Holiday Sales May Be Frightful Essay Example for Free

Holiday Sales May Be Frightful Essay The article â€Å"Holiday Sales May Be Frightful, But Discounts Will Be Delightful† discusses tough holiday season for retailers because Christmas sales are expected to increased up to 4%. Nevertheless, the season is claimed to be soft and sluggish. This season is, actually, slower compared with sales of the previous year. The decrease in sales is explained by macroeconomic problems as, for example, house slump and credit crunches which negatively affect customers. The author cites Niemira who argues that â€Å"a huge worry facing the holiday season is that the home-price decline and housing wealth decline will cut into consumer spending broadly†. I think the article is informative and provides up-to-date information as practically all people are interested in making purchases. It is known that one of the most popular leisure activities in American consumer is shopping. People are ready to spend money on things they are willing to possess, but housing problems make it less affordable for many citizens. All aspects of consumerism are paid thorough attention by marketing workers and economic analysts. I think the author is very logical and unbiased as the author firstly defines the problem and then explains what reasons have led to it. Credit crunch and housing problem, in my opinion, are two the most serious problems. For example, the author says: â€Å"the credit crunch makes it harder for all households, especially low-income families, to refinance and get other credit†. Apparently, the poor have been disproportionately hurt by high fuel prices. I think that the author does sense in his argument and suggestions. Moreover, all his ideas are properly supported by evidence and explanations of analysis and economists.

The Taguchi Methods for Quality Improvement

The Taguchi Methods for Quality Improvement INTRODUCTION: Taguchi methods are statistical methods developed by Genichi Taguchi to improve the quality of manufactured goods, and more recently also applied to, engineering, biotechnology, marketing and advertising. Professional statisticians have welcomed the goals and improvements brought about by Taguchi methods, particularly by Taguchis development of designs for studying variation, but have criticized the inefficiency of some of Taguchis proposals. Taguchis work includes three principal contributions to statistics: A specific loss function see Taguchi loss function; The philosophy of off-line quality control; and Innovations in the design of experiments. Loss functions Loss functions in statistical theory Traditionally, statistical methods have relied on mean-unbiased estimators of treatment effects: Under the conditions of the Gauss-Markov theorem, least squares estimators have minimum variance among all mean-unbiased estimators. The emphasis on comparisons of means also draws (limiting) comfort from the law of large numbers, according to which the sample means converge to the true mean. Fishers textbook on the design of experiments emphasized comparisons of treatment means. Gauss proved that the sample-mean minimizes the expected squared-error loss-function (while Laplace proved that a median-unbiased estimator minimizes the absolute-error loss function). In statistical theory, the central role of the loss function was renewed by the statistical decision theory of Abraham Wald. However, loss functions were avoided by Ronald A. Fisher.[6] Taguchis use of loss functions Taguchi knew statistical theory mainly from the followers of Ronald A. Fisher, who also avoided loss functions. Reacting to Fishers methods in the design of experiments, Taguchi interpreted Fishers methods as being adapted for seeking to improve the mean outcome of a process. Indeed, Fishers work had been largely motivated by programmes to compare agricultural yields under different treatments and blocks, and such experiments were done as part of a long-term programme to improve harvests. However, Taguchi realised that in much industrial production, there is a need to produce an outcome on target, for example, to machine a hole to a specified diameter, or to manufacture a cell to produce a given voltage. He also realised, as had Walter A. Shewhart and others before him, that excessive variation lay at the root of poor manufactured quality and that reacting to individual items inside and outside specification was counterproductive. He therefore argued that quality engineering should start with an understanding of quality costs in various situations. In much conventional industrial engineering, the quality costs are simply represented by the number of items outside specification multiplied by the cost of rework or scrap. However, Taguchi insisted that manufacturers broaden their horizons to consider cost to society. Though the short-term costs may simply be those of non-conformance, any item manufactured away from nominal would result in some loss to the customer or the wider community through early wear-out; difficulties in interfacing with other parts, themselves probably wide of nominal; or the need to build in safety margins. These losses are externalities and are usually ignored by manufacturers, which are more interested in their private costs than social costs. Such externalities prevent markets from operating efficiently, according to analyses of public economics. Taguchi argued that such losses would in evitably find their way back to the originating corporation (in an effect similar to the tragedy of the commons), and that by working to minimise them, manufacturers would enhance brand reputation, win markets and generate profits. Such losses are, of course, very small when an item is near to negligible. Donald J. Wheeler characterised the region within specification limits as where we deny that losses exist. As we diverge from nominal, losses grow until the point where losses are too great to deny and the specification limit is drawn. All these losses are, as W. Edwards Deming would describe them, unknown and unknowable, but Taguchi wanted to find a useful way of representing them statistically. Taguchi specified three situations: Larger the better (for example, agricultural yield); Smaller the better (for example, carbon dioxide emissions); and On-target, minimum-variation (for example, a mating part in an assembly). The first two cases are represented by simple monotonic loss functions. In the third case, Taguchi adopted a squared-error loss function for several reasons: It is the first symmetric term in the Taylor series expansion of real analytic loss-functions. Total loss is measured by the variance. As