ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction: Development of Thematic Approaches to Learning One of initial references to this philosophy of child-centered curriculum is Plato’s statement that children’s’ education should take the form of play. He was the first to formulate a comprehensive education system covering every aspect from its administration to a detailed curriculum. Plato considered health and beauty of the body and mind as necessary goals of education.. Games contribute a lot to children’s’ education. Any individual who wants to be good in anything, he or she must practice that thing from early childhood (Coulby, 1989, p.126). Aristotle went a step further to encourage development of curriculums that allow children to grow into educated states. This was represented in his work on “Growth Metaphysics” (Clark, 1988, p. 112). Child-centeredness approach was developed further by Rousseau when he provided a philosophy referred to as “Naturalism” (Kerry, 1994, p. 187). His ideas were in agreement with Aristotelian notion of “Growth Metaphysic” when he stated that children had capacity, internal power to move towards perfection (Helby, 1997, p. 56). He roundly understood the nature of child development. He fully understood the effects of civilization processes on pupils. The processes of civilization made people dependent on each other and could divert pupil’s desires to material rather than physical necessities (Baker 1998: 158). This revelation was very necessary in the incorporation of foreign languages in primary curriculums. Rousseau understanding of importance of first-hand experiences in learning helped in establishing new methods of learning. He came up with the principle that a child was naturally good. Again, children’s processes of thought were less developed than adults thought processes, and not comparable to them. According to Rousseau, childhood has its own ways of thinking, seeing and feeling. Therefore, teachers must adapt to the capacity or level of children for learning to take place. He put more emphasis on the process of learning which covered most essentials of child-centered approach to curriculum. Given a suitable environment, a child would develop naturally (Boss, 2007, p. 126). Learning in children is best self directed and the role of the teacher is to enable children learn. The teacher is not supposed to transmit knowledge. Rousseau also emphasized learning process to be organized for individuals and not class sized groups. He preferred isolation of a child from all others so that all areas of learning are developed by the skilled teacher. Through a keen engineered exploitation of experiences of everyday life, the teacher should device a highly structured, orderly and disciplined curriculum. These methods made us realize importance of first-hand experiences in learning which were later referred to as topic work and discovery learning (Kerry, 1994, p. 134). This philosophy on children’s education had important consequences. It inspired e
Introduction Gilman’s story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’ revolves around a protagonist who has been locked up by her husband in their leased house during summer vacation. The husband justifies his actions by pointing out that her wife needed a rest cure, especially now after the birth of their child. As the story unfolds, she (wife) reaches the threshold of a mental break down and insanity (Stetson, 1892). She begins to experience hallucinations and becomes obsessed with yellow wallpaper that hanged on the wall. She associates everything in her environment with the yellow paper. Just before the vacation is over, she begins seeing nonexistent women creeping in her room. She looks at the paper and sees another woman entrapped in the picture. In an attempt to free her, she rips apart the wallpaper and locks herself in the bedroom. That was the only place she felt safe (Stetson, 1892). When her husband returns, she refuses to open the door for him. Her husband gets the key and opens the bedroom, finding his wife in a severe mental condition, and faints. The protagonist continues to draw circles on her husband’s body. The story explores various themes and addresses numerous social issues. This paper will evaluate the theme of feminism in the story. Besides, the paper will highlight criticisms of the story and its impact on the audience. Gender Roles in The Yellow Wallpaper Since its publication in 1892, many interpretations have come up regarding the story. Particularly, feminists believe that the story depicts the struggles and tribulations that women endured in a male-dominated society. Various illustrations in the novel assert the perception held by feminists. At the outset, society undermined the role of women in households and during important decision-making processes (Stetson, 1892). As such, they played peripheral roles in society. In other words, the story portrays women’s opinions in society as irrational and irrelevant. The protagonist is locked in a house for the sole reason of getting a rest cure. She has no alternative since she is unable to convince her husband that the rest break was unnecessary. As Stetson (1892) elucidates, ‘…and I did not make out a very good case for myself, for I was crying before I finished.’ (p. 651). According to the protagonist, her condition does not necessitate such medical and therapeutic intervention. She wishes she were a free woman who could write, care for her child and participate in the running o
