The Historical Biography of Martin Luther

It is obviously important to note that society has evolved and that the issues of the sixteenth century although dictated by time are not all that different than what our schools face today. There may not have been a separation of church and state but there was a need for educational reformation. â€Å"It is sometimes forgotten that the Reformation was as much concerned with school as it was with church and home. Appreciating the role of education in directing church and society back to the source of the Christian faith, the reformers were committed to the schooling of the young. (Faber, 1998) There is no doubt that Martin Luther appreciated the structured approach of schools since one of his first official acts as a reformer was an attempt to convert existing monasteries schools. â€Å"For Luther, of course, education was grounded in the study of Scripture, a study that was to take place both within homes and schools. Committed by the First Amendment to separation of church and state and to freedom of religious expression, pluralistic America of the twenty- first century is very different from Luther†s Germany of the sixteenth century. (Harran, 2004) Many of the underlying foundation of the modern public schools systems around the world owe a great deal to the sixteenth century Reformation and Martin Luther. â€Å"In home, school, church, and community, fostering that awareness and understanding is the purpose of education and the responsibility of educators. No challenge is more urgent than empowering young people courageously to step into the stream of human events, refusing to stand upon the shore as bystanders. (Harran, 2004) Who better to use as a scholar for this particular work. I believe that Martin Luther would agree with the notion that our graduates should not only have a desire for collaboration, but should also strive to develop the bonds within a school†s collaborative learning environment. Luther lived in a time where only the wealthy or well connected received an education. This class isolationism went against the philosophies of today where diversity and interdependent social cultures strive to exist. In opposition to those who saw education as the privilege of only a few, Luther argued vociferously for compulsory education for all, recognizing the value of each individual before God. In an age in which only a few could afford to attend school and women received little if any education, Luther eloquently argued for expanding educational opportunities. † (Harran, 2004) Luther believed that a universal educational opportunity offered more to society and that mass education would be more advantageous because of the fact that it offered more collaborative opportunities. In the words of Martin Luther, â€Å"My dear sirs, if we have to spend such large sums every year on guns, roads, bridges, dams and countless similar items to insure the temporal peace and prosperity of a city, why should not much more be devoted to the poor neglected youth? † (Harran, 2004) Luther believed that society would benefit if more individuals were given the opportunity to improve themselves and he also seemed to understand that this process should include more collaborative educational methods. I also agree with the idea of collaborative educational methods and goals. I also believe that as teachers, we should promote the idea of students working together so they can learn from one another and at the same time extend their willingness and ability to interact and learning outside of the classroom. Today†s kids need PDA†s and other technology just to keep up with their own and friend†s busy schedules. Between commuting, extra curricular activities and homework, students may find that it is hard to coordinate with their peers. That is why we as teachers must create scenarios that promote togetherness through properly applying classroom settings, the use of technology and sound planning to eliminate the barriers of collaboration. It is a teachers responsibility to create an atmosphere that provides a comfortable setting for contribution by all, enable collaboration without regard to time or place and to help students learn from each other no matter what their diverse backgrounds might be. Luther was an advocate of a well conceived educational process. Writing in times far different than ours, Luther underscored the importance of a curriculum that truly engages young people and that inspires them to a genuine love of learning in all its many forms. † (Harran, 2004) This atmosphere can only occur if the teachers and administrative entities support critical self-reflection by the teachers. Teachers can only provide curriculums that engage if they themselves are up to date in their personal reflections and educations. I also agree with the fact that self awareness, professional development and personal achievement by teachers are areas that are critical to the success of the entire educational process. Professional development for example can be considered important in the realm of critical self-reflection because it is a vital piece of the teaching puzzle. Teachers who evaluate their needs and performance can use professional development opportunities to stay current with the new or available practices in teaching, learning and presentation. Consider that a large number of math teachers simply place far too much influence and credence on outdated text books and techniques. â€Å"Even while educators work to reduce the dominance of text-based learning in mathematics classrooms, publishers and teachers need to explore new modes of publication that will enable good innovative ideas to enter expeditiously into typical classroom practice. † (National Research Council 1989, p. 67) Self reflection will provide opportunities to change. Martin Luther and his reformers were the most social conscious individuals of their time. The reformations that he promoted were basically social justice reformations. Luther believed that the existing class system was not fair and that all classes should receive the opportunity for an education. â€Å"Not only would the state benefit from a reformed education, but also – and especially – the church. † (Faber, 1998) In the sixteenth century, those who could not read or write were forced to learn their religious scriptures form the religiously factions thus putting the poor and uneducated at a distinct disadvantage. Luther promoted that all individuals be educated and therefore eliminate those social injustices. Similar to the unfair class separation of Luther†s times, I believe we must address the social injustices of our times. â€Å"Schools in the United States face a multiplicity of challenges, from gaining adequate funds to hiring well-qualified and dedicated teachers to meeting the ever-increasing obligations of state-mandated testing to determining policy about such complex issues as bi-lingual education. † (Harran, 2004) We today face the distinction of having schools in poor urban areas that have no books, are literally unsafe, have no clean running water and certainly few to no good teachers while less than a mile down there could be an affluent school with a plethora of extras and well manicured lawns. Social justice always boils down to the haves and the have not†s. Consider the differentiation with the technology have line today. Schools that can afford new technology have it in abundance and every child has access to the internet and other educational tools. But, in our urban communities there are whole high schools that may only have five or six computers and those are for administrative applications. Today we are more adept at working with the special needs of race, ethnicity, class, cultural and linguistic diversity, religion, gender, sexuality and special needs. In Martin Luther†s sixteenth century, diversity was focused more on the differences between rich and poor and religious preference was a one way street. So when he wrote or worked to reform the system, he was trying to incorporate those who were considered to be the minorities of their time. Yet, whether the differences were color or religion is not relevant. The key is that there was a need for reform with the existing process just like we have a need for change in our modern day educational process. â€Å"The need for educational reform was urgent at the beginning of the sixteenth century. At that time there existed no school system as such, and teaching was often limited to the children of wealthy merchants and city rulers. In many places the Roman Catholic church supervised the training of the youth in monasteries, cloisters, and other church-run institutions. But these were falling into disrepute and disrepair, as the populace reacted against the corruption and abuses among the clergy. † (Faber, 1998) Today, research covering the effects of diversity in the classroom show how and why effective teaching can be linked to the ability of instructors to incorporate diversity into their classrooms. These studies repeatedly show that there is a direct correlation between a child†s attitude towards his or her race and ethnic grouping and other cultural groups from as early as the preschool years. In other words, young children develop their stereotypes in the classroom or in the home environment at very early ages. Teachers can therefore help reduce or hopefully even eliminate negative stereotypes by being diversity conscious themselves. Through the use of culturally sensitive class initiatives for example, teachers have an opportunity to establish more positive examples for their students. â€Å"Researchers agree that new models of professional development are needed, and that such models must include a focus on the development of local cultures of interest if they are to be sustainable. (Swan, Vargas, & Holmes, 2004) In conclusion, this paper was on Martin Luther and also my interpretations of his views on the treatise of scholarship and education. From Luther†s point of view, this report attempted to propose possible reforms in the area of curriculum. The report was formatted in the form of an action plan that articulated my personal philosophies of teaching and identified with Martin Luther as my selected scholar. Issues addressed were the educational and conceptual frameworks of collaboration, social justice, diversity and critical self-reflection. Obviously Martin Luther appreciated the structured approach of schools since one of his first official acts as a reformer was to convert existing monasteries into schools. This may even be the underlying foundation of all modern public schools systems around the world. Who could be a better scholar for this particular project. â€Å"There is no denying the huge gap between the sixteenth century and the twenty- first. Luther†s Germany was overwhelmingly Christian; he could look to the state to further the agenda of Christian education, although he insisted that the responsibility for education was not solely, or even primarily, the responsibility of government. We live in a very different world from that of Luther. The United States is rich in cultural and religious diversity, and, from an early age, children experience that diversity and multiplicity of religious traditions and values in school and community. † (Harran, 2004)

