Implications For Maximising Pupil Learning Education Essay

Implications For Maximising Pupil Learning Education Essay Adults play an important role in extending and enhancing childrens learning. Research has shown that adult involvement, from both parents and teachers, is a key factor in improving childrens academic attainment as well as their behaviour towards learning (Desforges Abouchaar, 2003). The parents are the prime educators for a child until they reach the early years setting where teachers then begin to take on the main role of teaching. It is clear from research that both teachers and parents have important roles to play in the education of a child (Desforges Abouchaar, 2003 and Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2008). Although research has shown that teachers and parents have an impact on childrens education what is less clear is the impact that other classroom based staff and in particular teaching assistants have on their learning. Since 1997 the number of teaching assistants present in classrooms in the UK has trebled (Blatchford et al, 2012) and the number of teaching assistants has been steadily rising since the introduction of the SEN Code of Practice in 1994 which required additional support staff to assist with SEN children accessing mainstream schools (Blatchford et al, 2011). In 1998 the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) was introduced and a year later the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) was launched. These drives involved significant input from teaching assistants and led to an increase in their responsibilities. Reports from Ofsted indicate that teaching assistants continue to play an important and effective role in the daily mathematics lessons and the literacy hour (Ofsted, 2003, pg. 4). This, therefore, highlights their value and effectiveness in delivering learning in schools. The introduction of the National Workforce Agreement (NWA), raising standards and tackling teacher workload, (Department for Education and Skills, 2003a) also aimed to raise standards and tackle the workload of teachers by increasing the number of teaching assistants in schools. This rapid increase in teaching assistant numbers in schools has been a cause of concern and research into the impact of teaching assistants on childrens learning has begun to become more evident. Most recently, the findings of the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) project has raised concerns about the deployment of teaching assistants, their impact on childrens learning and has highlighted the need for further research (Blatchford et al, 2009a). The main assumption was that the increase in teaching assistant numbers would be beneficial to maximising pupil learning (Brown Harris, 2010 Blatchford et al, 2007). However, there is currently little systematic evidence available to confirm whether teaching assistants have a positive impact on pupil outcomes (Blatchford et al, 2011 and Alborz et al, 2009 and Rubie-Davies et al, 2010). The increasing and changing role of teaching assistants in classrooms is of importance as they have both a direct and indirect impact on childrens learning. This essay will focus on the role of teaching assistants and their impact on pupil learning. Firstly, this essay will define and review the role of the teaching assistant and what is meant by effective learning. It will then go on to critically review the current research on the impact of teaching assistants on individuals, the class as a whole and whether they are maximising or holding back pupil learning and progress. The Role of the Teaching Assistant It is apparent that there is confusion as to what the role of the teaching assistant is and there is still a lack of clarity and consensus as to how they should be utilised in schools (Blatchford et al, 2012 and Butt Lance, 2009). Teaching assistants have been prompted to take on more teaching roles in recent years and the publication of the Excellence and Enjoyment document in 2003 has encouraged the use of teaching assistants in teaching whole classes, which has added to the confusion of the role (Department for Education and Skills, 2003b). The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) guide suggests that teaching assistants have four areas of work in supporting the school, the curriculum, the teacher and the pupil (DfEE, 2000). In 2001 the Secretary of State also suggested that the work of teaching assistants should include supervising classes, and working with small groups (HMI, 2002). In school X the definition of the role of the teaching assistant was defined as being to work alongside teachers in the classroom and help pupils with their learning on an individual or group basis (School X Role of the Teaching Assistant). The role of the teaching assistant has clearly moved from acting as a classroom helper to a direct role in supporting teaching and learning in the classroom (Vincett et al, 2005 Groom, 2006). The lack of coordination and training for teaching assistants was transformed in the DfES (2004) document which announced plans for vocational qualifications and introduced training for the higher level teaching assistant (HLTA)(Vincett et al, 2005). The HLTA responsibilities in school X were to plan and deliver learning activities under the direction of a teacher and assess, record and report on pupils progress (School