admission Requirements page to see the school's average SAT/ACT scores and its 25th/75th percentiles. Here’s an example of our Admission Requirements page for Stanford: #3: Work On Developing Your Spike This piece of advice is essential for those applying to theIvy League or Ivy League-level institutions (and it’s definitely something I wish I’d known back when I applied to Stanford). And here's what it is: part of crafting an incredible college application is working on developing a spike. I briefly introduced this concept earlier, but now let's look at in detail. Your spike is what makes you stand out from other applicants.This is typically an ongoing passion for and commitment to some kind of academic and/or personal interest. For instance, perhaps you're a lover of writing who's published his own self-help ebook and tutors elementary school students in creative writing on weekends. Or maybe you’re a science whiz who's conducted numerous experiments and submitted her results to conventions. Get the picture here?Think of this spike as the opposite of being well rounded. When I applied to Stanford, I assumed that well rounded = automatic acceptance. I was a member of my school's honor society, ran on the cross country team for two years, and played the piano in my spare time. All of this, I thought, made me an eclectic, ideal candidate. Boy, was I wrong. In truth, colleges- particularly selective ones like Stanford- see tons of applicants like this. This is likely a big reason I got rejected: I wasn't unique enough! Instead, I should have spent more time developing the hobbies I enjoyed most and participating in activities more strongly tied to my most passionate interests. That's what I did wrong. Now, here's what you can do right.Below, I list some options you can try to help you further develop your spike: Take classes related to your passion:Into writing? Take extra writing-oriented classes such as newspaper, yearbook, or journalism. Also, if possible, opt for the hardest versions of these classes (e.g., take AP English instead of regular English). Join a relevant club:If you’re a lover of geometry or calculus, join the math club. Putting in extra time shows that you’re interested in this field outside of school as well. Enter fairs, contests, and conventions:This tip is especially relevant to those in the science field. Say you’ve got an invention, made a discovery, or created a piece of art that you want to show off. Don't just keep it for yourself- submit your project somewhere in order to highlight your commitment to making a change in the world. Teach younger students:Becoming a volunteer tutor/teacher demonstrates your devotion to helping others develop their passions in a field you enjoy. If you're an artist, volunteer to teach drawing or painting classes to students at a local Boys Girls Club, for instance. Get a relevant part-time job:Not all students have the time or opportunity to secure a part-time job in a field relevant to their interests, but if you can, I highly recommend doing so, as it can stress both your commitment to your field and your responsibility as an employee. All in all, don’t rely on the trap of being well rounded, particularly if you’re trying to get accepted to highly selective schools. The only thing you want to be well rounded is the bubble you're blowing. #4: Write a Compelling Personal Statement and Consider Context Even if you’ve got both stellar grades and a high SAT/ACT score, schools want to see that you’re an interesting, passionate person who is committed to learning. This is why it’s important to spend a lot of time crafting animpactful personal statementfor your application. In general,a good personal statementwill accomplish the following: Introduce who you are as a person (not just as a student!) and why you’re applying Provide context for your academic accomplishments, passions, and future goals Focus on your spike and what makes you unique Answer the prompt clearly and fully (if given one) Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation Be thecorrect lengthandfile format(e.g., PDF, .docx, etc.) Make the collegewantto admit you! The statement is a great opportunity to explain what your spike is, how you got interested in it, and what kind of role you see it playing in your future. For a detailed look at what makes for a powerful personal statement, check outour analysis of more than 100 college essays. In addition, the personal statement lets youexplain the context of your academic situation. For example, does your high schoolnotoffer any AP or honors courses? Or are you the first person in your family to attend college? It's important to answer questions like these in your essay so that the school can take into account your personal circumstancesas well as how these might have influenced the quality of your application.This way, you won’t get rejected simply because you didn’t take any AP courses (even though none might have been available to you!). Many schools stress the importance of considering each applicant's circumstances. For example, here's what Stanford says on its website: â€Å"We take into account family background, educational differences, employment and life experiences. By focusing on your achievements within context, we evaluate how you have excelled within your unique school environment and how you have taken advantage of what was available to you in your school and community.† Andhere's how Duke considers contextin applications for admission: â€Å"We think about what a student has accomplished within the context of the opportunities and challenges he or she has faced.† Evidently, the personal statement isn’t just an opportunity to showcase your spike and strengths- it's also a chance toexplain your personal situation. Do all of this, and you’ll be far less likely to get rejected for something like a slightly lower SAT score. #5: Apply Early Action/Early Decision, If Possible If your top-choice school offers an early action or early decisionplan, definitely do it (but only do the latter if you’re 100% sure this is the school you want to attend). Most early action/early decision deadlines are November 1 or November 15.These deadlines are about a month or two earlier than most regular decision deadlines. So how does applying early action/early decision affect your admission chances? Data shows that those who apply early action or early decisiontypically have higher acceptance rates than those who apply regular decision. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get accepted.I applied early action to Stanford and still got rejected. Nevertheless, an early applicationmight give you a slight edge over other applicants, as it shows the school you’re committed to it and really want to continue your education there. The only drawback to applying early action/early decision is that the early deadline gives you less time to put together a strong application. Ifyou’re struggling to prepare an effective application for an early action plan, consider applying regular decision instead to give yourself more time. This leads me to my next point ... #6: Take Your Time- Don’t Rush the Application Process! Whether you’re applying early action/early decision or regular decision, it can be tempting to rush through the application process, especially since most students are extremely busy at the start of senior year. Even though this is a stressful time, try your bestnot to rush through your application to your top-choice school.Simply put, don’t write your personal statement the day before the deadline, and don’t ask for letters of recommendation from teachers at the last minute. Why is this so important? If you spend too little time working on your application, you run a much higher risk of doing the following: Misreading application instructions Forgetting to submit a required (or very important) document/application component Turning in subpar materials, such as a poorly written essay I advise spending at least a few months on your college applications. And while all applications are equally important, it's OK tospend a little extra time on the application for your top choice, if only because it's the school you’re most interested in. Also, don'tbe afraid to ask questions by emailing or calling the school.For example, confused about application instructions? Send an email. Not sure what a "supplementary document" is? Call the admissions department. Better to make sure you’re following the rules than to risk getting your application disqualified because you made a huge (but entirely preventable) mistake. When I applied to Stanford, I thought I’d taken my time to do the application, but I really hadn’t. It was only after I submitted it that I realized I’d made some dire mistakes. Here’s my most memorable: at the time, Stanford allowed applicants to attach supplementary files. So I attached a sample chapter from a novel I was writing to prove my passion for writing.But after submitting my application, I reread the application instructions and realized that chapters of fiction was something Stanford specifically requested applicants to not send in.Oops! Got rejected? It's OK to get a little dramatic. How to Deal With College Rejection: 5 Essential Tips Unfortunately, even if you heed all the tips above, you could still wind up with a college rejection letter.I’ll be honest: getting rejected sucks.But it certainly doesn't mean your academic career (or life, if you're dramatic like me) is over. Here are some ways to cope with a college rejection, as well as options on what to do after you get rejected from college: #1: Give Yourself Time to Process the Rejection This is really, really important. Once you get the dreaded college rejection letter from your top-choice school, it can feel as though the whole world is crashing down around you. I'm here to tell you that this feeling is totally normal.After all, you’re essentially grieving- sounds cheesy, I know. But it's the truth. And when something bad happens, it’s important to take time to let yourself feel sad about it. In this case, even though you likely worked really hard in school, you lost the opportunity to attend the college of your dreams. All of your future plans must change, which sucks.It's OK (and even expected) to be upset about this. Here are some healthy options for coping with a college rejection: Cry (hey, it worked for me!) Spend some time alone to help you get used to the fact that you got rejected Talk it out with close friends and/or family members