Measures Taken for Reducing Maid Abuse in Singapore Essay Example for Free

Measures Taken for Reducing Maid Abuse in Singapore Essay There are approximately 150,000 migrant domestic workers (MDW) in Singapore and many of them suffer forms of abuse – physical and sexual violence, food deprivation, confinement in workplace and late or non-payment of salary. In 2011, an estimated 4000 MDWs ran away from their employers’ home, many of them frustrated, overworked and underpaid. (TWC2, 2011) The Singapore law doesn’t stipulate a minimum wage or mandatory rest days in contracts for these domestic workers. Instead, many initiatives have been put in place to protect the interests of these workers. (Agence France Presse, 2003) From January 2005, workers seeking to enter Singapore as MDWs have to be at least 23 years of age and have completed a minimum 8 years of formal education. They must also sit for an entry test in English to validate the worker’s linguistic, numerical and practical abilities. These measures are aimed at improving the overall quality of workers who will be working in Singapore households in an effort to promote harmonious working relationships with their employers. These workers will also be in a stronger position to understand their rights and seek protection or recourse under Singapore law should they suffer any form of abuse or ill treatment. Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has also put in place training courses to educate employers. Starting from April 2004, first time employers of MDWs have to attend a compulsory Employers Orientation Program, which educates employers on their obligations towards these workers. It underlines good employment practices to promote mutual respect between both parties. A new accreditation system has also been put in place to regulate employment agencies, which provide recruitment and placement services of these MDWs from June 2004. The accreditation requirements include proper orientation of MDWs, employer education in regards to their obligations towards the welfare of MDWs and the facilitation of written employment contracts between MDWs and their employers. Failure to achieve this accreditation will result in agency’s license being revoked. While these measures work towards protecting MDWs interests and well being, the challenge to make sure agencies and employers follows suit still exists. There are still cases of physical abuse reported and many more go undetected and unreported even though the government has stiffened penalties for acts of abuse against MDWs. Moreover, there are currently no regulations on fees charged by these agencies resulting in excessive fees being paid by MDWs to secure employment in Singapore, some of whom receive no salary for up to a year just to pay off these fees. (HRW, pg 48-51) Regulations should be passed to limit the extent these fees are being charged to MDWs. Singapore’s government also charges employers of MDWs a monthly levy of S$345 on top of a bond of $5000 per worker. This tax allows the Singapore government to collect approximately $400m each year, of which very little goes towards improving support services for these workers. The government should in turn use these taxes to help to create awareness of maid abuse or to pass it on to the various Volunteer Welfare Organisations such as Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics and Transient Workers Count Too to work on prevention of maid abuse. It is MOMs requirement that the maid go for a medical check up every six months. Beside this measure, they could also conduct regular spot check on the maid, just like what they done for the foreign construction workers to check on safety measurements.

Themes of American Culture

Themes of American Culture John Pollina Today I will be a guest speaker at an elemtary school in China to discuss some themes of American culture. I will examine a particular American film, television show, and lastly a genre of music that depicts the aspects of American culture. The movie Rocky, the television series The Sopranos, and rap music all represent various ideas of American culture that children of China has benefit from a great deal. The film that shows an important theme of American culture is the movie Rocky. Rocky was introduced in 1976 starring Sylvester Stallone. This American classic shows the true underdog story of what the American dream of open mobility is all about. Rocky starts off in the film as a young street thug earning money through illegal work and straying down a bad path. After meeting local boxing coach Mickey Golmill, Rocky begins to train under his guidance and become one of the most successful boxers. After winning some local fights Rocky works his way up and makes a name for himself. An agent reaches out and offers Rocky a once in a lifetime opportunity to fight against the heavyweight champion of the world named Apollo Creed. The idea behind this fight was to give an average Joe fighter a shot at the American dream by getting the opportunity to fight the best combatant. Moreover, the second half of this film focuses on Rocky training and working for the biggest opportunity of his life. What follows is a brilliant montage of Rocky training through the tough streets of Philadelphia and ends with Rocky on a run by the middle being followed by a few to an entire crowd at his back finishing up the museum steps raising his fists in victory. The film continues by building up to the anticipated fight for the heavyweight title of the world between the amateur Rocky Balboa and defending champion Apollo Creed. What was looked at to be a quick fight that would most likely end with Rocky being knocked out in the first round, turned out to be a shot for shot war of sorts in the ring. Rocky loses by decision in the first film but by the second gets a rematch and claims the belt. Overall, the film Rocky is all about American values and achieving the American dream. Rocky went from rags to riches showing that people in different social classes can move up in the world. Anyone who has the motivation to succeed, the determination and hard work to make it will indeed make it. Rocky first fought in the slums of Philidephia and worked hard to becomet he heavyweight champion. He truly represents the average American in this country that has built a name for itself as the land of opportunity. America is the place where big dreams and hard work could lead to countless oppurtunities to be successful. Apollo Creed in this film represents the golden road to success that every American opportunist strives for. With that road comes great struggle for what you wish to achieve, which is why this film is such a beautiful portrayal of what it means to dream big and accomplish that dream. Secondly, a great American television show that shows a strong portyal of American culture is the series called The Sopranos. This series features actor James Gandolfini who plays lead role and crime boss of North Jersey, Tony Soprano. Tony lives a very complex life juggling the difficult tasks of being boss of a mafia crime family life at home with his wife and children . he also faces a number of internal issues such as anxiety and panic attacks. One of the many ways The Sopranos portrays American culture and its ideals is through the form of greed. Greed is a constant theme on the show as well as in the history through current events of American culture. Although there is many ways to be successful in this country like earning an honest living, that is not always the case in our culture. The other way of being successful is through illegal revenue. This path pursues money through stealing and taking what you want through any means. Although an honest days living is clearly always the way to go, The Sopranos shows that our culture also appreciates a great storyline through crime that most certainly always ends up with drama. Another American culture aspect that we see during The Sopranos is money,sex, guns and violence. This culture sees these acts as a part of being successful accomplishing those aspects and being the dominant alpha of sorts. In The Sopranos we see consant competition to achieve that alpha status and to get that power every individual or even crime family combined will do whatever it takes to achieve that. Just like in American culture reguardless of it being the crime business or even the corporate business the fight to be number on never ceases to exist. You are what you make yourself in this culture that we call the land of oppurtinity. Overall, the most important theme of American culture in this televisous series is the idea of what the American dream happiness really means. Everyone believes that is is the American dream to have a big house, have nice cars, have children an help children achieve their goals will lead to a happy life. We see at the end of the seven year series that this is not what constitutes as being happy. The Sopranos had wealth, a successful business, and educated children however, they are shown not to be so happy evenr with all of this success. Disappointment is attached to such unattainable perfect standards. The characters seek so much happiness through material objects shaped by society. Through all the money and material wealth, these characters were never truly happy people. The perfect life doesn’t men you have to be rich or famous. Money makes things easier but it does not make you live a fulfilled life especially when you go through criminal means to obtain your goals. In addition, a genre of music that represents a theme of American culture is rap. Rap music has been apart of American tradition for some time featuring artists that come from a vast array of different cultures and backgrounds. Even though rap music ranges in many different tones and styles, tells us a story on the life