Duck and Cover Essay

Duck and Cover The society we live in today is so different than that of World War II. In that era the biggest threat of destroying society was the atomic bomb. In these times of today we face so many different threats of terrorism from other countries and from within our own cities. Even more than just terrorism, today’s society faces some many threats from within itself, such as Ganges in the inner cities, to the fall of inner city government through the influence from the sales of illegal drugs. The survival of a nuclear act was and all ways will be one of society’s main concerns. The atomic boom was the center of fear because, the technology had just been discovered and other countries had the technology in their hands as will. The U.S. had no real protection for the people from being acted by other countries, for the most part it was a wait and see game played with the threats between two countries. It seem to have such an impact on the people of that time it changed their life styles, from saving money for the further too the build and stocking boom shelters in their back yards. Comparing the threat nuclear war to the threat of terrorism today is different in many was in that terrorism has many different faces. Today’s terrorism comes not only from other countries but also comes from within the U.S. from some of our own people. Like the students of World War II, the students of today are still being taught to duck and cover, not for the fear of a boom but for the fear of a fellow student are someone with a cause, coming into the class and shooting it up. Technology has grown so much society of today really has no fear from other countries but more from the terrorism within the U.S†¦ For some children of today duck and cover is practice in their own homes trying to stay safe from the threat, right outside of their own front door.

Sociology Ch Notes

Are a Result of the collection and analysis of data from a variety of sources such as: Interviews Observations Surveys They are models that allow us to generalize and make predictions Students Need To Be Objective When Studying Sociology Do not be subjective We all have a belief system that can be a problem when studying sociology Remove the â€Å"I† Social Control = the social mechanisms that regulate people's actions – Studied through 3 paradigms: Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactions A paradigm is a theoretical framework through which scientists study the world.Founders of the Discipline of Sociology Functionalists: Augusta Comet (1798-1859) – Wanted to build better societies Recognized 2 equal yet opposing forces in society: Social Static (Tries to keep things the same) & Social Dynamics (force for change & conflict) Founders Continued:- Herbert Spencer-social Darwinism Emilee Druthers (1858-1917) First social researcher to carry out an Investig ation using a large scale collection of data & wanted sociology to be more scientific Ideas and values are the driving force structure could influence human behavior Social Solidarity = The bonds that unite society – Shared beliefs These are important for society to operate harmoniously Collective Conscience = A group's common values, goals, outlook, interpretation of events & identical ways of thinking in smaller societies Solidarity = how connected people feel to others in the environment Mechanical Solidarity = Pre-longitudinal Organic Solidarity = Social ties based upon a functional interdependence of the members of society (we are all dependent upon other, people we do not even know, for our everyday necessities) This is less personal than with mechanical solidarity hen everyone knew each other, what to do, how to behave, and their place in the scheme of things. A lack of solidarity can lead to Egoistic Suicide -few social connections and isolation Alarmists Suicide â₠¬â€œ Exceptionally high level of solidarity places the soup's interests as superior to the individual's. Fatalistic = Too much social control and Anomic = rapid change, usually economic. Division of Labor = A unifying force Tailcoat Parsons – One of the most influential Functionalists Robert Morton – – Manifest Consequences = the intended consequences of an action, LatentConsequence = unintended consequence of an action, & Dysfunctional Consequence = when an action weakens social bonds (a negative societal effect) Conflict Theorists: Karl Marx (1818-1883) – Extreme influence on world politics Focused upon discord and exploitation in society Social change, social institutions and social values are dictated by economic forces Bourgeoisie- Owners of the means of production Proletariat – Sold their labor Capitalism- Bourgeoisie seek to maximize profits & exploit workers Alienation – Workers removed from creativity and achievement, leads to despa ir False Consciousness Historical Materialism Harriet Martinets (1802-1876) – Little recognized – Focused upon Industrialization & Capitalism, class, race & gender inequalities W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1063) – First African American to receive Ph. D. From Harvard. Studied dual heritage & advocated the eradication of prejudice and discrimination Jane Adams (1860-1935) – Hull House – Poverty results from ignorance and structural barriers, not from failings in the morality of a person. John Bellary Foster – The negative effects of capitalism on society and the planet as a whole. C.Wright Mills – Social Conflict (Marxist) Sociological Imagination† = A way of thinking that gives you an understanding of the societal forces that shape your life- how society influences the outcome George Herbert Mead (186-1931)- Founder of Symbolic Internationalism, interested in colonization George Simmer (1858-1918) Interaction amongst people is influen ced by size of group Herbert Blamer – Human beings behave toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things – Contagion = a rapid, irrational mode in which people don't think rationally or clearly = in a group setting. People ‘lose their heads' and react eke acting Howard Becker – Labeling Theory – Human action is related to the labels attached to it. A label is attached to a certain behavior when a group with powerful social status labels it deviant. Deviance is rooted in the reactions and responses of others to an individual's acts. Max Weber (1864-1920) Began as Karl Marx, social class influences our outcomes, but thought that Mar's two class system was too simple. Wealth is important, but so are political power and social status.Discussed the emerging Bureaucracies and Rationality . The Protestant Ethic led to or influenced the rise in Capitalism. The accumulation of wealth is a sign of God's favor. Stressed that the study of sociology should be value free with no personal bias Emerging Paradigms Feminist Theory Gendered and interdisciplinary Exchange Theory Our social experiences consist of a series of rewards and costs. People want to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs which leads to their choice of social action Environmental Theory How do societies adjust to ecological changes (Beasts of The Southern Wild movie). Humans are Just one type of organism sharing the ecological space with animals.