Distract yourself in positive ways with activities such as video games, homework, hanging out with friends, etc. Commiserate with other rejectees, either in person or on college forums such as College Confidential and Reddit Rip up, shred, or burn your rejection letter (let's be honest: dramatic expressions can make us feel great) Although grieving is important, don’t let yourself get wrapped up in your sorrows for too long. Once you've given yourself ample time to cope, get off the ground and focus on the other options you've got in your life. Also,try not tolet the rejection negatively impact your grades, extracurriculars, and other college applications (if you haven't finished all of them yet). #2: Get Excited About Other Schools While your top-choice school might've rejected you, remember that this is just one school, and you (hopefully) have several others you're applying to or already applied to. These are the schools it’s time to get excited about, regardless of whether you’ve heard back from them. There is a reason you applied to each school you applied to. As you go through the schools you've been accepted to, concentrate on the specific features and opportunities you liked about each school.For example, what inspired you to apply there? Can you envision yourself feeling at home on-campus? What kinds of classes and majors does it offer? Do you like its emphasis on Greek life? What about its awesome football team? If possible, talk to current students at the schoolsso you can start to imagine yourself attending them. Doing this will not only make you excited about your other options but will also prevent you from daydreaming about what might've happened had you been accepted to your top choice. Finally, remember that you will likely be able to study what you want to at these other schools as well. Just because your top-choice school rejected you, that doesn’t mean you still can’t get a BA in Psychology or a BS in Computer Science. Apparently, you can even make your own Disney degree at UC Berkeley! #3: Take a Gap Year and Reapply Later If you didn’t get accepted to your top-choice school, a gap year can help you figure out what kind of education you want in life while also providing you with some interesting experiences (which could potentially strengthen future college applications!). After your gap year, you can thenreapply to your top-choice school, with a fresh perspective and a slightly better understanding of where your application might’ve gone wrong before. While there's nothing wrong with taking a year off before college, be sure you’re actually making your gap year worthwhile.Neither colleges nor your parents will be impressed if all you do is sit at home and play video games all day.Make your gap year an adventure: work a new job, travel abroad, intern at a company, join a community club, learn a foreign language, etc. Hopefully, you’llget experiences out of your gap year that'll help you in the field you want to major in.For example, if you’re thinking about majoring in English, taking a year off to write a novel and submit stories you've written to literary magazines would be an excellent use of your time (assuming your parents are OK with it, of course!). Later, when you begin the process of reapplying to your top-choice school, you can explain in your application what you did during your gap year and why you chose to take a year off before starting college. If you decide to reapply, it's a good idea to use your old application as a reference. Think about where you might’ve gone wrong and how you can improve on it this time (ideally, by incorporating some of your gap-year experiences into it). A word of caution, though: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In other words, don’t expect to get admitted simply because you applied before and now deserve to get in. Admissions is often a brutal process, and nobody (except those on the admissions committee) knows what a college is looking for in terms of applicants. So as you reapply to your top-choice school, make sure you’re applying to other schools as well- ideally, a combination of reach schools and safety schools. #4: Remember That Transferring Is an Option If you decide to attend a different school you got into (which most people do, including myself!), know thatit might be possible to transfer to your top-choice school in a couple of years. While I wouldn’t attend a different college with this exact plan in mind, knowing that transferring is an option in case you still really want to attend your top-choice school should make you feel a little more at ease with your decision to (temporarily) attend a different school. Note that to transfer to a school, you’ll usually need to submit an entirely new transfer application (meaning that it can't be the same one you submitted before when applying as a freshman). Moreover, transferring is not guaranteed.Many schools, particularly the Ivies, accept very few transfers each year. In 2012,Harvard admitted just 1% (15 out of 1,448) of transfer applicants. As you can see, here you actually have a lower chance of getting accepted as a transfer student than you do as a freshman applicant (the currentacceptance rate for which is 5%). If you’re curious about the transfer acceptance rate at your top-choice school, contact your school directly or check out CollegeTransfer.net, which contains tons of data on schools and their transfer rates. In the end, though, who knows what’ll happen? You might end up loving the school you attend and wouldn’t even consider transferring out of it. #5: Consider Challenging the Rejection There is one final option you have when it comes to college rejection, though it’s one I honestly don’t recommend doing:appealing, or challenging, your rejection. Challenging a college rejection is pretty much what it sounds like. When you get rejected, you have the option to tell the college you think they’re wrong and ask them to reconsider your application. So what's the problem? You can’t appeal your rejection simply because you’re upset that you didn’t get accepted. This is not a good enough reason to ask a college to look at your application again. Even if a schooldid agree to reevaluate your application, it's unlikely a second look-through would change their minds (particularly if your main complaint is that they failed to recognize how absolutely incredible you are). Instead, you can only appeal a college rejection if you have any new, significant information to add to your application, or if there was a major error or problem with your application. For example, did you win a big award or somehow dramatically improve your GPA? Then see whether you can appeal the rejection. (Not all schools will let you do this, though!) In terms of technical problems, did your SAT/ACT score get reported incorrectly to your college? Or did your transcript get messed up and show you got Ds when you actually got As? Then appeal the rejection; most likely the college will allow it in this case since the problem is not actually your fault. In some cases, colleges will not allow you to appeal your rejection at all(even if you won the Nobel Peace Prize).In fact, most top-ranked schools don’t allow appeals of admission decisions. If you disagree with their decision, you simply have to wait and reapply the following year. If you’re not sure whether your top-choice school allows appeals or not, look at the school’s official website or contact the school directly. While rare, it is possible to get into a college through an appeal (though it’s admittedly far less likely to get in this way). Here's an example ofa student who got accepted to UC Berkeley through an appeal. Seriously, first a Disney major and now a successful appeal? Starting to think I should've attended Berkeley ... Conclusion: How to Deal With College Rejection After getting my Stanford rejection letter, I cried a lot and talked to my parents. Eventually, I moved on and started to get excited about my other options. I ended up attending USC, where I had a fun, stimulating, and all-around memorable experience- something I wouldn’t trade for the world! Still, getting rejected isn’t fun. Unfortunately, it can be a likely consequence if you’re applying to highly selective universities and don’t have the grades or test scores your school expects. The easiest way to avoid getting rejected from college is to produce the best application you can. For top schools, this means you should typically have the following: A high GPA and a challenging course load Strong SAT/ACT test scores A pronounced spike in your extracurriculars and hobbies A well-written and impactful personal statement If possible,apply early action/early decision to your top-choice school. Applying early raises your chance of admission justslightly,as it highlights your commitment to the school. Finally, make sure to take your time with your application- don’t rush any part of it! Let’s say you do all of this, though, and still get rejected from your top-choice school. Bummer. At this point, you've essentially got five options (which you can mix and match, as desired): Take your time to process the rejection:Find a shoulder to cry on. Talk to family members and friends for support. Scream, "Rejection sucks!" while punching a pillow. Do whatever you need to do (in a healthy way) to make yourself feel better as you grieve. Get excited about your other schools: One rejection shouldn't the be-all and end-all of your academic dreams. Remember that you applied to other schools for a reason, so start to think about what those can offer you instead. Take a gap year and reapply later: For some people, taking a break from school is exactly what they need to feel better and figure out what they want to do with their lives. It can also help you put together a stronger, more versatile application the next time you apply. Just don't expect an automatic acceptance from your top-choice school- more than likely, it'll still be just as hard to get into as it was the first year you applied! Remember that you can transfer later: Though not guaranteed, transferring is an option you might have a couple of years down the road if you still want the chance to attend your top-choice school. Consider challenging your rejection: I don’t recommend this option, but it’s there if your school allows it. Though it’s rare to get in based on an appeal, it’s certainly not impossible! No matter what you choose to do, take care to remind yourself that getting rejected doesn't mean you're a bad student or that your application was horrendous. It just means that the school could only admit so many people, and you happened to not be one of them. Even though the college admissions process can feel like an uphill battle, just know that you're definitely not alone.As we say at my alma mater, "Fight on!" What’s Next? Want more tips for raising your chances of getting accepted to college?Check out our handy admissions calculatortolearn how to estimate your chances of acceptance based on your current GPA and test scores. Need help applying toHarvard and other top schools?This guide coverseverythingyou need to know about getting into the nation's best colleges and universities. Struggling with the application process?We're here to help! Our expert guides teach you how to build a versatile college application,and go over the application timelineto help you pace yourself. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Brazil's Education Minister Forges a New Role for the Ministry Essay