X Role of the Higher Level Teaching Assistant). The range of responsibilities and the lack of clarity of what is involved in these different roles can create confusion. Teaching assistants work in a variety of roles in the clas sroom working directly with small groups, individuals and in some cases taking intervention programmes. The role of the teaching assistant and how they impact on the pupil ranges from school to school and although much of the research available suggests that teaching assistants are in fact hindering pupil progress there is some evidence that they are assisting and maximising pupil learning (Brown Harris, 2010). This essay will focus solely on the role of the teaching assistant and whether their presence maximises pupil learning. There are a variety of different terms used to describe staff that are in paid employment and assist in supporting the teacher; these include learning support assistant, paraprofessional, teaching assistant, and classroom support assistant. The DfEE states that teaching assistant is the preferred generic term (DfEE, 2000, p.3) and this essay will use the term teaching assistant to refer to all staff that support the class teacher. Effective Learning Learning is a complex and dynamic term as there are a number of different learning styles and theories about how we learn (Arthur Cremin, 2010). Learning is individual to every person and the consensus seems to be that it occurs when we assimilate knowledge through our experiences in life (Arthur Cremin, 2010 and Pritchard, 2009). The learning process does not necessarily take place in the classroom environment and it is a continuous process throughout our lives (Pritchard, 2009). Research suggests that everyone has a preferred learning style and this is the way in which we are able to learn most effectively (Pritchard, 2009). Therefore, for learning to be effective it needs to be presented in a number of different learning styles so that each individual has the opportunity to learn using their own preferred learning style. Provision also needs to be made for the sharing of ideas and concepts by the use of talk which is vital if effective learning is to take place (Arthur Cremin, 2010). In terms of learning, the three main things which were found to influence pupil progress were teaching skills, professional characteristics and the classroom climate (Haymcber, 2000). For learning to be effective in the classroom children need the opportunity in all of these areas to learn using their preferred learning style so teachers must be aware of the children in their class and use a range of strategies to promote effective learning. Essentially, effective learning can be defined in the context of this essay as being the most efficient way of concepts and knowledge being assimilated by the child. Reducing Teacher Workloads The primary expectation of the NWA was that the increase in teaching assistant numbers would release teachers from their clerical tasks so that they could focus on teaching and increasing standards (Blatchford et al, 2012). Butt Lance (2009) found that teachers agreed that their workloads had been reduced by 79% in 2009 due to the increase of teaching assistants who took over many of the clerical day to day tasks. Teachers were also found to consistently describe teaching assistants as having a positive effect on their job satisfaction (Webster et al, 2010). In school X the class teacher in Year 5 routinely commented on the benefits of having a teaching assistant in the classroom. She also described the teaching assistant as being worth her weight in gold. This was due to the amount of clerical work that the teaching assistant took away from the teachers role allowing her to do more teaching. This indicates that teachers are, therefore, able to concentrate more time on effective tea ching and planning for different learning styles which in turn maximises pupil learning. However, other research has not found this to be the case (HMI, 2002). HMI (2002) found that teachers workloads had actually increased as a result of having the responsibility for planning for the teaching assistant and managing them. In school X the teaching assistant in Year 6 was responsible for noting evidence of childrens talk for assessing pupil progress (APP) during the lesson. Although this allowed the teacher more freedom to focus his energies on teaching and planning for the lesson he also had to plan in extra time to meet with the teaching assistant so that they could discuss the progress and next steps for specific children. In this instance although the teaching assistant was meant to be freeing up time for the teacher by taking away some of the clerical tasks the teacher was, in fact, having to create extra time to review and reflect with the teaching assistant. Therefore, this see ms to go against the NWAs aim to reduce teachers workloads. The Presence of Teaching Assistants in the Classroom There is also research available that indicates that the presence of a teaching assistant in the classroom has a positive impact on pupil learning as they become more focused and there is a general reduction in the amount of teacher talk dealing with negative behaviour (Brown Harris, 2010 and Blatchford et al, 2009a and Bassett et al, 2011 and Webster et al, 2010). Blatchford et al (2007) found that more attention was paid to the teacher when a