The film Thunderheart suggests that urban and rural environment can reflect various forms of inequality which may exist in modern societies. By examining the life of a Native-American reservation, the authors can give the viewers in-depth insights into the difficulties experienced by the residents of this town. To a great extent, this movie confirms the idea of Sharon Zukin who argues that living spaces can indicate the so-called distinction between the majority and minority or “us” and “them” (Zukin, 1995, p. 42). This distinction is important for explaining the differences between various communities. Although, this movie can be regarded as a western, it is closely related to such issues as urban planning, economic stagnation, dilapidation, and environmental problems that Native-Americans try to overcome in their daily lives. These are the major themes that can be identified. The viewers can better understand these differences in living conditions by looking at various urban settings. For example, at the beginning of the movie, one can see the main character Levoi driving through the streets of Washington D.C. (Nozik, 1992). Such images indicate that a certain society or culture has achieved high levels or prosperity. This is one of the major impressions that this scene produces on a person. However, later, the protagonist is placed in a dramatically different world which is not familiar to him. It does not resemble what he believes to be his home. In particular, when Levoi approaches the reservation, one can definitely see the signs of dilapidation. In this case, one can pay attention to such a detail as the crooked road sign (Nozik, 1992). This road sign can be viewed as a post that marks the border between two different states that have nothing in common with one another. Additionally, the land through which Levoi travels bears practically no marks of civilization. This is one of the details that immediately attract attention of the viewers. On the whole, this contrast is supposed to demonstrate that people of the United States can live in very different conditions; more importantly, this inequality can be closely related with the racial or ethnic origins of
Introduction The shifting characteristics of the 21 st century business environment mainly occasioned by forces of globalization, intense competition, technological advancements, demographic shifts, economic realities, and a changing workforce has generated immeasurable complexities and uncertainties for modern organizations. Undoubtedly, these uncertainties can impede efficient operations of organizations, thereby straining their competitive edge, investment plans, and projected outcomes (Turner, 2002). To be effective, organizations have been necessitated to put in place mechanisms and strategies that must endure and manage the environmental forces. One of the most common strategies that have generated increased interest as a proactive measure to shield organizations from these uncertainties is formal planning. Indeed, leading organizations have undertaken to entrench formal planning in every facet of organizational management and business strategy, including human resource initiatives. According to Jackson & Schuler (1990), major shifts in modern-day business, economic, and demographic trends are compelling organizations to integrate human resources with the overall strategic planning process with a view to adopt a long-term perspective unlike in the past when operating conditions guaranteed comparative environmental certainty and stability. It is against this background that this paper aims to evaluate the relevancy of HR planning in a changing and dynamic economic environment. More importantly, the paper will critically evaluate how a contemporary approach to HR planning is more applicable in such an environment compared to a more traditional approach. Defining HR Planning and Dynamic Economic Environment What actually constitute HR Planning is contentious as the concept has drawn numerous definitions from scholars and HR professionals. What is certain for now is that HR planning is an extremely vital function within an organization charged with the responsibility of evaluating the organization’s strategy and then deploying the needed human capital in terms of employees when it is called to do so by the strategy (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). In other words, it entails bringing focus, alignment, purpose and energy to the organization’s business strategy through available manpower resources. According to Turner (2002), HR planning can be “…defined as the relatively specific element of HR strategy-making that proposes appropriate actions with regard to human resourcing” (p. 45). Pattanayak (2005) defines effective HR planning as “…a process of analyzing an organization’s human resource needs under changing conditions and developing the activities necessary to satisfy those needs” (p. 34). It can therefore be argued that the function falls into the broad locale of employee resourcing – a multifaceted process
Introduction The Americans are globally famous for their relentless support for democratic governance. Jacobs et al asserts that the ideals of democratically responsive governance are highly cherished by the American people (3). Ironically, the situation is markedly different within the American government even as they actively support democracy in other countries. With the growing inequality issues in the country, the ideals of democratic governance have been highly compromised. The major disparities existing are mostly noticeable within the public domain (Jacobs et al. 3). Primarily, the issue is about income differences, opportunities for wealth creation and equal citizenship (Jacobs et al. 3). These gaps are growing rapidly in the United States compared to any other country in the world. Yet the US still considers herself the world’s greatest advocates of democracy. The American government is making little or no progress in the efforts to realize the democratic ideals set forth by the founding fathers of the nation. Equal rights The American society