Brazil's Education Minister Forges a New Role for the Ministry - Essay Example As such there different processes that need to be implemented in order to turnaround the activities of the ministry such that the education sector can be improved. First and foremost, the new minister and his executive have a task to design the functions as well as jobs in the ministry so that it can operate towards the attainment of the desired goals. Basically, job design is the process by which characteristics and qualities of jobs are determined and created (Jackson & Schuler, 151). Technology is one major factor that affects job design and it is the duty of the Ministry of education to ensure that they harness the use of new information and communication technology in gathering information about the necessary steps that should be taken in order to improve the performance as well as quality in the education sector in Brazil. The other important function of job design is to attract, accommodate, motivate and retain a workforce that is diverse in terms of lifestyle, gender as well as capability (Jackson & Schuler, 153). Without a proper job design, it may be quite difficult to attract the talented people to certain jobs since they would also not be aware of what would be expected of them. Having designed different job tasks in the Ministry of Education in Brazil, the other processes that ought to be taken into account is to recruit competent employees and make sure that measures designed to retain them are put in place. Robbins (165) posits to the effect that recruitment helps the company to select the best candidates out of a potential poof of employees. This process is not an end in itself since it is supposed to be complemented by other activities that are designed to improve the overall performance of the whole sector. The Ministry also ought to put in place measures that are designed to motivate the employees so that they can put optimum performance in their

Environment and Health Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environment and Health - Speech or Presentation Example The most advisable way to produce quality food is to grow our crops and animals in an organic manner in our farms. Meaning, we will grow our crops and animals without using GMOs, chemicals and antibiotics in this country (www.gov.uk nd). It may be more expensive to do this but the government can help by providing financial assistance to our farmers. The public can help by willing to buy these quality organic food at a slightly higher price so that it would be economically viable for farmers to grow quality organic crops and animals. The second option is to import quality foods in countries from our neighbouring countries. We have to set our expectation that we cannot import from far flung countries because quality foods that are organic have shorter shelf life. Fruits can be imported as they have longer shelf life compared to vegetables. Making the food and farming industry more competitive while protecting the environment. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2015, from

A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Essay Abstract This essay is a critical analysis of the behaviors that Company Q has demonstrated with regard to social responsibility. In essence, Company Q’s behaviors, while reasonable reactions to maintain financial viability and avoid contribution to employee malfeasance, actually demonstrate a profound solicitude that results in a negative public image that will end up costing it more in the long term. I will offer solutions that will provide a cost savings while keeping Company Q from making further embarrassing errors. A Critical Analysis of Company Q’s Social Responsibility Unfortunately, Company Q has not made wise decisions as it relates to social responsibility. There are reports that the company 1) chose to close much-needed grocery stores in economically depressed (read: minority-occupied) parts of town, 2.) chose to start offering health-conscious food items only after it could locate the highest-margin products it could find; and 3) ashamedly refused to provide day-old food to the local food bank under the auspices that it was concerned that its employees would steal the food instead of donating it. The goal of this analysis is not only to highlight this absurd behavior and reasoning but also to offer solutions that are conducive to meeting social-responsibility concerns and maintaining financial viability. With any hope, Company Q will heed the counsel and institute immediate changes. Scenario 1 The news recently reported the shuttering of two of Company Q’s grocery stores in Neighborhood A and Neighborhood B. Although the company gave no public statement about the nature of these closings, public financial disclosures indicate the rationale: The stores were not profitable. Of course, in a free-market economy, companies have the option to close unprofitable stores. But in addition to being a free market, we are also an economy that operates on high social principles—or, at the very least, we  should be. Company Q apparently missed this memorandum when it was sent 30 years ago. With these stores removed from both neighborhoods, where are the residents of those neighborhoods supposed to shop? And with the removal of the stores, what impetus do the few other grocers have to keep prices reasonable for people of that socio-economic level? Scenario 1—Resolution I recognize that a possible rebuttal to any of the aforementioned questions is, â€Å"If the residents are not shopping there and putting money into the store, why would we be expected to stay open?† I would offer that such a rebuttal is wrongheaded. Perhaps a better question may be, â€Å"What are we doing to cause residents to shop elsewhere or to not spend more money with us?† Does Company Q offer the food choices these residents want? Is the layout of your stores conducive to these residents? Are the prices too high? Do the staff you employ in these stores look like the residents who shop there? If the answer is â€Å"no† to any of these questions, we will have unlocked one of many possible reasons why the store is unprofitable. It is then Company Q’s responsibility to address these issues instead of packing up shop and moving to the more affluent areas of town, where they are not concerned that a jar of pickles may cost $40. Scenario 2 With a weight epidemic ravaging the country, Company Q made its decision to offer health-conscious food fare only after it could find the foods that provided the highest margin of profit for it. That is probably why there is a dearth of health-food options in its store, and probably why the prices are nearly twice those of its competitors. This message translates to the community as: â€Å"If Company X can profit obscenely from offering health-food options to its consumers, it will then be concerned with offering healthy options. Otherwise, let the American obesity epidemic rage on unfettered—not our problem!† Scenario 2—Resolution The above message is a clear problem, and it does not have to be. It is possible for Company Q to offer plenty of health-food options while still making a profit, though the profit may not be as obscene as the one it is currently making. Company Q can engage in more impactful negotiations with its suppliers or can shop the market for health-food competitors who would  be willing to supply its sizable consumer base with its food. In our previous reference to store closings, Company Q could also offer more health-food options in more of its stores as opposed to select ones. Or Company Q could offer the same food products but initially make less of a profit on it by offering discounts on it initially as a sort of enticement to customers to become interested and promote the food to their network of friends and family. This possibility could theoretically create increased demand for the healthy food and allow more profitability for the company in the long run. Company profitability and meeting social-responsibility obligations as it relates to our country’s obesity epidemic need not be at variance. Scenario 3 A local food bank—one that serves the indigent—requested the donation of day-old food from Company Q, but Company Q responded that it was concerned that it would lose revenue because it was concerned that its employees would purloin the food instead of donating it. Scenario 3—Resolution This response is insulting to its own employees and to the food bank. If Company Q is concerned that its employees are miscreants, the company’s bigger concern should be the integrity of its employee-verification process. There are many solutions available: have the food-bank employees collect the food themselves, designate a specific employee to handle food donations, make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of the destroyed food instead. Almost any response is better than what Company Q provided. Conclusion There is no question that every company has a right to pursue profits, and I recognize that Company Q is ultimately attempting to do just that. However, it is imperative that Company Q realize that it has a responsibility to contribute to society something other than products and services. Consumers are interested in doing business with forward-thinking companies who recognize their responsibility in propelling the â€Å"soul† of our society forward. With the counsel provided, Company Q can bring itself in line with many other companies in being truly customer centric.