variance is additive (for uncorrelated random variables), the total loss is an additive measurement of cost (for uncorrelated random variables). The squared-error loss function is widely used in statistics, following Gausss use of the squared-error loss function in justifying the method of least squares. Reception of Taguchis ideas by statisticians Though many of Taguchis concerns and conclusions are welcomed by statisticians and economists, some ideas have been especially criticized. For example, Taguchis recommendation that industrial experiments maximise some signal-to-noise ratio (representing the magnitude of the mean of a process compared to its variation) has been criticized widely. Off-line quality control Taguchis rule for manufacturing Taguchi realized that the best opportunity to eliminate variation is during the design of a product and its manufacturing process. Consequently, he developed a strategy for quality engineering that can be used in both contexts. The process has three stages: System design Parameter design Tolerance design System design This is design at the conceptual level, involving creativity and innovation. Parameter design Once the concept is established, the nominal values of the various dimensions and design parameters need to be set, the detail design phase of conventional engineering. Taguchis radical insight was that the exact choice of values required is under-specified by the performance requirements of the system. In many circumstances, this allows the parameters to be chosen so as to minimise the effects on performance arising from variation in manufacture, environment and cumulative damage. This is sometimes called robustification. Tolerance design With a successfully completed parameter design, and an understanding of the effect that the various parameters have on performance, resources can be focused on reducing and controlling variation in the critical few dimensions (see Pareto principle). Design of experiments Taguchi developed his experimental theories independently. Taguchi read works following R. A. Fisher only in 1954. Taguchis framework for design of experiments is idiosyncratic and often flawed, but contains much that is of enormous value. He made a number of innovations. Outer arrays Taguchis designs aimed to allow greater understanding of variation than did many of the traditional designs from the analysis of variance (following Fisher). Taguchi contended that conventional sampling is inadequate here as there is no way of obtaining a random sample of future conditions.[7] In Fishers design of experiments and analysis of variance, experiments aim to reduce the influence of nuisance factors to allow comparisons of the mean treatment-effects. Variation becomes even more central in Taguchis thinking. Taguchi proposed extending each experiment with an outer array (possibly an orthogonal array); the outer array should simulate the random environment in which the product would function. This is an example of judgmental sampling. Many quality specialists have been using outer arrays. Later innovations in outer arrays resulted in compounded noise. This involves combining a few noise factors to create two levels in the outer array: First, noise factors that drive output lower, and second, noise factors that drive output higher. Compounded noise simulates the extremes of noise variation but uses fewer experimental runs than would previous Taguchi designs. Management of interactions Interactions, as treated by Taguchi Many of the orthogonal arrays that Taguchi has advocated are saturated arrays, allowing no scope for estimation of interactions. This is a continuing topic of controversy. However, this is only true for control factors or factors in the inner array. By combining an inner array of control factors with an outer array of noise factors, Taguchis approach provides full information on control-by-noise interactions, it is claimed. Taguchi argues that such interactions have the greatest importance in achieving a design that is robust to noise factor variation. The Taguchi approach provides more complete interaction information than typical fractional factorial designs, its adherents claim. * Followers of Taguchi argue that the designs offer rapid results and that interactions can be eliminated by proper choice of quality characteristics. That notwithstanding, a confirmation experiment offers protection against any residual interactions. If the quality characteristic represents the energy transformation of the system, then the likelihood of control factor-by-control factor interactions is greatly reduced, since energy is additive. Inefficencies of Taguchis designs * Interactions are part of the real world. In Taguchis arrays, interactions are confounded and difficult to resolve. Statisticians in response surface methodology (RSM) advocate the sequential assembly of designs: In the RSM approach, a screening design is followed by a follow-up design that resolves only the confounded interactions that are judged to merit resolution. A second follow-up design may be added, time and resources allowing, to explore possible high-order univariate effects of the remaining variables, as high-order univariate effects are less likely in variables already eliminated for having no linear effect. With the economy of screening designs and the flexibility of follow-up designs, sequential designs have great statistical efficiency. The sequential designs of response surface methodology require far fewer experimental runs than would a sequence of Taguchis designs.[ TAGUCHI METHODS There has been a great deal of controversy about Genichi Taguchis methodology since it was first introduced in the United States. This controversy has lessened considerably in recent years due to modifications and extensions of his methodology. The main controversy, however, is still about Taguchis statistical methods, not about his philosophical concepts concerning quality or robust design. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that Taguchis philosophy has promoted, on a worldwide scale, the design of experiments for quality improvement upstream, or at the product and process design stage. Taguchis philosophy and methods support, and are consistent with, the Japanese quality control approach that asserts that higher quality generally results in lower cost. This is in contrast to the widely prevailing view in the United States that asserts that quality improvement is associated with higher cost. Furthermore, Taguchis philosophy and methods support the Japanese approach to move quality improvement upstream. Taguchis methods help design engineers build quality into products and processes. As George Box, Soren Bisgaard, and Conrad Fung observed: Today the ultimate goal of quality improvement is to design quality into every product and process and to follow up at every stage from design to final manufacture and sale. An important element is the extensive and innovative use of statistically designed experiments. TAGUCHIS DEFINITION OF QUALITY The old traditional definition of quality states quality is conformance to specifications. This definition was expanded by Joseph M. Juran (1904-) in 1974 and then by the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) in 1983. Juran observed that quality is fitness for use. The ASQC defined quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy given needs. Taguchi presented another definition of quality. His definition stressed the losses associated with a product. Taguchi stated that quality is the loss a product causes to society after being shipped, other than losses caused by its intrinsic functions. Taguchi asserted that losses in his definition should be restricted to two categories: (1) loss caused by variability of function, and (2) loss caused by harmful side effects. Taguchi is saying that a product or service has good quality if it performs its intended functions without variability, and causes little loss through harmful side effects, including the cost of using it. It must be kept in mind here that society includes both the manufacturer and the customer. Loss associated with function variability includes, for example, energy and time (problem fixing), and money (replacement cost of parts). Losses associated with harmful side effects could be market shares for the manufacturer and/or the physical effects, such as of the drug thalidomide, for the consumer. Consequently, a company should provide products and services such that possible losses to society are minimized, or, the purpose of quality improvement is to discover innovative ways of designing products and processes that will save society more than they cost in the long run. The concept of reliability is appropriate here. The next section will clearly show that Taguchis loss function yields an operational definition of the term loss to society in his definition of quality. TAGUCHIS LOSS FUNCTION We have seen that Taguchis quality philosophy strongly emphasizes losses or costs. W. H. Moore asserted that this is an enlightened approach that embodies three important premises: for every product quality characteristic there is a target value which results in the smallest loss; deviations from target value always results in increased loss to society; [and] loss should be measured in monetary units (dollars, pesos, francs, etc.). Figure I depicts Taguchis typically loss function. The figure also contrasts Taguchis function with the traditional view that states there are no losses if specifications are met. Taguchis Loss Function It can be seen that small deviations from the target value result in small losses. These losses, however, increase in a nonlinear fashion as deviations from the target value increase. The function shown above is a simple quadratic equation that compares the measured value of a unit of output Y to the target T.: Essentially, this equation states that the loss is proportional to the square of the deviation of the measured value, Y, from the target value, T. This implies that any deviation from the target (based on customers desires and needs) will diminish customer satisfaction. This is in contrast to the traditional definition of quality that states that quality is conformance to specifications. It should be recognized that the constant k can be determined if the value of L(Y) associated with some Y value are both known. Of course, under many circumstances a quadratic function is only an approximation. Since Taguchis loss function is presented in monetary terms, it provides a common language for all the departments or components within a company. Finally, the loss function can be used to define performance measures of a quality characteristic of a product or service. This property of Taguchis loss function will be taken up in the next section. But to anticipate the discussion of this property, Taguchis quadratic function can be converted to: This can be accomplished by assuming Y has some probability distribution with mean, a and variance o.2 This second mathematical expression states that average or expected loss is due either to process variation or to being off target (called bias), or both. TAGUCHI, ROBUST DESIGN, AND THEÂ  DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS Taguchi asserted that the development of his methods of experimental design started in Japan about 1948. These methods were then refined over the next several decades. They were introduced in the United States around 1980. Although, Taguchis approach was built on traditional concepts of design of experiments (DOE), such as factorial and fractional factorial designs and orthogonal arrays, he created and promoted some new DOE techniques such as signal-to-noise ratios, robust designs, and parameter and tolerance designs. Some experts in the field have shown that some of these techniques, especially signal-to-noise ratios, are not optimal under certain conditions. Nonetheless, Taguchis ideas concerning robust design and the design of experiments will now be discussed. DOE is a body of statistical techniques for the effective and efficient collection of data for a number of purposes. Two significant ones are the investigation of research hypotheses and the accurate determination of the relative effects of the many different factors that influence the quality of a product or process. DOE can be employed in both the product design phase and production phase. A crucial component of quality is a products ability to perform its tasks under a variety of conditions. Furthermore, the operating environmental conditions are usually beyond the control of the product designers, and, therefore robust designs are essential. Robust designs are based on the use of DOE techniques for finding product parameter settings (e.g., temperature settings or drill speeds), which enable products to be resilient to changes and variations in working environments. It is generally recognized that Taguchi deserves much of the credit for introducing the statistical study of robust design. We have seen how Taguchis loss function sets variation reduction as a primary goal for quality improvement. Taguchis DOE techniques employ the loss function concept to investigate both product parameters and key environmental factors. His DOE techniques are part