teaching assistant was present in the classroom. This in turn led to more individualised attention from the teacher when the teaching assistant was present and more on task behaviour. Although not directly related to maximising pupil learning it does suggest that when a teaching assistant is present in the classroom there is more on task behaviour which in turn leads to a better learning environment (Blatchford et al, 2007). In school X the class teacher felt that the role of the teaching assistant was primarily to deal with the behaviour of the most challenging pupils so that she could teach the rest of the class. In this scenario the teaching assistant was maximising learning for the rest of the class by allowing the teacher to continue teaching without any disruptions to the lesson. However, this is only one example of how teaching assistants are utilised in class and not all schools would necessarily use their teaching assistant in this way. Brown Harris (2010) also support the idea that teaching assistants increase attainment levels as they found a positive correlation between the increase in teaching assistants in schools and rising attainment levels. However, the study primarily looked at the relationship between expenditure on staff and changes in attainment without considering other external factors which may have influenced the results (Brown Harris, 2010). In contrast, Finn et al (2000) and Reynolds Muijs (2003) both reported that there was no effect on pupil learning when a teaching assistant was present in the classroom. It could be argued that although the presence of the teaching assistance has an impact on the learning environment how they are deployed and utilised in the lesson is what really impacts on maximising pupil learning. The Individual Child Although not always the case, teaching assistants are generally allocated to a particular individual on a one to one basis if they have SEN or behavioural issues (Webster et al, 2010). An overview of the literature by Farrell et al, (2010) suggests that teaching assistants can have a positive impact in raising academic achievement of groups of pupils with learning difficulties provided that they are deployed and trained effectively. Alborz et al, (2009) and Blatchford et al, (2009a) both support the suggestion that teaching assistants are essential for the integration of SEN pupils within mainstream schools. Alborz et al, (2009) found that out of the 14 studies four showed that teaching assistants have a positive impact on SEN in maintaining their engagement and supporting them with communicating with peers. This links into Maslows hierarchy of needs as the teaching assistant may be providing the child with the emotional support such as raising the childs confidence and self esteem. The teaching assistant therefore plays a vital role in the childs development as the child can only move onto the next stage of higher order learning once the other stages have been met (Maslow, 1943). In addition, Woolfson Truswell (2005) assessed the changes in attitudes of pupils rather than solely looking at attainment levels in a small scale sample and found that the teaching assistants enhanced the quality of learning experiences and had a positive impact on the personal and social development of the children. This can be explained partly by Maslows hierarchy of needs as the child is receiving the emotional support that they require to move on to higher order levels. Some children may find working in larger groups or speaking out in front of others difficult and the teaching assistant can help to support and encourage them to engage in the lesson. This, therefore, allows the child to access the lessons and in turn encourage their learning by becoming more confident in their o wn ideas. Teaching assistants also provide increased attention and promote a more active role in the interaction of questioning by the teacher. The teaching assistant can also increase whole class engagement during lessons and maximise the learning outcome of the lesson. In this way the teaching assistant is assisting in the scaffolding of the learning by providing a more knowledgeable other that the child can interact with (Bruner, 1986). This extended interaction between an adult and the pupil also provides an enhanced opportunity for learning. As Vygotsky says, what the child is able to do in collaboration today he will be able to do independently tomorrow (Vygotsky, 1978, p.  211). This supports the notion that by being supported by the teaching assistant and having the extended interaction they will be able to develop their learning so that eventually they will be able to carry out the task unaided. In contrast to this, Alborz et al, (2009) suggest that in some cases there was too much reliance on the teaching assistant and this undermined the opportunity for self determination. Much of the research available indicates a negative trend for those children that receive extra support compared to similar children who had less support (Blatchford et al, 2011 Giangreco Broer 2007 Giangreco et al, 2005). In this case it is difficult to determine what similar means especially as research has shown that everyone has a different learning style. Therefore, the research may have been comparing children who actually had different learning styles which may explain the trend. In other studies children who had one to