The Football Game Essays -- Descriptive Essay Examples

The Football Game In the beginning, there was football. The official said, Let the stadium lights come on, and they came on. The football players came onto the field, and they saw the light was good. Other teams started to show up and practice on the battle ground, otherwise known as the "playing field." Fans shouted, and cheerleaders went on about their playful acts. Parents, brothers, sisters, and close friends all piled into the stands to see the game of the year. The official stepped out onto the moist grass at Williams Stadium in Plano, Texas. The time was seven o'clock p.m. on a Thursday night. He paused for a moment, looked at his stopwatch, and blew his whistle. Gigantic muscular men came from out of nowhere as the fans began to cheer, waving various flags, and clanging cow bells. The bells sounded like a wind chime in an April shower, all different sounds at different times. The players ran out to the middle of the stadium. A smell of hatred and resentment came about in the air. The crowd came unglued from their seats. The sounds of various noisemakers filled the air once again. Parents and grandparents alike came to their feet in the stands. Cars stopped on the street in front of the stadium, as they honked their horns, and cheered for their team of choice. As the two burly men stood in the middle of the field, many thoughts ran through their heads. They both knew someone was going to die, but defeat was out of the question. The official tossed a polished silver quarter into the air. The coin hit the wet grass with a shiny face of George Washington clearly showing. The home team will receive the ball. Both anger infested players shook hands and ran back to their sideline. The fans began to cheer as the players t... ...e smile on my face was literally being pulled up by strings that wouldn't seem to let go. Our kicker went on to kick the extra point, as only one minute remained on the time clock. The Clark Cougars went on to beat the Williams Warriors. I could see it now on the front page of the town newspaper. "Clark demolishes Williams for the first time in 14 years!" We finally beat the best team in the world! As we celebrated, and jumped around on the soggy grass, a tear came to my eye. It was all hitting me now. I finally achieved the goal of my life! I could not control the tremendous smirk on my face. As I watched the coach from the opposing team cry in agony, I thought to myself, "That must be what they call the agony of defeat." I knew that the moment of my life I had long waited for, was gone. Only memories are left in my mind, and I cherish every single one of them. The Football Game Essays -- Descriptive Essay Examples The Football Game In the beginning, there was football. The official said, Let the stadium lights come on, and they came on. The football players came onto the field, and they saw the light was good. Other teams started to show up and practice on the battle ground, otherwise known as the "playing field." Fans shouted, and cheerleaders went on about their playful acts. Parents, brothers, sisters, and close friends all piled into the stands to see the game of the year. The official stepped out onto the moist grass at Williams Stadium in Plano, Texas. The time was seven o'clock p.m. on a Thursday night. He paused for a moment, looked at his stopwatch, and blew his whistle. Gigantic muscular men came from out of nowhere as the fans began to cheer, waving various flags, and clanging cow bells. The bells sounded like a wind chime in an April shower, all different sounds at different times. The players ran out to the middle of the stadium. A smell of hatred and resentment came about in the air. The crowd came unglued from their seats. The sounds of various noisemakers filled the air once again. Parents and grandparents alike came to their feet in the stands. Cars stopped on the street in front of the stadium, as they honked their horns, and cheered for their team of choice. As the two burly men stood in the middle of the field, many thoughts ran through their heads. They both knew someone was going to die, but defeat was out of the question. The official tossed a polished silver quarter into the air. The coin hit the wet grass with a shiny face of George Washington clearly showing. The home team will receive the ball. Both anger infested players shook hands and ran back to their sideline. The fans began to cheer as the players t... ...e smile on my face was literally being pulled up by strings that wouldn't seem to let go. Our kicker went on to kick the extra point, as only one minute remained on the time clock. The Clark Cougars went on to beat the Williams Warriors. I could see it now on the front page of the town newspaper. "Clark demolishes Williams for the first time in 14 years!" We finally beat the best team in the world! As we celebrated, and jumped around on the soggy grass, a tear came to my eye. It was all hitting me now. I finally achieved the goal of my life! I could not control the tremendous smirk on my face. As I watched the coach from the opposing team cry in agony, I thought to myself, "That must be what they call the agony of defeat." I knew that the moment of my life I had long waited for, was gone. Only memories are left in my mind, and I cherish every single one of them.

Kinds Of Leadership In School Education Essay

Leadership is non all down to the Head instructor, the caput of section or, in the schoolroom the instructor. If it is, cipher is larning anything at all about leading. The first regulation about leading is that it is shared. ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:45 ) Most frequently administrative leading is viewed as different from any sorts of leading in school. The functions might be different since most managerial functions are completed outside the schoolrooms while instructors ‘ leading is exercised within the schoolroom. Nevertheless in school, instructors, decision makers, Learning Support Assistants ( LSAs ) , parents and pupils can all work together towards the betterment of Distributed Leadership ( DL ) . That is why Sergiovanni states that, â€Å" If leading is a pattern shared by many so it must be distributed among those who are in the right topographic point at the right clip and among those who have the ability. † ( 2006:189-190 ) In this subdivision, literature will be organised and focused round the undermentioned inquiries: What are the benefits of distributed leading in a secondary school? To what extent is leading shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? How far can administer leading facilitate acquisition? How effectual to the schools ‘ betterment and success can administer leading be? What are the benefits of distributed leading in a secondary school? A successful leader is classified as such, when s/he manages to affect others in the procedure of leading. Harmonizing to Sergiovanni, when principals portion leading, they â€Å" acquire more power in return † ( 2006:185 ) . DL besides enables those involved to develop their ain leading accomplishments. With DL, Principals are assisting their co-workers by hiking their assurance, and to do their ain determinations ( Nicholls, 2000 ) . Recently, Mifsud found that â€Å" Maltese Heads practise shared decision-making to guarantee widespread ownership † ( 2008:7 ) . Therefore all teaching-staff ( Teachers and LSAs ) will go more independent, while staying with the School Development Plan ( SDP ) and course of study. Sharing leading with all stakeholders involves giving clip to accomplish good consequences ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999 ) . The â€Å" pure † type of collegiality ( Bush, 1995:52 ) works its best, when the establishment is formed by a little figure of staff. Having a big figure of teaching-staff will certainly do DL hard. Although in our school ‘s context we have a big figure of staff, DL can still work since the teaching-staff is divided into smaller groups. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods say that, â€Å" The smaller the school or learning unit, the more leading, every bit good as work, can be shared † ( 1999:45 ) . Harmonizing to Leithwood et Al DL helps instructors to be satisfied with their work, increases their â€Å" sense of professionalism † , stimulates â€Å" organizational alteration † , increases efficiency and encourages â€Å" cross-interactions † between teaching-staff ( 1999:115 ) . Although, Blase and Blase argue that intrusting instructors with self-autonomy and empowerment makes them experience â€Å" satisfied, motivated and confident † and they are likely to give their uttermost in their occupation ( 1994:29 ) ; this sometimes may besides take the teaching-staff to overmaster the Principal like it happens in our school. Yet, Blase and Kirby ( 1992 ) found that when instructors are empowered through liberty, their attitudes and public presentation will acquire better. Furthermore, even when leading is shared among teaching-staff and pupils, this creates an attitude of regard between them, particularly when they are so straight involved. Having a dem ocratic leader helps derive attentive hearing from subsidiaries, which in bend will besides assist better relationships. When instructors working in democratic schools but had old experiences in other schools which have autocratic leaders were interviewed Blase and Blase ( 1994 ) concluded that instructors ‘ schoolroom liberty enable them to hold category control. An bossy manner called by Brighouse and Woods â€Å" north pole-north pole leading † will take instructors to work to govern and nil more ( 1999:51 ) . In contrast holding a democratic manner called â€Å" north pole-south pole † where leading is shared among all stakeholders, will