of the artist rapping. The song and the background music is a way of self-expression for ones feelings.Rap songs in this culture are songs that people relate to for whatever situation or life path they are going through. Some songs might be about love others could be sex and the traditional style of guns and violence. The freedom of expression that we have in this country is very clear in the music that has been produced in the past and songs that will continue to be released in the future. In the American culture we do not see much of a filter of the rap songs that we listen to as opposed to other countries were it is not accepted to produce or even listen to profanity. A rapper that is well known in American culture is Marshal Mathers more known by his stage name as Eminem. Growing up through the tough streets of Detriot, Eminem faced the harsh realities that many underprivileged American children do. He dropped out of school at an early age and began working for minimum wage to support his family. The thing about American culture that Eminem clearly understood is that no matter what position you are in success can be right around the corner if you work torwards it. This culture sets the bar on how successful you are by the car you drive the amount of money you have and the home you live in. This is why most rap songs are about the underpriveliged life the rapper has gone through. They wear this on their sleeves showing that they made it out of that life to something better. When listening to Eminems music you get the sense of what kind of person he is. America can be a very tough place and people in this culture who become truly successful are never ones to look for a handout and hardly ever get one. Emeniem understood that as he was making his way up he when he was promised record deals, studio time, and oppurtunities to present his music to recording artists. Many people tried to cheat him and steal his hard work. However, after so much disappointment and failure trying to make his dreams become a reality, he knew that being a success was something he had to do on his own if he ever wanted to make it out of the poverty stricken town of Detriot he grew up in. Fast forwarding a few years and in 2030 a movie was written from a foreign prospective based on the movie Rocky. In Asian culture honor is a very important factor amongst the community. Therefore, the character who portrays Rocky treats others, especially elders, with more respect. This is different from the American viersion of Rocky since the American boxer has a more defiant attitude towards people especially torwards his future trainer Mickey who was much older in age. Another difference is the fighting style that the boxers take on. The American boxer has a different style compared to Asian fighting. Chinese fighting preparations are much different than in the U.S culture including training routines and the fighters diet that needs to be maintained. In the American Rocky a classic scene in all the movies is Rocky cracking raw eggs in a glass and drinking it for protein. However, in the Asian version we might see the Asian boxer eating a fish of some sort for protein since that i sa more traditional dish amongst that culture. Moreover, the sceneary of the film will be much different. In the American Rocky, he is training through the streets of Philidalphia passing historical American monuments that we in this culture would recognize. However, in the Chinese version we would see the fighter possibly training through the streets of China and finishing his training run up the great wall of China which would more appropriate in this version being that its something the Chinese viewers would know and understand. The music soundtrack from the Chinese version would be much different then the original soundtrack from the American Rocky. Chinese music is much different in terms of the tones and instruments played. The lyrics that we hear in the songs and the lyrics that are sang from the artists. Chinese music is also very highly censored so the music would most likely be in a very proper manner. Chinese culture and regulations from the government only allow things to be produced that bring positive reinforcement to the greater good of China so you might find some of the plot changed up and the messages given to viewers would differ as well. Lastly, the end scene will be different when we see Rocky raise his fists in victory at the end of the fight the Chinese Rocky might bow because that is a sign of honor in China. All in all, American culture has many beautiful tings to offer in terms of the films, television series and music. This country has shown time and time again we produce things that inspire the world. Although when reproduced in other countries there are some very different variations that we see. Every place in the world has their own ideals and messages that is viewed and perceived as a norm, but America has and will continue to produce things that inspire. There are many reasons as to why these specific medias are important and should be shared with the Chinese culture. China has so many censorships on all types of media. They refuse to display anything to their people that contain obscene and vulgar substances, murder, violence and even bloodiness for some examples. The Sorpanos and rap music by Eminem contain most of these contents that are prohibited by the Chinese government. However, they should be more open-minded about the messages that are being sent through such content. This is because even with violence and bloog and vulgar language, there is a lesson that is trying to be portayed and those messages are very important. The Sopranos continually showed that money does not make happiness and the theme of the movie Rocky and Eminimen’s music shows that those at the very bottom can make it in life with hard work and perserverence. Chinese culture respects hard work and education but they don’t see that what they dee m negative content can show the same ideals but in a different way. References http://www.indiewire.com/article/how-to-be-censored-in-china-a-brief-filmmaking-guide

Self Assessment on Child Learning Environment

Self Assessment on Child Learning Environment Part A Reflecting on a childs learning and development as a practitioner is important in order to gauge an understanding of the childs ability to learn and how it can be continually improved. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) developed a curriculum framework, known as Aistear, which supports practitioners in early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings to reflect, identify and assess childrens learning. Assessment of the childs learning allows the practitioner to gather an understanding about how the child thinks, their abilities, and interests. For a practitioner to understand and assess a childs thinking, abilities and interests they must interact with the child. Good assessment practices depend on listening, empathising, watching and talking with the child (Dunphy, 2008). It is through these types of interactions in everyday activities and experiences with the adult and other children that help form a successful learning process for them. In order to plan and develop appropriate experiences which the child will find enjoyable and exciting, it is important that the practitioner has a good assessment process in place in the ECCE setting. Through observation the practitioner can assess the childs progress and develop a plan to continually enhance the childs development further. It is up to the practitioner to interpret the childs learning using the aims and learning goals outlined by Aistear to then form and plan the learning further. The practitioner must observe to note childrens progress in all areas of their development including skills, dispositions, attitudes, knowledge and understanding (NCCA, 2009). Development through planning is done through two assessment approaches defined in Aistear which include the assessment for learning and the assessment of learning. Assessment for learning takes the approach of supporting and planning the childs learning through reflection and assessment whereas assessment of learning is the approach of measuring, comparing, analysing and reporting (Daly and Forster cited in Mhic Mhathà ºna and Taylor, 2012). These approaches use many different methods of assessment. Each method helps to create portraits of the childrens learning and development. Observation is a key method in assessing a childs learning. Observing a child allows the practitioner to physically see the childs capabilities and document their learning. It allows them to see where the child excels or where they may need further support. It can also show a practitioner how a child interacts in social situations and how they play. While many practitioners use this as their main assessment method it is not the only one. Through the use of different assessment methods the practitioner can form a bigger picture of a childs learning and development. Aistear outlines the five assessment methods; self-assessment, conversations, observations, setting tasks and testing (NCCA, 2009). Self-assessment consists of the children themselves assessing their own learning and development. The child can begin to identity their own achievements and progress. It is then up to the practitioner to help guide the child and discuss with them about their experience. Discussing and having conversations with the child allow the practitioner to further assess and gather a better understanding of the childs learning (NCCA, 2009). By using conversation as an assessment method the practitioner can gain a better insight into the childs thinking then they would from just observing, thus allowing the practitioner to offer the appropriate support for the child. These assessment