one support were found to be over reliant on their teaching assistant for support and assistance with their work (Giangreco Broer, 2007 Giangreco et al, 2005). Vincett et al, (2005) went on to describe the relationship between the teaching assistant and the child as Velcro syn drome (Vincett et al, 2005, pg.5). The presence of the teaching assistant on a one to one basis may, lead to less effective learning as the presence of the teaching assistant reinforces to the child that they are different and are in need of additional support. Instead of maximising pupil learning it appears that working on a one to one basis reinforces to the child that they are only able to work at this one level. The lack of pupil progress can be explained by Bruners theory of scaffolding which is based on Vygotskys premise that learning is socially constructed (Vygotsky, 1978). The scaffolding process refers to the assistance of support that enables a child to complete a task which they are unable to manage by themselves (Bruner, 1986). It is important that the teaching assistant who is assisting the child in carrying out the task removes the support so that the child can function independently. It could be argued that although teaching assistants are providing the necessary sca ffolding for the child to complete the work they are unlikely to remove the support and allow the child to become independent as they are more concerned with the quantity of work that is produced rather than the process of learning. In some cases and particularly in school X the teaching assistants were more focused on the quantity of work that was completed rather than the learning and thinking skills that were taking place. During a maths lesson on mental subtraction strategies the teaching assistant advised a group of children to use the written method so that they could get through the work quicker. In this case the teaching assistant, although trying to be helpful, undermined the learning that the teacher was trying to promote. In this example the teaching assistant did not effectively maximise pupil learning but instead created a barrier to their learning by providing them with a quicker solution rather than scaffolding their learning. When children are working on a one to one basis with the teaching assistant there is also less contact time between the teacher and the child. The child working on a one to one basis is therefore missing out on important interactions with the teacher. Blatchford et al, (2009b) found that the amount of contact time with the teacher declined when teaching assistants were present. This may hinder academic progress as they are not getting the teacher talk which is very important in learning. However, those children that are assigned a teaching assistant are generally more in need of assistance than those who are not assigned one and this may explain why even with support they are not progressing as well. In addition, Fraser Meadows (2008) found that children view the role of a teaching assistant as useful and important to their learning because they help them with their work and are able to explain things more clearly to them. Fraser Meadows (2008) also found that those children who di d not work directly with the teaching assistant found that the teaching assistant improved the teaching in the classroom as it freed up the teacher to do more teaching with other groups. In a sense teaching assistants are maximising the learning for the other children in the class by allowing the teacher to focus more attention on the rest of the class. Webster et al, (2011) put forward the wider pedagogical role model to interpret results of teaching assistants and their impact on pupil progress. Teaching assistants can unintentionally separate the pupil from the teacher and although they receive interactions from the teaching assistant they are not always of the same quality as that of the teacher (Webster et al, 2011). In the study by Webster et al, (2011) teachers were found to open up talking situations and to provide an environment which allowed questioning whereas teaching assistants more commonly closed down talk. This is of great concern as Wilkinson Silliman (2000) point out To a great extent the language used by teachers and pupils in the classrooms determines what is learned and how learning takes place. (Wilkinson Silliman, 2000, pg.37) Teaching assistants are not as highly trained as teachers in the pedagogy of talk and these interactions and the quality of talk that children receive is very important in maximising l earning. Although there are clear benefits of assigning children to a teaching assistant so that they are able to access the curriculum, the support can sometimes be restrictive. It is clear that teaching assistants should be carefully considered when working on a one to one basis with a child and be well trained and deployed so that they can maximise the childs learning effectively and not unintentionally restrict their learning. Pedagogical Role Research has shown that teaching assistants are spending an increased amount of time in a direct pedagogical role with children in the classroom (Blatchford et al, 2011 and Blatchford et al, 2009a and Blatchford et al, 2009b and Butt Lance, 2009). Rubie-Davies et al, (2010) reviewed the nature of talk between teaching assistants and children and compared it with the nature of talk between