Is the Philippines Truly Free Essay

In terms of fashion, culture and economy, however, we cannot say the same. The Filipinos still suffer from colonial mentality. Music, fashion, customs and tradition and products of foreign countries, especially the so-called stateside, are still being patronized by most Filipinos, especially the youth who unabashedly mimic foreign singers, artists, including their lifestyles not minding to spend lots of money just to be â€Å"in† with these foreign idols. Thousands of Pinoys are also dying to migrate to other countries. As a member of the Filipino youth of today I believe that I can somehow make the Philippines truly free by reversing the above negative attitudes. First, I will start from myself. I will think, talk and act like a true Filipino. I will live by the Filipino values like being polite and courteous, using â€Å"po†, â€Å"opo†, respect my parents, the elders and be fair to all. I will patronize Filipino made products so we can save the dollars of our country. I will visit and encourage visit to the local tourist spots. I shall lead by example by taking care of the environment. I will recycle plastics and use biodegradable trash as organic fertilizer. By doing so, we can boost our country’s economy and awaken the sense of nationalism in each and every Filipino. Not only will our country be appreciated by our fellow Filipinos, but also by foreigners locally and internationally. Lastly, I will keep myself informed of the current social and national issues so I can express my views thereon. I will encourage the youth to do the same so we can preserve the democracy in our country alive and help it move forward.