â€Å" unlock tremendous rushs of energy and attempt among professionals † ( Brighouse and Woods: 1999:51 ) . They besides argue, that sharing leading will alleviate Heads organize some leading emphasis. Thus DL, leads to sharing of duty which will non stay a load on the Head ‘s shoulders. Until late, harmonizing to Cauchi Cuschieri ( 2007 ) , leading in Maltese Church Secondary Schools was seen as the Head instructor ‘s occup ation. However, the manner used today is much more DL amongst stakeholders. In our school this is non the instance, since from its initiation, it was believed that DL enables sharing thoughts and duty which eventually leads to the school ‘s betterment. Duke et Al, ( 1980 ) established, that the school is democratic one when the teaching-staff, is involved in the procedure of determination devising. Likewise, Blase and Blase argue that â€Å" increasing teacher entree to determination devising is indispensable to authorising instructors † ( 1994:33 ) . Besides, Churchfields secondary school survey shows, that instructors feel the demand to take part in the school ‘s direction as it gives better consequences in the determination devising procedure ( Bush, 1995 ) . Finally, when a determination is taken, it is the teaching-staff ‘s duty to set it into action. So, being involved leads the staff to do a determination ( Bush, 1995 ) . Rivalland ( 1989 cited in Wolfendale 1992:57 ) presents a figure of benefits that can be achieved from parental engagement in schools: They work for a better acquisition environment since it is for their ain kid ‘s involvement ; Whatever is needed to be done in school, and whatever parents are able to make, they do it and they offer themselves as human resources to the school ; They create the larning connexion between schools and pupils ‘ several places ; With their presence in school, they will go cognizant of what the school needs from clip to clip. Although, Wolfendale ( 1992 ) argues, that holding parents involved in the survey and preparation of school ‘s behavior and subject policy will give a good consequence ; this may non be applicable in our school since it seems that the Parents and Teachers Association ( PTA ) tackles merely societal issues and personal concerns of parents. However, this will be investigated subsequently on in this survey. King provinces that pupils ‘ leading is largely exercised in the â€Å" prefectorial system † ( 1973:141 ) . However, this does non look to be the lone solution for our school, since leading is besides exercised through the pupils ‘ council. It is true that the ultimate duty of decision-making in schools is in the custodies of the Principal. However, as Frost claims â€Å" Schools can besides be enriched by pupils ‘ parts to decision-making and course of study development † ( 2008:356 ) . Furthermore, when pupils are consulted in certain affairs such as finance they are taught â€Å" some of the difficult lessons of democracy † ( Colgate, 1976:123 ) . Prefects and council members are pupils peculiarly chosen to assist in school control and determination devising. If their assignment is successful they may besides function as function theoretical accounts for other pupils ( King, 1973 ) . Contrary to all the benefits of affecting all stakeholders, one has to state that collegiality is an intense activity since it entails work after school hours. Likewise, Smylie and Denny ( 1990 ) argue that the engagement of the teaching-staff in leading may be clip devouring and may hold an consequence on the pupils ‘ demands. The clip for preparation and the support allocated for these maps are non plenty, argues White ( 1992 ) . These jobs make DL more hard to win. However since all teaching-staff in our school have free periods during the twenty-four hours, this may non be a job. Adding to this, holding a big figure of participants might make jobs in communicating, even when holding a broad scope of different positions from all participants ( Bush, 1995 ) . To what extent is leading shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? Leadership is non a one adult male occupation, because to be successful this must be shared. Moyo writes that: â€Å" The construct of distributed leading is the thought of sharing leading amongst all stakeholders. These stakeholders, as stated earlier include caput instructors, in-between leaders, instructors, parents and pupils. † ( 2010:25 ) â€Å" It is non leading if a individual orders, requires, seduces, or threatens another ‘s conformity, † ( Sergiovanni, 2006:192 ) . So true leading is when it is shared among all those holding the ability to be involved in it. Similarly, Brighouse and Woods emphasise that: â€Å" One individual may be ‘key ‘ but leading is shared – among students, instructors and other staff and members of the community † ( 1999:48 ) . Similarly, Leithwood et Al ( 1999 ) refers to DL as a cardinal component of many SDPs. Until late the Head instructor in Maltese schools was seen as the school ‘s ultimate authorization ( Mifsud, 2008 ) . Rather than holding an bossy school, holding a democratic one entails holding a DL ( Bush, 1995 ) . With coaction, and exchange of thoughts, jobs can be solved collegially, while single qualities are developed farther ( Leithwood et al, 1999 ) . This is what Bush calls collegiality ( 1995:52 ) , and claims that there are two different types of collegiality, one is the â€Å" restricted † , intending that a figure from the staff are chosen to take part in the procedure of determination devising, while the other called â€Å" pure † is the procedure which involves everyone every bit ( Bush, 1995:52 ) . Teachers, LSAs, parents and pupils who are â€Å" tremendously committed to kids and school life † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:49 ) are perfect for take parting in DL, because they are more accessible, more sure, and their chief end is school be tterment. In one of the interviews carried out in Blase and Blase ‘s ( 1994 ) survey, a instructor describes best what a shared administration principal ‘s attitude should be like, that is, to steer non to order. Teachers interviewed could do comparings of past and present principals. Although it ‘s ideal to affect everyone in the procedure of determination devising, in the context of our school, there should be a individual that leads both the treatment, and assumes duty for taking the concluding determinations, which should be the Principal or a delegate. About this, Blase and Blase province that â€Å" principals are compelled to presume full duty over all school affairs † ( 1994:78 ) . Dunford et Al besides maintain that â€Å" whilst the Head will stay the leader, others will necessitate to add a leading function to their direction duties † ( 2000:5 ) . Weick ( 1976, cited in Blase and Blase 1994:135 ) claims that now schools have developed into administrations, in which decision makers and instructors work individually and independently. This does non look to be our school ‘s state of affairs, as the stakeholders all seemed to be involved in teamwork. In contrast, Blase and Blase ( 1994 ) research presents principals under survey as being unfastened to others ‘ sentiments, collegiality and DL. When this issue of DL was introduced, most Senior Management Team ( SMT ) members were being involved. Arguing this Dunford et Al ( 2000 ) say that peculiarly holding more SMT members in a secondary school, leads to the shared duty and the constitution of different functions. Leithwood et Al ( 1999:121 ) in their survey found that instructors were most likely involved in â€Å" school planning and school construction and administration † while the principals ‘ leading is more focussed to direction issues. In our school this is non the instance as in school be aftering the Principal is the Chairperson. Normally, people think that teacher leading is exercised merely within the schoolroom. However, in democratic schools like ours, instructors are involved in all facets of the school, even when taking determinations. Blase and Blase besides province that, â€Å" Successful shared administration principals show trust in instructors ‘ capacity for responsible engagement in both school-level and classroom-level determination devising. † ( 1994:27 ) Similarly Leithwood et al argued that there are two signifiers of teacher leading ; one is the formal manner for leading of category control, or an informal one: â€Å" By sharing their expertness, volunteering for new undertakings and conveying new thoughts to the school†¦ assisting their co-workers to transport out their schoolroom responsibilities, and by helping in the betterment of schoolroom pattern, † ( 1999:117 ) . Brighouse and Woods ( 1999 ) concluded that because instructors are leaders in categories they do n't wish to be followings, and so anticipate to take part more in school leading. Furthermore, they besides say that: â€Å" Successful HeadsaˆÂ ¦ are work forces and adult females with ideals and the ability to portion those ideals with those whom they lead. † ( 1999:54 ) . Therefore, through the sharing and openness of thoughts, leading is shared and determinations taken will keep much more. However, in the context of our school, if leading is to be shared and if instructors are to work in different groups, they are to be monitored either by the Principal or adjunct principal. Furthermore Leithwood et Al, ( 2000 ) claim that the figure of people involved in DL varies harmonizing to different undertakings. â€Å" Most effectual distribution of leading maps would change the Numberss of people supplying leading in response to the complexness of the undertakings to be performed-more in the instance of complex undertakings and fewer in response to simple undertakings † ( 2007:58 ) . Research shows that in