of his philosophy of achieving economical quality design. To achieve economical product quality design, Taguchi proposed three phases: system design, parameter design, and tolerance design. In the first phase, system design, design engineers use their practical experience, along with scientific and engineering principles, to create a viably functional design. To elaborate, system design uses current technology, processes, materials, and engineering methods to define and construct a new system. The system can be a new product or process, or an improved modification of an existing product or process. The parameter design phase determines the optimal settings for the product or process parameters. These parameters have been identified during the system design phase. DOE methods are applied here to determine the optimal parameter settings. Taguchi constructed a limited number of experimental designs, from which U.S. engineers have found it easy to select and apply in their manufacturing environments. The goal of the parameter design is to design a robust product or process, which, as a result of minimizing performance variation, minimizes manufacturing and product lifetime costs. Robust design means that the performance of the product or process is insensitive to noise factors such as variation in environmental conditions, machine wear, or product to-product variation due to raw material differences. Taguchis DOE parameter design techniques are used to determine which controllable factors and which noise factors are the significant variables. The aim is to set the controllable factors at those levels that will result in a product or process being robust with respect to the noise factors. In our previous discussion of Taguchis loss function, two equations were discussed. It was observed that the second equation could be used to establish quality performance measures that permit the optimization of a given products quality characteristic. In improving quality, both the average response of a quality and its variation are important. The second equation suggests that it may be advantageous to combine both the average response and variation into a single measure. And Taguchi did this with his signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). Consequently, Taguchis approach is to select design parameter levels that will maximize the appropriate S/N ratio. These S/N ratios can be used to get closer to a given target value (such as tensile strength or baked tile dimensions), or to reduce variation in the products quality characteristic(s). For example, one S/N ratio corresponds to what Taguchi called nominal is best. Such a ratio is selected when a specific target value, such as tensile strength, is the design goal. For the nominal is best case, Taguchi recommended finding an adjustment factor (some parameter setting) that will eliminate the bias discussed in the second equation. Sometimes a factor can be found that will control the average response without affecting the variance. If this is the case, our second equation tells us that the expected loss becomes: Consequently, the aim now is to reduce the variation. Therefore, Taguchis S/N ratio is: where S 2 is the samples standard deviation. In this formula, by minimizing S 2 , 10 log 10 S 2 , is maximized. Recall that all of Taguchis S/N ratios are to be maximized. Finally, a few brief comments concerning the tolerance design phase. This phase establishes tolerances, or specification limits, for either the product or process parameters that have been identified as critical during the second phase, the parameter design phase. The goal here is to establish tolerances wide enough to reduce manufacturing costs, while at the same time assuring that the product or process characteristics are within certain bounds. EXAMPLES AND CONCLUSIONS As Thomas P. Ryan has stated, Taguchi at the very least, has focused our attention on new objectives in achieving quality improvement. The statistical tools for accomplishing these objectives will likely continue to be developed. Quality management gurus, such as W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993) and Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-), have stressed the importance of continuous quality improvement by concentrating on processes upstream. This is a fundamental break with the traditional practice of relying on inspection downstream. Taguchi emphasized the importance of DOE in improving the quality of the engineering design of products and processes. As previously mentioned, however, his methods are frequently statistically inefficient and cumbersome. Nonetheless, Taguchis design of experiments have been widely applied and theoretically refined and extended. Two application cases and one refinement example will now be discussed. K. N. Anand, in an article in Quality Engineering, discussed a welding problem. Welding was performed to repair cracks and blown holes on the cast-iron housing of an assembled electrical machine. Customers wanted a defect-free quality weld, however the welding process had resulted in a fairly high percentage of welding defects. Management and welders identified five variables and two interactions that were considered the key factors in improving quality. A Taguchi orthogonal design was performed resulting in the identification of two highly significant interactions and a defect-free welding process. The second application, presented by M. W. Sonius and B. W. Tew in a Quality Engineering article, involved reducing stress components in the connection between a composite component and a metallic end fitting for a composite structure. Bonding, pinning, or riveting the fitting in place traditionally made the connections. Nine significant variables that could affect the performance of the entrapped fiber connections were identified and a Taguchi experimental design was performed. The experiment identified two of the nine factors and their respective optimal settings. Therefore, stress levels were significantly reduced. The theoretical refinement example involves Taguchi robust designs. We have seen where such a design can result in products and processes that are insensitive to noise factors. Using Taguchis quadratic loss function, however, may provide a poor approximation of true loss and suboptimal product or process quality. John F. Kros and Christina M. Mastrangelo established relationships between nonquadratic loss functions and Taguchis signal-to-noise ratios. Applying these relationships in an experimental design can change the recommended selection of the respective settings of the key parameters and result in smaller losses.