teachers and children. The analysis was general and only included a small sample but it did show that there were some similarities in the type of talk experienced by children. However, it also showed there were some major differences in the type of talk. While teachers spent time explaining concepts and questioning children, teaching assistants tended to provide the pupils with the answers and in some cases completed the work for them (Rubie-Davies et al, 2010). In this case teaching assistants are not allowing the child to maximise their learning by building up their own thinking. The research als o indicates that that the dialogue between the teaching assistant and the pupil is more concerned with the communication of knowledge rather than allowing pupils to come up with their own thinking (Rubie-Davies et al, 2010). This dialogue does not allow the sharing and development of ideas which children require so that they can build their own personally constructed ideas. Teachers on the other hand tended to engage in more dialogic teaching which allows the pupil to engage in thinking (Rubie-Davies et al, 2010). Alexander (2008) has clearly stated that talk is arguably the true foundation of learning. (Alexander, 2008, pg.9) If this is the case then it is clear that teaching assistants need to be better trained in effective talk so that they are promoting learning through discussion of new ideas rather than closing down talk. During a science lesson in school X the teacher used higher order questioning to engage the children in dialogic talk. The teacher also scaffolded the talk b ut as the children began to come up with their own concepts and ideas he took on a more passive role in the talk. This links in with Bruners concept of scaffolding as understanding and learning can only be attained with the guidance of a more knowledgeable other, which in this case was the teacher (Bruner, 1986). On the other hand, the teaching assistant was more concerned with correcting the childrens misconceptions and gave them the answer to the question rather than letting them talk to each other and to eventually construct their own thinking. Group Work Teaching assistants that work with small groups allow the teacher to provide differentiated and targeted learning support in the classroom. This therefore allows all the children to maximise their learning as every group is being encouraged to achieve their potential. In many cases teaching assistants are generally found to be placed with the lower ability groups and these children spend less time being taught by a qualified teacher (Ofsted, 2010). A report by HMI (2002) stated its concern over the very common problem that the least qualified people are often working with the most demanding pupils and that teaching assistants are rarely used to support and challenge the higher attaining pupils. At school X the higher ability and middle ability groups worked periodically with a teaching assistant who had excellent subject knowledge in maths to extend their learning. The teaching assistant was therefore, maximising pupil learning by extending their knowledge further than the teacher wa s able to provide. When teaching assistants are well trained and are effectively deployed they seem to be effective in raising standards. Intervention Strategies Intervention strategies are frequently used in schools to assist children in attaining better attainment levels in the core subjects of English and Maths. These intervention strategies are most commonly run by teaching assistants. The Ofsted (2010) report indicates that teaching assistants who were well deployed and trained properly made a difference to pupil learning when they provided intervention programmes. Alborz et al, (2009) also agrees that teaching assistants make a positive contribution to maximising pupil learning in learning literacy and language. However, these surveys were of a small scale and are therefore not a fair representation of all teaching assistants. Intervention programmes are generally run during other foundation subjects and the children are therefore missing out on other areas of the curriculum so although the intervention programme may maximise their learning in that particular subject it actually prevents them from accessing other areas of the curriculum . At school X the children were removed from science to do their intervention programme for literacy. Despite the children getting better APP levels in literacy as a result of the intervention programme their APP levels in science dropped and this was most likely due to the fact that they were missing the majority of the science lessons for the literacy intervention programme. However, although their APP levels increased in literacy it could be argued that this was down to the teacher making sure that what was learnt during the intervention was then consolidated in the lesson to maximise the learning rather than solely the intervention run by the teaching assistant. The conceptual framework model (Todd Powell, 2004) can also be used to expand on this idea as the child does not have access to the whole curriculum and therefore does not have all the elements available to enhance their behaviour to learn. Without these in place the chid is therefore not able to maximise their learning . Intervention programmes are clearly important for those children who require additional support