Malta, â€Å" Practically all schools have instructors involved in one squad or another † ( LIE, 2009:176 ) . The benefits of DL indicate that Maltese schools are seeking to work hard on it. Since 1980, the Education Act in England â€Å" ensured parental representation on school regulating organic structures † ( Wolfendale, 1992:62 ) . Likewise, the Maltese Education Act that was reformed in 2006 provinces that the Maltese Directorate for Educational Services, â€Å" Should advance, promote and supervise the democratic administration of schools through School Councils with the active engagement of parents, instructors and pupils. † ( GOM, 2006:7 ) Therefore the PTA and Students ‘ Council were introduced in Maltese Schools so that they may take part actively in school leading and determination devising. As Wolfendale ( 1992 ) said, the purpose for parents ‘ engagement is to stand for other parents, to discourse common involvement issues and to inform other parents of determinations taken through written handbills or school meetings. It is besides described as â€Å" a forum for instructors and parents to run into and prosecute in societal and possibly fundraising activities † ( Wolfendale, 1992:74 ) . Furthermore, research in Malta confirms that parents are so involved in policy determination devising and pattern ( LIE, 2009 ) . Parents are ever lament to take part in school leading for the benefits of their ain kids and for the schools ‘ betterment ( Wolfendale, 1992 ) . In our school, this may non be the state of affairs, since there are those who are inactive and do non take part in any activities or meetings even if it regards their ain kid ‘s involvements. In most of the Maltese schools or colleges, merely a little per centum of parents are involved through the PTA commission, while others get involved merely through activities organized by the school or the PTA. Some parents â€Å" are called upon by the schools to offer their expertness where necessary † ( LIE, 2009:175 ) . However, Wolfendale ( 1992 ) notes, that sometimes instructors do non experience the benefit of parental engagement in school. Harding and Pike ( 1988 cited in Wolfendale, 1992:59 ) suggest ways in which parents can be straight involved in the school. This can be done through: Personal contact with the school and staff ; Written communicating ; PTA or other parental groups within the school ; Their engagement in school affairs and acquisition. In contrast, in primary schools the rate of parental engagement in the PTA is higher than in the secondary. This most likely happens because secondary schools are much larger in figure and more instructors are involved, so the resonance between parents and instructors may non be that strong. These issues have been called by Wolfendale as troubles â€Å" to put up and keep teacher-parent enterprises in secondary schools † ( 1992:58 ) . The development of the School Development Plan was one of the chief activities where DL was exercised in Maltese schools with the purpose of including all stakeholders in planning and treatment. As the purpose was for the school ‘s betterment and improved acquisition for all pupils, it was noticed that pupils were non included in any of the treatment. This issue was subsequently tackled foremost by a pupils ‘ school council ( LIE, 2009 ) and so by an Ekoskola commission, which takes attention of the environment ( Bezzina, 2007 ) . Since, pupils are the concluding winners of the educational establishment, they should hold infinite and chances to portion their positions and speak about their demands. Bell and Harrison ( 1998 ) province that it is of common importance for the school to work in coaction with pupils and promote them in teamwork. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods ( 1999 ) emphasis the importance of affecting kids in leading functions within the school, to do them more responsible and fix them for the universe of work. However, there are two types of pupil leaders and these must be clearly distinguished. There are those called toughs, who use their power to intimidate others and as a consequence push off all other pupils. The other group is called â€Å" unofficial leaders † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:48 ) , who somehow ever attract others. Furthermore, they may be trusted and given a figure of leading responsibilities to transport out as they are seen by instructors as capable and responsible students. To separate between these sorts of leaders, the school can organize a socio-gram trial at the beginning or at the terminal of the scholastic twelvemonth. How far can administer leading facilitate acquisition? Leithwood et Al ( 1999 ) argue that there is a challenge between leading pattern, and the research that points out ways in which leading affects pupils and their acquisition. In contrast, Spillane claims that: â€Å" What matters for instructional betterment and pupil accomplishment is non that leading is distributed, but how it is distributed † ( 2005:149 ) . However, Leithwood et Al ( 2006b ) maintain that after schoolroom instruction, leading is following to act upon pupils ‘ acquisition. Recently, Leithwood and Massey emphasised that â€Å" Leadership is a major cause for the betterments in pupil accomplishment. † ( 2010:79 ) Principals and other SMT members are encouraged to work difficult towards making a better environment for better acquisition. This means that they are to guarantee that the school ambiance is good both for instructors to work in and for pupils to larn. This does non mention merely to the physical environment, but besides to the distribution of leading and instructors ‘ liberty. Principals ‘ credence of trust and DL within their school means that they let the teaching-staff choose their ways and agencies of learning that is best applicable for the pupils under their duty ( Blase and Blase, 1994 ) . This besides can be done through promoting teamwork between instructors and LSAs. Similarly, Bezzina claims that â€Å" Merely by affecting all stakeholders and esteeming differences can we give birth to new thoughts † ( 2006:86 ) and therefore make a better ambiance for better acquisition. Furthermore, Brighouse and Woods highlight that DL and coaction among all staff will ensue in: â€Å" raising the accomplishment of students † ( 1999:83 ) . Christopher Bezzina conducted a instance survey in one of the Maltese Church schools, where the academic accomplishment was non so high. The school ‘s Head, holding had experiences in different schools introduced the issue of DL for better acquisition. Teaching-staff, parents and pupils were encouraged to take part in the schools ‘ affairs and determination devising programmes. The consequence was successful concluding that â€Å" choice betterment enterprises placed a great accent on the leading of the administration † ( Bezzina 2008:23 ) . Therefore, one can reason that holding DL in a school has a great impact on acquisition. Harmonizing to Moyo, DL has an consequence on pupils ‘ larning through instructors, who are the closest leaders in contact with pupils and their acquisition ; â€Å" But in order to accomplish this, instructors need to be involved and motivated by the leading, † ( 2010:23 ) . Teachers holding a personal position of DL, aid kids to larn more. This is done by affecting them in leading pattern inside and outside the schoolroom. Brighouse and Woods ( 1999 ) note that even the type of teacher-student relationship has an influence on pupils ‘ acquisition. Furthermore, holding bossy leading manner in category does non assist in making a acquisition ambiance for pupils. The instructor with good pupil relationship encourages students to ne'er give up, and aim high in life for the hereafter. As stated by Blase and Blase ( 1994 ) , instructors ‘ liberty is when they are free to make up one's mind their ain ways and agencies, to transport out their work. In Malta, instructors ‘ liberty is largely linked with the schoolroom ; where they are free to plan their lesson programs, with their ain resources, while besides holding liberty to pupils ‘ control, which Blase and Blase ( 1994:73 ) name it â€Å" disciplinary affairs † . This sort of DL will besides act upon pupils ‘ acquisition. Besides this type of liberty in the schoolroom, new methods and techniques should be tried and encouraged. This so called â€Å" invention † facilitates larning for all pupils, as instruction becomes non merely one size fits all, but adapted particularly to the students ‘ demands ( Blase and Blase 1994:75 ) through the administration of differentiated acquisition. In school, this entails teamwork, reinforces collegiality and sharing of the resources within. For instructors to better pupils ‘ acquisition, they must foremost portion their ideals with others and so work together towards that ideal. â€Å" It is the occupation of the direction to convey those ideals together into common set of aims, † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:54 ) . Parents are considered as the first pedagogues, great subscribers of all facets of acquisition, and ever interested in assisting their kids to larn better. Wolfendale ( 1992:60 ) argues that, â€Å" parents as pedagogues, can do a important part to kids ‘s acquisition of reading and literacy accomplishments † . Furthermore, Leithwood et al argue that: â€Å" No affair what the pupil population, affecting parents chiefly in the instruction of their ain kids is most likely to lend to kids ‘s acquisition † ( 2006a:102 ) . The survey by HMI ( Her Majesty ‘s Inspectors ) showed that Parents ‘ engagement in schools, lead to pupils ‘ success ( 1991, cited in Wolfendale, 1992:56 ) . It ‘s interesting to analyze ways in which parents can assist both instructors and pupils in relation to