Christmas card making Essay

What I would like to achieve by making Christmas cards with a group of 3-4 children at a time, is to see how and what they think Christmas is all about, their creative side and if the can write their own names at the bottom of their card. The learning intentions for each child are to either write their own name without help or copy it from another piece of paper. Again in this activity the children will have to learn to share the equipment. Fridrich Frebel believed and emphasised that creative play was important part of a Childs worlds and growing up, he also thought physical play, song and rhymes was a symbolism, and best developed though play. Aim: To get all the children who do a card to try to write their name inside. What the children will learn: The children today will learn how to write their name correctly, I don’t think they will remember all of how to do it but next time they need to write it they will find it easier. What I will learn: I should learn to help and supervise children properly and to help understand what they should and shouldn’t being doing at this age and weather or not they understand the way I am asking them to do an activity for me. What happened? I choose three random children who were wondering around not doing any other activity. I choose two girls and a boy, to come sit at a table, first of all their put on aprons the table already had glue and card on it with scissors and glitter pens the children did not understand straight away what I wanted them to do I sat down and tried to explain luckily I had bring in one that I had did at home with my brother who is their age. The two girls KL and CW knew what I wanted them to try and do I even said can you do your name inside when you have finished. This time I didn’t have an early year’s practitioner with me but one of them came over to see if I was okay. The Stephanie Jewell 3rd January 2005 boy I had asked to do a card didn’t want to he found some thing else he anted to do, so one of the early years practitioner gave me another boy DK as he needs help with his name. I gave them red card and folded it KL wanted hers folded twice so I did as it was her Christmas card. The children took their time at making the outside of the card about 20 minutes later I said â€Å"is anyone nearly finished? † they all stopped their work and said â€Å"Yes† but they was not, so I told them to carry on then a couple minutes later DK finished the front so I wrote the inside for him and asked if he can do his name e but he was very aliment that he could not do it so I wrote it on a bit of paper to copy and he tried really hard but we only got half of it done as he got a little upset because he didn’t want to do it. The two girls finished as well as are older they started to write letters inside but they didn’t make any words but I thought that was really good bas they were trying. They both wrote their names and kisses, the children letters were back to front or upside but you can tell what their name was. Evaluation: The activity of making cards with the children went better then I excepted as the children didn’t argue with each other and wanted to speak to me one after another instead of shouting and screaming. I thought I explained what to do well as the two girls that I choose to do this got on with the work straight away and didn’t really need my help until the end with the writing of their names. The child who didn’t want to do card making made me feel as if I was doing some thing wrong but he didn’t take in ant activities that day. The children left their cards to dry and the next day we put them into envelopes and they took them home. I would like to carry it out again if possible as I enjoyed myself as I was helping and watching them does it. If you were to carry out this activity then I would say have no more then two children at a time that way you can give them almost your full attention and this way the children tend not to want to talk over each other as there are only two of them sitting on a table. The children did learn how to do their names correctly even though DK got upset as he didn’t want to write his even though I kept encouraging him to Stephanie Jewell 3rd January 2005 try. I think I should have spoke more about Christmas and how a time for giving and why we give out cards to people. I put down a mat on the table as the children was working with glue, and glitter what make a lot of mess in the hands of 3, 4 year olds. The children put on aprons to protect their clothing which was a good idea, they did make a lot of mess with the glitter pens and didn’t know when to stop putting on to the card I had to keep telling them it was enough but they some times didn’t listen. The cutting of paper made mess around the table. But all of the mess made was easily cleared up within minutes and all the children had to do is wash their hands. I didn’t realise the children would take as long as they did to make the cards and even writing their name took longer then expected, I gave myself half and hour when I should have allowed an hour to do this kind of activity. When the children sit down they took a little while to get started. The planning I did for both the activities were helpful I did follow both the plans I think the planning is good to have but on the day it all depends on the children weather or not they want to do it or if they are going to muck about for you, the best part about the planning is to see if you can complete the learning intentions you set for the children and knowing what equipment ids needed before hand in case its any thing that they wouldn’t have usually.