Coleriges The Eolian Harp Essay -- essays research papers

A single inanimate object, The Eolian Harp, sends Coleridge flitting in, out, over and through introspection. The trajectory of the poem may be plotted as follows: terrestrial observations, fixation upon single terrestrial item (i.e. the harp), exulting single item into transcendence, an astral purview of the terrestrial via the item, reassessment of mind frame, guilt and denunciation of transcendent thought, and finally, remorse and dismissal of all preceding drivel (as to adequately and respectfully embrace the noumenal realm). Coleridge’s brain waves wend in a circuitous manner, however, the final result is a sentiment-shift regarding man’s position before (or, as Coleridge concludes, beneath) God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stanza one proffers an apostrophic dupe, as Coleridge calls out to his â€Å"pensive Sara†. Pedestrian predictability would indicate an amorous ode, perhaps asserting (due regard given to the title) that Sara is a form of caution thrown to the wind, thus generating sweet music from aforementioned harp. This is immediately proven incorrect, as seen in the succeeding lines. The first stanza curtails with a descriptive rant, offering a sense of conviction, as though it be a poem unto itself. Lines 10 through 12 read: Snatched from yon bean-field! and the world so hushed!/The stilly murmur of the distant sea/Tells us of silence/. The barrage of exclamation in concomitance with mentions of silence serve as a paradox which ultimately muzzles narration. â€Å"Silence† is apropos in halting a poem, as logic indicates that once a poem reaches its end, the mind ceases churning and goes â€Å"silent†. However, in this instance, it may be construed as poe tic device. Acknowledging that the poem (both literally and figuratively) chimes on, the remaining syllables curiously missing from line 12 are transferred to line 13: /And that simplest lute,/. Coleridge once again takes possession of his narrative, linking the two stanzas with a conjunction. Moreover, this line seethes with audible sound, the only tangibly present noun being â€Å"lute†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, with the commencement of Stanza 2, Coleridge begins to divest himself of earthly bodies as to become engrossed in the harp’s presence. First, the harp is only stationed atop the window’s sill. Gradually, Coleridge introduces the components necessary for the harp to function. At line 20... ...with a return to that with which he began: â€Å"/Peace, and this cot, and thee, heart-honored Maid!/. As asserted by the preceding lines, the so coined ‘holier-than-thou’ God is responsible for all fortunes bestowed upon Coleridge. He has also chosen to reveal to the reader that the entire poem was, in fact, an address to his â€Å"heart-honored Maid†. Conceivably, Coleridge has addressed her as such in order to absolve himself of any perceived wrong-doing; specifically in Line 15: /Like some coy maid half yielding to her lover,/. Distinguishing between â€Å"maids†, (one being a trollop, the other a lady of virtue) is a final attempt to get himself ‘off the hook’, colloquially speaking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As delineated in paragraph one, Coleridge’s poetic field is one rampant with erratic thought and ultimate change. The proposed subject of the poem, an eolian harp, is virtually abandoned and replaced with veneration of a God as well as a lover. One would think that such a fickle publication would be kept isolated by its author. Although, Coleridge may have staked importance in showing his adoration for God publicly. Hence, the ingress and resultant revocation of the Eolian Harp. Coleriges The Eolian Harp Essay -- essays research papers A single inanimate object, The Eolian Harp, sends Coleridge flitting in, out, over and through introspection. The trajectory of the poem may be plotted as follows: terrestrial observations, fixation upon single terrestrial item (i.e. the harp), exulting single item into transcendence, an astral purview of the terrestrial via the item, reassessment of mind frame, guilt and denunciation of transcendent thought, and finally, remorse and dismissal of all preceding drivel (as to adequately and respectfully embrace the noumenal realm). Coleridge’s brain waves wend in a circuitous manner, however, the final result is a sentiment-shift regarding man’s position before (or, as Coleridge concludes, beneath) God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stanza one proffers an apostrophic dupe, as Coleridge calls out to his â€Å"pensive Sara†. Pedestrian predictability would indicate an amorous ode, perhaps asserting (due regard given to the title) that Sara is a form of caution thrown to the wind, thus generating sweet music from aforementioned harp. This is immediately proven incorrect, as seen in the succeeding lines. The first stanza curtails with a descriptive rant, offering a sense of conviction, as though it be a poem unto itself. Lines 10 through 12 read: Snatched from yon bean-field! and the world so hushed!/The stilly murmur of the distant sea/Tells us of silence/. The barrage of exclamation in concomitance with mentions of silence serve as a paradox which ultimately muzzles narration. â€Å"Silence† is apropos in halting a poem, as logic indicates that once a poem reaches its end, the mind ceases churning and goes â€Å"silent†. However, in this instance, it may be construed as poe tic device. Acknowledging that the poem (both literally and figuratively) chimes on, the remaining syllables curiously missing from line 12 are transferred to line 13: /And that simplest lute,/. Coleridge once again takes possession of his narrative, linking the two stanzas with a conjunction. Moreover, this line seethes with audible sound, the only tangibly present noun being â€Å"lute†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, with the commencement of Stanza 2, Coleridge begins to divest himself of earthly bodies as to become engrossed in the harp’s presence. First, the harp is only stationed atop the window’s sill. Gradually, Coleridge introduces the components necessary for the harp to function. At line 20... ...with a return to that with which he began: â€Å"/Peace, and this cot, and thee, heart-honored Maid!/. As asserted by the preceding lines, the so coined ‘holier-than-thou’ God is responsible for all fortunes bestowed upon Coleridge. He has also chosen to reveal to the reader that the entire poem was, in fact, an address to his â€Å"heart-honored Maid†. Conceivably, Coleridge has addressed her as such in order to absolve himself of any perceived wrong-doing; specifically in Line 15: /Like some coy maid half yielding to her lover,/. Distinguishing between â€Å"maids†, (one being a trollop, the other a lady of virtue) is a final attempt to get himself ‘off the hook’, colloquially speaking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As delineated in paragraph one, Coleridge’s poetic field is one rampant with erratic thought and ultimate change. The proposed subject of the poem, an eolian harp, is virtually abandoned and replaced with veneration of a God as well as a lover. One would think that such a fickle publication would be kept isolated by its author. Although, Coleridge may have staked importance in showing his adoration for God publicly. Hence, the ingress and resultant revocation of the Eolian Harp.