is the most culturally diverse in the world and this comes with a number of challenges as well. There were steps made to achieve equality in the 1950s and 1960s at the height of racism. Racial segregation and exclusion became illegal and socially unacceptable hence moving a step towards equality (Jacobs et al. 4). This allowed the white and black community to access education in the same schools and get access to health services in the same health facilities. This was a good gesture towards democratic governance. It is also worth noting that major gender based barriers started to break down during the same time and women were empowered to pursue academic, political, and economic opportunities just as men did (Jacobs et al. 4). Other marginalized groups like the Latin Americans also got access to equal rights on an equal footing with the rest of the Americans. Notably, the previous barriers that promoted inequalities such as race, gender, ethnicity to mention but a few do not exist today. Nonetheless, new barriers that are fostering inequality in the American society have emerged and they are rapidly spreading within the government and the country at large posing a threat to the realization of democracy. The greatest of these barriers is the gaps in income and wealth between the Americans (Jacobs et al. 4). The gap between the rich and the poor is greatly increasing owing to disparities in income especially in the private and the civil sectors. This gap is increasingly creating a major segregation in the job market as well as in schools and colleges. Apparently, the rich and the wealthy are better positioned to cease opportunities that are out of reach for the middle and lower income classes. Consequently, the rich are in a position to get richer while limiting access to resources by the poor man. That is why the saying that the rich will continue to get rich while the poor man becomes poorer is very true. Some element of racist treatments is also present in school among students. In America today, one has to work very hard in order to maintain his or her
Introduction The case under study is of a newly appointed CEO, Cheryl Tobin by name, who is contemplating launching an investigation into possible fraudulent practices in the company. Cheryl has just been hired to fill the position of a legendary CEO who passed away. Rawlings James had before the time of his death held the position and he had seen the Hammond Company achieve tremendous success in innovation as well as in making business deals that placed them well above their competition. He in fact passed away in the middle of a business negotiation after he had succumbed to aneurysm. Before Cheryl took on her new position, she was working for Boeing where she had been in charge of one of the largest units. Hammond was one of their main competitors and she was not completely in the dark on couple of things about the company. While at Boeing, she had heard rumors that one of the reasons why Hammond hand managed to beat competition in acquiring new business opportunities is the fact that Rawlings was liberal in applying illegal rewards as a way of coaxing the negotiations in his favor. There had been no evidence to this however as they were only rumors. But Cheryl is concerned that these rumors could be a pointer to the fact there has been something fishy going on at Hammond under the watchful eye of his predecessor. Her curiosity makes her wants to dig to find out if the rumors can actually be substantiated. She begins by inquiring form her personal assistant, Jackie Terrell. Jackie previously served as the personal assistant for Rawlings for eighteen years and she would most likely have some inside information to either fuel or quite her suspicions. When she talks to her assistant about
Moses Hess attitude towards the Jewish culture changed from time to time. In the early twenties, Moses identified himself with the Germans and suggested that Jews were to be assimilated to the Germans culture. Later on Hess severally expressed compromise for his fellow Jew people. Hess was optimistic of the Jews and argued that the future of the Jewish state lay in acquiring national land, adoption of a legal system and establishing Jewish societies. Hess proposed for a socialist kind of Jewish state. He argues that Germans do not really despise the Jewish religion as they despite Jews culture. In the book “Rome and Jerusalem”, Hess talks of his return to his culture. Hess had suffered from anti-Semitism and was compelled to look up to his Jewish culture and religion arguing on his principle of race. Hess viewed that the Jewish people should defend their nationality in foreign land while aiming to restore their political system Palestine. The Jewish religion offered a means for attaining Jewish national identity, and Hess suggested that it ought not to be altered until the Jewish culture was established in Palestine. Hess viewed that the Sanhedrin or the supreme Jewish court was the most powerful and purest conception of Judaism and could enact laws to cater for the needs of the society (Hertzberg, 116). Leon Pinsker quotes Hillel, saying, “If I am not for myself, who will be there for me. If not now when?” The Jews were not a nation since they did not have a defined national identity, as they did not have national land to be equal with other nations. The Jews lacked a fatherland, though many motherlands; no common destiny, government or formal representation. The Jews experienced a distinctive feeling while in exile and thus could not assimilate or easily understand other nations. Pinsker says that the Jewish people could never be the same socially with the gentiles so far as the Jews did not own national land and urges the Jewish leaders to meet and deliberate on this issue. Just like Hess, Pinsker believes