Educational effectiveness - International Comparison Essay

Educational effectiveness - International Comparison - Essay Example All these aspects should go hand in hand in establishing an effective educational system. But there is also one new yet already proven method of assessing the effectiveness of the educational system, and this is through international comparison. Comparisons of various schools’ students’ learning across countries are already being done 50 years ago. And recently, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) realized that this will be a good method of analyzing the level of efficacy of the educational system of the major schools around the world (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005). Initially, IEA though of comparing the educational system of the schools so as have a clear and unbiased comparative data about the schools’ educational performances. Thus, all levels in an educational system, the teachers, the school administrators, the policymakers and even the educational facilities are being assessed and compared. As the time goes by, IEA realized that comparing the educations’ effectiveness of schools around the world can also give tremendous benefits to schools being compared and even to students and teachers themselves (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005). The series of tests or exams for the students, the demo and several teacher valuations are known to be the proven ways of knowing if the students are learning or not or if the teachers are capable of teaching or not. But, the efficacy and efficiency of education per country as a whole cannot be assessed by those two methods. Thus, understanding and analyzing all the concepts and issues behind cross-country comparison of educational effectiveness is a good approach of appreciating education. The results of this paper can provide unlimited benefits to the students, teachers and the schools. They will be provided with ample

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy Essay

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy - Essay Example There are three branches making up a democracy and these are the legislature which not only sets out procedures that should be followed by the government but also ensures that the law is performed. The executive is the second branch of democracy and its main job is ensuring that policies are turned into action while the judiciary does the work of applying the law according to the procedures of justice that have been put in place while at the same time resolving any disagreements that might occur in the society. In order to ensure that there is freedom which is a one of the most important parts of democracy, it is necessary for these three powers to operate on their own but also act in a way that balances each other. Having the key values defining the law is what forms the groundwork for democracy since they help to constantly protect the constitution. These values also ensure that equality and civil rights and freedoms are always seen. Democracy is therefore thought to be one of the best types of government as a result of the clear separation that occurs between each of the arms of government. This is the reason why a judiciary that is independent in its actions is often seen as one of the best examples of a democracy that is working as it should be.