Relationship Reading Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Relationship Reading Project 2 - Essay Example The ideal result expected of a marriage is ‘to flow together harmoniously’ from the day they tie the knot and take the oath of mutual allegiance. They try to find a common goal, and they respect the goals of each other. The happy couples develop a find sense of anticipation and are familiar with the contextual expectations of the partner. They store the essential information about the partner and style their responses accordingly to take care of the small and big desires of the partner. They try to nurture mutual dreams and co-operate in all possible ways to fulfill them. To enable them to find an amicable solution in the areas of conflicts like, equitable distribution of the household tasks, management if children, family budget and investments, disposition with near and dear ones, relations, and the serious issues like, drinking, drugs and smoking, extra-marital relations and the like, this â€Å"Love Lab† is the experimental spot. Gottman’s first conclus ion is shocking. He asserts that that there are no happy couples, as there are no lasting emotional relationships without chronic conflict.(p.2) He asserts that there is something seriously wrong about the couples that have no chronic subjects to struggle and tackle with. Authentic relationship and emotional distance are not the alternative beats of the same heart. There is a problem with such hearts. Emotional detachment is the worst thing that can happen in a relationship, especially marriage. Dr. Gottman observes, â€Å"In fact, I am now able to predict whether a couple will stay happily together or lose their way. I can make this prediction after listening to the couple interacts in our Love Lab for as little as five minutes!†(p.2) His research laboratory has turned out to be the transformation center to hundreds of couple whose marriage has been running through a problematic phase. Husband and wife are like two Public Relations Managers working for one institution who have equal powers. The name

Week9dq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week9dq - Essay Example ogramme, concludes by stating that â€Å"as researchers we must examine the effects of our lives and thoughts on the knowledge that we seek to capture and use† (p 185). This seems to me to be a statement which is both valid and important. In 2007 Buchanan and Bryman pointed to the way organizational research is changing with new trends emerging. They argue modern research methods tend towards both diversity and creativity in their techniques and approaches. However the choices made are also dependent upon the various â€Å"organizational, historical, political, ethical, evidential and personal factors† (p.483).All of such factors are relevant to the research being planned within an contemplated within the organization context in which it is carried out. For ‘insiders’ (Brannick and Coghlan, 2007), working at management level, some things such as obtaining permission to carry out research with in the organization and other factors such as having primary access and gatekeeper issues, are much less problematic than it would perhaps be for external researchers. Despite this there could be disadvantages due to â€Å"partisan conclusion† Johnson and Duberley 2003), and is a factor to be aware of, and epistemic reflexivity is necessary to that process. Buchanan and Bryman (2007), argue that :- The authors show how in such cases the final ultimate decision about research may have to encroach on the type of evidence required to make an impact upon practice. Despite this they emphasise reflection when choices of research methods are made Within the Week 9 reading several reflexivity models are presented. There are however differences between theories held by positivists and those who hold to post-modern theory. The first assumes objectivity, a sense of neutrality and detachment and on the part of the researcher so that who the researchers are makes no difference who is doing the research into this reality. There is however a newer theory which argues