in English and Maths, as without them the children would not reach expected levels. Removing the children from the class for the intervention programme also means that the teaching in the class can focus on the ability range and deliver effective learning. In turn this maximises learning for the children in the class as the intervention programme reduces the class size, therefore creating an alternative to reducing class size (Reynolds Muijs, 2003). The smaller class allows the teacher to focus the teaching at the ability level in the class and therefore gives the children more direct and focused learning. It is clear that the most effective intervention strategies do not see intervention in isolation from the lesson but look to consolidate and develop what has been learnt in the intervention into the classroom (Ofsted, 2010). When teaching assistants are effectively prepared and deployed they are able to offer effective learning opportunities in intervention programmes. Conclusions Current research on the role of teaching assistants and pupil learning suggests that the presence of teaching assistants does not improve pupil learning. (Blatchford et al, 2007) However, Blatchford et al, (2007) warn that we should be careful not to suppose that teaching assistants do not have a role to play in pupil learning as it is not always easy to assess the subtle impacts on learning and the attitudes to learning that result from the teaching assistant being present. When teachers and teaching assistants work in partnership they are able to create an effective learning environment for children. It is important that with the changing role of teaching assistants to a direct pedagogical role that they are trained and deployed effectively so that they can successfully contribute to maximising pupil learning. It is evident that more research is needed in this field especially due to the increased number of teaching assistants present in classrooms. There also needs to be a more clearly defined boundaries between the role of the teaching assistant and the teacher as these boundaries are becoming more blurred (Butt Lance, 2009). In addition, teaching assistants and teachers need more non contact time to plan and reflect on lessons together so that they are able to clearly define and clarify the roles and responsibilities during the lesson (Butt Lance, 2009). It is also important to have the reflection as to what strategies are working in providing max imum learning and whether there are other strategies which may be more efficient. Finally, research and reviews have shown that the increase in teaching assistants needs to be carefully managed so that they can successfully fulfil their role and provide excellent learning opportunities for children. When teaching assistants are prepared and deployed effectively they are able to extend and develop childrens learning. However, whether they effectively maximise pupil learning is an ongoing debate. What is clear from the research is that teaching assistants are taking on a more pedagogical role and if they are to be effective in maximising pupil learning they need to be well trained in the pedagogy of teaching. Word count: 4692

Defining the Humanities

Defining the Humanities Defining the Humanities The purpose of this paper is to differentiate the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. I will define the humanities of a cultural event of music and how music was an expression of what I know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture from the 60s. I will also discuss how the music of the 60s compares with other forms I know about from the same period.One of the definitions of humanities, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is â€Å"Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture; the liberal arts. † Culture is a big part of humanities. Culture, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, c lass, community, or population (American heritage dictionary, 2000).Music is an artistic form of sound communication via musical instruments and voice that produce sounds and tones. Music is as old as mankind and cultures past and present have music. The â€Å"oldest known song† dates back 4,000 years ago and was written in ancient cuneiform. Cuneiform is a character or characters formed by the arrangement of small wedge-shaped elements and used in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian writing (American heritage dictionary, 2000).The certainty of how or when the first musical instrument was invented, however, most historians point to early flutes made from animal bones that are at least 37,000 years old (Bellis, 2010). The music of the 60’s in America is the humanities or culture of the American people of that era. Many changes going on in the 60s including revolutionary changes, extraordinary levels of sexual freedom among youths, and revolting teenagers like no one has ever seen before. Music has consistently been influenced by the trends of its time; reflecting the politics, economics, and lifestyles that exist.The Baby Boomer generation lived during a time when war had a powerful impact on everyone's life. Drugs became, perhaps, one of the most influential variables apparent in the music of the 60s. In the early 1960s a band named the Byrd’s and guys like Dylan changed the way many people looked at music. These bands started an