The Rationalism Of Rene Descartes

The Rationalism Of Rene Descartes In the early part of the Meditations, it has been quite clear that Descartes was very much leaning towards solipsism, a philosophy that asserts only the self exists. This is what makes his rationalism quite unique. His rationalism put everything under radical doubt. He had earlier on declared that he exists only because he thinks and doubts things. To put it simply, he exists because he thinks he exists. His being a thinking being is proof because if this were not the case, then he would not have perceived it in the first place. This assertion of his is already quite problematic. The argument is circular, in that there is not enough grounded evidence in which the conclusion, that is he exists, can spring from. Though he had differentiated this from a state of dreaming, to simply assert oneself as existing because one is aware, although quite optimistic, is nonetheless not enough to support the claim. It is not the same as saying that one is feeling hungry because of the feeling of pain in the stomach and other bodily functions connected to making the brain realize that one is in a state of hunger. Had Descartes accepted the notion of the senses playing a part of a persons clear and certain knowledge of the world, then simply being conscious of ones existence through thinking might be more reasonable, since the brain would be sending signals or at least contemplating about itself, which is a distinct characteristic of man being a rational being. To simply rely, however, on ones own reason and rejecting anything coming in from the senses is realistically impossible. For certitude does not simply come into us without having a prior experience about it. He says his senses are deceiving him because of the idea of something within him seems not the same as the object he sees through his senses. He uses as an example the sun, wherein his idea of which is a giant fiery ball of flame and in actuality, he simply sees it as a speck in the sky, only about a third or so larger than the moon. This is a poor example, given that there exists then sciences explaining such phenomena. Yet his conviction remains the same. A thing might be something else than what it seems but how can we perceive its true form if not through the senses? Would Descartes know that the sun was a big fiery ball of gases had it not been for empirical sciences saying such? He says that he is grounded on the natural light of reason and yet seems to derive his conclusions through the use of empirical data. Given Descartes radical doubt, up to the point that he even doubts memories, indeed the only thing that one can be certain about is that one is doubting and trying very hard to think about what there is to doubt and what there is to believe as clear and distinct. Yet Descartes is certain of another thing aside from doubting and this is the idea that there is a God. In his third and fourth meditation, he comes across the possibility of error occurring to him even within the natural light of reason, and of the problem of whether or not God exists. Conversely, if God exists, he pondered if it was possible that this almighty being be deceiving him. He begins his thinking that there is a God who created everything by saying that everything that has been created must be in some way, coming from something else which possess the qualities or modes that is the same with the thing created. A stone, he said, can begin to exist only if it is produced by something that containsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬either straightforwardly or in some higher formà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬everything that is to be found in the stone; similarly, heat canà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t be produced in a previously cold object except by something of at least the same order of perfection as heat, and so on(Ariew Cress, 2006). He adds to this that his ideas of a stone or of heat cannot simply come from him alone but from something else that has these qualities. Such ideas are but mere representations of a reality, much like what a photograph would do as a representation of an event. And since such is the case, there must be something, he says, in which all those ideas originate from since there cannot be an infinite regress of ideas. Ideas, in themselves, are not false since they are not from the senses. Even ideas of other men, angels and of God, as Descartes had put it, even if all three did not exist, are real ideas. So long as these ideas are not from the senses, Descartes regards it as clear and distinct. However, there are false ideas for him. The notions of hot and cold, colours and the like that represent non-things, are false in that they are materially false. Regardless, all the ideas that Descartes think about, whether they are materially true or materially false, he asserts to have come from God. He says this because he had, from before his elucidation, thought that things coming from the senses are real. Now, through the use of the natural light of reason, Descartes perceives them as false. He has greatly erred, so to speak. Then, if he is someone who is both incomplete and commits error, there must be something out there that does not. God existed because he has a notion of an imperfect being (himself), and there must be, from this idea of imperfection, something that is perfect from which the imperfection is derived. Since he is a thinking thing, he must have come from something that is also a thinking being, although much greater than him. Descartes adds that the idea of God did not come from the senses nor did he spontaneously created it because if these were the case then he would have been able to manipulate the idea. However, he cannot do this to his idea of a perfect being. and if there is a God, can this almighty being be deceiving him? Descartes answers that it is not possible because a perfect being cannot do something that is out of its nature, which is everything good. Error stems from judgments which in turn, is a product of a persons free will and from a perception of a thing due to ones senses. This is another circular argument from Descartes. In line of theology, it could be applauded but in the realm of philosophy, more or less, it has its loopholes. For one, it is too assumptive. There exists a cause of everything, truly, but the idea of God is anyones guess. To simply state that there is a God because one is imperfect and therefore must have come from a perfect being is, just like his argument for existence, without much proof. Another is his argument that the perfect being is necessary because it is an uncaused cause. Surely, this is true because there is no infinite regress but the first cause is not so much important as the second one, or the third or the fourth or even the last cause of the other cause. To put it, these series of causes are important in each and every aspect just as the first because it is a series of causes that without one of these, the end result would not have happened. Conclusion I assert then, that in Descartes thinking, there is something lacking. In his methods, it is as if he simply grab things out of thin air and claim them to be true and distinct because, to put it, they had been grasped only by the intellect. To not rely on our senses in the physical world is something that we should try to shy away from. Even the Eastern philosophies, particularly that of the Indian civilization, accepted that though the world is not ultimately real, it is real in the practical sense. Nevertheless, a strong point in Descartes thinking is that like all great philosophers before him, he had produced a new mindset for future generations to ponder upon. His esteem of the capabilities of the intellect perhaps cannot be compared to any other. Yet to rely solely on the intellect is a brave feat but nonetheless ungrounded. His claim of treating something as clear and distinct because it is obvious, when we think about it, is not really on par with reality. Descartes emphasis on the human mind to be the sole tool for determining whether or not an idea or an object is clear and distinct is perhaps one that overestimates the capabilities of the mind if not giving it a heavy burden. But that is why we called Descartes philosophy radical, isnt it?