Sysco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sysco - Essay Example Day was required to give all the pros and cons of the implementation of the new software along with its detailed requirements. The obstacles to the implementation of new BI software were identified so that software faces no unknown resistances and obstructions. Questions were also designed for the software to answer to evaluate the efficacy of the software in terms of fulfilling Sysco’s requirements of information. Sysco has a number of companies under its governance due to which, all the steps taken by the company are required to be looked in good details. No change or development is without challenges, therefore, challenges were also identified in order to cope up with the challenges successfully. For increasing the IT expertise of the company as a whole, a data warehouse was also established. However, this data warehouse was required to be improved to a great extent as the staff and IT requirements of the data warehouse lacked competence to handle complicated IT related iss ues. For implementing BI software, the company required to look towards the investment that it was going to invest for the implementation of the software, the integration of the present system with the new software, acceptance of all the supervised companies and expertise of the IT staff. Obstacles Facing Sysco For implementing BI software, Sysco faces some obstacles. The company, Sysco has its own data sources that are required to be connected with BI software and for this process, IT help is required, which can be given by BI’s technical staff (McAfee and Wagonfeld 4). The company’s database needs to be attached with BI software. The company was to decide on purchasing the right amount of BI software for its information needs. Investment for BI software is also a major concern for the company. Day was fully aware that associated companies linked with Sysco were to bear the costs invested for implementing BI software due to which, there can be a problem in terms of in vestment approval by those companies (McAfee and Wagonfeld 11). The linked companies already have their own software solutions for information systems due to which, there were fair chances of resistance by the companies. Data warehouse started by Sysco was not fully complete and its staff lacked the necessary expertise to extract necessary data. The employees serving in the data warehouse were required to be trained better and the warehouse was itself an obstacle for the implementation of BI software (McAfee and Wagonfeld 3). Sysco lacked the essential IT competence in terms of its data warehouse and its IT staff, which is a clear obstruction. Questions Addressed by Sysco Sysco initially decided to address only two questions with its new BI software rather than use it as a more general analysis tool. The questions were ‘What additional products could we be selling to each of our customers?’ and ‘Which of our current customers are we most likely to lose?’ (M cAfee and Wagonfeld 8-9). These questions were initially asked because they support the company to look forward in their future in terms

British Prime Minister Become Too Powerful Essay

British Prime Minister Become Too Powerful - Essay Example Prime minister is the party leader in the House of Commons because of rights accorded in selecting the cabinet, deciding agenda in cabinet meetings; hand out most of the departmental positions where he also chairs the parliamentary progress. The prime minister who is in the House of Commons has authorities to dismiss ministers from the house. He has power to direct and control policies for the government as the chief executive. The prime minister is ultimately accountable for policies and government decisions, he also oversees the civil service and other governmental agencies and appoints cabinet members and serves as the principal government member in the House of Commons. He or she heads the government, providing political leadership within the government cabinet system and the country at large. Its specific tasks include appointment and dismissal of government ministers, presiding over the cabinet and its committee (Dooley 172). It is also bound to set date of meetings and general elections and as well present the state in the international arena. According to Kevin Dooley (2009), the British prime minister is the most powerful voice in the British politics. The British prime minister is elected by the majority party in the House of Commons. The connection allows the British prime minister to have the ability to be actively engaged. The prime minister is ultimately accountable for policies and government decisions, he also oversees the civil service and other governmental agencies.

Letter of Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Letter of Advice - Essay Example In verbal communication the person uses the help of his voice to send over messages to the other person whereas non verbal communication is a form in which voice is not used. Non verbal communication includes memos, emails, and other social software as well as eye movement, postures, facial expression, gestures and so on. To develop a perfect sort of communication it is necessary that some elements are kept into view. This brief would further take all these elements into view and provide with the related needs of communication at work and in personal interactions (Taylor 2001). To develop an effective interpersonal communication network it is necessary for the individuals to keep several factors in mind while communicating. In personal relationships, the communication network needs not be formal like letters or memos, yet needs to be perfect in transmitting the messages and views. For instance, if one partner wants to go out, he/she needs to communicate this desire rather than relying on the idea that the other partner will himself/herself identify and fulfill it. To achieve this it is necessary for the person who is communicating to reach clarity. By clarity here it is meant that the person who is communicating should be very clear in stating his thesis of the message. The words chosen by the communicator should be very precise which are clear enough for the other individual’s intellect. Thus it is necessary that the communicator does not drag his message up to critical levels where the other listener gets confused by the message. This confusion ca n therefore lead to several other problems in the relationships (Kelly 1979 & Taylor 2001). Dear Sara and Tim, my advice to you for a successful relationship is to maintain a level of understanding and frankness which allows you to speak out ‘clearly’ your innermost feelings and communicate your expectation without hesitation. The expectations from the other partner to understand the unspoken