that universal harmony with other nations cannot be achieved and the Jews should get equality with other nations (Hertzberg, 181). Theodor Herzl is known as the founder of political Zionism. In “The Jewish State”, Herzl says that anti-Semitism excluded Jews and made them fell like aliens in exile. Herzl proposed that diplomacy was the most viable means of remedying the Jewish state. The Jews were supposed to be settled in the new state in an organized manner. They were to appreciate whatever was offered to them according to the public interests. The state was to adopt social balances such as working ethics and business ethics, that were modern, complex, and technologically relevant, and European-oriented culture. Herzl believed in a mixed economy where the state was equally involved in the economy. However, Herzl, like Hess, criticized non-Zionists and assimilationist Jews of Central and Western Europe who believed in the abolition of nationalism and did not regard the Jewish religion. Herzl fores
Introduction The word ‘American’ is in almost, if not all, descriptions of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle. So what makes Harley-Davidson so American? According to Lynch (2003), the design embodies the American free spirit. Quoting CDF.org, Lynch (2003) writes, “Perhaps more than any other 20 th century product, the Harley Davidson motorcycle is revered as an American icon-symbol of free spiritedness, love, and verve for living life with all your sense”. Almost everything about the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, from the manufacturers to the design and what it embodies speak ‘American’. According to Yates (2003), “the Harley-Davidson brand is so rooted in American culture that the history of the company intertwines with the history of America itself”. However, Harley Davidson did not only become a symbol of American culture, but also changed attitudes towards motorcycle riding- an influence that has continued to date. Brief Background Information The company was founded in 1903 by William S. Harley and two brothers, Walter and Arthur Davidson. The first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was manufactured in a small shed in Milwaukie (Wisconsin), the original base. According to Lynch (2003), the shed measured 10 by 15 feet, with a hand-painted sign with the words “Harley Davidson Motor Company” hanging at the front. Since then, despite a few attempts into modern designs, the company has stuck with its “traditional cruiser motorcycles running on its signature “air-cooled V-Twin engines” (Lynch, 2003). The Harley-Davidson motorcycles have over the years been associated with various notions and attracted various attitudes. Harley Davidson has been known to produce quality products famous not only for their quality, but also their dependability. It is partly for this that the company served the country in both world wars, as well as several police forces across the U.S. On the other hand, it has been associated with ruggedness and rebellion, thanks to troublemaking biker gangs who have always used Harley-Davidson as the motorcycle of choice. Harley Davidson’s Influence on Motorcycle Riding Harley Davidson motorcycles turned many people into riders. This was especially based on the simplicity of its designs that did not require much expertise. Speaking of designs, 1903 marked an important time of technological revolution that had began in the last quarter of the gone century. The invention of the internal combustion gasoline engine and light bulb was an important one for the founders of Harley-Davidson. Having no technical training or experience and down on budget, the three first experimented with blueprints of the “De Dion-Bouton engine” (Lynch, 2003), a French engine running on a single cylinder. Their idea was to build a simple and rugged machine that had “e
Probably, the most sensitive area for any content-producing company is the interest of its audience. Sometimes, the more customers are willing to consume informational products, the more successful such firms will be. However, it becomes harder for companies to keep the interest alive. Understanding why measuring the audience’s engagement is so complicated is essential in ascertaining the role that measurement metrics have in the media world. The reason why “engagement” has become such an important topic within the media world lies in the extensive promotion of this concept. Any company that wants its products sold will invest in a marketing strategy. In this area, the product is the engagement tools, which are promoted by companies that succeeded in this regard, such as Hearken (Owen, 2018). Therefore, it is more a case of successful selling rather than the actual importance of engagement. The absence of objective, quantifiable parameters predetermines the difficulty surrounding the evaluations of the audiences’ engagement. Harken itself acknowledges this complication but still claims that it can be transcended (Nelson, 2018). For instance, one of the discernible indications of public interest in the subject is the number of pageviews and subscribers (Owen, 2018). As these data are not exhaustive, Harken’s endeavors signify the role of audience metrics as tools, which provide a general understanding of the customers’ interest rather than their real needs. Altogether, it should be evident that the media world currently experiences problems with engaging audiences and ascertaining customers’ interests. The more news companies lose subscribers, the more desperate they are for any metrics, which would allow them to measure the mood. Harken offers such metrics, as well as solutions to engaging the audience. However, it remains a mystery whether Harken’s tools are working or it is just another successful yet short-lived business venture.