methods so far discussed are very child lead assessment. It is the child who shows the practitioner their learning and development with the practitioner acting as an observer. Observation can also be adult lead assessment as well as setting tasks and testing. If the practitioner needs to collect information on certain aspects of the childs learning they may design certain activities to help them do so (NCCA, 2009). Through observing, the adult can design activities which interest and excite the child to help them further gather information they may have set out to obtain. From setting these tasks the practitioner can help explain and encourage the child to further their learning and development. This is similar to the assessment method of testing. The assessment should focus on strengths and also aspects which may need further improvement (Dunphy, 2008). The practitioner complies all they have learned through observing and discussing with the child to test the child on certain aspects of their learning and development, such as social abilities. This can allow the practitioners to compare the outcomes with other children of similar ages therefore allowing t hem to see which children are meeting their milestones and who may need further assistance. There is a huge necessity for these assessment methods because without them the practitioner would not be able to understand or have the information needed to assist the child appropriately to develop into a well-rounded holistic child. While using Aistear as a framework to help with good assessment practices in ECCE settings the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education developed the quality framework Sà ­olta, which also promotes good assessment practices. Sà ­olta was designed to assess and support ECCE settings to continually improve the environment for which the child learns and develops. Sà ­olta aids the practitioner to reflect upon their own role assessing themselves to ensure they are providing quality experiences for every child (CECDE, 2006). As well as reflecting upon themselves is allows the practitioner to assess the environment, equipment, curriculum and interactions, all areas which assist in childrens learning and development. While assessing the child helps create portraits of their learning and development it is also important to use frameworks, such as Sà ­olta, to assess the learning environment. Without an appropriate educational environment which engages, assists, challenges and offers the child different experiences then a child will not learn and develop to their full potential. Part B Lesson Plan for Spring Month: Febuary/March Weekly Theme: Plants Flowers Type of Setting: Montessori/Aistear Room: Pre-School Age of Children: 3-5 Rationale for topic: A child brought a flower to the setting which prompted the other children to want their own flowers. Lesson Plan 1 Hand Print Flower Date: 27th Febuary Number of Children: 8 Dispostions developed: Persistance, responsibilty, investigative, Curiousity, Fun, independence. Rationale for choice of activity: Allow the children to express themselves creatively through visual arts using paint. Make marks to record their own idea of flowers. Long-term aim: To develop their abilities to express themselves creatively, express their imagination and to refine fine motor skills. Develop a connection between flowers and spring. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG1 COM A4 LG2 ET A3 LG1 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 6: Play Component 6.5 encourages him/her to explore, be creative and use previous learning to make new meaning. Material and/or equipment needed: White paper, various colour paints, paint brushes. Plan: To begin the practitioner will demonstrate how to create a flower using your handprints. The practitioner will paint their hand using a paint brush, printing it in a circular motion around the page then using their fingers to paint the other parts of the flower. Once the practitioner has demonstrated to the children how to create the flower, the children are invited to explore the materials and create their own concept of a flower. Children will be able to choose their own colours and method to create their flower. Reflection: The activity went well as the children actively engaged with the idea of the activity, each creating and exploring their own idea of a flower. They demonstrated curiosity as they printed their hands on the page at different angles to make marks with the paint. The children each used different methods to paint the flower. Some imitated the practitioner while others just used their fingers or the paintbrush. I then noticed (P) had painted squares at the bottom of the page and asked them what did you make when you did these. (P) told me There flower pots, my mammy has lots of flowers in flower pots. This then got one child particularly curious asking me where do flowers grow and how do you make flowers. I told them how flowers grow from seeds either in the ground or they can be planted in a flower pot. The children then shifted their focus from the painting to the discussion and each child shared their idea on how flowers grow. Critique and Evaluate: As the children all wanted their own flower, I set them a task to design their own. They showed confidence in their ability to independently paint their own hands and design their own flowers with the different methods they those. By setting the children the task they have demonstrated the aim of the activity, to express themselves creatively by making marks to record their ideas. Setting the task enabled the children to choose their own colours acting upon their curiosity to explore different marks and experiment with different colours. During the task the children took the lead during the natural occurring opportunity of one child asking questions about where and how flowers grow. This prompted all the childrens curiosity as they all moved their focus from painting to get involved in the discussion. It is important when using the method of setting tasks outlined in Aistear as an assessment method that going forward I use their questions about the flower to co ntinue their interests in planning the next activity. Lesson Plan 2 Plant Flower Seeds Date: 28th FebuaryNumber of children: 8 Dispostions developed: Responsibilty, Curiousity, independence. Rationale for choice of topic: During painting our own flowers the topic of where and how do flowers grow was asked. Planting the seeds and physically watching the flowers will help give the children a better understanding of where and how they grow. Long-term aim: The children will be able to have a better understanding of working theories of where and how the flowers grow. It will also develop the disposition of responsibility as the children will need to care for their flower to help it grow. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG5 IB A4 LG4 ET A2 LG3 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 7: Curriculum Component 7.4.1 What strategies do you use in implementing the curriculum/programme? Example being facilitating the childrens interest. Material and/or equipment needed: Flower seeds, flower pots, soil, gloves, hand shovel and water. Plan: The practitioner will demonstrate how to plant the flower seed. The children will then be given the hand shovel taking it in turns to spoon soil into their flower pot. Using their finger they will place a hole in the middle of the soil and place the flower seed into the hole covering it over. Once the seed is planted, the children will then use a jug to water the seed. While planting the practitioner will discuss how we care for our plant and what it needs to grow. Reflection: This activity went really well as the children really engaged and showed interest. They demonstrated great independence and manipulation skills as they spooned the soil into the flower pots with great control. (B) did struggle with spooning to soil into to pot and (S) demonstrated great care Ill help you do it as she assisted (B) to get the soil in his pot. (S) than went on to discuss with the other children what they had to do next assisting each of them. Once the children had planted their seeds I discussed with them what the plant needed in order to grow. I asked I wonder what the seed needs to grow. (B) said you pour water on top of it while (A) contradicted (B) telling them No you just put it in the pot. I then said youre both right the plant needs water and soil to grow but it also needs sun. Where should we put the plants so they can get sun?. The children looked around the room (S) shouted to everyone the sun is at the window look as they decided we would place ou r pots here. (B) then reminded everyone we forgot the water lets put it on top the children took turns watering their plant. I discussed with them that the plant will grow roots and drink the water in the soil but this seemed to confuse them especially (B) who kept telling everyone that you pour the water on top of the plant. Critique and Evaluate: The link with Aistears method of assessment using conversations is evident during this activity as the children took turns in talking, listening and discussing their ideas with each other. It is also evident as I responded to the children agreeing with both (A) and (B) as we discussed and I gave feedback about what the plant needed. I also used conversation to prompt the children to share their ideas using an open ended question about where was best to place the flower to get sun therefore aiding the children in expressing their own views and making their own decisions, which Aistears Identity and belonging learning goals outlines. Through conversing with the children it has given them the opportunity to expand on their own knowledge about how to care for materials in their environment and what they need to survive. Lesson Plan 3 Experiment: How plants drink water using food colouring. Date: 1st March-3rd March (observed the flowers over a few days.) Number of Children: 8 Dispostions developed: Investigative, Curiousity, Fun. Rationale for choice of activity: The children will be able to see the food colouring stain the flowers as it absorbs the water helping them develop thinking skills as they can come to an understanding of plants absorbing water. Long-term aim: To continue their intrests about flowers and give the children a better understanding about how the plants absorb water. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG 1 ET A1 LG4 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 8: Planning and Evaluation Enriching and informing all aspects of practice within the setting requires cycles of observation, planning, action and evaluation, undertaken on a regular basis- the activity planned is from observing and evaluating the childrens interests and taking action to plan according to their needs and interests. Material needed: Food colouring, flowers, jug, and water. Plan: Under the guidance of the practitioner,the childrenwill fill a jug with water and place some flowers in the jug. They will then add food colouring into the water and place the flowers in an area of sunlight. With this activity the flowers need to be observed over a few days to observe the flower changing colour from absorbing the stained water. Reflection: The initial activity was short and prompted many curious questions from the children such as why is the water green how will they drink that how will it change colour. After discussing and answering their questions the children were eager to move on and conduct the experiment. They demonstrated their independence as once provided with the materials and instructions about what and how we were going to do the experiment, they supported and enabled each other to carry it out. I then observed the children as they continually went back to the flowers that day watching to see if they had changed colours. The following day, upon arrival the children raced to the flowers screaming with excitement to see that one of the leaves had green spots on it. (B) look everybody its gone green (S) the plant drank the green water (P) it drinks it from the bottom. Over the next few days the children still continued to have interest over the experiment as I observed them going over to look shar ing it with the other children and even their parents. Critique and Evaluate: From watching and listening to the children I observed how excited and involved they all got while discussing and carrying out the experiment. Using observation as an assessment method has allowed me to see how the children express their excitement and awe using their language, gestures and facial expressions. From taking a step back and observing the children I could see how the children expressed their feeling and thoughts with each other and their excitement to involve their parents. Using observation as an assessment method has shown me that building on the child interests to help them make sense of the world truly excites them. (See appendices for photographs of the activities.) Part C Using the topic of spring, the assessment of the activities helped to plan further activities based on the childs interests. Aistears outlines the features of good assessment practices which involve collecting, documenting, reflecting and using the information (NCCA, 2009). In each activity, the assessment of the activity benefited the child as it built on the childs past experiences which they shared to support the development of new learning. From collecting and documenting the childs interests, it allowed a portrait of the childs interests, abilities and knowledge to be assessed and used to plan further experiences which would help the child/children develop. From using the different methods of assessment such as setting a task, conversations and observation it allowed for appropriate activities to be planned according to the stage of development and interests the child/children were at. Observing over a period of time during the how plants drink water experiment highlighted how e xcited the children got from watching the plant change colour sharing the information with parents. This allows the parent to gain an insight into what the child is interested in which can be further developed outside the classroom. In each activity the children developed the disposition of curiosity. Their curious nature engaged the children to get involved in the painting, planting and experimenting. The activities also showed evidence of the childrens knowledge developing as while planting the children believed that pouring water on the top of the flower helped it to grow were it then became clear during the experiment that they absorbed water from the bottom. From planning the activities, to observing the children while implementing them and using Aistears different assessment methods to record and reflect on the experience, it gives a portrait of the child/children which helps the practitioner to continually provide and enhance future experiences to help develop a holistic chil d. References Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). (2006), Sà ­olta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Dublin: Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education. Daly, M and Forster, A. (2012). Aistear: the early childhood curriculum framework. In: Mhic Mhathà ºna, M. and Taylor, M., eds., Early childhood education and care: an introduction for students in Ireland. Dublin 12: Gill Macmillan. Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment: a research paper. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment: a research paper: executive Summary. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework: supporting learning and development through assessment. Dublin: NCCA. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework: principles and themes. Dublin: NCCA.

The Lightbulb Essay -- essays research papers

Among all of the inventions created in 1750 -1900, the light bulb was perhaps one of the most effective to the everyday lives of people. Its invention is credited to Thomas Alva Edison, an American inventor and businessman, who created it in 1879. The design of his light bulb was a carbonized filament inside a glass bulb with a screw base. It glowed when an electric current pass through it, possessed high electrical resistance, and lasted a lot longer than previous sources of light had. Before Thomas Edison's light bulb, gas was the best source of lighting so people turned to candles, oil lanterns, and gas lamps to light up their rooms. It would take many candles, oil lanterns, or gas lamps to fully light up a good-sized room. Not only would they burn out after a few minutes, but they were also very messy and hazardous. Gas would leave large quantities of soot everywhere, potentially causing explosions and fires. Its imaginable how hard it would be to have to keep children, fine furniture, and pets away from these dangers. The soot had t...

Spaniards in Southwest America :: essays research papers

The Spanish began their movement to Southwest America in the late sixteenth century. From that point on, their influence both on the Native Americans and the environment was extraordinaire. The goal of the Spaniards with regards to the Native Americans was to transform them â€Å"into tax-paying Christians.† This is in contrast to the idea that their goal was to eradicate the Indians form the Americas. Consequently, the Spaniards took many Indians so that they may plant their religion in the Natives and to use them as cheap labor. This led many Indians to learn the customs and language of the Spaniards so they could to be able to thrive in the Spanish culture. Thus, some Natives acquired Spanish, which was the main source of their Hispanicization; this was the notion of Indians becoming encompassed by the Spanish society. Furthermore, Indians gradually learned skills, obtained land, and sometimes found Hispanic spouses, thus furthering their Hispanicization. They now began to live in a Spanish manner and blend into the bottom of the Spanish societal ladder. This â€Å"acculturation† of the Native Americans was in contrast to the models of early English colonization. Spanish goals and plans sought to involve the Indians so that they may live in their society even if at the lower end of it’s ladder. English colonies viewed the Natives as savages and looked to them for slave labor or to rape their women. They did not plan to take the Indians into their society as the Spaniards did so throughout this era.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spanish influence was not only apparent through the Native Americans; the southwest region of America had also experienced its affect. The Spaniards bringing of animals and use of land speedily and greatly changed their environment. Cattle and horses brought by the Spanish extended well across northern New Spain. As a result, these grazing animals flattened grassy areas and packed down soils, which broke down the lands. Through these worn down paths of grazing, water was able to ensue. Overgrazing however, left vegetation scarce and soils eroded. Furthermore, abundant grasslands and wildlife disappeared with these trends, some turning into deserts. Bad agriculture practices also contributed to such turn of events. The Spaniards set to change their environment had not realized the profound negative consequences their actions would have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Racial purity, a requirement for elite status in Spain and its American colonies, proved less essential to upward mobility on the frontier than in core areas of the empire.