How Should Organizational Information Systems Be Audited for Security Essay

How Should Organizational Information Systems Be Audited for Security - Essay Example S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). At the present, businesses should take a number of steps in an attempt to formulate or improve an IS security audit facility. For instance, organizations must clearly outline their business goals and aims. After that, the business should evaluate its own information security audit readiness. However, this kind of evaluation requires from organizations to recognize a variety of matter such as reporting limitations, legal problems, the audit situation, security and safety vulnerabilities, abilities automated tools and associated costs. Additionally, it is essential for the organizations to plan how to decide what information systems security audit projects should be performed for instance both stand-alone information system security audit projects and those projects which require support from the information systems security audit potential. Thus, when the planning stage is successfully completed, bus inesses should be able to connect the aims and objectives selected in the initial phase to the tasks required for their completion. On the other hand, all through the process, businesses should not ignore the resources exist on the Web intended for research and training (U. S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). Moreover, making a decision regarding organization’s aims and objectives for developing or improving an information system’s security audit capability will support them in determining and understanding the varieties of skills, tools and training required to carry out this process. In this scenario, it is essential for the organizations to define objectives and aims earlier without initial recognition like that how and by whom the business aims and objectives would be convened (for instance, whether organization resources would be contractor, in-house, shared staff or a number of combinations). In addition, establis hment of temporary milestones will facilitate in attaining a staged accomplishment of organization’s desired policy. Additionally, while constructing an information system security audit potential, administration should review the organization’s information systems security audit willingness by keeping in mind the applicable issues. In this scenario, the implementation of a baseline by recognizing powers and faults will facilitate an organization to choose a most excellent system to proceed (U. S. General Accounting Office; Mandol and Verma; Cert-In; Stanford University; Davis). Moreover, the process of tackling information security risks varies and depends on the nature of the processing carried out by the business and sensitivity of the data and information which is being processed. However, to completely judge these issues and risks, the auditor should completely understand information about the business’s computer operations and major applications. In this s cenario, a most important part of planning to produce or improve a successful information systems security audit potential can encompass activities such as assessing the present staff’s skills, knowledge and capabilities to decide what the audit capability is at the present and what knowledge

Franchising & Small Business case study analysis

Franchising & Small Business analysis - Case Study Example er market as compared to several of its other competitors and typically has a business/professional clientele that caters to a middle class demographic. In terms of direct competition within the market of Brisbane, Little Singapore, and its various locations, competes against the likes of Birdcage Pan, Rode Asian Cuisine, Sing’s Asian Kitchen, and Chives. Not surprisingly, the competition is stiff; as the market is somewhat saturated with respect to offerings of Asian cuisine within Brisbane. The first innovation that would directly be recommended is with respect to outdoor dining. A review of the existing competition reveals the fact that almost none of the Asian cuisine establishments within Brisbane offer and outdoor dining option. Similarly, as the weather is quite pleasant much of the year, this would be an effective tool by which this particular restaurant, and its subsequent establishments, could seek to distance itself from the competition and provide a winning edge with respect to the dining experience (Davidson & Shakespeare, 2006). Another recommendation is with respect to the creation of the value days or the creation of a value section on the individual menu. Ultimately, from a review of the competition and an analysis of the existing environment for Asian cuisine within Brisbane, it is clear and apparent that Little Singapore, and its subsequent locations, is somewhat more expensive as compared to the alternatives. Because of this, providing an incentive for individuals to frequent the establishment, or indeed creating a value section on the menu, could once again place this particular restaurant in direct levels of competition with low cost alternatives throughout the Brisbane area; thereby expanding its reach and potentially improving the overall profitability that it could experience. The final recommendation is with respect to the establishment of a reward card system. Once again, due to the fact that this particular branch of restaurants is