Music And Stress Essay -- essays research papers

Music and Stress   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the first week of my self change project I monitored my stress levels and the way music effected the mental and physical aspects of stress. From monitoring this properly, I found that listening to music pleasing to me at the specifically different times I experienced stress did help reduce my internal feelings and physical changes. In carefully studying the various types of stress experienced I concluded that certain types of music more effectively reduced my stress and anxiety levels. The following paragraphs explain further the types of stress felt and the music that assisted in subsiding the symptoms of stress. Stress can be felt in several different forms, included here are the following ways I experienced stress. This step was found to be particularly important in past studies to learn specific Å’stress styles' and most importantly, what music reduced what symptoms of stress. There are six separate forms of stress that can be experienced. These are symptomatic in physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and relational aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Physical symptoms I personally experienced were: headaches (specifically tension headaches), nausea, dizziness, sleep difficulties, tight neck and shoulders, racing heart, trembling hands, and restlessness. Behavioral symptoms I felt were: a definite excess in smoking, bossiness towards others, compulsive gum chewing, I became critical of others, grinding of my teeth so hard that I am forced to wear a mouthpiece at night, and an inability to finish what I start. Some of the emotional symptoms included: crying, anxiety,nervousness, boredom, edginess, overwhelming sense of pressure, overwhelming anger, being unhappy for no reason, and very testy. Cognitive symptoms that I felt were: trouble thinking clearly, forgetfulness, writers block, long-term memory loss, inability to make decisions, and constant excessive worry. Spiritual aspects of stress that I felt: doubt, unforgiving, apathy, and a strong feeling for the need to prove myself. Examples of relational symptoms included: isolation, intolerance, resentment, clamming up, nagging/whining, distrust,and less contact with friends.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The importance of identifying interpersonal feelings helps with deciding what music would be most effective in reducing stres... ...nderstand that if she/he decided to change, she/he could. Future use of behavior change will most definitely come in handy. I already have a list of things I would like to change on my own time and knowing how and what to do will be more than enough motivation to get me going.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My major goals in this specific self-change project would be the reduction of anxiety and stress through music therapy. Hopefully this will follow me into the rest of my life, including stress in family life and in my chosen career. Secondary goals that I have acquired through study on the topic are actually using music therapy in my future career. To be specific, I would like to turn and use music along with psychodynamic therapy to help heal pediatric oncology patients. At this time in my college career, I feel that I am fulfilling my goals, but certainly not to their best. Hopefully, through this and other self-change projects, I can prepare myself for today and the future. Self-change is, I found, something that can only continue in your life if you use it . If you do follow through, eventually, the change will become a part of you and not a simple Å’behavior you don't like'.