acquisition. However, one must besides take note of the relationship that exists between parents and instructors and non do any occupation tampering. Normally, we merely think of academic consequences when it comes to pupils ‘ acquisition. However, research shows that through their engagement in leading, pupils gain more cognition and get new accomplishments. These accomplishments are needed for their hereafter in society. Frost claims that pupils ‘ engagement in leading besides helps them get other non-academic accomplishments ; â€Å" greater self-pride, heightened assurance, interpersonal and political accomplishments, and self-efficacy when pupils have chances to exert duty † ( 2008:356 ) . When given certain leading functions, pupils set their ain marks for larning through that experience ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999 ) , which might besides be of aid to other pupils. Brighouse and Woods ( 1999 ) argue that a instructor can give duty to pupils to assist those in demand in a certain affair. Through each other ‘s support, those that have less academic abilities will accomplish and larn more. Research shows that students have so much to state about their acquisition, and as such they should be consulted for the benefit of their acquisition, and the methodological analysis used by instructors in category ( Morgan, 2011 ) . How effectual to the schools ‘ betterment and success can administer leading be? Fink sees schools as â€Å" populating systems † where: â€Å" Leadership is distributed across the assorted cells that affect a school such as pupils, instructors, parents, brotherhoods, societal services, County Hall, and local communities † . ( 2010:44 ) Bezzina ‘s survey carried out in a Maltese Church School revealed, that when instructors were involved in DL â€Å" the bulk of staff felt responsible for finding the manner forward † ( 2008:24 ) . He so concluded that school betterment and success can be achieved, â€Å" with difficult work, forfeit and committedness expressed by the Head instructor, the senior leading squad, students, parents and instructors, † ( Bezzina, 2008:26 ) . LIE maintains that when a policy ‘s determination devising procedure involves all stakeholders in a school including, SMT, instructors, pupils and parents ; â€Å" Then the values which are held beloved by the school will be on the route to success because they would hold been owned by all † ( 2009:176 ) Brighouse and Woods ( 1999:45 ) confirm that research done in the yesteryear and once more recently by OFSTED shows that, â€Å" leading in schools is the cardinal factor in betterment and success † . They besides argue that, â€Å" A cardinal ingredient to school success is the extent to which the values of school life are shared among all the members of the community, † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:55 ) Harmonizing to Telford ( 1995 ) coaction between all stakeholders within a school brings about school betterment. She argues that the following points which lead to school betterment impact both the persons within the school and the establishment itself ; â€Å" Development of the educational potency of pupils, professional development of instructors, good organisational wellness, institutionalization of vision † ( Telford, 1995, cited in Bell and Harrison 1998:14 ) . It is interesting to observe that it is much easier for principals to command ends instead than worlds. To derive control for the achievement of a end, leading must be shared ( Sergiovanni, 2006 ) . Little ( 1981, cited in Sergiovanni, 2006:186 ) found that when principals work through collegiality with instructors, the school will better. It is of importance to equalise the principal and instructors ‘ sentiments in a treatment, since no 1 should be preferred to the others as everyone is sharing from his/her ain cognition, for the school ‘s best involvement ( Blase and Blase, 1994 ) . Similarly, Nicholls ( 2000 ) argue that leading is best carried out when a figure of people holding the same values and purposes challenge each other for acquiring better consequences. In other words, one can state that school leading is best fulfilled when all those involved in the establishment, portion their ideas without being considered as superior to one another. Therefore, â€Å" inc luding group activity liberates leading and provides the model we need for widespread engagement in bettering schools † ( Sergiovanni, 2006:186 ) . In successful schools, when a argument crops up on school betterment, the staff should work on: â€Å" Involving students, parents and governors † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:83 ) . Likewise, Davies and Davies ( 2010 ) besides claim that it is important to affect others in school leading as it leads to school betterment and success. Furthermore, they say that: â€Å" Prosecuting all the staff in treatments about where the school is, where it needs to travel and therefore the accomplishments and cognition we need to larn to accomplish advancement is a uniting factor. † ( Davies and Davies, 2010:15 ) Shared leading might convey about alterations which are required for school betterment to take topographic point. The best alteration is normally one generated from something or person within the school because it â€Å" Recharges energy in participants and embraces the greatest likeliness of betterment in instruction and acquisition manners, merely because it is so localized, † ( Brighouse and Woods, 1999:60 ) . Changes for school betterment are gained faster, when instructors are involved in the procedure of determination devising ( Bush, 1995 ) . Furthermore, Brighouse and Woods, ( 1999 ) argue that when alteration for school betterment is required, clip has to be allocated in the school ‘s journal, since the staff needs clip to work on the execution procedure. In their survey Leithwood et Al concluded that instructors consider their engagement in leading, as a measure for the school to be more â€Å" effectual † and â€Å" advanced † ( 1999:121 ) . Furthermore, when instructors are involved in the determination devising they are less likely to hold inauspicious reactions to principals ‘ outlooks. Harmonizing to Dunford et Al ( 2000 ) when the determination doing process involves those who are closest to its impact it gives a positive attitude towards school betterment. In add-on, they say that if secondary schools want to be effectual, leading must be shared at least among senior staff. Furthermore, Sergiovanni ( 2006 ) emphasises that in schools where power is shared among principals, instructors, parents and others, work is done autonomously towards schools purposes for school betterment. Likewise, Nicholls ( 2000 ) claims, that a shared vision is indispensable for school betterment. Trusting instructors through authorization may take principals to accomplish their coveted ends without enforcing them. â€Å" Building trust is critical to authorising instructors, † ( Blase and Blase, 1994:29 ) . They besides claim that this shows that the principal demonstrated great religion in them and valued them as experts and professionals, † ( Blase and Blase, 1994:77 ) . Teachers involved in different leading functions are expected to work for the betterment of the decision-making procedure ( Leithwood et al, 1999 ) . This collegial procedure of affecting others in the determination devising procedure is exercised through treatment and shared power in the establishment. â€Å" In a collegial, collaborative environment, principals systematically concentrate on enabling others to analyze and redesign schools for improved acquisition, and instructors learn to portion power and work as a squad. † ( Blase and Blase, 1994:33 ) Leithwood et Al ( 2007 ) concluded that when DL is implemented and when chances are offered, staff will be much more motivated to work towards school betterment. From their research Leithwood et al established that: â€Å" Informal leaders had more involvement with making high-performance outlooks and actuating others than formal school leaders, while formal leaders had more to make with identifying and jointing a vision. † ( 2007:57 ) With informal leaders we can include both parents and students. When pupils are at place most of them speak about their school experience with their siblings and through this parents get to cognize their ideas and feelings. Hence, parents might be another nexus between schools and kids. Parental engagement in schools may convey about alterations which will eventually take to school betterment. Similarly, Wolfendale argues that, â€Å" parental sentiment can be mobilized to convey about important alterations † ( 1992:63 ) . Decision â€Å" School ‘s success lies in the accomplishments and attitudes of the professional staff, non simply within the leading capablenesss of the principal. † ( Blase and Blase, 1994:28 ) Therefore DL is needed for growing and development because the Principal sometimes is in demand of other staff members to work out certain jobs. Harmonizing to Bezzina, DL â€Å" calls for an extension of that power vertically downwards to affect all members of staff, † ( 2000:305 ) . Furthermore, the concluding consequence of school success is a occupation that belongs to all stakeholders involved and non merely a Principal ‘s occupation. This is the purpose of this survey to look into the DL system in Sunflower school and eventually happen some recommendations to how it can be improved. As Mifsud suggests: â€Å" There could be infinite for more leading functions within the school and more enterprises by different stakeholders can be taken up, therefore widening the range for leading distribution. † ( 2008:8 ) Therefore through sharing leading with all stakeholders in the establishment both school and acquisition will be enriched.