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay Route 66 is the area where diners and gas stations are normally located and one of the diners around the area is owned by Mae and Al. A man enters the diner and wants to buy products for cheap prices and at first they refuse to accept and finally realized that they will compromise and give him the items for less. This era was the Great Depression and everyone was dealing with hard times with poverty and low employment. Families were trying to make ends meet and feed their families. The Joad family travels with the Wilson family who have been trying to get to California for the same purposes. The family members each have a dream that they want to achieve when they arrive at California, for example Rose of Sharon and Connor thought about moving into a new home . The family faces the fear of the family breaking down and they just want to make it work as a family and they want to remain close together. While on the way, the car breaks down and they try to fix the car. The car can symbolize the family’s current condition. As they get closer, they have a better relationship with the other families that are also heading to the place that everyone believes will bring prosperity and happiness. They arrive near the desert in Arizona before arriving at their destination and they start to dream about the life they want in California. They start to think about the materialized things that they might set their eyes on and the landowners that they might encounter with. As they arrive at California, they are struck with the news of Grannam’s death the night before and fear that they cannot go on without her. The history of California becomes well known and tells about how the Americans took away the lnad that once belonged to the Mexicans that settled there. Soon, the people from Oklahoma which they call the â€Å"Okies† arrive and the people in California fear them because they think of them as armed and hungry. The Okies decided to reside in shacks called Hoovervilles which represented the sign of poverty that existed in the Great Depression. People couldn’t afford good quality homes, so they had to build Hoovervilles named after the then President Herbert Hoover, who didn’t accomplish much while in office and the Depression was blamed on him. The Okies begin to start to fear the Californian landowners. The family begin to arrange Granma’s burial which decreases the money that they brought with them and Tom wants to find a job however there is hardly much to be found. The workers receive less pay for  long hours from their employers, the land owners. The land owners show dishonesty towards their workers and hardly pay them. Tom starts to run for his life after he tries to help his friend fight an officer and not risk his parole. Casy takes the blame and gets arrested so Tom wouldn’t be caught. The family face the harsh conditions from the police while in the shacks and the family faces more hardship as Connie leaves Rose of Sharon. The Joads are starting to decrease more in hope as they face terrible events on their way to California and risk the dangers that are on the way. I believe that if they can hold onto each other that they can achieve their dreams and get closer to it. As hey encounter these events, they start to lose their grips and feel that they cannot go on.