The Bioethics Debate

Kristi Ellis Mrs. Scheidt English 1301. 174 11 October 2012 Paper #2 – The Bioethics Debate In â€Å"Patenting Life,† by Michael Crichton, and â€Å"Bioethics and the Stem Cell Research Debate,† by Robyn S. Shapiro, they discuss gene patenting, medicine, stem cell research, and the laws of bioethics. According to Crichton and Shapiro, humans are all born with genes, stem cells, and organs that are part of our natural world, yet when the law tries to put limits on these rights it becomes unethical. Crichton and Shapiro both agree about the controversial issues surrounding science and medicine.They both point out the unethical issues, the innovation in medicine, and the impact on science and medicine in relation to the law. In both essays Crichton and Shapiro list many immoralities that arise out of bioethical issues. For instance, Crichton refers to an example of the Canavan disease in which the process to find a cure was halted due to gene patenting. It was a pri me example of an issue that was unethical because the owner of the gene for the disease could choose whether or not to charge for a test and choose how much to charge for it, which blocks medical innovations.Crichton states, â€Å"There is no clearer indication that gene patents block innovation, inhibit research and put us all at risk† (432). Crichton goes on to say that genes are part of humans naturally and should not be privately owned (431). In comparison, Shapiro explains although embryonic stem cells give promise to the medical field, many ethical issues surround it such as the destruction of the embryo. Shapiro also writes that those who denounce embryonic stem cell research believe the embryo is already a human being with rights from conception, while others believe that human rights do not exist prior to birth (435).Additionally, medical advancement is critical for innovation in both essays. Crichton states that gene patenting prevents medical testing and slows medi cal advancement. Not only does it halt research, but it causes the costs of medical testing to rise because the owner can charge whatever he wants (431). He mentions doctors cannot get information on if a medication will or will not work on someone because the lack of quality tests. Crichton says â€Å"For years we’ve been promised the coming era of personalized medicine – medicine suited to our particular body makeup.Gene patents destroy that dream† (432). In contrast, Shapiro states that stem cells are important to the medical field because they can turn into a wide array of cell types that can help people with diseases such as diabetes, nervous system diseases, and Parkinson’s disease (434-35). In addition, he says stem cell research could provide important information on how human organs and tissues develop, which could lead to development of new medications (435). In both sources, the law plays a significant role in the unethical issues surrounding s cience and medicine.Crichton mentions how the United States Patent Office issued gene patents by mistake because of misinterpreted Supreme Court rulings. The issue of gene patents make it hard for people to donate their genes because most of the genes are privately owned (431). Crichton states that two congressman sponsored the genomic research and Accessibility Act, a bill that would ban patenting genes in nature (432). Shapiro denotes the growing importance of the law surrounding bioethical issues. He cites the United States Supreme Court cases of Roe v.Wade and Stenberg v. Carkart which dealt with a partial birth abortion law. Shapiro states, â€Å"In state courts, bioethical considerations inform judges’ balancing of patient healthcare confidentiality with a â€Å"duty to warn† of potentially dangerous patient behavior (433). The most significant law Shapiro cites is the Dickey Amendment which prohibits federal funding for embryo research (436). Shapiro mentions i n addition to federal funding restrictions, many states have laws that limit embryonic stem cell research.Lastly, he cites the eligibility of federal patent protections significantly, the Thomson Patents (437). In conclusion, both Crichton and Shapiro can conclude the topics of gene patenting and embryonic stem cell research are unethical in some way. Although gene patenting blocks innovation and embryonic stem cell research promotes it, they both have laws that limit the impact on the world of science and medicine. According to Shapiro, â€Å"As these issues have moved to the center of public debate, the law has assumed an increasingly important place in the discipline of bioethics† (433).Thus, when the law puts limits on human genetics it becomes unethical and immoral according to both essays in this bioethical debate. WORD COUNT: 740 Works Cited Crichton, Michael. â€Å"Patenting Life. † Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Readings Across the Disciplines. 6th ed. E d. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. 431-432. Print. Shapiro, S. Robyn. â€Å"Bioethics and the Stem Cell Research Debate. † Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Readings Across the Disciplines. 6th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. 433-438. Print.