underground wave that flowed throughout the 60s, this became known as the â€Å"Psychedelic Era. † This era introduced drugs to be an important aspect involved in the creation of the music, and was used by the listeners to enhance their experience.Bands such as the Byrd’s and Grateful Dead started experimenting with such drugs as LSD, marijuana, and acid. They believed that drugs could help them create music that would blow the music of the fifties away, and it did (â€Å"T he music of the sixties–the psychedelic eraâ€Å", 1998). The music of the 60s came in many styles. Some of the genres of the era are: Soft rock, (also referred to as mellow rock, light rock, or easy rock) is a style of music that uses the techniques of rock and roll (often combined with elements from folk rock and singer-songwriter pop) to compose a softer, more toned-down sound for listening.Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life, and relationships (â€Å"Soft rockâ€Å", 2010). Hard rock – modify rock and roll (blues, country, and gospel), adding to the standard genre harder sounds, heavier guitar riffs (A short rhythmic phrase), bombastic (long winded) drumming and louder vocals (â€Å"Hard rockâ€Å", 2010). Country rock – formed from the fusion of rock with country (â€Å"Country rockâ€Å", 2010). Folk rock – combining elements of folk music and rock music (â€Å"Folk rockâ€Å", 2010).Punk rock – They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics (â€Å"Punk rockâ€Å", 2010). Shock rock – is a wide umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances (â€Å"Shock rockâ€Å", 2010). Rhythm and Blues (R;B), Soul, Funk Influenced by R;B (â€Å"Rhythm and bluesâ€Å", 2010). Many artists’ musical roots come from gospel. For example, Elvis Presley started out singing gospel when he was only a few years old later moving onto Rock and Roll (Nite, 1974, p. 95). The art in America of the 60s was influenced by the desire to move into the modern age or future that the space age seemed to forecast. As with the music of the 60s, drugs had an influence on some of the art of the 60s. This art came to be known as psychedelic art (ex. Brummbaer). Major works by Alexander Calder (mobiles and sculpture) or Helen Frankenthaler (non-representational art) showed a desire to escape from details to interpret. Artists wanted to inspire the viewer to leap into the unknown and experience art in their own way.A new artist who appeared was Andy Warhol, a leading name in pop art. Other forms evolving during this time were assemblage art, op art (or optical art) (ex. Vasarely), or kinetic abstraction (ex. Marcel Duchamp), environmental art (ex. Robert Smithson), and pop art, (ex. David Hockney) (Goodwin, 2009). In conclusion, humanities or cultures have been around since the beginning of mankind. Cultures can be estranged in their beliefs hence the creation of new cultures. Music, dance, theater, art, literature, or other cultures can change over time trough many influential channels.For example, the way the war and drugs influence the cultures of the 60s with the songs of war protests and psychedelic art. When changes come about the changes will usually have an effect on the, music, dance, theater, art, literature , or other cultures of the era. The one thing mankind can count on through the years, decades, centuries, and millennium is change.References American heritage dictionary. (4th ed. ). (2000). Chicago, IL: Houghton Mifflin Company. Bellis, M. (2010). Inventing musical instruments. Retrieved from http://inventors. bout. com/od/mstartinventions/tp/musicalinstrument. htm Country rock. (2010). In Country rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Country_rock Folk rock. (2010). In Folk rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Folk_rock Goodwin, S. (2009). American cultural history 1960 – 1969. Retrieved from http://kclibrary. lonestar. edu/decade60. html Hard rock. (2010). In Hard rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hard_rock Nite, N. N. (1974). Rock on. New York, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Punk rock. (2010). In Punk rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from Rhythm and blues. (2010). In Rhythm and blues. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rhythm_and_blues Shock rock. (2010). In Shock rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Shock_rock Soft rock. (2010). In Soft rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soft_rock The music of the sixties–the psychedelic era. (1998). Retrieved from http://library. thinkquest. org/21342/text/1960. htm

Economic Forecasting Paper Essay