Classic Post-Modernist Writers

Charles Dickens. Thomas Hardy. Joseph Conrad. During their time, they were considered to be realists because they shape their readers’ perceptions of the world. In doing so, their writings are described to be modern and post-realist. This paper will discuss their approaches and on how their works, which we discussed this semester, are classic masterpieces simply because these transcend over time. Post-realism in literature is done when subjects are depicted on the page as how they are in daily life. There is no interpretation and embellishment.They reveal the mundane truth. Most of the time, in post-realism, these truths are ugly and sordid. Therefore, during the 20th century, when these writers came up with their works, they were often criticized for discussing subjects at that time were deemed as taboo. Realism was the cultural movement that was quite popular in literature in the 1800s. It was the opposite of romanticism because it encouraged artists to present objects at th eir most real. The perceptions are undistorted by bias and it is said that realism is the objective reality.The trend reformed the cultural movements in literature and became modernized. Cultural, political and artistic movements headed this direction at the turn of the century. It confirmed the ability of human beings to improve, create, reshape and enhance their environment. The period of modernism was during 1884 to 1914. Through technology, practical knowledge and scientific experiments, individuals are able to improve their way of life. It was at its earliest stages but these three novelists were able to become masters of the technique way before their counterparts did.Modernism examined the aspect of existence. It ranged from philosophy to commerce. It allowed the readers to reflect without holding back and replaced the old methods with the new progressive techniques. It was the introduction on how the world must accept the changes that were already occurring. By embracing the se changes and retaining some traditions, the post-realist movement came into place. (Crook, 1991, p. 32) Charles Dickens is known for his storytelling and immortal characters. With this, his literary creations received worldwide popularity which readers often anticipated for as well.The demand for Dickens’ short stories and novels didn’t allow these to go out of print. He wrote serialized novels which the public eagerly waited and religiously read. Scholars who studied why Dickens’ stories could reach out to his readers discovered that the author’s childhood influenced his fiction. These innocent experiences assisted him in bringing these stories to life. His writing style is poetic because it combines fantasy and realism which allows readers to shift from one to the other. He was also inspired by the gothic romance theme that was made popular in the 18th century.The downside to this writing style is that some of his characters are grotesque that they of ten overpower the stories. (Glancy, 1999, p 45) â€Å"Dombey sat in the corner of the darkened room in the great arm-chair by the bedside, and Son lay tucked up warm in a little basket bedstead, carefully disposed on a low settee immediately in front of the fire and close to it, as if his constitution were analogous to that of a muffin, and it was essential to toast him brown while he was very new. Dombey was about eight-and-forty years of age. Son about eight-and-forty minutes.Dombey was rather bald, rather red, and though a handsome well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance, to be prepossessing. Son was very bald, and very red, and though (of course) an undeniably fine infant, somewhat crushed and spotty in his general effect, as yet. † The two paragraphs are from the first chapter of Dickens’ â€Å"Dombey and Son. † Dickens was an active participant in social concerns and such themes were rooted in this novel. Examples were marriages being arranged a s if it were financial partnerships. Other themes were familial relationships and child cruelty.A factor that made Dickens’ works post-modernist is his take on social commentaries. He often wrote about poverty, specifically the social stratification in the Victorian society. The approach Dickens often utilized is presenting the incidences through caricatures in order to present the readers the social truth. (Glancy, 1999, p. 53) Another post-modernist theme is that Dickens often highlighted his idealism through the poignant social commentaries of his novels. A number of his novels discussed social realism and concentrated on the mechanisms of the social control which directed the lives of the individuals.He used coincidences which only showed how idealistic his works were. Thomas Hardy is Dickens’ exact opposite. He is a realist in the sense that his novels often ends in a tragic note. Hardy was an English novelist, writer and poet. Unlike Dickens, Hardy’s child hood was privileged nor luxurious. His father was a stonemason and his mother provided him with his formal education. He was trained as an architect before he moved to London where he enrolled at King’s College. Because of his skills in designing, he won prizes from the Architectural Association and the Royal Institute of British architects.He discovered he also had the knack in writing, thus he began his career as a novelist. â€Å"Jude the Obscure† was Hardy’s most controversial work. It received negative reviews especially from the Victorian public because of the brutal and unsanitized depiction of sex. It was touted as â€Å"Jude the Obscene. † It also caused further strain on Hardy’s marriage to Emma Hardy because it was said that the novel was autobiographical. Scholars pointed out that Emma was Hardy’s first love, just as Sue was Jude’s. Another evidence was Emma’s obsession with religion toward the latter years of her m arriage to Hardy.Incidentally, this was Sue’s predicament on the novel as well. Inspite of the controversies, Hardy became one of the best English novelists by the 20th century. His other works â€Å"Tess of D’urbervilles† and â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† were well-received by the public. His novels are set in Wessex, an imaginary world that covered the large area of the south-west and south England. (Harvey, 2003, p 23) He also wrote poetry and these were published after 1898 when Hardy took a break from writing novels to concentrate on his poems instead. Hardy was a hybrid of the rural and the architectural world.He understood the former because he knew this as a child and at the same time, he also adapted to the changes of the latter because of how he was trained as an architecture. The post-modernist approach that is apparent in Hardy’s works is his ability to capture the industrial revolution, particularly the ones that took place in the E nglish countryside. He also set this in the Victorian setting which makes his novels more real. (Harvey, 2003, p. 25) â€Å"It was as old fashioned as it was small, and it rested in the lap of an undulating upland adjoining the North Wessex downs.Old as it was, however, the well-shaft that was probably the only relic of the local history that remained absolutely unchanged. Many of the thatched and dormered dweeling-houses had been pulled down of late years, and many trees felled on the green. Above all, the original church, hump-backed, wood turreted-and quaintly-hipped, had been taken down, and either cracked up into heaps of road-metal in the lane, or utilized as pig-sty walls, garden seats, guard-stones to fences, and rockeries in the flower-beds of the neighbourhood.In place of it a tall new building of modern Gothic design, unfamiliar to English eyes, had been erected on a new piece of ground by a certain obliterator of historic records who had run down from London and back in a day. † That is an excerpt from â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † Another post-modernist theme that is common in Hardy’s works is his depiction of the rural life in the nineteenth century. He presents it as a fatalistic world that is filled with injustice and suffering. The lead characters in his stories are often alienated and ostracized for following their innermost desires that do not coincide with what society expects from them.He emphasizes on the power of fate, especially on the working class. He also shows the deep human instinct and will to struggle against elemental passion. Examples are Tess in â€Å"Tess of the D’urbervilles† and Jude and Sue in â€Å"Jude The Obscure. † (Morgan, 1992, p. 15) â€Å"Tess of the d’Urbervilles† was a censored novel that followed â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † It is a great classic but received mixed reviews when it was first published because like â€Å"Jude the Obscure,† it presented sex in a straightforward manner that was rarely done during that time by other writers.Hardy illustrated modernism and this was a common theme in â€Å"Tess of the