Benefits Of Developing Conservation Strategies Environmental Sciences Essay

Benefits Of Developing Conservation Strategies Environmental Sciences Essay Increases in the human population and degradation of habitats have caused many species that were formerly common to decline to near extinction. As a result, we have become increasingly involved in attempting to preserve populations of rare or endangered species (Deborah T., 1987). Over the last two decades almost all arguments about nature conservation have involved the issue of biological diversity and ways to preserve it. These discussions culminated in the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and its implementation (Glowka L, 1994). The conservation of biodiversity is a vast undertaking, requiring the mobilization of existing data, huge amounts of new information, and the monitoring and management of wildlife on an unprecedented scale (Malcolm L. Hunter, 2007). The biologists are fairly skilled at looking at the big picture, at seeing forests not just trees. They understand that we cannot maintain genetic diversity without maintaining species diversity and that we cannot maint ain species without maintaining without ecosystem diversity (Malcolm L. Hunter, 2007). In addition, the size of a habitat and the number of species it can support are systematically related. Physically larger species and those living at lower latitudes or in forests or oceans are more sensitive to reduction in habitat area (Drakare S, 2006).Therefore, endangered species conservation requires many lines of inquiry to provide the evidence required for a holistic approach to conservation planning (Sutaria D 2009). Conservation biology is reforming around strategic plans that include principles, guidelines, and tools for the purpose of protecting biodiversity (M. E. Soule, 1986). Conservation biology is crisis-oriented and multi-disciplinary, including ecology, social organization, education, and other disciplines outside of biology (F. van Dyke, 2008). Preserving biodiversity is a global priority in strategic conservation plans that are designed to engage public policy and concerns aff ecting local, regional and global scales of communities, ecosystems, and cultures (Gascon C., 2007). Action plans identify ways of sustaining human well-being, employing natural capital, market capital, and ecosystem services (G. W. Luck, 2003). A strategy, simply defined, is a set of actions that a conservation project implements to reduce threats, capitalize on important opportunities. Examples of strategies include building the capacity of local law enforcement, educating schoolchildren about wildlife, and developing alternative livelihood options such as ecotourism. One could say that the conservation of endangered species to be effective, both biological and social elements of the conservation process must be considered as a basic for minimizing threats (Beasley L. 2007). This essay will discusses about evaluating the conservation costs and benefits of developing conservation strategies focusing on species, then habitats and finally on the resources. Biological species – tigers, butterflies, trees, frogs, whales, and so on are integral to nature; they are the players on the stage; species and their interrelationships, including the relationship to people. Many of the closest relationships human beings have established with nature are based on species (IUCN, 2008). There are several strategies that are beneficial for species and human. One of several strategies is the Opportunities for Debt Investment in Environmental Conservation. By combining microfinance lending approaches with performance-based payments for conservation of environmental assets, long-term incentives for environmental conservation and sustainable economic development can be coupled. For example, migratory species like loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles suffer from a suite of human impacts, including harvest of eggs and adults on nesting beaches across many Pacific island nations and mortality from industrial fishing on the high seas. These species are at a critical point, it h as been estimated that loggerhead turtles may be extinct in 50 years. Some governments have taken steps to minimize impacts on marine turtles by limiting coastal development and regulating fisheries, at some cost to the public and private sectors. Investment in endangered species recovery in low-income countries can deliver local benefits, such as increased opportunities for sustainable harvest, nature-based tourism or other non-turtle related economic activities, as well as monetary and non-monetary dividends back to governments’ .There are a number of potential advantages with using debt investment as a tool for environmental conservation. The program is aimed directly at improving livelihoods and lending can be targeted at reducing unsustainable resource use, an environmental mortgage program could directly address the alleviation of poverty. In some instances local people are as motivated, or even more motivated than conservationists to protect the animals in their homela nd, especially when they represent a valuable resource for food or commerce. But for some communities, it comes down to protecting animals that are as much a part of a hostile environment as drought or fire (C. Josh Donlan). As with African villagers expected to protect an elephant herd that continually destroys their crops and leaves them hungry without a means of generating income. For example, when villagers living in or near a game reserve are told by authorities that they can’t hunt an animal because it is endangered even as they are struggling with hunger. Although, the African elephants are protected by CITES (Kimbra C, 2010).