William Glasser

Glasser is an internationally recognized psychiatrist. William Glasser was born in 1925. He was raised in Cleveland, OH. His first profession was a Chemical Engineer but decided to go into psychiatry when it became apparent to him this was his real interest in life. He attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for medical school. At Veterans Administration Hospital he took his psychiatric training also attending UCLA. He became board certified in 1961. He did private practice from 1957 to 1986. Dr. Glasser’s approach is non-traditional.He does not believe in the concept of mental illness unless there is something organically wrong with the brain that can be confirmed by a pathologist. In 1967, he founded The Institute for Reality Therapy. In 1994, The Institute was renamed The Institute for Control Theory, Reality Therapy and Quality Management to reflect the scope of The Institute’s teachings. Two years later it became The William Glasser Institute with Dr. Glasser renaming his theory, choice theory. Initially, The Institute was active only in the United States and Canada but under Dr.Glasser’s direction, his teachings have now spread to many countries (wglasser. com) Glasser is best known for his book Reality Therapy which he wrote in 1965. The idea behind this type of therapy is that people need to meet the basic needs of love both giving and receiving and the need of finding self-worth. A therapy that leads all patients toward reality, toward grappling successfully with the tangible and intangible aspects of the real world, might accurately be simply called Reality Therapy. Glasser 6) Glasser states the in order for us to fulfill our needs we must have one person that we care for and in return cares for us to meet our basic needs. Reality Therapy is based on Choice Theory. Choice theory states that: †¢all we do is behave, †¢that almost all behavior is chosen, and †¢that we are driven by our genes to satisfy fi ve basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun. There are ten axioms that go along with this theory as well they are all follows: 1. The only person whose behavior we can control is our own. 2.All we can give another person is information. 3. All long lasting psychological problems are relationship problems. 4. The problem relationship is always part of our present life. 5. What happened in the past has everything to do with what we are today, but we can only satisfy or basic needs right now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future. 6. We can only satisfy our needs by satisfying the pictures in our Quality World. 7. All we do is behave. 8. All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of for components: acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology. . All Total Behavior is chosen, but we only have direct control over the acting and thinking components. We can only control our feeling and physiology indirectly through how we choose to act and think. 10. Al l Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the part that is most recognizable. (wglasser. com) Dr. Glasser is semi-retired, but is still a much sought-after speaker nationally and internationally. Some of his many accomplishments are as follows:†¢listed in Who’s Who in America since the 1970s; 1990 – awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from the University of San Francisco; †¢2003 – presented with the ACA Professional Development Award recognizing the significant contributions made to the field of counseling; †¢2004 – presented with the â€Å"A Legend in Counseling Award† by the ACA; †¢January – 2005 presented with the prestigious Master Therapist designation by the American Psychotherapy Association; and finally, †¢2005 – presented with the Life Achievement Award by the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology for his enormous influence as a ps ychotherapist and author. wglasser. com) William Glasser’s methods of psychity are very useful. He teaches people to love them self and others. If you have a so called mental illness he tries to get to the under lying cause believing that you only have a mental illness if it can be proven by Drs. Glasser still does speaking about his theories. Works cited 1. William Glasser Institute. Oct. 6, 2009. [www. wglasser. com] 2. Glasser, William. Reality Therapy. New York. Harper& Row 1990.

causes of the civil war essays

causes of the civil war essays The American Civil War was a military conflict between the United States of America (the Union), and 11 secessionist Southern states, organized as the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). It was the culmination of four decades of intense sectional conflict and it reflected deep-seated economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. One of the major causes of the Civil War was the seemingly endless political disputes over slavery in the Mexican Cession and Louisiana Purchase territories. It was imperative that the Democratic and Whig political leaders maintain harmony between their Southern and Northern supporters, thus, the platforms of both during presidential elections like that of 1848 tried to avoid that particular slavery question. However, the extension of slavery into the new territories was one of the largest issues of the time, and with growing opposition from the North, evasion of it became increasingly difficult. Another signif icant cause of the war was the growth of different responses to antislavery practices such as the Underground Railroad and reactions to runaway slaves and the Fugitive Slave laws that spurred from all sections of the country. Finally, there was the economic distress factor, of both foreign and domestic roots, that included everything from tariffs to the financial crash of 1857. These in turn caused sectional disputes over the use of the federal governments public lands. In early 1848, when gold was discovered in California, a horde of adventurers poured into the valleys. Free-soilers and slaveryites argued over the proposed issue of slavery in the territories, and thus, whether the terrain itself was suitable for a slave economy. In Congress on August 8, 1846, Pennsylvania Representative David Wilmot moved an amendment: that, as an express and fundamental condition of the acquisition of any territory f...