Positive and Negative Reinforcements

Positive and Negative Reinforcement Positive Reinforcement Positive and Negative Reinforcement What are Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcemens? Positive and negative reinforcement are used in most of the three theories. Negative reinforcement is used in behaviorism, where it involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus when a desired behavior occurs. Positive Reinforcement is a technique used to increase desired behavior and is used in operant conditioning.Positive reinforcement is offering of desirable effects or consequences for a behavior with the intention of increasing desired behavior. Positive and Negative reinforcement are used or used in the theories of learning whether it is innate or learned behavior (King 2010). Positive Reinforcement and Skinners experiment Skinner experimented using positive reinforcement, with a rat and came to the conclusion that with a stimulus or positive reinforcement a rat can learn to receive food by pressing a bar. With Skinners exp eriments with the rat he discovered law of effect.Skinners approach to operant conditioning involved the â€Å"Law of Effect† stating that behavior followed by positive outcomes is strengthened and that behaviors followed by negative outcomes are weakened. This means that positive outcomes for behaviors are strengthening to an individual and negative outcomes weaken the behavior of the individual, therefore receiving a positive reinforcement or reward will increase the likelihood of the behavior occurring (King, 2010). Shaping Shaping is one of the first steps of operant conditioning, which is rewarding approximations of a desired behavior.An example the book gives is a rat can be shaped or trained to press a bar to eat. It is not likely for the rat to receive food when being placed in the â€Å"Skinner box†. The experimenter began to give the rat food pellets when the rat is close to the bar. The rat begins to gain the reward and continues to press the bar, which is P ositive reinforcement. Later the experimenter only rewards the rat with a pellet when rat is 2inches from the bar. After rewarding for being within 2inches the rat will have to touch the bar for reward, leading to the rat, pressing he bar and receiving food. When the rat presses bar that’s where reinforcement comes in, which is the process by which a rewarding stimulus or event following a particular behavior increases the probability that the behavior will happen again, the rat now sees that if it presses the bar it receives food, therefore the rat continues to press the bar to receive food. The behavior continues to happen due to the stimulus of food, which is reinforcement (King, 2010). Positive and Negative Reinforcement There is positive and negative reinforcement within operant conditioning.Positive reinforcement is getting a positive result from the stimulus; in turn a negative reinforcement is a behavior of doing something due to a negative stimulus. There are two typ es of reinforcement primary and secondary reinforcement. Primary reinforcement is innate which is not learned or conditioned Secondary reinforcement (King, 2010). Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction The next 3 key concept of classical conditioning is generalization, discrimination, and extinction. First is generalization which is performing a positive reinforced behavior in a different situation.An example of generalization is having three classes and deciding to study for one of the classes every night. Eventually an individual will begin to study every night in all three of their classes. The second discrimination is responding appropriately to stimuli that signal that a behavior will or will not be reinforced. The book gives an example of a restaurant that gives student discounts if the student shows there student identification card and how if someone who is not a student shows their identification card might get a puzzled look.The last is extinction, which is a decre ase in the frequency of a behavior when the behavior is no longer reinforced. Extinction is without the same stimuli and the reinforcement ceases to exist (King, 2010). Schedules of Positive and Negative Reinforcement The patterns that determine when a behavior will be reinforced positively or negatively are schedules of reinforcement, which can be negative and positive reinforcement. The four different types of schedules are; variable interval, fixed interval, variable ratio, and fixed ratio. Variable-interval is a timetable where behavior is reinforced after a certain amount of time has went by.A fixed interval applies to procrastination which is when the first behavior is reinforced after a fixed amount of time has passed. An example of fixed interval is a kindergartener that does not get a bad check mark all week receives candy at the end of the week. A fixed ratio reinforces a behavior after a set number of behaviors. Fixed ratio can be applied to the lottery, because you never know when you will win. The last is variable ratio that is when behaviors are rewarded an average number of times but on an unpredictable basis (King, 2010). Punishment Punishment is a consequence that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur.Operant Conditioning consists of two types of punishment positive and negative. Positive punishment is presentation of an unpleasant stimulus following a given behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior. Yelling at your child until they clean their room would be an example of positive punishment, because if they clean their room the yelling will stop. Negative punishment is the opposite the removal of a positive stimulus following a given behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior. Negative reinforcement can be telling your child if you don’t clean your room I will be taking your phone away.You will be removing the cell phone if they don’t clean their room, therefore it is more likel y for that child to clean their room. Both positive and negative reinforcement are used in punishment (King, 2010). Positive, Negative Reinforcement, and Timing Whether positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement timing is an important aspect in reinforcement and punishment. Immediate reinforcement is better than delayed reinforcement because delayed reinforcement means that an individual has to wait for their reward (reinforcement) and for young children that can be hard to comprehend.Immediate punishment is more effective with young children because if you delay their punishment the child is more likely to act that behavior again. The last type is immediate with delayed reinforcement and punishment. The book Experience Psychology gives an example of the three; â€Å"an individual putting off going to the dentist to avoid a punisher, such as pain, but waiting could contribute to greater pain later. Applied behavior analysis is applying operant conditioning to change human beh avior. This analysis looks for rewards that are creating bad behavior and enhances rewards to gain good behavior. King, 2010). † Three Theories Together Behaviorism, operant conditioning, and classical conditioning are different theories on how individuals learn and use positive or negative reinforcement. Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior solely, uses negative reinforcement and that is what makes it different from the other theories. Classical conditioning has two stimuli; (King, 2010) an example of classical conditioning is a child smelling a beautiful flower and is stung by a bee within the flower.Classical conditioning uses negative reinforcement, because it teaches the child that that flower caused the pain and they are more likely not to touch the flower again. The child associates the pain with the flower and is now fearful of the flower. Each theory has good and bad points, but my thought is behavior is learned with rewards, therefore human behavior is better w ith some sort of reward such as positive or negative (reinforcement) (King, 2010). Conclusion Positive and Negative Reinforcement Positive and negative reinforcement are used in behaviorism, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning.Many believe one works better than the other, but it depends on the situation whether negative or positive reinforcement will be used. I believe that Positive reinforcement is the best, because getting a reward makes an individual more likely to increase the desired behavior. Negative reinforcement to me can be stressful to an individual, because if they don’t do what they are supposed to do something could be taken from them (King, 2010). References King, L. (2010) Experience psychology: McGraw-Hill, Avenue of Americas. New York, NY 10020. (p. 167-177).