Peer Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Peer Review - Essay Example Thus three are three broader hypotheses also under which authors attempt to provide a comprehensive view of how the individuals perceive adult development based on their sociological tradition dealing, desirability of the expected change and how it contributes towards development and finally the knowledge that adults hold of the overall development process. The sampling methods adapted were selective sampling method as according to author, the bias towards sampling was necessary. This was necessarily done in order to sample only those respondents who possess the rich vocabulary to describe their beliefs in more eloquent manner. This method therefore allowed researcher to tap the young and educated respondents however, the overall differences in ratings on vocabulary are reported to be minimal within the respondents belonging to different age groups. The overall procedures adapted to gather the data involved mix of the techniques adapted by the researcher. This included oral as well as other means of collecting data under the supervised guidance of the author. Respondents were asked certain questions for rating purposes and the overall results were than analyzed by the authors in order to arrive at a final conclusion. What is also significant to understand that respondents were asked about the different sets of questions within a certain time period i.e. there was two weeks gap between the first and the second session for data gathering by the author. On both the occasions, the procedure was same i.e. respondents were asked to rate certain adjectives in order to understand their perception about the development psychology and underlying hypothesis. The results indicate that there was consensus among the various age group representatives regarding the overall process of adult development. Most of the respondents believed that the

Motivation is a very important force that affects and directs our Essay

Motivation is a very important force that affects and directs our behaviour. As a consequence, it is a vital factor for teachers to understand and apply in the - Essay Example Alcott’s, Little Women. Two different interesting books written by two women driven by their passion in writing intended to impart a part of their lives for the society. L.M. Alcott unlike J.K Rowling with her magical adventure, L.M. Scott’s Little Women was about her childhood. She used her own childhood to appeal to the hearts of both young and old embarking on self-expression and women’s rights. Also, her novel draws the public because it’s story of real people struggling to achieve life’s happiness along with it, to learn life’s lesson (Lkwdpl.org, 2006) Ofofegbu (2004) asserts that teacher motivation is equated with the attitude of a teacher concerning work. It has to do with teacher’s desire to participate in the pedagogical processes of the school environment. Moreover, it is concerned with teachers interest in student discipline and control particularly in the classroom. It can determine the involvement or non-involvement in academic and non-academic activities, which operate in schools. The teacher, is the one that translates educational philosophy and objective into knowledge and skill and transferring it to students. Classroom climate is important in teacher motivation. If a teacher creates a safe, healthy, happy atmosphere in the room with supportive resources and facilities for teaching for optimal learning, he/she tends to participate more than expected in the process of management, administration, and the overall improvement of the school. The teacher takes charge and projects the image of one who improves knowledg e and the physical conditions of the classroom through orderliness, discipline and control. He makes a diagnosis of students feelings and attitudes inferred by their behaviour and response in the classroom environment. Classroom management, curriculum, instruction, and teacher–student relationships must create a social context that sets up the pattern for successful

Russia culture 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Russia culture 1 - Essay Example They mostly operate an autocratic management style whereby the leader has more power than committees. Their mode of communication in business is very formal. Russia has many ethnic groups, and each individual group has their form of music. Therefore, the culture has diverse music. Their traditional music was mainly ritual folk songs and the holy music of the Orthodox Church (Rickman, Mead, and Gorer 65). In the 19th century, they developed their music and were the founders of classical music. Their music has developed over time and has been characterized with improvement in use of musical instruments The Russians believe in respect for the old people and that failure to obey them results in misfortunes. The formal greetings for males are bone-crushing handshakes, and a soft handshake implies that one is unhappy. Eye contact is valued since it is a sign of honesty between the communicating parties. Women and girls kiss three times or can hug one another. Gift giving is highly appreciated, and it is a taboo to visit other people and fail to take to them gifts or presents. The Russians are very superstitious. They believe in the evil look and do not want unknown people commenting good things about their property. They believe that carrying empty buckets or cans is a sign of bad omen. They also believe that touching their money makes it unprofitable. Russians value wedding so much and the finances to be spent are only limited to the financial ability of the families. To them, it is a big occasion and would lead to lasting enmity if a person ruined that day. The wedding dress is hidden from the male and is supposed to be a surprise to him. The value of the wedding ring defines the amount of love that the bride has for the groom (Rickman, Mead, and Gorer 85). After death, Russians wash the body and dresses it into expensive clothes. The death of the elderly is very sorrowful, and they are treated with respect on