Two historical economic data where information can be found are Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce and FRED, Economic Time-Series Database. The FRED database comprises the national economic and financial statistics as well as interest rates, consumer price indexes, employment and population and trade data. This database is a valuable source because this consents populaces to see how the country’s financial state is. The Bureau of Economic Analysis includes estimates concerning national, international, and regional economic activity. The first source that I would use is the U.S Department of Commerce/ Bureau of Economic Analysis. I would use this source because the data here is first accurate and for the most part of to date. This site gives you real up to date data on the real GDP. This resource gives you data on consumer spending which is one important resource that needs to be looked at and tells us how the economy is doing. The second source that I would use is the National Bureau of Economic Research. This site gives you additional sites for gathering data relating to historical economic data. For economic forecast data I would use information gathered from Dow Jones Average which provides not only historical data and can gives us an outlook on how the economy is doing and can predict the future on our economy. With these resources a qualitative factor can be that most of these resources can expert driven who can in turn see the short term goals of business and products. The quantitative factors in these resources eliminate the experts and rely on the people and focuses on the long run of the economy. It also provides statistics decision influenced by the government officials, business people, households and individuals. The quantitative of each site is that they included tax list information and census return evidence. The Bureau of Economic Analysis and FRED database qualitative used are they both expound on the findings that are encompassed in the database. The area that was not comfortable to me was about the measureable and qualitative. I did not fully comprehend what the real variance is and after reading the material it seem as if they both mean the same. Plant genetic resources constitute our invaluable assets to meet the growing  demands to increase crop production and productivity. Plant genetic resources are the genetic material of plant which determined their characteristics including their ability to adapt and survive. The PGR profile of a crop includes its wild species, weedy companion species, sub-species, botanical varieties, land races, ancient and heirloom cultivates, genetic stocks, along with obsolete and modern cultivates that make up the total gene pool of the crop. PGR in the form of seeds and plants provide the raw materials that scientists use to address crop production challenges and develops new crops. Scientists use these resources to develop knowledge valuable in copying with inadequate water supplies, diseases, heat, and cold tolerance, and understand their nutritional properties. PGR provides the genomic variability and the essence of crop improvement program, without adequate germ plasma. A plant breeder’s success will be deficient. Through about 30 plant species provide the major food and energy sources, some 3000 species of cultivated plants are grown worldwide for various purposes. Chauncey Burns This week’s focus does relate to my field because I work for a Medicare part D drug plan. Having an indication of how and what the historical records collect it gives me a better understanding of how they regulate the group of people who may qualify for Medicare assistance each year. Curtavia McConnell The topics I felt comfortable with were the impact on various factors that has aggregate demand and supply. I struggled most was with the evaluating the effectiveness of changes in the fiscal policies using the Keynesian and Classical models. There is no stable market; there is a constant need of supply in demand in my place of work. Corey Johnson This week’s topics were very good and I understood them. I have to side with both the Keynesian and the Classical models because I think that this economy needs a little bit of both in order to survive. The government and the people need to work together to make it work but they people should have a say. References U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). Retrieved from Bureau of Economic Analysis: http://www.bea.gov/

Sadly, In Today’S Society There Is A Lot Of Issues Concerning

Sadly, in today’s society there is a lot of issues concerning drug and alcohol abuse in schools whether its at the high school or college level. Not only does drug and alcohol consumption effect your overall health, it can effect your academic performance as well. In this paper I am going to be talking about the problems with drug and alcohol abuse, preventions, risks, costs and much more. We are going to dissect the problems with drug alcohol consumption amongst young adults, and talk about ways that we can prevent these problems. The first thing I am going to be introducing in this paper is alcohol. We all know that alcohol is a widely used substance amongst high school students and college students that is being abused daily. Ages of†¦show more content†¦Not only is this a problem with high school students, it has become a major problem with college students as well. â€Å"The majority of college students report drinking alcohol in the last month, while almost ha lf of all college students report engaging in recent heavy episodic drinking. Over 60 percent of college students currently drink alcohol and almost 40 percent are categorized as binge drinkers.† (Simons, Hahn, Gaster 373) Alcohol consumption in college not only can effect your social life, but it can be detrimental to your academic performance, career, life goals, and your over all well being. That being said, there are endless amounts of negative consequences that come along with alcohol abuse in college students, such as, health risks, sexual risk taking, injuries, accidents, and poor academic outcomes. 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