d’Urbervilles. † He portrayed Tess as a woman who was able to strike the balance between the rural world and the architectural world, just as what Hardy was able to do. Hardy also discussed the separation of man from nature. In one part of the story, Angel was reduced to a skeleton when he got sick. This is an allusion to his creation of the destructive machinery. (Morgan, 1992, p. 18) There is also the double standard on sexuality which Tess had to go through.Hardy questioned and criticized the Victorian period’s perception of female purity. In the novel, Hardy made Tess suffer in order to repent for the scenes of her forefathers. This was a common belief during that time. He also presented her heroine as a sacrificial victim which symbolized her personification of mother nature. This is the similar ity Tess shares with Sue in â€Å"Jude the Obscure. † (Morgan, 1992, p. 20) â€Å"Jude the Obscure† tells the story of Jude Fawley who wishes to be a scholar. He fell in love with his cousin Sue, an intellectual who is training to become a teacher.The apparent themes in the book that are post-modernist concerns are class, religion, scholarship, marriage and the modernization of intellectual thought along with society. It also questions whether fate has an important role to a person’s life letting it lead him to where it will or the person can eventually take the reins and control his life on his own. The accidents and the details that are encountered in the stories eventually leads to the ruin of both Jude and Sue. The book also discussed loneliness and sexuality, in terms of incest. Sexuality also prevents individuals from following through with their dreams.The most controversial topic that was present in the novel is marriage and on how personal dreams could no longer be fulfilled because of that. There was also the satirical look on how living a life as sophists, intellectuals and libertines often result to the condemnation from traditional society. All these themes are post-modernist. Scholars who focused on Hardy concluded that the author loved leading his characters to their downfall as if he were a sadistic god. There are also strong autobiographical references to Hardy’s life in â€Å"Jude the Obscure.†Two important clues to this theory is that Hardy did not attend a university and the love of Jude’s life, Emma Gifford, became more and more religious. (Harvey, 2003, p. 83) Joseph Conrad is the combination of Charles Dickens’ idealism and Thomas Hardy’s realism. He was one of the best English novelists of his time. Despite being Polish born, he was recognized as a master prose because of his approach on modernist literature. His style is narrative and his characters are often anti-heroic. He has b een said to influence the lieks of Graham Greene, DH Lawrence and even Ernest Hemingway.(Orr, 1999, p 46)Conrad reflected on his experiences in the navy in his works. He wrote short stories and novels that showed areas of an empire and how it affected the human soul. Closely looking into Conrad’s life and how this affected his work, other autobiographical accounts are the clear depictions of certain parts of the world such as South American, Malay states, Borneo and Australia in some of his novels. This was because Conrad quickly became first mate and was already the master of his own ship by 1886. By the age of 36, he settled down and started writing.(Orr, 1999, p 62) â€Å"Heart of Darkness† is a novella filled with symbolisms. It is a story in a story or what the post-modernist theme describes as â€Å"frame narrative. † It is the story of Charles Marlow and his recollection of his advenutre in the Congo with a group of men. He was employed by the Belgian tra ding company to transport ivory. During this task, he then developed an interest in checking out the Kurtz. Conrad’s inspiration in writing the novel was his real-life experience in the Congo. He was there for eight and a half years before he sat down to write â€Å"Heart of Darkness.†As a matter of fact, he was captain of the Congo steamer. Therefore, there details in the novel are quite accurate because Conrad was actually there in the Congo. â€Å"I looked at him, lost in astonishment. There he was before me, in motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, fabulous. His very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and altogether bewildering. He was an insoluble problem. It was inconceivable how he had existed, how he had succeeded in getting so far, how he had managed to remain– why he did not instantly disappear.`I went a little farther,' he said, `then still a little farther–till I had gone so far that I don't know how I' ll ever get back. Never mind. Plenty time. I can manage. You take Kurtz away quick–quick–I tell you. ‘ The glamour of youth enveloped his parti-coloured rags, his destitution, his loneliness, the essential desolation of his futile wanderings. For months–for years–his life hadn't been worth a day's purchase; and there he was gallantly, thoughtlessly alive, to all appearances indestructible solely by the virtue of his few years and of his unreflecting audacity. I was seduced into something like admiration– like envy.†The previous paragraph is an excerpt of the novel which elaborates the post-modernist theme that is apparent in â€Å"Heart of Darkness. † This is the ambiguity between civilization and the barbarians. A number of characters in the novel had spiritual darkness and were looking for their morals. Those who were deemed to be barbaric turned out to be the civilized characters in the end. All throughout the novel, there is the tension between civilization and barbarism. Kurtz represented the darkness which only served as the foundation to the moral structures that are often connotated to civilization.Marlow confronted Kurtz and asked him to commit to the savagery of human instincts or to veneer in the civilization setting. Marlow was torn but between the two, it was the lastter that he couldn’t absolutely do. He was then horrified by what was in his heart. Conrad used the darkness in order to represent the unknown. Mr. Kurtz was the anti-hero of â€Å"Heart of Darkness. † Mallow’s recounts on the whole experience was also explored through the character build-up of Kurtz as well as Mallow’s interaction with the Africans.Another post-modernist theme is the novel’s regard on women’s naivety. There is also the struggle between the good and the evil in the characters. (Orr, 1999, p. 36) Conrad was an emotional man who was depressed and pessimistic. He doubted his s elf and his capabilities. He was able to discipline his craft by resorting to romantic temperament. As an artist, he focused on what could be seen and made the written word powerful by it. (Orr, 1999, p. 28) That was a post-modernist theme that was made popular by Conrad, Hardy and Dickens.Their ability to write in a style that is similar to visual arts single the three of them out as the best in prose. They create the settings of their story, be it real like that of Conrad’s Congo or fictional like that of Hardy’s Wessex. Whether they choose to have their characters be confined and isolated or out there socializing, Conrad, Hardy and Dickens could do so. Literary critics comment on the works of these three novelists and recommend them for their complex narration, pessimistic ideas, profound themes and exotic styles. However, these do not put the readers off.The ideas which Conrad, Hardy and Dickens presented way back in the 20th century are still interesting for 21st century readers. It only comes to prove that their approaches and their writing style are very modern and post-modernist. (Crook, 1991, p. 26) Modernists believed that rejecting tradition from the roots of romanticism and realism, they could make art that organized and guided individuals through the fast pace of the new century. Modernists take their cue from the Impressionists and they all believe that by redefining their art, they are able to arrange these in a modern way which anybody could relate with.Post-realist in literature emerged from the historical backdrop that was presented by the romantic period. By responding to the architectural changes going on around them, post-realist writers in the previous centuries unconsciously became modern-writers because they replaced the themes that were dominant during the period of enlightenment by listening to their emotions and by combating the widespread conventions with taboo subjects presented in a new, truthful and sordid manner.In fluenced by the constant evolution of society, modernists such as Dickens, Hardy and Conrad present their literature in a society that embraces the social truth they are in. Most of the characters in literary creations with post-modern themese are often dissatisfied but they embarked on a journey which allows them to revive the traditional elements or way of life and at the same time discover the other world out there and the new life that opens its doors for them.