Contemporary Issues in Cognitive Developmental Psychology :: Papers

Contemporary Issues in Cognitive Developmental Psychology The stage in which a child learns is very important in psychology. Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner are the most popular psychologists who have contributed to developmental learning. The issue still among psychologists today is the debate on teaching, and how children should be taught. There is the, "talk and chalk" method where the teacher teaches the whole class interactively and the children can participate when asked to. Piaget believed in student centred learning and not group learning. The advantage of this method of teaching is that they are all going up a level at the same time; there might be a few that fail to follow but the teacher can push them. Children can also start to interact with each other and get to know other people in their classroom. This could also reduce prejudice at a young age. If they work as a group they also learn as a group, but the downside of this is they may lose their sense of individuality. And as a group they may feel as, "one." If they were to do a practical there would be one child who would be the leader, which would not benefit to the other children. The other method of teaching is the individual/ group method. This is where Piaget's individual learning programme enters. Vygotsky's spiral curriculum would be useful in this method since it opens complex ideas so that they can be presented at simplified levels. Each student should find their zone of actual development and then the teacher should be the outer circle so they can go to their zone of proximal development. The disadvantage of this is the cost of student centred learning. At the moment we have whole class teaching and there are the ups and downs of that but if the individual learning took place it will improve due to the individuals needs being noticed and processed. Individual learning can also be structured by scaffolding so the child's attempt to understand new ideas will be done with even more

Relationships Essay -- essays research papers

Relationships are one of the most unstable aspects of life today, no matter what two people are involved. How you feel about something or someone can change within a day, an hour, or even a moment. Friends come and go, families get torn apart, and boyfriends never last. It’s all part of life’s cycle. And although we all wish we could do without, sometimes you never can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hardest part of life is letting go. Growing up in the same place for 17 years will give you friends that go way back. But guess what? Who you were 17 years ago isn’t who you are today. People change. And yes, it’s sad and hard to acknowledge that, but it’s a fact of life. You can grow up with someone and at the same time grow apart. Why is that? Experiences shape how people are. Just because you’ve spent years with someone doesn’t mean you’ve gone through everything with them. Yes you’ve been there for them when they needed to cry and someone to hold. But you can’t understand how that experience affected them. You may think you do, because you know how you would react if that same situation happened to you. News flash: You aren’t them so it doesn’t really matter what you think. All you can try to do is just be there and help them through all the hurt and the pain, but sometimes that just isn ’t enough. Each of you goes your separate ways with nothing but memories left behind. And when that awkward moment arises when you do run into each other, all you have is â€Å"Do you remember†¦?† and â€Å"I can’t believe†¦!† and then it’s over and you’re on your way. You go back to your Pacelli 2 house and shift through your pictures and remember all those once upon a time’s when you were younger. You laugh as you recall the time you both got stuck in the fence when the construction workers were chasing you out of the school. â€Å"Now that was a fun time,† you recall. But college happened and of course you promised you’d stay in touch but then her parents got divorced and you had a new boyfriend and it was just easier said then done. By the time the summer came you didn’t even know each other anymore. Maybe you weren’t as good as friends as you thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The relationship between friends is a very complicated one at that. They are the people that may very well know you better than yourself. They’ve seen you at your best and they’ve seen you at your worst n... ...r his phone call. But you’re too scared to be without him because you don’t want to be alone, and you’re worried he’s the best you’ll ever find. Of course, if he were the best he wouldn’t ask you out to dinner and then cancel last minute, three nights in a row. He wouldn’t call you from a party at his friend’s house the night you and him were supposed to go out to the movies. No, that wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t stop by you’re apartment to see if you wanted to go out to breakfast, but then not call you in an hour. You’re friends tell you that you’d be better off alone, but you don’t think so. You feel better thinking that someone out there cares, even though you know he doesn’t. But no one needs to know that. They don’t need to know you cry yourself to sleep every night thinking that something’s wrong with you. They don’t need to know that he makes you ha te yourself. No, they don’t need to know that. Nobody does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relationships don’t exist. You merely interact with people, not knowing when they’re going to be leaving next. You want and wish them to stay, you want them to be there for you and to love you. But can that happen? Sadly, I wouldn’t know.