Diversity in the Classroom

Diversity in the Classroom Schools are the places where the children shape their personalities and behavior. Like a child who shapes his or her personal outlook, even the school will be shaped by diverse cultural practices and values of the society. In essence, schools also reflect the existing norms of the society for which they set up. Interrelated and closely bonded beliefs and values are very common the culture of the schooling. In this chapter, an attempt was made to relate the basic ideology that underlines the culture in the US with many core values and beliefs. In addition, a link was made to relate the basic ideology as a means of divulging the deeper meaning of culture. Child rearing is a very meaningful approach that one can use to reveal the deeper meaning of the culture. Rearing children in a classroom has a strong link with the underlying culture of diverse ethnic groups. Several authors in the past have tried to explain what childrearing is, especially in the context of existing cultural practices. Almost all authors believe that childrearing is a mirror of different cultural ideologies along with practices and values of different cultures. Ogbu (Ogbu, 1981) believes that parents prepare their children for the society and the world as they know and experience it. Society can easily influence and shape our schools. The core values and practices of the society are some of the critical factors that shape our schools. Educators, students and parents may never understand the deeper meaning of culture within the ambience of school learning. Traditional definitions of culture given by noted anthropologists may not be sufficient for designing and executing school learning experiences that are so common in culturally different settings. In this section, we will treat objectifying culture as the basic step in the process of designing and constructing a simple and workable definition of culture. This simple working definition will help us streamline planning school learning experiences among different people. What is objectifying culture? A simple depersonalization process that helps us in conducting critical examination of the ideologies that support accepted and acknowledged social behavior and cultural practices. Ideologies and beliefs can reflect different aspects of deep meaning of culture. Schools are the learning centers that also reflect the cultural norms of a larger sized society. Deeper meaning of the culture can also be revealed through inspecting and evaluating ideologies and any interconnected beliefs and values. One can also reveal the deep meaning of culture by including communication among parents, teachers and students, and different social interaction patterns, as well as childrearing methods and practices. The Culture of Practice in a Struggling School Every teacher is different. Each one of them has own ideological stance and understanding of culture. In fact, these two viewpoints shape how they see school curriculum, learning process, pedagogy and social context that allow learning in school. In nutshell, the way and manner in which a teacher understands the culture influences in the school, will ultimately influence his or her ability to provide meaningful and productive learning experiences to the students. This chapter will provide two main benefits: It provides you a solid groundwork to comprehend cultural diversity in a classroom; It also helps you learn how to teach traditionally underserved students, who come from diverse and experiential backgrounds. Hollins (Hollins, 2006) reported about an approach, which was identified as a structured dialogue, playing an important tool to assist convert the culture of practice followed in a low performing school. In such schools, teachers also learned how to teach traditionally underserved urban students. The first part of this chapter presents you the study as reported by Hollins. On the other hand, the second section of this chapter deals with the things that teachers learned in their classroom, in the form of a structure that is planned at divulging the deeper meaning of culture within the ambience of a school. The most critical components of this framework are: Culturally mediated cognition and Culturally mediated instruction The main goal of this dedicated discussion is to bring an awareness of the culture of practice in very low performing urban schools. This expertise will empower you to evaluate your own progress as a dedicated classroom teacher and shun possible scenarios where you will be introduced unconsciously to the prevailing practice of culture. What is a structured dialogue? It is an intricate process of learning, where all teachers come together in a study group styled format, to discuss and learn more about their classroom dialogues. In the process of conducting a series of dialogues, teachers can describe the unique successes and special challenges they encounter in their classrooms along with evidences and testimonies from each of the participating teacher. The most significant benefit of a structured dialogue process is the teachers ability to learn from other on different methods that can help in improving classroom practices and student learning outcomes. Identifying a Developmental Trajectory Hollins (Hollins, 2006) also worked on developing a developmental trajectory for modifications in the culture of practices in many of the underperforming urban schools. This trajectory involved three positions and three markers. The positions were: A Natal or initial culture identified in many of the underperforming schools just at the initiation of the study. A transitional position, when old practices and values were replaced or changed with new ones by the participating teachers A transformed culture, where all participating teachers adapted new and fresh values, practices and perceptions On the other hand, three important markers suggested for changes in the teachers culture of practices are: Teachers perceived perceptions and opinions about students, Teachers perceived perceptions and opinions about instruction and Interrelationship among different teachers Learning more about different positions The natal position is a simple, yet effective approach to structured dialogue. The teachers of a school join as a group, in low performing schools, to hold a deficit viewpoint of their students to focus on a number of issues like: Lack of skills, knowledge and information among students A perceived negative view of a students conditions of living An attitude that parents show disinterest in their childrens education In fact, every classroom is bound to lead to differences in learning outcomes. These differences could be due to a number of reasons like: Students effort and dedication towards studies, Intelligence, skills and perceived smartness Familys social status in the society In a natal position, teachers may or may not visit each others classroom or they may or may not talk to each other regarding their teaching methods. In fact, classroom instruction delivered by teachers was private and confidential. School authorities ensured that new teacher inductees were formally socialized into this new culture. Next, will be the transitional position. During this position, teachers may never talk negative about a student. However, it is quite difficult to realize similar outcomes with all the instructional approaches used by the teachers. This issue resulted in a serious discussion about the existing relationship between the teaching approach and the student-learning outcome. Dialogues about