Demi Lovato Life Factors Essay

BULLYING An example of an environmental factor that has affected demi Lovato is bullying. Bullying is treating someone in a way that has the intention of causing any form of harm, it was in school that Demi Lovato experienced this physical bullying she experienced in school which she left after a lot of verbal and physical abuse. As a result of her being bullied about her weight, she stopped eating at the age of 12 and dropped 30 pounds so a life coach was then called in to help her out. People also wrote â€Å"hate petitions† about her and sent them around to be signed. This may affect her physically as; she couldn’t sleep at night as she would be worrying about going to school the next day– so we would have sleepless night. This may affect her intellectually as; she could fall behind in her school work as if they were calling her â€Å"stupid† or â€Å"smartarse† about her intelligence. Also she would lose concentration in her lessons which contributed to her failing academically and dropping grades. This may affect her emotionally as she is not reaching her full potential. Socially Demi Lovato struggled to make friends and maintain relationships due to the abuse she suffered she often isolated herself and didn’t enjoy normal teenage activities. MISUSE OF SUBSTANCES Demi Lovato went through a stage of taking cocaine, which could be considered a form of self harm, Demi Lovato used to take cocaine- this is a misuse of substances-drugs. Demi Lovato described the drug use as a form of escape  from loneliness she felt. This may affect her physically as drugs affects their body. Cocaine affects your vital organs, you have difficulty breathing, can have collapsed lungs, get heart conditions such as angina, weakened heart walls, and also it ruptures the blood vessels in your brain. This may affect her intellectually as taking drugs affect your mental health this can include anxiety, mood swings, depression, sleep problems and psychosis which would have a huge effect on her career. Emotionally the affect the drugs have on her mental health could lead to depression, suicide and even violent outbursts. So her friends and family may feel as though they have to cover for her, which can add an emotional strain and lead to resentment. This may affect her soc ially as this can have a negative impact on her career as she is meant to be a young child’s/adults role-model and the drug use could change the publics view of her this could have a negative impact on her career as she could get bad publicity from the press. HEALTH ISSUES She became so depressed that she began to cut her wrists and other places where no other people could see. She also used to cut herself to take her mind off of things. Demi didn’t care what happened, she had no fear. She also says that she felt a lot of pressure of having to be â€Å"perfect† and being a perfect role which lead to her cutting herself as a form of escape. To cover up the scars of cutting, Demi has tattoos of inspiration words to help her remember to be a strong person one wrist says â€Å"Stay† and on the other wrist it says â€Å"Strong†. This may affect her intellectually as she wrongly thinks self-harm is the only way to cope with everything bad that happens. The stress of depression and feeling the need to self harm will effect a person emotionally as they will be extremely confused along with feelings of regret and confusion. This may affect her socially as she feel as though she is being withdrawn from society and she becomes anti-soc ial. Also she could be feeling a lot of pressure from her fans, family etc. so a way for her to escape this pressure is for her to self-harm and cut herself. This time of self harm would have been a dangerous stage of Demi’s life where she was putting her life at risk. DIET Demi started to think she was fat and described feelings of guilt for eating. When she was 15, she was only eating 2 meals per week and she felt as if she wasn’t losing enough weight so she began experimenting with laxatives and appetite suppressants. Then Demi began battling bulimia, this amount of forceful vomiting lead to blood and acid being thrown up. Diet affected Demi unbelievably, socially and mentally as it was due to diet that she changed her entire career and she starting singing instead of acting with Disney to avoid constantly being on TV. Demis constant battle with insecurity about her weight affects her physically as her body was very fragile and looked fragile, so everyone had to be careful around her and to look after her as well. Also the physical effects of her diet are that she would have weak muscles, a low immune system, damaged organs and vocal chord damage. This would effect her as she wouldn’t be able to perform as best as she could. This may af fect her intellectually as; she’s not eating the right food, so her body isn’t getting the right nutrition’s, so the brain can’t function properly. REHAB Demi went into rehab in October 2010. This was to deal with her self-harming, substance abuse and depression. She describes the treatment as â€Å"really hard and scary†, saying that she had 14 hours of therapy a day however she could feel that the therapy was working and she began to feel happier daily. Demi at times wanted to leave rehab not because she didn’t want to fix the problem but because she missed the people from outside, however she was convinced to continue. Rehab changed Demi’s life physically as it made her a healthier and happier person her body began to function properly as she began to eat properly and receive the nutrition that she needed. Mentally, the therapy received changed Demi’s out look on life and her view of herself it helped her be a more positive person and a more educated person in terms of how to say no and how to treat her body correctly. Emotionally she may have been missing her family and friends however this could make h er value what’s good in her life, rehab also lead to Demi being a more emotionally  secure person. Socially rehab made Demi a more positive person and therefore a person who is more confident and found it easier to be in the public eye and be in social situations with people, also it may have taught her how to deal with social media websites and news considering she is a celebrity and she may still face future abuse/bullying due to that. PREDICTABLE HEALTH EVENTS 1. Health issues: Demi has experienced health issues from a young age such as bulimia it could be predicted that due to her suffering mentally with illnesses and physically with illnesses in the past along with her history of substance abuse she may relapse due to constant public attention due to her singing and acting career. Physically this possible relapse could make it difficult for Demi’s body and mind to cope, if she does have a relapse her body will be much more at risk to collapsing as it is repeatedly is put through stress and it may struggle to fight of sickness and infection. Also she would lack concentration which would affect her career as an actress. This will impact her emotionally as there will still be times in her life where she feels low and depressed as she’ll self-harm, also the emotions surrounding her strength should she relapse and the way her habits may affect her family. This will impact her socially as when she would self harm herself she could begin to feel as though she is being withdrawn from society, and then become anti-social. UN-PREDICTABLE LIFE EVENTS 1. Break-up’s Demi went through a hard and an emotional break-up with Joe Jonas, this break-up was unpredictable and due to the emotional distress she could fall into a relapse and begin taking drugs or gaining insecurities again. This will impact her emotionally as she would of gone through a rough time with the break up would just feel really emotional (such as anxious, upset and depressed) however Demi found that through music she could channel her emotions and although it may have been predicted that a breakup could make  her relapse infact she done the opposite and found a positive route out of the situation. This will impact her socially as she may stray away from society– her family and friends this could lead to greater feelings of loneliness and depression. Death Experiencing a death of someone who is close to you has bad effects on anyone, demi experienced the death of a friend this will