An eye opener from an article about the black holocaust Essay

Reading Journal Week 2 Alt. Black Holocaust When Dr. Lewis mentioned this alternative reading to do, and warned us that it is very depressing, and basically told us to only read if we desire as much, I kind of took that as a challenge. Being competitive in nature, I always try to step above what people think I can handle. This article of the black holocaust, I will admit made me sort of regret that. I found tears coming out. There were many times I shook my head just thinking, â€Å"talk about the cruelness of humanity†! Those slaves skin may be black but the souls of those white men were much darker. One thing I found absolutely atrocious was the belief that black men had no soul. They would rape there men and women, and while that was morally unacceptable to act towards their fellow white men, it was completely acceptable to rape a black person because they had no soul anyway. If you raped a white woman, you could see the despair in there soul yet when you rape a black woman, all you see is a screaming black woman. To add to that, the fellow white crew of the ship blamed the Africans for the lustful behavior due to their nudity which they forced them to do. They claimed that they have rarely if at all, seen a naked white woman so they blamed the Africans because they saw plenty of them. Another thing that was absolutely sad and devastating was how they forced the blacks to rest. They had a choice to either lay down with less space above them than a person in a coffin or sit on the higher ends which had splinters and blood everywhere. It kind of reminded me of Jesus who supposedly died on the cross and while he was hung there was a nail at his feet he could stand on to relieve the pressure from his arms, but in price had to gravely hurt his feet. For these kinds of actions, I couldn’t blame those Africans for trying to jump ship and let the sharks eat them because what they were dealing with seemed like a fate worse than death. I would’ve attempted the same thing. I understand at this time, morals were different and it was acceptable to treat black skins the way they did, but with my way of thinking now, this was just painful to read. I would’ve had a much easier time reading the other stories but at the same time, I am glad I read this because it really hits me now how badly we treated our slaves in our early days. I read something close to this once called â€Å"The Narrative of Frederick Douglass†. I will definitely add this excerpt to my list of readings that have influenced my feelings on the cruelty of racism and slavery.

How to Become a Effective Teacher Essay

In general, education is a term often used to refer to formal education, which covers a range of experiences, from formal learning to the building of understanding and knowledge through day-to-day experiences. In fact, individuals receive informal education from a variety of sources, such as family members, peers, books and mass media. All of them have exerted a strong influence on informal education of the individual. On the other hand, throughout the processes of teaching and learning, education can also refer to a wide variety of discipline such as computer science, chemistry, health science, society and linguistics, etc. Undoubtedly, in almost all societies, attending school and receiving an education is extremely vital and necessary if one wants to achieve success or even want to obtain an entrance ticket to a better social ranking; however, common sense is sometimes hard to learn from the books directly ¾one can have all the book knowledge in certain professional field, but formal education wont get him or her far if a individual dont know how to behave with his or her co-workers, superiors, and or even family members. In my understandings, education should be comprised by formal and informal studies, and should be carried out in the process through out ones lifetime. More importantly, education cannot be succeeded without motivation. A high-quality education is really essential for an individuals success in todays society. Without a good quality education how would the next generation be able to compete for jobs? Todays new technologies are becoming more and more intricate to run. Life is not easy; if you dont have the knowledge as everyone else dose. Most likely, you will not be as successful as the one with the higher education. According to Bonnie Neff, my high school English teacher, knowledge is the key to success! As for me, I know that the knowledge I gained will be a great tool to implement later in the future. Comprehending something new, will let me visualize and expand the knowledge that I already have to a greater extent. There was a discussion in one of my class last year, one of my teachers was telling me about why there were so many students failing, and falling behind on the required subjects. Teachers are confronted with the problem of keeping up with the fast pace at which kids are expected to learn today. That one particular discussion made me wondered what it is like to become a teacher?And what approach does to a teacher have to take to get to students, to come up with ideas to help their student to stay on the right track? With a strong effort by teachers even the most limited student can have a higher education. Now, that Im tutoring in an elementary, kindergarten to be exact. Ive been helping Mrs. Le with her students for about two months. In her classroom, I was pretty amazed by the way how her students were so eager and enthusiastic while learning something new. Ive realized that once you pull off the difficult challenge of providing the student needs, its a breather to know that, youve done your job. Now, your student feels like he can accomplish any goals he or she sets for. In my opinion, I think that this is why teachers love their job because theyre passing down the knowledge that he or she had collected and are making a difference in their students life. It takes a lot of hard work to become a good teacher. Good teachers must not only know their subject matter extremely well but also be sensitive to their students feelings to ensure that everyone in the class feels that they can be successful. (Calhoun 11). A successful teacher starts with the proper credentials. The road to become a competent and certificated teacher is both challenging and rewarding. (Shockley and Cutlip 21). In order, for you to become a teacher you have to decide upon a major and a minor teaching field. Your major is the area of the studies in which you will become most expert on. It requires more courses, more time, more work, and more attention but it will pay off to a great extent in the future. (Shockley, and Cutlip 43). You need to make a choice on the grade level or subject area for your major. You can either choose to teach in an elementary school, secondary school, or college. During the years of college you have to take curriculum requirements such as: general education, fine