individual teaching practices veered towards personal, although individual teachers were careful about assuming responsibility for learning outcome among students. Senior teachers started giving better attention to the induction of new teachers by setting up informal and personal mentoring sessions. These sessions always included provision of guidance and help about teaching methods and approaches. On the other hand, transformational position is the last position that emerges during the third year of the study. The positive aspect of this position was that teachers always talked positive about their stu dents. In fact, positive outcome was the most significant benefit of this position. With the initiation of this position, teachers talked more about: The information students know and understand What should they know more about What instructional methods appeal them the most Teachers also found time to discuss many other issues like: The existing relationship among teaching methods and approaches Attributes of the student community Learning outcomes and results Teachers become more responsive by taking full responsibilities for their students learning outcomes. Teachers also start talking more about their students strengths, weaknesses and other related issues. In fact, everyone in the pubic knew about what students are doing and how they are performing. Teachers took each others suggestions seriously, visited others classrooms and later assumed full responsibility for their own classroom actions. All senior teachers started taking additional responsibilities about the new inductee teachers. Hollins (Hollins, 2006) presented the concept of developmental trajectory that is closely related to the typology subject discussed in Chapter I. The trajectory and typology discussed here gives you three important positions with relating categories of indicators for conceptualizing teaching methods. When you compare positions and indicators in the typology highlighted erstwhile in the first chapter of the book, with those of Hollins, many similarities may exist between the indicators, across many positions in the typology and the trajectory. For example, You can observe that the Type I teachers mentioned in the typology are almost similar to the teachers that were mentioned in the natal position, especially in the trajectory on indicators for teachers viewpoint on students and instruction. On the other hand, many indicators in the transformational position lying on the developmental trajectory and in the Type III in the domain of typology indicate towards the application of a teachers knowledge and awareness about: The intricate relationship between many student attributes and experiences Instructional and teaching practices adapted by the teacher Learning outcome as a meaningful support for teaching that is productive and result oriented. As mentioned elsewhere in the book, a structured dialogue is an efficient tool for assisting the complete transformation of a community of teaching practice and practices of individual teachers. If you are a beginning teacher, who is just starting to interact with your students, you can use this tool to improve your teaching methods and practices. The typology and the trajectory are very beneficial to teachers, old or new, in many different ways. The term typology is descriptive; it tries to explain the perceptual position, and response of teachers who are hired to teach in K-12 schools. It is a very convenient tool for analysis, evaluation and introspection for planned personal growth. On the other hand, developmental trajectory means the transformation of the practice of culture in an underperforming school with that of a learning community that focuses on enhancing student learning outcomes. Tip: When you recognize different indicators of position in a culture of practice followed in a school, you can easily understand how to interact and converse with colleagues and in what manner you can monitor and evaluate your own individual growth after participating in a community of practice. Both trajectory and typology are very beneficial to teachers in many ways. However, the typology model presented before in the first chapter, only detected the basic characteristics of teachers perception and practices along the lines of three positions, and it did not provide a structure for comprehending the existing relationship between different culture and school practices. Hence, the remainder part of this chapter will provide a platform for understanding the existing association between learners cultural backgrounds, classroom learning mode and learning outcomes. Cultural Diversity in a Classroom This course framework will provide you a theoretical perspective for culling knowledge base from other chapters and elucidate the structure to assist application to practice. The main concepts embedded in the framework will give a broader meaning for locating self-identity within the ambits of a culturally diverse society for Making an inquiry into students cultural and experiential background, Undoing sensitive elements from purposeful learning for students who from diverse communities and study in elementary and secondary schools The other objective of this chapter is to make clear the existing relationship between culture, cognition, pedagogical practices and many learning outcomes. The underlying structure for comprehending cultural diversity in a typical classroom consists of two major parts, namely: Culturally intervened cognition and Culturally intervened instruction The former refers to the manner in which a students brain, memory structures and critical intellectual processes enhance, support and develop within a given cultural context. On the other hand, the latter includes a number of important components like culturally intervened cognition and prized knowledge and skills in school curriculum and culturally correct social scenarios for learning experience (see Table 7.2). Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (1999) pointed out that, all learning involves transfer from previous experiences (p. 56). The monumental work of Piaget and Vygptsky provides a theoretical ground for understanding cultural diversity in a classroom. This theory draws on available information processing to explain different structural components among different cultures, cognition, and pedagogy and learning experience for different cultural backgrounds. Note that you can find structural components among the participating individuals and groups, who are studying under different school settings. On the other hand, culture is unique and dynamic with constant changes and modifications. Journal Activity How do you handle a culturally diverse classroom? Explain how you want to teach and train your children, especially in the context of existing cultural practices. Explain how you will develop an ability to provide meaningful and productive learning experiences to the students, who are studying in a culturally struggling school. Differentiate between culturally mediated cognition and culturally mediated instruction. Explain your plan of action to make structural dialogue a success. Pause and Reflect As a teacher, why do think that a structured dialogue is an efficient tool for assisting the complete transformation of a community of teaching practice and practices of individual teachers. Provide reasons for your argument. What are the possible bottlenecks and potential problems that are likely to crop up, when you are using structured dialogues? Think of some strategies and plans to use different perceptions.