impact her physically as she may be depressed and this unpredicted event could lead to Demi abusing her body again as she already suffers with issues dealing with pain and upset. This will impact her intellectually as she may lack concentration and it may affect her career. This will impact her emotionally as she could be emotionally drained which would therefore impact her career and the way in which she presents herself to her fans. Socially this could mean Demi would begin to isolate herself from her friends and fans and for someone who is a celebrity this is a big risk to take as it may make the public lose interest in her and the public if she is depressed and in isolation. THEORIES OF AGEING There are 3 types of theories that are related to ageing; Disengagement theory, Activity theory, and Continuity theory. Authors of the book â€Å"Growing Old† Elaine Cumming and William Henry summarised that growing old isn’t a cheerful time in which people grow old happily and simply accept that their lives and activities should change due to their age. They said it is a time where elderly people begin the process of realising they have a short life span left and struggle coming to terms with this. This theory of struggling to come to terms with old age was developed by Elaine and William and they called it disengagement theory: For example, someone who was in the disengagement stage, would be in a nursing home staying there, not wanting to see anyone or participating in any activities that are provided as they are rejecting the process of being elderly. THEORIES OF AGEING The activity theory was developed in the 1960s. This is a positive relationship between a person’s level of activity and life satisfaction, which then increases how positively a persons there self-concept is and improves their ability to adjust in their elderly years. It states, people who achieve optimal age are those who stay active. As peoples life stages change they must be active and change with them for example when they reach retirement they can then do things they never had time to do before, like travel it is suggested that this active attitude is what will make them happier in the transition through social life stages. For example, someone who was in the activity theory would want to do activities for the majority of the day, and be as active as possible throughout the day. This activity theory was created by Robert Havighurst. DEMI AND AGEING D1 I chose to explain the activity theory and the dis-engagement theory in further detail and I think there is potential for demi lovato to fall into these two theories. I suggested dis-engagement theory as a theory that may possibly effect Demi as she has a history of separating herself from society and the expectations of society when she finds herself in stressful situations, like her previous bullying issues or drug addictions. It is possible to expect that Demi when facing the stress of accepting old age she may reject this and act against what is expected of somebody who is ageing. This is purely predictions based on her past actions. This will effect Demi’s development as it could cause her to be an entirely different person should she choose to isolate herself from the rest of society her brain could prematurely age as she is no longer socially active. I think the disengagement theory will suit Demi best as an elderly looked after person because due to her life in the lig hts she may need to take a step back from society and it might be more successful for her elderly development if she spends some time away from society’s expectations and spent sometime thinking of her own needs. DEMI AND AGEING On the other hand it may be possible that Demi may fall into a category of activity theory. This predication is due to her wisdom after everything she has faced throughout her life and therefore when she ages she may become actively involved in health promotions or anti-bullying schemes. She may work in the community to advise young people on their options and actions and therefore she will be an actively acting elderly person taking part in the schemes and opportunities provided for elderly people. This theory may effect Demi’s development as it will make her a more active individual and therefore her life quality and happiness will be increased. This theory of ageing could be best for Demi rather than disengagement theory as she has had a very active life style all her life and to change this could cause her to be depressed the activity theory would probably benefit Demi the most as an elderly person who needs to be looked after in the correct way. PHYSICAL SIGNS OF AGEING When you become older, your muscles begin to shrink and lose mass. The number and size of muscle fibres also decrease. The heart muscle becomes less able to propel large quantities of blood to the body- so older people tire more quickly and take longer to recover. The water content of tendons, the cord like tissues that attach muscles to bones decrease as we age this makes the tissues stiffer and less able to tolerate stress. This would effect demi as she has quite an active career and it could cause her to have to change her lifestyle therefore she may begin feeling sad or depressed if her life changes too severely and she has no control over it. With age, your heart has to work harder and pump more blood than a younger heart. Due to this change in blood flow elderly people struggle to perform basic homeostatic functions such as maintaining body temperature. This would impact Demi as she could suffer from many diseases that occur from the changes of major organs, this could impact h er social and singing/acting career. The first physical signs of aging include the skin becoming less elastic. Another sign of aging is that your sleep rhythm may alter. At night, you may not sleep for as long as you used to and it is possible that you may wake up more  during the night. PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNS OF AGEING Memory loss is one of the most common psychological effects of aging. For many people, remembering everyday things becomes more difficult. Memory loss affects short-term memory more than long-term. It may be easy to recall events that happened thirty years in the past, but difficult to recall what happened on the morning news. Absentmindedness is also a characteristic psychological effect of aging. Clear, lucid thoughts become increasingly difficult. Older people may repeat themselves in conversation, or have trouble doing regular activities. This impaired cognitive functioning could also be a sign of althzeimers disease. It can lead to severe degeneration of mental functioning. Depression is fairly common as many people age. Perhaps you used to have a full head of thick hair. You used to be able to eat anything you want without getting gas or gaining weight. Maybe you used to be a strong as a bull and be able to run like the wind. As you got older though, you gained weight, you went bald, you can’t lift things like you used to. You recall the good old days and then look at the shape you’re in now. That can make nearly anyone depressed. THE EFFECTS OF AGEING AND  CONFIDENCE/SELF ESTEEM The loss of a youthful appearance, as well as the emotional and social changes that may accompany menopause and aging can hurt our self-esteem. The changes that are seen at midlife can be disconcerting. Some research indicates that these changes in the body image have a significant impact on our sexual desire and sexual self-esteem at midlife. The issue of lowered self-esteem/confidence mainly stems from the issue of  comparing ourselves to younger people as we age. When we are young we have better body function, more elastic skin, less wrinkles and a harder working body with more physical abilities meaning we are in healthy shape. As we get older these functions change and we begin to lose what we once took for granted. In these cases its easy for an elderly person to be hit with confidence and self esteem issues as they are going through an extreme bodily change. Also with women the life stage of menopause can sometimes make a women depressed as she feels less womanly due to her inability to have anymore children. Also the issue of life expectancy slowly becoming shorter confidence and self esteem can surround regrets and elderly person has had throughout their lifetime.