arts, humanities, history, science, mathematics, and social science. A typical college, which operates on a semester basis, requires 123 total credits hours for a bachelors degree. (Shockley, and Cutlip 22). In addition, prospect teachers face challenge during the early years of teaching. Getting accustomed to the hard work required in the classroom and responsibilities involved in teaching can be extremely tough for new teachers. (Calhoun 8). There are specific traits and qualities that can be useful to help and understand what the students are going through. You must have patience, creativity, preparation, and discipline. Last, to get an insight view of being a tutor I had an interview with Gabriel Melano, a Communication studies tutor in Sacramento City College and readying tutor at the Sacramento Unified District. Whether, you deiced to teach in an elementary school, high school or in college just have in mind that you need to have patience and creativity with all of your students. When you are trying to help someone learn, having patience is an essential necessity (Calhoun 14). These students are undergoing vast developmental changes that require a lot of attention and sensitivity. (Calhoun 22). At the early childhood level, teaching these youngsters is less focused on curriculum and content and more on motivating the children to learn and influencing their self esteem. The teacher must establish an environment conducive to learning on which developing mind can grow and expand. (Calhoun 20). Teaching in high school filled with teenagers is a bit different than teaching younger kids. Not just the age different, but also they way these teens think of themselves. You must understand that, during this stage of development, teens are seek their own personal style and identity. (Calhoun 24). A High school teacher must be able to inspire and motivate so that the learning will continue to take place despite all of the other challenges that the students are facing. (Calhoun 25). Having a keen understanding of this age group and being familiar to how students develop affects his or her learning style. Some student might be afraid to speak up to ask for help. By having patience is a way to gain the insight thought of your students need of learning. Every child learns differently so donÂ’t ever come to a conclusion. Youngster absorbs information and develops skills at his or her pace. (Keogh 3). Youngster might be confused with the way how you are trying to teach a specific subject. By being creative and trying to figure out tiny ways to help your students to comprehend show that youre willing to do what it takes for him or her to learn. The activities are much more teacher-directed as in the rest of the school program, and pencil-and- paper tasks are required for sustained period of time. (Calhoun 57). Letters names, letter recognition, colors, shapes, sizes, games, and other relationships are expected of kindergarten students. (Calhoun 57). If a student is a visual learner teacher can use flash cards with pictures to get through a point of what they are trying to get them to know. Teachers can make teaching fundamental for students. Teachers can use different ideas of how to approach something they are trying to teach and find many different ways to help students learn. Students know the name of the subject, and they can use their imagination to present the material in the way that student can understand. (Calhoun 14). By having, creativity is what makes the classroom come alive, and it is what helps student learn and appreciate learning. (Calhoun 15). Teachers who are models of organization and preplanning not only help their students learn but also show them how to be organized themselves. (Calhoun 16). When a teacher shows that he or she know what is important, then the student will be more responsible in doing their work. Designing a good lesson plan help put with time consuming because you already got everything all set. As students grew older you might have to be more discipline. This age of groups is extremely active, and the learning environment must be challenging for them. (Calhoun 22 and 23). If a student tends to get bored, they can find their own avenues for relieving themselves from boredom. They usually, take the form of some kind of classroom disruption. When this happens, you have to find a way to prevent this from happening again. For younger kids, all it takes for them to stop playing or goofing around is when you tell them that you plan on calling his or her parents and have a little talk with them with the way how he or she is behaving inappropriate. So, once a young kid hears that treat about calling her or his parents the kid usually start to pay attention again. When it comes to high school teenager it doesnt work that way. In ways, high school teenagers need more discipline to control their behavior. This is the age where they feel to overwhelm with everything. Having a good communication with the teenager can help you understand why they tend to act up in the classroom. On my interview with Gabriel Melano I had asked him a few questions about being a mentor. The first question that I had asked him was, what inspired you to become a tutor? He responded, During elementary school I started helping other students out and it made me felt good inside about myself. Knowing that you make a difference on someone elses life and their gratitude just makes me feel like I have a good purpose in life. The next question that I had asked him was, What has been his biggest challenge so far? He responded, My biggest challenge as a tutor has been motivating children who many have given up on. There are students who set their mind and wont even try to learn. It makes me sad to see someone so young being pessimistic. The next question that I had asked was, Do you feel like you have accomplished anything so far? Gabriel, I am happy to say that every time when a student succeeds I succeed. I also learn a great deal from every student to work with. Last, question that I had asked Mr. Gabriel, Do you have any type of skills to make teaching easier? His answer: Patience with kids.Teachers are the people who are able to bring out the best in others. These are the people that can be able to combines two important types of learning and making the best out of it. When students feel unsuccessful and under-appreciated, they can lose their desire to work hard and can begin to believed that they are less talented or worthy than their classmates. (Calhoun 11). Teachers who possess quality by having patience, creativity, and discipline often receive visits and letter of gratitude from their students long after they have graduated. Teachers should be more appreciated from all those hard work that they put us through. Our teachers wanted us the students to feel more prepare as we go on with the next challenge ahead of us. They were leading our hand to face the Reality of this world called life. Thank you so much for all the things that youve done for us to be where we are at right now.